GENDER, BOARD, AND WORKING CAPITAL

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW IMES ◽  
OFRA BAZEL-SHOHAM
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Variable ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Gender Ratio ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Managerial Efficiency

This paper examines the effects of gender board diversity on working capital. The study uses a sample of S&P1500 firms, resulting in 9,157 firm-year observations from 2005 to 2019. Our findings show that greater gender diversity on corporate boards is associated with lower liquidity ratios, including lower non-cash ones. The results are robust to a battery of gender board diversity definitions and to a 2SLS analysis which employs the gender ratio in the county’s population in which the firm is headquartered as an instrumental variable. Based on additional tests of the effects of gender board diversity on managerial efficiency ratios, we conclude that the results are driven by superior monitoring associated with gender diversity on the board.

scholarly journals Board Diversity: More Than a Gender Issue?

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Adams
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Share Price ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
The World ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Right

There has been extensive research conducted on the importance of corporate governance around the world. The research seems to demonstrate that, regardless of whether corporations are based in common law or civil code systems, their longevity and sustainability arise from good corporate governance. However, the evidence does not clearly demonstrate a correlation between a particular organisation’s governance structure and practices and its share price. Around the world the question of board diversity is gaining in importance. The beginning of the debate in the 1960s centred on gender. While it is essential to conduct a debate on gender diversity, other aspects of diversity should also be considered. Race, culture and even age may have a direct impact on the performance of a board. Australian companies, particularly those listed on the ASX, have a poor record of instituting any type of diversity. The USA and European Union have a much wider range of policies to promote diversity on corporate boards. The key question is how best to regulate to promote diversity across gender, race, culture and age. The historical approach of regulating diversity by setting targets and requiring disclosure does not seem to have delivered substantial change. Is it the right time to impose mandatory requirements, or are there other alternative strategies? Without doubt change is required, but there will be opposition.

A social capital view of women on boards and their impact on firm performance

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Oldford ◽  
Saif Ullah ◽  
Ashrafee Tanvir Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Gender Diversity

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to leverage a two-sided view of social capital to develop a model of board gender diversity and firm performance using social capital data from Northeast Regional Center of Rural Development.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examine a large sample of 2,322 US publicly listed firms over the period 1996 to 2009. The final sample consists of 14,634 firm-year observations.FindingsThe authors find that when a firm's social network is not supportive of gender diversity, corporate boards have lower levels of female representation. The strength of a social network's social ties exacerbates the relationship between social capital and board gender diversity. The authors also report a negative relationship between female board membership and firm performance in social networks that are not pro-diversity. Robustness tests reveal that the authors’ social capital view of board diversity also applies to board ethnic diversity.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses primarily on blue chip firms due to data constraints. It will be interesting for future researchers to investigate a broader spectrum of firms from a broader perspective of diversity beyond the study’s gender and ethnicity findings. Furthermore, this study assesses the US context, and future research could investigate firm sociability in other national contexts.Practical implicationsThis study contributes new insights to the discourse on gender diversity on corporate boards which stand to inform both policy and practice. The results of the study can inform the position of an industry association on board gender diversity, with guidance on how messaging across networks can be more effective should it account for the hidden bias that the authors uncover in the current study. From a manager's perspective, this study can help those managers and boards trying to enhance board gender diversity by providing a more complete understanding of the factors that can limit progress.Originality/valueThis study contributes a social capital view of board gender diversity to the growing literature of corporate governance, board diversity and local environmental influences on corporate policies.

Gender-Diverse Boards and Properties of Analyst Earnings Forecasts

2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferdinand A. Gul ◽  
Marion Hutchinson ◽  
Karen M. Y. Lai
Keyword(s):  
Stock Price ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Forecast Accuracy ◽  
Earnings Forecasts ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Price Informativeness ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Financial Reports ◽  
Quality Stock

SYNOPSIS Using a sample of 2,200 U.S. listed firm-year observations (2001–2007), this study shows a positive (negative) relation between gender diversity on corporate boards and analysts' earnings forecast accuracy (dispersion), after controlling for earnings quality, corporate governance, audit quality, stock price informativeness, and potential endogeneity. Our findings are important as they suggest that board diversity adds to the transparency and accuracy of financial reports such that earnings expectations are likely to be more accurate for these firms.

scholarly journals Multiple Layers of Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards: To Force or Not to Force?

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Du Plessis ◽  
James O'Sullivan ◽  
Ruth Rentschler
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Corporate Board ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
Board Gender Diversity ◽  
The Right

This article examines diversity on corporate boards, focussing on gender diversity and taking both contemporary and historical perspectives. Australia forms a particular focus of this article, but, as far as mandatory quota legislation is concerned, other jurisdictions provide comparisons. The authors illustrate how Australian corporate board gender diversity is starting from a low base in contrast to some other types of boards. Arguments for and against more women on boards are analysed in order to provide a comprehensive examination of extant research. The article also examines briefly whether a business case can be made for board gender diversity within the wider framework of board diversity. The authors acknowledge that there are unanswered questions about the right gender balance on boards and whether, without mandatory quota legislation, a voluntary system can achieve best practice targets. They explore the notion of critical mass - the idea that, upon board representation reaching approximately 15 per cent, efforts to further redress the imbalance may lose momentum. Their conclusion is that, in the Australian jurisdiction, progress is being made belatedly towards increasing gender diversity on corporate boards. However, substantial challenges are envisaged if significant progress is not made imminently to increase the number of women serving on corporate boards.

Would diversified corporate boards add value? The case of banking institutions in Malaysia

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 218-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ribed Vianneca W. Jubilee ◽  
Roy W.L. Khong ◽  
Woan Ting Hung
Keyword(s):  
Firm Value ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Banking Institutions ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Board diversity has gained increasing attention and has been widely posited as a driver for firm value. The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the relation of gender diversity of corporate boards with the value of banking institutions in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprised of ten banking institutions listed on Bursa Malaysia with data observations from 2007 to 2016. Panel data techniques were employed to investigate the relationship between having female directors and firm performance in terms of values generated as indicated by Tobin’s Q. Findings The results revealed a positive relationship between the proportion of female director and the value of the bank. Interestingly, this study found that appointment of female independent directors tends to be negatively related to the value of such institutions. Practical implications There remains a shortage of research studying the impact of gender equality on corporate boards in Malaysia generally and in the banking sector specifically. Thus, this study contributes a significant knowledge on the value implication of board diversity. The findings also provide useful insights on the developmental policy initiated by the government to increase female participation in the top management. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by bridging the knowledge gap on board diversity in the governance structure of banking institutions. It also provides theoretical contributions to the development of regulatory policy in relation to gender diversification in corporate leadership.

Contextualizing comprehensive board diversity and firm financial performance: Integrating market, management and shareholder’s perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 634-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohail Hassan ◽  
Maran Marimuthu
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Muslim Women ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Firm Financial Performance

AbstractThe study investigates demographic diversity, cognitive diversity and internal diversity within Islam among top-level management of firms and their impacts on the financial performance of Malaysian-listed companies. In addition, Muslim and non-Muslim women and Islamic religious diversity on corporate boards are investigated. Even though numerous organisations desire to be socially diverse, the significance of diversity for organisational performance remains uncertain. Are profitable companies inclined to improve board diversity or do other characteristics of the company contribute to firm performance? Does the participation of Muslim and non-Muslim women on corporate boards affect firm performance? Does internal diversity within Islam affect firm performance? Data from 330 Malaysian-listed companies in eleven full fledged sectors were used for the period from 2009 to 2013. This study employed econometrics methodology from panel data analysis to fill the research gap in the current management literature. This study used the interaction approach to examine empirically diverse corporate boards and their impacts on firm performance. This discussion included: (1) a combination of gender diversity and ethnic diversity and (2) a combination of gender diversity and foreign participation. The findings suggest that demographic, cognitive and internal diversity within Islam are significant predictors of a firm’s financial performance. Ethnic women on boards have a significant and negative impact on firm performance. Hence, companies having high profits are more accountable for encouraging diversity among top-level management.

Executive directors' pay-performance link and board diversity: evidence from high free cash flow and low-growth firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chwee Ming Tee
Keyword(s):  
Cash Flow ◽  
Least Squares Method ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Free Cash Flow ◽  
Executive Directors ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Growth Firms ◽  
And Gender

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine whether board diversity can attenuate weaker executive directors' pay-performance link in high free cash flow and low-growth firms (HFCF_LGRW).Design/methodology/approachThis study employed the Malaysian dataset from 2005 till 2016 and the fixed-effect model to investigate the developed hypotheses. The two-stage least squares method (2SLS) is employed to mitigate endogeneity issues.FindingsThis study finds that a positive association between executive directors' pay and firm performance is weaker in HFCF_LGRW firms. However, board diversity, namely ethnic and gender diversity, can mitigate weaker executive directors' pay-performance link, indicating effective monitoring.Originality/valueThis study is among the first to reveal that executive directors' pay-performance link is weaker in firms with HFCF_LGRW growth, consistent with Jensen's (1986) free cash flow hypothesis. However, findings suggest that this agency problem in HFCF_LGRW firms is attenuated by board diversity, namely ethnic and gender diversity. This supports the notion that diversity in corporate boards serves as an effective internal monitor.

Top Management Gender Diversity and Internationalisation in Different Institutional Contexts: Evidence from Germany and Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 706-737
Author(s):  
Anja Küpper ◽  
Tobias Dauth
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Practical Interest ◽  
Top Management Teams ◽  
Management Teams ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Country Level

The diversity of top management teams is a topic of increasing scholarly and practical interest. It is argued that globalisation requires international operating firms to staff their management teams with international and diverse members. We investigate the influence of institutional environments on gender and internationality diversity in boards to shed light on the question “Why do top management teams look the way they do?” Our sample includes top management team members of the largest stock listed firms in Germany and Poland. The sample consists of 60 firms and 852 individuals from 2019. Our findings suggest that the presence of non-natives and women on corporate boards and the international orientation of board members, in terms of education, work experience and directorships, are attributable to national institutional systems. While Germany´s top managers are becoming increasingly internationally diverse and have increasing gender diversification, the figures for Poland are also increasing, but on a much smaller scale. We argue that country-level institutions play an important role in shaping the diversity of corporate boards. Future research should place more emphasis on the external national environment when investigating board diversity.

scholarly journals Boards’ Gender Diversity and Firms’ Financial and Ethical Performance in Pakistan: A Comparative Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 255
Author(s):  
Hafiz Muhammad Awais ◽  
Dr. Danish Ahmed Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Financial Risk ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Female Representation ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Board Gender Diversity

Board diversity has lately being a heavily contested topic of research. Women, having a unique pool of resources and human capital, bring unique and diverse skills to the board that could improve board performance which positively impacts firm value. This study aims to investigate board gender diversity and its impact on firms’ performance in Pakistan. More specifically, this study compares different performance characteristic of firms with and without gender diversity in boards. We also analyzed the effect of women on board (WOB) on different performance measures in the presence of control variables. These measures included Return to assets, equity and sales, TOBIN Q, and Ethical and Social Compliance (ESCC). For this, panel data of 4 years from 2015 to 2018 were collected from 100 companies, and ANOVA and regression analysis were performed. The comparative analysis showed that non-women component has a significantly higher ROA than women, whereas ROE is higher for women. Moreover, non-women board companies seem to take a higher financial risk by taking more leverage. Surprisingly, the ESCC factor seems to be significantly higher for non-women board companies showing better social compliance. Evidence from regression found remains inconclusive. In fact, the performance measures like Tobin Q, and ROA seems to be negatively affected by WOB, whereas ROE was positively and significantly affected. ESCC seems to have a strong and positive effect on Tobin Q in companies with WOB, as well as ROA in overall companies. Evidence also suggested that WOB also seems to have a negative effect on ESCC. Hence, in the case of Pakistan, the findings remained inconclusive because women representation on board is not enough to have an influencing role in the board. The size of the female representation on the board needs to be sufficiently large to have an influencing role on corporate boards.

Board Diversity in Terms of Gender: a Recommendation for Mauritius

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 282-298
Author(s):  
Ambareen Beebeejaun
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Female Representation ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Legal Provisions ◽  
Global Trend ◽  
Women On Corporate Boards ◽  
Underrepresentation Of Women ◽  
The Uk

AbstractThe increased presence of women on the boards of corporations is an international trend worth following by all countries. There are many good reasons for increasing gender diversity on boards have been evidenced by various studies such as better decisions, performance, and representation of the consumer base. However, the country of Mauritius has been lagging behind in terms of legislative initiatives to promote female representation on corporate boards. A study conducted by the Hay Group in association with the Mauritius Institute of Directors in 2015 supports this fact.The study seeks to identify the relative benefits behind the global trend of achieving gender diversity on corporate boards and on the factors that impact the representation of women on such boards. Some various kinds of regimes and initiatives that have been developed in some countries mainly Norway and the UK will be analysed to deal with the issue of underrepresentation of women on corporate boards. The purpose behind this research is to provide effective recommendations for Mauritius to achieve a greater level of gender diversity on corporate boards.The methodologies for the research are, in essence, comprised of the black letter approach which analyses the legal provisions relating to directors in Mauritius, Norway, and the UK. Journals, books, and reports amongst others will be also examined.The paper aims at responding to the research objectives set out above. In particular, a soft-law approach in terms of voluntary target and non-financial disclosure in terms of gender diversity status is suggested as a first step to resolve low representation of women on corporate boards in Mauritius.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document