Under his tutelage, Ho studied the classical Chinese texts that taught governance as the Dao of Confucius.
"We wanted to teach governance as much as it could be taught but also to get that sense of the company instilled into the next generation," Mr. Phelan said.
After one too many dullness-gassings by another Sir Humphrey with an agenda, he's shipped out to California, to teach governance at Stanford.
Charles Elson, who teaches corporate governance at the University of Delaware, calls the reforms "farsighted".
"It's obvious that the founders have an emotional interest in the company," said Mr. Phan, who teaches corporate governance.
"That would be very extraordinary," said Charles M. Elson, who teaches corporate governance at the University of Delaware's business school.
It sent mission after mission to teach good governance, some of which succeeded and some of which ran into what former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called "the Afghan allergy" to dictates from foreign occupiers.
John Biggs, a director of Boeing and the former chief of TIAA-CREF who now teaches corporate governance at New York University, says that given the Big Board's role as a model for others, it is indefensible for the company not to engage in merger talks.
He teaches corporate governance at New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
Stephen Lubben, an expert on bankruptcy who teaches corporate governance and business ethics at Seton Hall Law School, meanwhile observes that yes, bankruptcy filings by venture capital-backed companies are rare, particularly in California, where the strong preference is to do an "assignment for the benefit of creditors" that allows backers more say in how to save their investments.
