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1 – 10 of 423Jiunn-Shyan Khong, Chee-Wooi Hooy and Chun-Teck Lye
This study investigates the effect of board independence on private information-based trading (PIBT) events. This study also examines the interaction effects of firm's disclosure…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the effect of board independence on private information-based trading (PIBT) events. This study also examines the interaction effects of firm's disclosure quality and the statutory and demographic roles of independent directors and board diversity attributes, respectively, on the relationship between board independence and PIBT.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses panel data of 811 non-financial public listed companies in Bursa Malaysia for the sample period 2009–2017. The dynamic general method of moments (DGMM) is used for the dynamic panel data estimation and to address the potential endogeneity problem.
Findings
The results show that board independence has a negative effect on PIBT and the effect could be strengthened by firm's disclosure quality, women independent directors and board gender diversity, but attenuated by CEO duality. The overall result suggests that apart from independent audit committee, the statutory and demographic attributes of independent directors and board diversity, and firm's disclosure quality are complementary to board independence in preventing persistent PIBT.
Originality/value
This study augments the existing corporate governance and information-based trading literature from the perspectives of firm's disclosure quality, and the statutory and demographic roles of independent directors and board diversity attributes, by examining their effects on the relationship between board independence and PIBT.
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Philipp Schäpers, Talea Stolte and Henrik Heinemann
To increase the share of women in the top management of companies, legal gender quotas are increasingly being introduced worldwide. Their effect, however, especially on perceived…
Abstract
Purpose
To increase the share of women in the top management of companies, legal gender quotas are increasingly being introduced worldwide. Their effect, however, especially on perceived diversity and employer attractiveness, remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate how a gender quota for a company’s executive board affects potential employees’ evaluation of that company as an employer. Drawing on signaling theory and the rationale of diversity attraction, the authors assumed that both the gender composition of a company’s board and the presence of a quota send signals regarding specific factors associated with diversity (i.e. perceived diversity climate, perceived internal motive for gender diversification and perceived competencies of board members). The authors postulated that these signals are perceived by job applicants and used to evaluate the attractiveness of the company as an employer.
Design/methodology/approach
In a scenario study, the authors manipulated the composition of the management board. That is, participants were presented an executive board that was either homogeneously male (Group 1) or had a female representation of 30% (Groups 2 and 3) or 50% (Group 4). The executive board in Groups 3 and 4 was subject to a statutory gender quota of 30%.
Findings
The results showed that a company with a gender-diverse board was perceived as more attractive by potential applicants than an all-male board. Also, a gender quota did not reduce a company’s employer attractiveness. The results suggest that potential applicants attach importance to board diversity but place less value on the causes that led to it.
Originality/value
Against the backdrop of the war for talent, this study contributes to a better understanding of the impact of gender quotas and factors influencing employer attractiveness. The study showed that when a gender quota is in place, applicants assume to a lesser extent that a company staffs its gender-diverse board of directors out of an inner conviction. Nonetheless, the presence of a gender quota does not significantly reduce the perceived diversity climate, nor does a quota have a negative impact on the employer attractiveness. Thus, using a quota as a means to increase gender diversity does not harm the ends.
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This study aims to bridge the gap in the scarce and inconclusive literature concerning the impact of gender diversity on earnings quality by positioning this relationship within…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to bridge the gap in the scarce and inconclusive literature concerning the impact of gender diversity on earnings quality by positioning this relationship within an institutional context. It aims to investigate the moderating effect of different cultural dimensions and accounting values on the relationship between board gender diversity and earnings quality.
Design/methodology/approach
The study uses an international sample from 46 countries (3,092 public firms) for the year 2017. A two-level hierarchical linear regression model is used to test the moderating effect of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Gray’s accounting values on diversity and accruals quality relationship.
Findings
The findings suggest a positive relationship between board gender diversity and earnings quality. Results hold valid after controlling for endogeneity effect. More importantly, regarding national culture, results indicate that power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, professionalism, uniformity, secrecy and conservatism moderate the relationship between female directors and accruals quality. Furthermore, different levels of female representation are essential on boards of different societies to use the benefits of gender-diversified boards in enhancing earnings quality.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of various worldwide movements toward increasing board gender diversity. Additionally, the results speak directly to gender quota regulatory bodies suggesting that “no size fits all” for gender quota requirement.
Originality/value
The study contributes to the stream of literature concerning gender diversity and earnings quality by investigating this relationship through the lens of national culture and emphasizing the importance of considering institutional factors in examining social interactions.
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Elmar Puntaier, Tingting Zhu and Paul Hughes
Diversity in boards has gained attention as a reflection of societal imbalances. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of diversity in terms of both gender and…
Abstract
Purpose
Diversity in boards has gained attention as a reflection of societal imbalances. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of diversity in terms of both gender and nationality in management boards of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on firm performance from an upper echelons perspective. The authors also examine how board-specific characteristics influence the structural makeup of boards in gender and nationality diversity terms.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors focus on the UK because of its individualistic society and flexible labour market and assess 309 SMEs in the manufacturing industry over 2009–2019. A 3-stage least squares (3SLS) estimator is used to analyse the data, the Shannon index to measure board diversity, return on assets as proxy for firm performance, and owner-manager presence, board member age and tenure are the board-specific characteristics of primary interest.
Findings
Both gender and nationality diversity contribute to firm performance and represent distinct upper echelon characteristics that change the cognitive and psychological dynamics of boards. Firms with larger boards do not perform better, but diverse boards reduce the narrowing view of CEOs. Yet the presence of owner-managers, despite their performance-enhancing contribution, holds firms back from benefitting from diversity as a strategic choice.
Originality/value
This study extends the upper echelons theory to include board diversity as an important aspect that should become more central in upper echelon thinking when understanding firm performance. The authors’ findings suggest that theoretical developments in search of understanding firm behaviour must proceed by accounting for diversity and not simply focusing on decision-making styles.
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Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and…
Abstract
Looks at the 2000 Employment Research Unit Annual Conference held at the University of Cardiff in Wales on 6/7 September 2000. Spotlights the 76 or so presentations within and shows that these are in many, differing, areas across management research from: retail finance; precarious jobs and decisions; methodological lessons from feminism; call centre experience and disability discrimination. These and all points east and west are covered and laid out in a simple, abstract style, including, where applicable, references, endnotes and bibliography in an easy‐to‐follow manner. Summarizes each paper and also gives conclusions where needed, in a comfortable modern format.
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Amit Majumder and Debleena Kumar
Gender equality as well as diversity in workplace in general and management in particular is said to provide a number of benefits, including new ideas and improved communication…
Abstract
Gender equality as well as diversity in workplace in general and management in particular is said to provide a number of benefits, including new ideas and improved communication, insights into female market segmentation, and a greater work-life balance. While importance of women in corporate boards has been long acknowledged, but unfortunately till date females have made only modest gains in terms of directorships on corporate boards. Following the trend of this globalized business domain a paradigm shift in regulatory framework is witnessed in India by Section 149(1) of Companies Act, 2013 through mandatory inclusion of at least one female director in board. Against this backdrop, present study has envisaged the state of affairs relating to the gender diversity and corporate governance practices of selected major listed companies in India. However, it is really premature to reveal any statistically significant difference in their corporate governance disclosure practices based on the gender diversity. However, the positive vibes generated by the gender equality in the boardroom cannot be under-shadowed as across the world various empirical studies revealed that adherence to gender equality in substance over form on longer time horizon will definitely provide right momentum toward competitive advantage on sustainable basis for the business.
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This study aims to investigate whether the presence of female directors with specific attributes has an effect on earnings quality in a patriarchal emerging country with a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate whether the presence of female directors with specific attributes has an effect on earnings quality in a patriarchal emerging country with a collectivistic culture and a substantial gender equality gap and where the majority of companies are controlled by large business groups.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study uses a unique hand-collected data set that covers all non-financial companies listed on the Borsa Istanbul between the years 2009 and 2017, using the GMM method to overcome potential omitted variables and reverse causality problems.
Findings
The current study demonstrates that the presence of female directors on company boards is not associated with earnings management. Similar results are obtained for the percentage of female directors with specific attributes such as busyness, professional expertise and audit committee membership. Surprisingly, the results suggest that there is a negative (positive) relationship between the percentage of female directors that are affiliated (unaffiliated) with controlling business groups and earnings management.
Originality/value
The current study tests the relationship between the presence of female directors and earnings management in a cultural and institutional setting that is substantially different from countries where the majority of previous research on female directors has been conducted. In addition, this study puts a special emphasis on female director affiliation and provides evidence that contradicts the expectation regarding the direction of the relationship between the percentage of affiliated female directors and earnings management.
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The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of board diversity on corporate social responsibility (CSR). The aim is twofold; does board diversity has any effect on CSR…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of board diversity on corporate social responsibility (CSR). The aim is twofold; does board diversity has any effect on CSR, do structural and demographic differences between one-tier and two-tier board models may impact this effect?
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies a panel generalized method of moments estimator to a sample of 2,544 non-financial listed firms from 42 countries over the period of 2013–2017.
Findings
The findings reveal that board diversity leads to effective CSR. By distinguishing between diversity among boards from diversity within boards, the results display the effects of the specific variables that make up the manner and latter’s constructs within unitary and two-tier board structures. Specifically, this paper reveals that tenure, ideology and educational level (gender and nationality) predominantly appear to drive a firm’s CSR within one (two)-tier boards settings. These results remain consistent when robustness tests are ruled.
Practical implications
The study provides managers, investors and policymakers with knowledge about how among and within board diversity attributes favor the decision-making process around CSR. The evidence is useful for companies in setting the criteria to identify directors who can support their strategic decisions. It benefits, moreover, academics in better understanding firms’ CSR determinants and practices under different corporate board models.
Social implications
Examining how different sets of board diversity affect firms’ CSR given divergences between one-tier and two-tier board structure is a useful and informative endeavor for all community actors.
Originality/value
Unlike prior studies that identify the limited scope of diversity, the study is the first to examine the effect of broader dimensions of board diversity on CSR under both one-tier and two-tier board settings. This paper provides a contribution to a greater understanding of the impacts underlying board models and different attributes of board diversity on CSR. This new understanding will help to improve predictions of different features of board diversity impacts on decision-making processes around organizational outcomes.
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The board of directors of an organization can contribute considerably to the transition to a sustainable global economy by accommodating environmental, social and governance (ESG…
Abstract
Purpose
The board of directors of an organization can contribute considerably to the transition to a sustainable global economy by accommodating environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures in the directors' business model. Along these lines, the purpose of this research is to understand the nexus between the board's structural attributes and sustainability disclosures in an emerging economy such as India.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors investigate this link using the system generalized method of moments (SGMM) panel regression on a sample of firms from the National Stock Exchange (NSE) Nifty 100 Index from 2013 to 2020. This econometric framework controls endogeneity among the variables, which has been a gap in the previous studies.
Findings
The authors find that board structural attributes, like board size, gender diversity, chief executive officer (CEO) duality and independence, have little bearing on sustainability disclosures of Indian companies. However, the board of directors, through the board's company's social responsibility (CSR) committee, strives for sustainability practices in Indian organizations. The authors also find that larger companies are more willing to disclose on ESG efforts than smaller ones, but the financial performance of the smaller ones (as proxied by Tobin's Q) does not matter.
Research limitations/implications
This study is restricted to a sample of large cap listed companies and specific environment, resulting in the non-generalizability of the findings to different contexts because countries vary in their state of economic development, internal policy, regulations and governance.
Practical implications
A mandated CSR committee has helped Indian businesses to publicize their sustainability efforts. Besides the frontrunner in CSR regulations, Indian organizations have paid least attention to the environmental pillar of the ESG framework. Accordingly, the board of directors should put more emphasis on the environmental aspects of their business' sustainability efforts to help achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the medium term and net neutrality in the long term.
Originality/value
From the standpoint of an emerging economy like India, which has statutory CSR mandates for firms, this research adds a fresh perspective on the relationship between corporate governance and corporate responsibility by employing stakeholder theory, which is further substantiated by the use of system GMM as a robust methodology. This study also emphasizes the significance of a mandatory CSR committee as a facilitator of sustainability practices and reporting in emerging economies.
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This study covers all banks listed on the Amman Stock Exchange. It used (1) dividend-paying status, dividend changes and dividend persistence to measure dividend quality, (2) a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study covers all banks listed on the Amman Stock Exchange. It used (1) dividend-paying status, dividend changes and dividend persistence to measure dividend quality, (2) a checklist instrument consisting of 40 items to measure financial disclosure quality, (3) nationality and (4) the percentage of females and males on the board of directors to measure board diversity. Hierarchical regression analysis was employed to investigate the influence of the board diversity on the relationship between financial disclosure quality and dividend quality.
Design/methodology/approach
This study investigates the relationship between financial disclosure quality and dividend quality among Jordanian-listed banks. Moreover, it examines the moderating effect of board diversity on the relationship between financial disclosure quality and dividend quality.
Findings
The results in this work imply that banks with high financial disclosure quality have high-quality dividends. Furthermore, nationality and females on the board of directors play a main role as moderators that influence managers' motivations toward the quality of financial disclosure practices and bank dividends. This paper shows that the boards in Jordanian banks have not changed dividend policies and tend to follow a long-term fixed strategy for paying earnings.
Originality/value
Because of the limited number of practical research on the nexus between financial disclosure quality and dividends quality, this study fills a gap in the literature by examining the relationship between them. In addition, a lack of research exists on the effects of board diversity on the nexus of financial disclosure quality and dividends quality. Therefore, this study makes an original contribution to the literature by using nationality and females and males on the board of directors as moderating variables to investigate the effects of board diversity on the relationship between financial disclosure quality and dividend quality among Jordanian banks.
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