Includes bibliographical references.

Part I. The board of directors as a change agent

Family company governance case

University governance case

Start-up investor governance case

NPO governance case

Part II. The board of directors as a direction body

M&A governance case

Family company direction case

University direction case

Board of directors as a strategic sparring partner

Part III. The board of directors as an HR governance body

Reward governance case

Succession planning governance case

Owner-CEO collaboration case

Board-management collaboration case

Governance of gender diversity case

A case of responsible restructuring as good governance

Part IV. The board of directors as a controlling body

Subsidiary governance case

Financial competence on the board case

IPO governance case

Fraud governance case

Afterword : lessons learned from the living cases and from the global financial crisis

Keep it situational

Keep it strategic

Keep it integrated

Keep it controlled

Conclusion : search for sustainability and common sense