[DannyBee]

Your understanding is false. A sole stockholder (for example, the parent of an independent subsidiary), always has control, even if not by specific direction.

They can, after all, fire the entire board, and elect a new one that will direct the company to do what they want.

Not to mention in most cases, parent companies do in fact, maintain control over subsidiaries (IE they are not independent subsidiaries), and thus can directly control activities.

[Kimmono]

The way company law is set up in Norway, you cant as a board member do anything else than what is best for the company you are board member in. Doing something different would mean you could be held responsible. They could fire the board, but the next board have the same rules to go by.

[DannyBee]

"What is best" is of course, a matter of opinion. I'm not sure this is as concrete as you seem to think this is, though i'll admit i'm not familiar with the details of norwegian law, what you say is true of most countries in terms of duties.