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This paper characterizes the role of the board of directors in a more specific way than has been done previously, and uses this characterization to support the argument that, in some cases, the mandate of an effective board should go beyond the prevention of self‐interested behavior by management. The enlarged role for the board of directors that this paper contemplates carries with it the need to ensure shareholders that the board of directors is not engaging in self‐interested behavior of its own, and posits that requiring the board of directors to report to shareholders on its activities and effectiveness is a potential solution to this problem. The paper seeks to present theoretically grounded ideas on how this might be done in a meaningful fashion.

This conceptual paper proposes a “short list” of reporting items for boards of directors, derived from a theoretical model that examines board of director performance from a group dynamics perspective.

This paper proposes measure for board of director performance reporting that are based upon potential active agency roles. The authors suggest that future dialogue regarding board of director performance reporting might be well served by recognizing the limitations of previous research that has found differing and questionable links between board characteristics and organizational outcomes.

The authors suggest that the items derived from the theoretical model for examining board of director performance reporting need to be empirically assessed in terms of their usefulness in a variety of industries and contexts.

The authors argue that active agency roles and functional group dynamics should form the backbone of a board of director performance reporting process.

This paper extends the board of director performance reporting literature by providing a theoretically grounded rationale for measuring and conceptualizing board effectiveness.

This paper aims to examine the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) on moral agents, and in turn, governance structures in western societies.

This conceptual paper takes a holistic approach to governance and recasts popular notions of e‐governance by answering fundamental questions about the potential roles of governance in individuals, communities, organizations, governments and society.

The authors argue that it is only when the context of the moral agent is fully understood that it is possible to begin to unravel whether ICT is likely to have beneficial or detrimental effects on fundamental governance goals.

Future research into e‐governance topics would be well served by discussing the governance goal that ICT is designed to improve or enhance. Whether ICT can make aspects of e‐government quicker and faster is not in dispute; however, whether ICT will actually achieve deeper governance goals requires reframing research questions.

When viewed as moral agents, individuals, communities, organizations, governments and societies can use governance goals to enhance both self‐actualization and social order in line with community values.

By recasting the question “What can ICT contribute to governance and government?” to “How will ICT affect governance?”, we move away from the presumption of a positive influence, and suggest that contributions to governance goals should guide our discussions surrounding ICT utility.

This paper seeks to argue that boards can be playing a more proactive role in contributing to organizational effectiveness and that their composition requires greater research attention. By integrating the organizational behaviour literature on teams with the governance literature, the paper empirically examines the relationship between key board composition variables and firm performance.

At this stage in the development of the approach, the focus is on a sub‐set of the elements proposed in the group dynamics literature. The population for this study comprises all companies included in the Canadian TSE 300 Composite Index (renamed the S&P/TSX Composite Index). This study uses cross‐sectional regression analyses to examine the nature of the relationships between board composition and firm performance.

The data analyses revealed that high levels of experience, appropriate team size, moderate levels of variation in age and team tenure were correlated with firm performance.

Boards of directors (BOD) are teams whose effectiveness can be assessed through group dynamic constructs in the organizational behaviour literature. Further research is needed to examine the intricate dynamics that might moderate or mediate the relationship between board characteristics and firm performance.

The findings provide a much‐needed benchmark to consider whether the composition of boards is optimal, given the functions and mandate. In addition, the study highlights the opportunity costs of boards, restricting their roles to agency issues.

This interdisciplinary paper tests some of the many variables that can be extrapolated from the group dynamics research. The paper calls on boards to examine what BOD functionality really entails, and argues for more proactive behaviours aimed at strategic firm issues.

The purpose of this paper is to test for the salience of social licence to operate in the context of a very poor community. The idea of social license to operate is closely linked to ideas of stakeholder power, legitimacy and urgency (Mitchell et al., 1997). But what if a community is impoverished, and lacks the tools and privileges to effect change? Do the stakeholders believe they have influence over extension of the social license to operate? Does the employer listen to them? To examine this issue, survey data was gathered from 12,000 stakeholders working in a poor township in South Africa. The township is located near a major South African city in an employment market dominated by a single heavy industry. Responders perceived their welfare to be of importance to the employer and that they had a role in extension of the social license to operate.

A survey of 12,000 employees working in an impoverished township near a large South African city.

Despite being impoverished and lacking the tools and privileges to effect change that are available in wealthier communities, responders perceived some influence over extension of social license to operate.

While responders expressed clear sentiments, their actual power to extend or withhold social license to operate is unclear, and the study did not test for this.

The practical implication is that firms should be wary of assuming that just because a stakeholder group is impoverished, it is unaware of its role and power as a stakeholder.

The more important implication is that under conditions of poverty, responders expressed a clear desire to see impediments to work removed, rather than a desire for handouts.

The authors doubt there has ever been a study of this kind with this large a sample, in conditions of such extreme poverty.

This paper proposes mainly that boards of directors (BOD) are teams that share characteristics with many other kinds of teams. As a consequence, some of the factors that lead to board effectiveness are the same factors that lead to team effectiveness in general. By integrating the organizational behaviour literature on teams with the governance literature, a comprehensive model of BOD performance is proposed.

This conceptual paper proposes a model to assess the performance of a board and situates board performance as one input into firm performance.

This paper outlines the dynamic interplay between board characteristics, functionality and performance and proposes a comprehensive model, based largely on the group dynamics literature.

Suggests that future research attempt to empirically address some (or all) of the items in the conceptual model. Acknowledges that operationalizing certain variables will prove challenging, but suggests that ethnographic accounts of how these variables (and potentially others) interact may be a valuable first step in more fully understanding board composition, functioning and performance.

It is argued that by extending traditional passive agency roles, BOD may be able to provide a wider range of contributions to enhance shareholder value.

This interdisciplinary paper integrates the group dynamics literature with the governance literature to propose a comprehensive model of BOD performance.

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a test in a policing context of a performance assessment tool that is based on a “public values” approach. The Capability, Importance, and Value (CIV) Tool allows police organizations to examine the roles their members carry out to determine whether they are being capably done, are important, and deliver value to stakeholders.

Five focus groups were conducted with front line officers from a large Canadian police service. The focus group process incorporated elements of Appreciative Inquiry and Structured Brainstorming.

Valuable information can be collected from front line police officers with the CIV Tool. Police organizations could use this information to improve performance while ensuring that the roles undertaken by their members align with broader organizational goals and objectives including providing value to stakeholders.

This study was designed as a limited test of the CIV Tool. More extensive testing is required with a larger sample that includes police investigators and members of other specialty units.

The CIV Tool can serve to augment existing police performance measurement strategies. It can help to identify which roles contribute to achieving organizational goals and which do not. Based on this information, ameliorative action can be taken.

A “public values” approach places emphasis on stakeholder needs and expectations. Addressing these directly can result in enhanced performance as well as greater police transparency, responsiveness, and accountability.

Ongoing police performance assessment based on a “public values” approach is uncommon in policing. Its use has important implications for police organizations and their stakeholders.

This paper presents a systematic method for classifying research on international channels of distribution. It is used to examine 79 articles published during an 18‐year period (1988‐2005). Based on content analysis, each article is classified by its primary research framework. Two frameworks are identified: (1) structural ‐ based on the economic and organizational aspects of international channels of distribution; and (2) behavioral ‐ based on the exchange relationship between channel members from different national environments. This simple organizing system offers a comprehensive way to analyze scholarship that has emerged in the field. For managers, it can bring the theoretical and practical developments together in an understandable fashion as they seek to interpret and apply research findings. For scholars, it may bring focus to an increasingly complex area of international business and guide future research efforts.

This study aims to provide information concerning practices for creating strategic plans in municipal policing organizations and their use in practice.

This study surveyed a sample of Canadian police services, including four of the ten largest services in Canada, to investigate their planning practices and the study’s findings to the results of a content analysis of strategic plans reported by Rogers et al. (2020). This study did not conduct content analysis and therefore relied on the findings of Rogers et al. (2020).

Some respondents indicated they do not apply some practices generally considered advisable. Other respondents indicated they undertake a practice even though doing so is not evident from a review of the associated strategic plans.

This study is based entirely on self-reported survey data. The study did not interview respondents to find out why they responded as they did.

This study points to specific improvements municipal policing organizations could adopt which offer the prospect of creating better strategic plans and better strategic planning outcomes.

Policing organizations are important institutions in society. As a regular part of their activities, they interact with a broad cross-section of the society within which they operate. This paper presents ideas concerning how policing organizations can improve how they adapt themselves to their social environment to improve those interactions.

No other study collects self-reported data on how police services conduct strategic planning and use strategic plans at this level of detail.

Missing in most of the research on selling has been an examination of the process from the point of view of the customer. When satisfaction in selling has been considered, researchers have focused on the satisfaction of the salesperson with his job and/or the impact of this job satisfaction on performance (e.g. Bluen, Barling & Burns, 1990; Churchill, Ford & Walker, 1979; Pruden & Peterson, 1971). To concentrate on salesperson performance while neglecting customers is to ignore the most important half of the relationship between buyers and sellers and entirely disregards the marketing concept and the streams of research in customer satisfaction. This research takes a different approach and examines customers’ satisfaction with salespeople.