Key Agreed Principles to Strengthen Corporate Governance for U.S. Publicly Traded Companies

The Key Agreed Principles to Strengthen Corporate Governance for U.S. Publicly Traded Companies, from NACD, are a new set of principles intended to guide corporate leaders, and are the cumulative effort of many organizations and individuals to find a truly shared set of ideas to improve the internal functioning of America's boardrooms. The principles help directors test their current practices rather than check "a required box" on a mandated evaluation form, and help corporate boards make governance decisions in the context of their own corporate strategy. NACD recommends that directors use the principles as a framework for determining board practices on an ongoing basis.

The principles include:

• Board Responsibility for Governance
• Corporate Governance Transparency
• Director Competency and Commitment
• Board Accountability and Objectivity
• Independent Board Leadership
• Integrity, Ethics, and Responsibility
• Attention to Information, Agenda, and Strategy
• Protection Against Board Entrenchment
• Shareholder Input in Director Selection
• Shareholder Communications