Japanese table tennis coach, Shinji Sato,says he often writes instructions on a board.

VOA: standard.2009.09.10

He typically takes a minority stake and agitates for change, often getting board representation, as was the case at Motorola and ImClone.

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In addition to help with financing and other operational matters that Centre provides, it also offers its portfolio company management teams access to its Centre Operating Partners, or COPs, a group of current and former top-level executives that can offer industry-specific expertise and often take board roles.

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All too often, the board words the performance criteria in "babel-speak, " says John Kapitan, senior vice president at Stern Stewart, a shareholder-value consultancy in New York.

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