商务英语口语对话:Board of directors 董事会

A: so tell me, what's the difference between the Board of Directors, the CEO, and the stockholders? They all seemt ot be the same group of people to me…

B: no, there's a dfinite difference. You know, the stockholders are the people who own the company…they're the financial control system. Then there's the CEO—the chief executive officer. He's the hot shot, the main guy who is the boss. If there is only one person with absolute power in the organization, everone knows that the power will go to their head. It's too dangerous. That's the reason for a Board of Directors. The board is made up of people who are experts in the industry. They could be related to the organization, but more commonly, they are independent and non-biased.

A: how many people are on the board of directors?

B: usually not more than 15, not less than 10. They meet monthly, quarterly, or biannually to oversee an organization or company. They provide long term planing and vision, and also act as moral watchdogs rto keep the company in line.