Time for independent directors to redefine themselves by standing up for investors

ONE of the first questions I ask myself when trying to determine if shares in a company are worth owning is: Whose company is this?

Understanding who controls a company helps set my expectations - for better or worse - on how it is likely to be run, and how minority investors like me might be treated.

Yet, I almost never bother checking the identities of the independent directors (IDs), who are supposed to look out for small investors like me if push ever came to shove. The reason, I suppose, is that I do not really believe that it matters who IDs are.