EN
The extant literature consistently identifies small companies as being inherently fragile, rendering them more liable to fail than their larger counterparts in the event of a crisis occurring. This paper considers the findings of a series of interviews with directors of small companies concerning corporate governance, risk and their preparedness to manage a crisis. Current corporate governance practice adds little to the effective management of crises in small companies where a prevailing attitude of denial by directors limits meaningful actions to prevent or mitigate the consequences of unanticipated events. The paper also incorporates the observations of the author, a board chairman for over 30 years, concerning corporate governance in practice within small companies. Keywords: corporate governance, small companies, risk, crisis management, boards of directors, non-executive directors