This is the first detailed analysis of the internal working and the external relationships of the boards of Britain's leading companies. Responding to calls for greater scrutiny of boards, this book presents an in-depth examination of directors of UK public companies, a survey of company secretaries, and four case studies of UK PLCs (BAA, Burmah Castrol, Securicor, and Allied Domecq), finding boards to be important devices in maintaining the strategic framework of the organization.