Axel v. Werder addresses the leadership organization of unified companies and corporations consistently from the perspective of top management. The focus of the textbook is on the design of a multi-member corporate management team, its relationship of competence to the bodies of corporate governance, and its organizational connection to the subsequent hierarchical levels. The inclusion of legal determinants as well as a conceptually coherent efficiency assessment of the essential design alternatives characterize the unique structure of the book. For the third edition, the textbook has been updated and expanded once again. Adjustments have been made to reflect the developments in the German Corporate Governance Code, and a new section on the business management principle of sustainable corporate governance based on the stakeholder concept has been added.