Board Of Directors Research Articles

Navigating the Hidden Curriculum in Academic Publishing: Part One

ABSTRACT This article is the first in a three-part series to unpack the hidden curriculum in academic publishing and share tips that can guide writers through the publication process. The first article in the series is adapted from a presentation Darris Means and Dave Nguyen (JFGSS Editorial Board Members) and co-editors Rashné R. Jehangir and Lindsay Romasanta gave at the National Conference for NASPA held in Baltimore in March 2022. Part two of this series will feature how to write a good review.

Horst Oertel and the Russell Sage Institute of Pathology: Impacts on vital statistics and the origins of the short-lived heyday of autopsies in America.

Horst Oertel was an early 20th century pathologist who began his career as an instructor of clinical pathology at the New York University and Bellevue Hospital Medical College in 1899. In 1903, he was appointed pathologist for City Hospital, an institution for indigent patients on New York City's Blackwell's Island. In 1907, Oertel became the first director of the Russell Sage Institute of Pathology, a unique new blended public-private entity based at City Hospital, that was named after a wealthy benefactor. The Institute was established to utilize the Island's indigent population to perform anatomical pathology research on diseases of aging. Oertel and the Institute thrived until 1911, when a newly-appointed New York City bureaucrat seeking patronage and graft began meddling in the Institute's governance. After press coverage of a vitriolic one-week-long exchange of charges and counter-charges between the Institute's Board of Directors and the bureaucrat, the Institute imploded. While these events meant that the Institute's tenure on Blackwell's Island would soon be coming to an end, Oertel continued to work and submit articles from the Institute throughout 1912. In May 1913, he published "The Inaccuracy of American Mortality Statistics" in American Underwriter, a bombshell article documenting low autopsy rates and high clinical diagnostic error rates at Bellevue Hospital during 1912. This, along with similar studies by Richard Cabot at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, highlighted fundamental problems in hospital care and medical education across America. Simultaneously, Oertel led the Public Health, Hospital and Budget Committee of the New York Academy of Medicine which reported that, in a selected series of large American hospitals, the autopsy percentage when compared to the number of deaths was one-eighth the rates in Canada, Great Britain, Austria, and Germany. This paper addresses how American autopsy rates skyrocketed and then plummeted again during the mid-20th century.

Institutional context matters: board diversity and ESG outcomes in the UAE

Purpose This study empirically examines the impact of board diversity on environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes in organizations from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study aims to extend prior literature by covering the impacts of the institutional context on board diversity and ESG outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Using a thematic analysis of interviews with 42 UAE board members, this research uncovers the effects of institutional context on ESG outcomes. The study focuses on the impact of culture, the influence of regulatory bodies and the relationship between critical board diversity traits and ESG. Findings Three major themes emerged from the data: the impact of institutional context and culture, the impact of regulatory bodies and critical board diversity traits’ relationship with ESG. The findings indicate that the institution’s cultural and regulatory context impacts board diversity and ESG. The findings also demonstrate that the board’s functional diversity (educational and occupational diversity) and age diversity impact ESG outcomes. Originality/value This research contributes to resource dependence theory by indicating the specific resources diverse directors bring to a corporate board. The study also highlights how institutional context dictates the types of resources directors seek for effective ESG implementation, providing a novel insight into board diversity’s role in ESG performance.

The Editorial Decision-Making Process: Evaluating Aims & Scope Alignment

This editorial describes the decision-making process involved in the peer-reviewed interdisciplinary social science journal Review of Religious Research. Inspired by visuals of how a bill becomes a law, this decision-tree visualization walks readers through the process for how a manuscript becomes a published article. Article publication is a social process that involves many experts: the editor plus multiple reviewers and sometimes editorial board members. This step-by-step description leads toward three important takeaways. First is myth busting editorial gatekeeping by recognizing the importance of peer reviewers and editorial board members. Second is a rationale for reviewer recommendations to editors and explanation of what is acceptable to state directly to authors versus the role of confidential comments to the editor. Third is the crucial importance of the journal Aims & Scope in assessing fit with this journal. Clarifying how manuscript decisions get made can build author understanding, further socialize reviewers, and accentuate the weight of editorial board member input for quality reviewing.

Board Structure and Financial Stability of Commercial Banks in Rwanda

Purpose: To assess the relationship between board structure and financial stability has been a subject of extensive research and debate globally. Methodology: The target population for this study consists of the board members from the 13 commercial banks operating in Rwanda. The sample of the study was nine commercial banks based on purposive sampling technique. Findings: Panel regression analysis was used and the findings indicated that board size significant affected financial stability of the banks negatively; board independence insignificantly affected financial stability of the banks positively. The outcome further indicated that board gender diversity insignificantly affected the banks financial stability negatively while board age affected the financial stability of Rwandan commercial banks insignificantly and positively. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The study recommends that the regulatory bodies and bank management should consider implementing guidelines to optimize board composition. Specifically, banks should aim to establish a more streamlined board structure that balances diversity of thought with effective governance. This could involve setting a maximum limit on the number of board members, ensuring that boards remain manageable and conducive to clear communication and swift decision-making.

The Urgency of Cybercrime Law Reform in Indonesia: Resolving Artificial Intelligence Criminal Liability

The existence of AI is a separate system based on logic, where the information entered into the system will be processed with a programmed algorithm to determine a predetermined result. AI can cause various forms of harm to everyone, including its creator, and the harm it causes can have a long-lasting impact, considering that AI can make decisions similar to humans. The application of AI in the industrial sector will impact all existing systems, including the criminal justice system in all countries. Therefore, the legal regulation of cybercrime in Indonesia needs to be reformed to resolve criminal liability for criminal acts that AI can carry out. The formulation of the problem in this study is what is the urgency of updating cybercrime law in Indonesia. Furthermore, how is the legal policy on criminal liability for artificial intelligence resolved it. Thus, this study normative such as legal research carried out by examining library materials or data using statutory and analytical approaches. This study concludes and suggests that responsibility must be imposed on AI users and legal entities whose responsible parties are company directors. AI creators must also be responsible for the AI's actions. The renewal of cyber law in Indonesia is significant and should be done immediately, even in the Electronic Information and Transactions Law. Almost all institutional and personal documents are stored electronically; the state must also protect them. Other parties can then misuse these documents, which can be traded on the cyber black market and used irresponsibly. Illegal activities in cyberspace are also increasing, and the diversity of their actions with various skills is constantly increasing.

Empowerment or ornament? Gender diversity’s impact on cash holdings amid quota enforcement in an emerging market

Purpose This study examines the impact of female directors on cash holdings in Egyptian listed firms, particularly in light of Decree 123/2019, which mandates female board representation. This study aims to determine if female directors mitigate agency conflicts related to cash holdings and how these dynamics shift post-quota implementation. Design/methodology/approach Using a panel fixed-effects model, the research analyzes 1,563 firm-year observations from 223 non-financial Egyptian firms listed on the EGX between 2014 and 2022. The robustness of the findings is tested through additional analyses using alternative proxies for cash holdings, different sample periods and a two-stage least squares approach to address endogeneity concerns. Findings This study finds a significant negative association between female directors and cash holdings, suggesting that female board members may promote more conservative cash management practices. However, this relationship weakens post-quota implementation, becoming statistically insignificant. This implies that while quotas increase female representation, they do not necessarily enhance corporate governance effectiveness regarding cash management. The pre-quota positive link between female directors and excess cash holdings also becomes insignificant post-quota. Research limitations/implications The study focuses on female directors’ impact on cash holdings, excluding potential effects on other board subcommittees or functions. It does not capture long-term benefits of increased female representation, which may emerge as the pool of qualified female directors grows. Future research should explore broader implications of gender diversity guidelines and other diversity dimensions across various corporate governance aspects and institutional contexts. Originality/value This research provides empirical evidence from an emerging market context on the understudied impact of gender diversity on cash holdings. It critically evaluates the unintended consequences of mandatory gender quotas, highlighting the complexity of regulatory interventions in corporate governance. The study stresses the need for policymakers to address factors limiting the effectiveness of such quotas and to consider potential suboptimal outcomes when increasing female board representation without a corresponding increase in the supply of qualified female directors.

Balancing power and growth in start-ups: an investigation of founder control, board size, and fundraising efficiency

Purpose The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the relationship between the founder’s control level over the startup and the startup’s board size on fundraising efficiency, in addition to examining how these factors are influenced by different resource combinations that the startup attracts. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 1356 firm-year observations is collected from both the startup database of Business Next Media Corp. in Taiwan and the Company Registration and Business Registration Database of Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Department of Commerce. The panel data analytic approach with fixed effect is used for hypothesis testing. Findings The founder’s shareholding negatively correlates with fundraising efficiency; such a negative relationship can be alleviated by incorporating foreign investors. The board size positively correlates with fundraising efficiency; such a positive relationship can be mitigated by the inclusion of external corporate directors. Originality/value While a conventional understanding posits that startups with diverse, multiplex and symmetrical boards can rapidly construct a diverse alliance portfolio, henceforth always being beneficial to growth, this research challenges this notion by probing the possible adverse effects of having an excessive number of outside corporate directors on a startup’s fundraising efficiency.

Strategic intersectional identity management strategies amidst identity threats: insights from U.S. Latina nonprofit CEOs

PurposeThis study identifies the strategic intersectional identity management (SIIM) behaviors that Latina nonprofit CEOs engage in to navigate hegemonic spaces.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via semi-structured life history interviews with Latina CEOs of nonprofit organizations and analyzed using critical race feminist thematic analysis grounded in critical race theory (CRT), Latinx Critical Legal (LatCrit) theory and feminist theory. Counterstorytelling methods reveal Latina CEOs’ SIIM behaviors and challenge dominant narratives of leadership.FindingsLatina CEOs recounted experiences of identity threats and their identity manifestations and suppression strategies within five contexts: white supremacy hotbeds, liberal white supremacist spaces, pan-ethnic Latinx communities, white feminist spaces and women of color (WOC)-led workplaces.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on Latina CEOs of nonprofits, a distinct context which shares many similarities with for-profit CEO roles. We use a small sample size that, while appropriate for our methodology, limits generalizability.Practical implicationsThis research provides valuable insights for practitioners, including board members, donors, staff and coalition partners. It highlights the need for changes in board development, funder education and transformative allyship among coalition partners.Originality/valueThis paper offers SIIM as a way to challenge monolithic constructions of Latinidad and advocates for intersectional analyses and nuance when studying and supporting Latina leaders.

Assessing Factors Influencing ESG Ratings in Malaysian Companies: An Empirical Study

This study explores the determinants of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) ratings within the Malaysian corporate sector. Employing panel regression analysis on data collected from 40 companies listed on Bursa Malaysia between 2018 and 2022, this research investigates the roles of company size, board diligence, digital transformation, Shariah compliance, and gender diversity in influencing ESG performance. The results indicate that larger firms are generally associated with lower ESG ratings, suggesting that achieving sustainability at scale remains a significant challenge. In contrast, gender diversity on corporate boards emerges as a robust positive predictor of ESG ratings, highlighting the essential role of inclusive governance in enhancing sustainability outcomes. Contrary to expectations, the study finds no significant direct impact of board diligence and digital transformation on ESG outcomes, suggesting the need for a critical reassessment of these factors within existing sustainability frameworks. By identifying key drivers and uncovering unexpected findings, this research contributes to the ongoing discourse on ESG practices, offering valuable insights for policymakers, corporate leaders, and stakeholders committed to advancing sustainable business practices. The study not only maps the landscape of ESG performance drivers in Malaysia but also sets a direction for future research aimed at developing more nuanced and effective sustainability strategies in similar emerging market contexts.

PENGARUH FEE AUDIT, FINANCIAL DISTRESS, KOMISARIS INDEPENDEN, DAN KOMITE AUDIT TERHADAP INTEGRITAS LAPORAN KEUANGAN

This research aims to examine the influence of audit fees, financial distress, independent commissioners and audit committees on the integrity of financial reports. Audit fees are measured using the natural logarithm of professional fees, financial distress is measured using the debt to equity ratio, independent commissioners are measured using the ratio of the number of members of the company's independent commissioners to the number of members of the company's board of commissioners, audit committees are measured using the comparison of the number of audit committees that come from from the independent committee with the number of audit committee members and the integrity of the financial reports as measured using the market to book ratio. This type of research is quantitative. Based on purposive sampling, the number of sample companies was 29 companies with an observation period of 5 years, so the total sample was 145 data on the property and real estate sectors listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) during the 2018-2022 period. The data analysis used in this research is a panel data regression model using E-Views 12. The results of this research show that partially audit fees and audit committees have no effect on the integrity of financial reports. Financial distress and independent commissioners have a significant effect on the integrity of financial reports. Meanwhile, simultaneously audit fees, financial distress, independent commissioners and audit committees influence the integrity of financial reports. Keywords: Financial Statement Integrity, Audit Fees, Financial Distress, Independent Commissioner, Audit Committee.

A Comparative Analysis of Board Information Disclosures between Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria and Ghana

This study compared board information disclosures of 19 Nigerian and Ghanaian deposit money banks, focusing on board meeting attendance records, performance, demographics, education, roles, ethics, anticorruption, code of conduct, policy, and shareholding disclosure, highlighting the importance of transparency for trust and informed decision-making.The sample size was 19 banks, comprising 12 banks from Nigeria and 7 banks from Ghana, and the analysis included independent t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. The study compared board disclosure of listed deposit money banks in Nigeria and Ghana. It found that Ghanaian banks disclosed more board demographic information, while Nigerian banks disclosed more board education and training processes. However, there was no significant difference in the disclosures of board roles, functions, chairman’s roles, CEO’s roles, board members’ age, appointment dates, board change, performance, ethics, anti-corruption, code of conduct, policy, and board shareholding between the two countries. The study reveals that listed deposit banks on the Nigerian exchange group disclose similar information to their counterparts on the Ghanaian stock exchange, except for certain aspects like board demographics and board education and training processes. Nigerian and Ghanaian banks should improve disclosure of board change/re-election information, board ethics, anti-corruption, code of conduct, policy, and board members’ age.

The Influence of Educational Diversity on Shareholder Value Creation in South African Corporate Boards

This study investigates the influence of board education diversity on shareholder value creation of South African non-financial companies listed on the JSE for the 10 years from 2013 until 2022. In this study, a quantitative quasi-experimental design was used. Data were collected from 2013 to 2022 from 101 non-financial companies listed on the JSE. The final sample consisted of 1010 company-year observations. The study measured board education level diversity using the proportion of board members with master’s degrees, the proportion of board members with PhD and the Blau index for board education level diversity. On the other hand, the proxies of shareholder value creation included the standardised market value added, market-to-book ratio and Tobin’s Q. A fixed effects panel data regression model was employed to estimate the influence of board members’ education diversity measures on shareholder value creation measures. Based on linear models, the proportion of board members with master’s degrees and the proportion of board members with PhDs negatively influence all shareholder value creation measures. In contrast, BI_BED positively impacts all shareholder value creation measures. Concerning curvilinear quadratic models, all board members’ education diversity measures positively and negatively impact all shareholder value creation measures, highlighting an inverted U-shaped effect. This study advances the understanding of the double-edged sword effect of educational diversity on shareholder value creation in South African corporate boards.

Gender Disparities and Board Representation in Zimbabwe

Approximately one-third of the world’s GDP is held by the 500 biggest firms worldwide. Nonetheless, barely 25% of Fortune 500 board members and <6.7% of board chairs worldwide were female in 2021. The aim of this paper is to understand and address gender disparities in the private sector. The study investigated thirty-six companies with the aid of a structured questionnaire. The study used a mixed research design. It explored the qualitative aspects of the board gender gap through interviews, followed by a quantitative phase to validate and enrich the findings. The findings demonstrated that women were noticeably underrepresented on corporate boards. The gender disparity that exists in Zimbabwe is evidently shown in the results. The findings also highlight subtle differences in the power and decision-making procedures on boards. The implication of the results is that there is need for deliberate efforts to enhance gender diversity at the leadership level to ensure inclusivity and effective governance. Strategies that promote equal opportunities and mitigate gender-based biases are essential for fostering a more inclusive and equitable corporate environment.

Fathers' use of extended parental leave: exploring company barriers in Sweden

ABSTRACT In Sweden, men's parental leave rights are considered important for realizing gender equality. Men have the same compensated leave rights as women: three months each of nontransferable and transferable leave. Nevertheless, less than 20% of couples share leave equally (each taking 40% or more of all leave days). Understanding the circumstances under which fathers take leave beyond nontransferable months is important if equality is to be realized, yet few studies investigate this. Our survey of human resource directors in Sweden's top companies revealed extended leave use was not normative for fathers’ and especially male top managers and aspects of the gendered culture and structure of work organizations were associated with less extended leave use. Company awareness of parental leaves benefits for the company was significantly and independently related to fathers’ and top male managers' extended leave use. Positive workplace attitudes and less job specialization increased fathers’ extended leave use. Companies’ setting fewer conditions encouraged more top male managers to take extended leave, as did a policy of managerial training to facilitate fathers’ leaves. Greater understanding of company barriers to fathers’ extended parental leave use may encourage companies to remove those barriers which can increase fathers’ use of extended parental leave.

NASADAD hires Michael Langer as senior advisor

Michael Langer, former SSA for Substance Use and Mental Health in the State of Washington, has joined the NASADAD as a Senior Advisor and Membership Services Liaison. Langer, who served as SSA for Washington State from 1986 until he retired earlier this year, has been actively involved with NASADAD for almost 30 years. In his role as SSA, he served in leadership positions on the NASADAD Board of Directors. He further contributed to the association by serving within the Network Prevention Network (NPN) and the National Treatment Network (NTN). Langer will be a part‐time staffer at NASADAD, where he will use his experience to enhance the organization's capacity to serve members. He will also be advising NASADAD senior leaders and staff on federally funded projects designed to support NASADAD membership.

“I am happy to take the lead”. A ventriloquial perspective on leadership and authority: What authorises organisational players to take the lead?

Authority has long been associated with leadership, but the relationship between authority and leadership has remained elusive. Addressing the issue of the interplay between authority and leadership, this paper builds on limited recent work that has considered leadership to be an in situ accomplishment in which the doing of authority is interwoven with the doing of leadership. Using transcripts of real-time interaction taken from a Board meeting of an NGO, and applying the Montreal School’s ventriloquial approach to the analysis of organisational communication, the research question this paper asks is: what authorises one of the Board members to ‘take the lead’ in establishing measures to ensure that the actions of the NGO are sustainable? Findings suggest that it is neither position, nor expertise, that authorise leadership. Rather, it is the articulation of the ideal of sustainability. Leadership is thus shown to be both a question of human leaders and ideals that they are able to mobilise which authorise their claim to leadership.

Nominating committee key to process for voting in new board members

Nominating committee key to process for voting in new board members

Directors’ duties and AI regulation

ABSTRACT Companies are powerful initiators and adopters of AI, as they have been of previous industrial revolutions. Their boards of directors and the regulatory frameworks that govern directors will inevitably influence the development and implementation of AI. However, despite intense attention to AI regulation the regulatory contribution of directors’ duties remains relatively unexamined. This article critically analyses the capacity of these longstanding legal principles to assist with wider AI regulatory goals, demonstrating that directors’ duties have direct consequences for the regulation of AI. Evolved in response to the governance context of a complex artificial entity, the corporation, directors’ duties map onto key AI regulatory requirements. These include the need for broadly accepted but flexible and responsive norms, and a capacity to engage post-facto with both nuanced, complex fact situations and opaque decision making processes. Directors’ duties jurisprudence brings with it experience of reverse-engineering fact situations and responding to disembodied legal actors, two factors that may have wider AI regulatory application. Directors’ duties also demonstrate responsiveness to changing social perspectives, facilitating integration of developing attitudes to AI. Attending to the AI regulatory role played by directors’ duties can inform effective AI regulation and facilitate improved regulatory design overall.

Zur Verabschiedung des „Kerncurriculums Erziehungswissenschaft“ aus Sicht des Vorstands der Sektion Berufs- und Wirtschaftspädagogik

This statement aims to include and to strengthen the intended disciplinary understanding regarding curricular content and structure. This commentary is based on a survey of the members of the Division of Vocational and Business Education which featured a request for feedback on the revised draft version, as well as critical and constructive discourse within the Executive Board as the authors of this contribution.