Course overview

As a company director, you’re in the firing line.

Your personal exposure is growing all the time. The maze of legislation is getting denser with the implementation of the Companies Act 2006 and incurring penalties is a real possibility. There are now over 200 offences under company law, which can lead to company directors being fined – in serious cases a custodial sentence can result. It’s the shareholders’ liability, which is limited, not the directors’.

Finding the time to stay properly up-to-speed must sometimes seem impossible. However, there is a sensible way to get-to-grips with what you need to know without making life intolerable. Falconbury have designed this course to give you expert, practical guidance on the duties, rights and obligations of this important role – all in just six modules.

What this distance learning course offers you:

1 FLEXIBILITY – learning at a pace and place of your own choosing
2 WELL-DESIGNED programme focused on practical relevance
3 MANAGEABLE weekly instalments and self-aid progress questions
4 NO NEED for time away from the office
5 REDUCED expenditure – no hotel or travel fees
6 ENJOY the flexibility of studying at work, home or on the move
7 ACCESS to professional advisors and authors of the course

This training course is part of our series of Corporate Strategy Training Courses covering the essential skills and best practices for all Company Directors and Company Secretaries, as well as business leaders and entrepreneurs.

This course will benefit you if:

You are a company director in any sort of organisation, small, medium or large
Or are part of the senior legal, accounting and administration support staff
Need to know what the law means and what you need to do
Want to minimise your risk of non-compliance with the law

Enrol or try free

The Fulfilling the Role and Duties of the Company Director course will cover:

Module 1 - General Principles
- 1. General Principles
  - Abbreviations
  - Company Classification
  - Compensation and Employment Rights
  - Service Rights: Qualification Periods
  - The Approach Taken By This Course
  - Background
  - Widespread lack of awareness
  - Personal Liability
  - Practical help
- 2. Defining the nature of Directors and their role
  - How did we get here?
  - What is a company?
  - Re-Registration
  - Types of Shares
  - The Veil of Incorporation
  - What is a 'Director'?
  - A Director's exposure
  - Appointment - first principles
  - Joining the throng
  - Aims and purpose
  - Internal obligations
  - Rolling the message out
  - Duties
- 3. The variety of types of Directors - and their responsibilities
  - A director is a director
  - Descriptions
  - De Facto or Shadow
  - Disclosure of Persons of Significant Control
  - Courtesy titles
  - 10 commandments for directors
- 4. Appointment and status
  - Eligibility for appointment
  - Appointment of a Director
  - Notification of interests
  - Status – officer or officer and employee?
  - The service contract
  - Remuneration
  - The dual relationship
- 5. Clauses for LTD's articles
  - Possible additional clauses for LTD's articles
- Self-assessment questions for Module 1
Module 2 - Board meetings and structure
- 1. Procedures for effective Board Meetings
  - Determining the aims of Board Meetings
  - Agendas
  - Dynamic Agendas
  - Timetable
  - Aims
  - Interested parties
  - The effective meeting
- 2. A meeting’s two key players – The Chairman and Secretary
  - Key players
  - General responsibilities of the Chairman
  - Progressing the meeting
  - Controlling the members
  - Motivating members
  - The role of the Company Secretary
  - Responsibilities
  - Before and at Board Meetings
  - Remote meetings
- 3. Preparation for and administration of Board Meetings
  - General preparation
  - Preparing effective reports
  - Presentations
  - Planning
  - Appointing subcommities
  - Minutes - principles
  - Minutes - an example
- Self-assessment questions for Module 2
Module 3 - Auditors, AGMs and Shareholders
- 1. Access, Authorities and Auditors
  - General requirements to create and protect records
  - External authorities
  - Control
  - Controlling exercise of authority
  - Theft's vicious circle
  - Controlling expenses
  - Directors' loans
  - Auditors
  - Enhanced penalties
- 2. Shareholders' Meetings
  - The Annual General Meeting
  - Briefing the Chairman
  - Minutes
  - Extraordinary General Meetings
  - Resolutions
  - Proxy
- 3. Shareholder communication
  - The Annual Report
  - Determining the target audiences
  - Filing the document
  - Range of content
  - A timetable for action
  - The Chairman's Statement
  - Ownership
  - Corporate social responsibility
  - Examining the issues
  - Human Capital Management
  - Other documentation
- Self-assessment questions for Module 3
Module 4 - Leadership, Management and Corporate Governance
- 1. Leadership and Management
  - Distinguishing between leadership and management
  - Leadership qualities
  - Maximising the human resource
  - Communication principles
  - Briefings
- 2. Directing now
  - Corporate governance
  - The future?
  - Payment of Directors
  - Relationships
  - Working time/personal time balance
  - A sting in the tail?
- 3. The public image
  - Who do we serve?
  - Devising and using media releases
  - Media interviews
  - Communication aspects of crisis reaction
- Self-assessment questions for Module 4
Module 5 - Corporate Responsibility - Traps and Pitfalls
- 1. Liabilities and Protections
  - Our litigious society
  - Personal liability for statements
  - Areas of exposure
  - Employment obligations
  - Commercial requirements
  - The Enterprise Act 2002
  - The Insolvency Act
  - Operating in - and saving - the environment
- 2. The Risk Business
  - The requirement to take risk
  - Contingency planning
  - Risk prevention planning
  - What do you do?
  - Suggested areas of attention
  - Bribery and slavery
  - Gender pay reporting
  - Tax evasion
  - Safety
  - Corporate Manslaughter
  - Stress
  - Risk transference
- 3. Behaviour and Approach
  - Ethical behaviour
  - Gifts - the 'if in doubt: shout' rule
  - Confidentiality undertaking
  - Non-competition clauses
  - Other security aspects
  - Electronic transmissions
  - Social Media sites
  - Controlling other risks
  - Insider dealing rules
  - Share trading
- 4. Appendix
  - Who is liable
- Self-assessment questions for Module 5
Module 6 - Employment Considerations - Finding your way through the maze
- 1. A Personal Viewpoint
  - The 4 key employment 'abilities' for the 21st Century
  - Pro-active recruitment
  - Parental rights
  - Adoptive parents
  - Unpaid parental leave
  - Family emergency leave
  - Flexible working
  - Training
  - Apprentices
  - Public duties
  - Avoiding age discrimination
  - The new work dimension
- 2. Comparability and Consultation
  - Comparability
  - Part-time workers
  - Fixed term contract personnel
  - Temporary personnel
  - Transferring employees
  - Reducing employment costs
  - Consultability
  - Formal consultation
  - Discipline and dismissal
  - Dignity at work
  - Retention ability
- Self-assessment for Module 6
Final Assessment

Enrol or try free

David Martin

As a Director and Secretary of one of the top 250 listed PLCs, for nearly ten years David Martin was responsible for a range of disciplines, including personnel, property and insurance, as well as statutory and legal requirements and corporate/internal communications (three of his annual reports won national awards).

Following a takeover, David founded his own consultancy, Buddenbrook, which has carried out various projects for a range of clients, large and small, for the last 30 years. He has been an employer’s representative on Employment Tribunals.

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