Normally in large corporations the shareholders do not run the business, instead they elect the board of directors, the board of directors is responsible for the general control and supervision of the corporation.

The number of directors on the board varies depending on the business and its size, however most states require at least one director. When trying to decided on the number of directors, remember too many directors will make it more difficult to reach decisions. For a small business it is a good idea to keep the number of directors to a small group. Often, directors are the shareholders and officers. In small corporations sometimes the shareholders or the owners run the business without the formal board of directors.