Hang On - First Quarter 2010

Cover Story

Forget about Sarbanes-Oxley and its sweeping reforms. Proposed new laws and regulations mean directors are in for the roughest ride of their lives. But guess what? You may come out of this bone rattler with more authority than you ever had.

First Quarter 2010

Features

Roller Coaster
Ten companies whose market caps hit the deepest troughs and highest peaks over 23 stomach-lurching months—and the board members who will guide them into the uncertain future.

What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do Next
Running out of ideas for new products? Don’t have a clue about how to streamline a process? It used to be you’d keep such shortcomings secret until somebody on the payroll came up with the answers. Not anymore. Smart companies take their needs public—and on the Internet, of all places.

Jocks in the Boardroom
Need to improve your company’s teamwork? Looking to build a stronger competitive edge? Consider drafting a former athlete as a director, as Del Monte did when it signed Joe Morgan.

Plus: Other Former Athletes Who Serve as Directors
Board Meeting Kayos Champ

Why Risking a Lower Credit Rating Can Make Good Strategic Sense
Some boards are prepared to let their companies drop from A to BBB in order to make an important acquisition, say. But it’s important to keep the credit agencies up-to-date on your thinking.

Plus: One Company's Bumpy Ratings Ride

A Director's Guide to Cloud Computing
Ready to invest in a technology that speeds communications, saves money—and may even reduce your dependency on boy-they-can-be-annoying techies? Keep reading.

Plus: Geek Goddess Rides Cloud, Saves Day

10 Top Apps for Road-warrior Directors
We assume you already use your iPhone or BlackBerry to check out the Wall Street Journal and the Weather Channel. Here are some other smart-phone applications that will make business travel more efficient and enjoyable. One may even improve your golf.

Departments

Letter from the Editor
Sure You Deserve a Raise, But...

On Board
Transparency Time for Compensation Consultants' Own Compensation

How Safe is Your CEO?

2009 Saw Just Two LBOs

Mixed Message on Black Directors

How Midmarket Directors Made Out

A Woman Director Lessens the Risk of a Shareholder Suit

10 To-Dos for the Audit Committee

Six Ways to Survive a Crisis

Before We Adjourn
How Hypnopaedia Can Make You a Better Director