Today's boards of
directors are driven by far-reaching regulatory reforms and increased
corporate expectations, as a result of the Sarbanes-Oxley
legislation. Consequently, many feel an ever-growing need for orientation, education and evaluation. This
paper shows that corporate directors are currently trying to gain the hands-on knowledge required to become more valuable professionals in the boardroom, with the help of general counsels, financial executives, HR representatives or corporate secretaries. The paper shows that ethics is a very important part of their change, since enforcing business morality is the main objective behind the Sarbanes-Oxley act.