The CII Guidelines are an attempt to serve as the base for corporates (large and small; listed and unlisted) to redesign their governance strategies in the face of ever changing business and regulatory environment. These Guidelines are a combination of global practices; existing legal provisions (some of which may currently be applicable only to listed companies); good to have principles; regulatory policy suggestions and forward-looking concepts – aimed at enhancing the overall governance standards of companies in India by encouraging voluntary adherence to the Guidelines, in letter and spirit. The Guidelines enumerate 15 recommendations on topical issues covering Integrity, Ethics and Governance; Responsible Governance and Citizenship; Role of High performing Board; Balancing interest of stakeholders; Independent Directors and Women Directors; Safe harbours for Independent Directors; easier settlement norms and amnesty provisions; risk management; succession planning; Role of the Audit Committee; Improving audit quality, and enhancing accountability of other third parties who play a fiduciary role; Disclosure and transparency related issues; vigil mechanism; Stakeholder, vendor and customer governance; Investor Activism and Start-ups and MSMEs.