Apple's
In any event, Apple is taking some action in the boardroom. Earlier this week, the company appointed longtime director Arthur Levinson as chairman of the board, taking the last position Steve Jobs held. The Genentech chairman and former CEO is already deeply enmeshed in Apple's affairs, having been co-lead director since 2005.
Moreover, Walt Disney
In all, the moves serve to replace Jobs' job function and also fill his vacant board seat with an already-familiar face. It's hardly a huge shakeup -- more like reaffirming and cementing the structure that was already in place.
Nell Minow, the "CEO killer" of The Corporate Library, is not a big fan of Apple's signing bonuses and would probably like to see Jung's compensation committee getting a makeover. In her book Corporate Governance, Minow also sneers at the composition of your average board today: "the CEO, ten of his white, male, corporate friends, and one member who is some combination of female/minority/academic/former government official."
Apple's board is a bit smaller than that, with only eight members -- much like technology peers Google
So don't expect these moves to alter Apple's strategic direction or corporate governance dramatically. If you liked how Apple's board performed before, you'll probably still like it today -- and if you didn't, you still won't. Any actual changes such as the reinstated charity gift-matching policy will reflect more on Jobs' absence than on any new additions in the boardroom.
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