The Company Directors Desktop Guide

The Company Director's Desktop Guide is an indispensable source of reference on all areas of company law and practice for directors in every type of organisation. It provides essentially practical, jargon-free guidance on every aspect of a director's duties drawn from the author's considerable experience. Directors and managers are confronted with rapidly changing and increasing legislative requirements - at last count British companies were subject to some 22,000 different statutes. Remaining fully conversant with all the obligations, responsibilities and liabilities demanded under Company - and all the other - laws can therefore be a struggle for even the most diligent director or company secretary. This book explains those responsibilities and obligations in clear terms, emphasising what the law means in practice, how to implement it and how best to minimise risk and avoid potential penalties. As well as being completely revised and updated, the 14th edition of this popular title now includes new and detailed guidance on practical aspects of: * exploring liability on former owners following company disposal * highlighting the breaches of Corporate Governance * identifying new Data Protection requirements from 2018 * protecting the corporate body from breaching new tax evasion requirements * implementing the changed requirements on Audit * considering using technology to improve AGM effectiveness * new reporting requirements for the Strategic Report ... and much more.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1 Background.....................................................................................2 Widespread lack of awareness........................................................2 Personal liability..............................................................................3 Practical help ..................................................................................4 The nature of the beast 7 How did we get here?.....................................................................8 What is a company .......................................................................13 Formation ....................................................................................14 Re-Registration..............................................................................14 The Veil of Incorporation..............................................................15 What is a `Director' .......................................................................18 A Director's exposure ...................................................................20 Appointment - First principles.....................................................21 Joining the throng.........................................................................26 Constitution - Aims and purpose..................................................29 Internal obligations.......................................................................31 Rolling the message out................................................................31 A rose by any other name 33 A director is a director..................................................................34 Descriptions..................................................................................36 De Facto or Shadow? ....................................................................49 Disclosure of Persons of Significant Control ................................49 Courtesy titles...............................................................................53 Duties............................................................................................55 10 `commandments'for directors.................................................65 Appraisal .......................................................................................72 Scaling the peak 75 Eligibility for appointment............................................................76 Appointment of a Director .........................................................77 Notification of interests................................................................81 Status - officer or officer and employee?......................................85 The service contract ....................................................................88 Remuneration ...............................................................................91 The dual relationship....................................................................92 Board members - and others - beware 101 Our litigious society....................................................................102 Personal liability for statements..................................................103 Areas of exposure .......................................................................103 Employment obligations ............................................................106 Commercial requirements .........................................................108 The Enterprise Act 2002 ............................................................113 The Insolvency Act ....................................................................114 Operating in - and saving - the environment ............................122 The risk business 131 The requirement to take risk ......................................................132 Contingency planning.................................................................133 Risk prevention planning............................................................136 What do you do?.........................................................................138 Suggested areas of attention ......................................................139 Bribery and Slavery.....................................................................142 Gender Pay reporting..................................................................144 Tax evasion .................................................................................146 Safety...........................................................................................147 Corporate Manslaughter.............................................................156 Stress...........................................................................................159 Risk transference ........................................................................165 `Ill met' - without method 167 Determining the aims of Board Meetings...................................168 Agendas.......................................................................................171 Dynamic Agendas........................................................................172 Timetable ....................................................................................176 Aims............................................................................................178 Interested parties........................................................................183 The effective meeting .................................................................184 A meeting's two key players - The Chairman and Secretary 189 Key players .................................................................................190 General responsibilities of the Chairman ...................................190 Progressing the meeting ............................................................192 Controlling the members............................................................193 Motivating members...................................................................194 The role of the Company Secretary............................................199 Responsibilities ..........................................................................203 Before and at Board Meetings.....................................................206 Remote meetings........................................................................207 Board without boredom 209 General preparation ...................................................................210 Preparing effective reports.........................................................211 Presentations ..............................................................................213 Planning ......................................................................................217 Appointing subcommittees.........................................................219 Minutes - principles...................................................................221 Minutes - an example.................................................................223 An inspector calls 235 General requirements to create and protect records .................236 External authorities ....................................................................238 Control........................................................................................243 Controlling exercise of authority ...............................................244 Theft's vicious circle...................................................................252 Controlling expenses..................................................................254 Directors' loans...........................................................................256 Auditors ......................................................................................257 Enhanced penalties.....................................................................264 Setting an example 265 Ethical behaviour........................................................................266 Gifts - the `if in doubt:shout'rule...............................................271 Confidentiality undertaking ........................................................273 Non-competition clauses............................................................276 Other security aspects................................................................279 Electronic transmissions.............................................................281 Social Media sites........................................................................288 Controlling other risks................................................................289 Insider dealing rules ...................................................................292 Share trading...............................................................................297 `He who communicates leads' 299 Distinguishing between leadership and management................300 Leadership qualities....................................................................301 Maximising the human resource ................................................306 Communication principles.........................................................313 Briefings......................................................................................316 Meeting the owners 327 The Annual General Meeting ......................................................328 Briefing the Chairman.................................................................336 Minutes.......................................................................................339 Extraordinary General Meetings.................................................342 Resolutions .................................................................................343 Proxy...........................................................................................346 `Write a better book' 347 The Annual Report......................................................................348 Determining the target audiences ..............................................350 Filing the document....................................................................351 Range of content ........................................................................352 A timetable for action .................................................................356 The Chairman's Statement..........................................................359 Ownership..................................................................................364 Corporate social responsibility ...................................................365 Examining the issues ..................................................................368 Human Capital Management.......................................................369 Other documentation .................................................................370 No such thing as bad publicity? 375 Who do we serve?.......................................................................376 Devising and using media releases ............................................381 Media interviews ........................................................................383 Communication aspects of crisis reaction..................................387 Managing the property assets 393 Introduction................................................................................394 Types of occupation ...................................................................394 Marriage of interests...................................................................396 The A-Z of property attention.....................................................396 The future - remote working .....................................................408 Extending the working age.........................................................411 `A personal viewpoint' 413 The 4 key employment`abilities'................................................414 Pro-active recruitment ................................................................418 Parental rights.............................................................................420 Adoptive parents.........................................................................430 Unpaid parental leave .................................................................430 Family emergency leave..............................................................431 Flexible working .........................................................................433 Training.......................................................................................437 Apprentices.................................................................................437 Public duties ...............................................................................439 Avoiding age discrimination .......................................................441 The new work dimension...........................................................443 `Comparability and consultation' 445 Comparability .............................................................................446 Part-time workers........................................................................446 Fixed term employees ................................................................447 Workers.......................................................................................448 Temporary personnel .................................................................449 Transferring employees ..............................................................451 Reducing employment costs ......................................................456 Consultability..............................................................................463 Formal consultation....................................................................466 Discipline and dismissal..............................................................471 Dignity at Work ...........................................................................475 Retention ability .........................................................................485 `Directing now' 489 Corporate governance ...............................................................490 Relationships...............................................................................506 Working time/ personal time balance.........................................509 Payment of Directors..................................................................509 A sting in the tail? .......................................................................513 Appendices 515 Appendix I:Types of companies.................................................516 Appendix II:Types of shares.......................................................522 Appendix III: Possible additional clauses for LTD's Articles........524 Appendix IV:Who is liable..........................................................525 Appendix V: Bibliography............................................................526 Cases...........................................................................................527

About the Author :
David Martin FCIS, FCIPD, FIoD runs his own successful consultancy and is a Fellow of the Institutes of Chartered Secretaries, Personnel and Development and Directors. He is a regular seminar speaker and has written over 60 books. He helped set up and wrote the main title as well as several others for the ICSA `One Stop' series, whilst his latest books, The Instant Company Secretary, The A-Z of Employment Practice (11th edition), and The A-Z of Facilities and Property Management (3rd edition) are all published by Thorogood.