Board Ethnic Diversity Research Articles

Does board ethnic diversity affect IFRS disclosures?

Does board ethnic diversity affect IFRS disclosures?

Exploring the role of corporate governance in driving financial performance: An empirical investigation of Nepalese commercial banks

This study delves into the substantial impact of corporate governance practices on a company’s financial performance, focusing specifically on Nepalese commercial banks in the Kathmandu Valley. With 419 participants from all 27 «A» grade commercial banks, the study concentrates on employees currently working in these banks, particularly top-level staff such as managers, department heads, and officers. The primary objective is to investigate the role of corporate governance in driving financial performance, using Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) as financial performance indicators of banks. The study explores various factors influencing corporate governance’s impact, including corporate governance policies, disclosure policies, board size, income diversity, and ethnic diversity. Data collection involves primary data from participants associated with the banks, and the analysis is conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses are employed to understand the relationship between corporate governance and financial performance variables. Notably, regular evaluations of the board of directors are found to have a beneficial impact on financial performance. A bank’s transparency in sharing performance information exhibits a stronger positive correlation with ROE (R=0.183) compared to ROA (R=0.060), suggesting that ROE is more sensitive to disparities in information availability. Furthermore, the study identifies a negative impact of board size on financial performance, with low-income diversity positively influencing it and board ethnic diversity exerting a negative and statistically significant influence.

Corporate Governance Towards Sustainability Performance Quality: A Case of Listed Firms in Malaysia

The sustainable development according to the United Nation, listed firms throughout globally now routinely provide sustainability data. However, there is not enough information on Sustainability Performance Quality (SPQ) in the majority of emerging economies, including Malaysia. This study looks at how the SPQ of the top 100 Malaysian-listed businesses is affected by factors as connected with corporate governance (e.g., board meeting, board size, and board ethnic diversity). Utilizing 500 firm-year data, a longitudinal sample of 500 nonfinancial firms on the Bursa Malaysia for 2015-2019 is employed in this study. The findings from the analysis using the panel regression demonstrated that: ethnic diversity and board size has a positively significant impacts on SPQ of thee chosen enterprises. However, board meeting has a significant but negative influence. The descriptive study found that the average SPQ is 26%, which has to be improved despite the significant relationship pointing to a development in the calibre of sustainability disclosures. Bursa Malaysia’s necessary regulatory improvements and an effective board might result in this outcome. In addition, the study poses to develop a policy for the firms, stakeholders, government and regulators so as to rise the disclosure standard of corporate sustainability. Also, gaps are filled in the study by providing empirical evidences and new insights on the significance of board meeting, board ethnic diversity, and board size in the Malaysian firms’ sustainability disclosure – with the least attention for empirical research.

Does the New Revised Code of Corporate Governance Impede Board Diversity? Evidence from Indonesia

This study explores the effect of Indonesia's good corporate governance code on board diversity: ethnicity, nationality, gender, qualification, experience, composition, and multiple directorship diversity. The revised corporate governance code provides guidelines for better corporate governance practices. Therefore, board attributes such as diversity are among the best corporate governance practices. Two hundred and three of Indonesia's listed companies (1,421 firm years) are research objects. The data was collected from company annual reports and other internet sources. The data was analyzed using a pair sample t-test and distribution frequency. Based on the pair sample t-test, Oversight board ethnicity diversity, nationality diversity, gender diversity, and board composition significantly differ between pre- and post-revised codes. In addition, management board nationality diversity and gender diversity are also differences between the pre-and post-revised code. In most cases, updating code improves diversity, except for the Oversight Board's ethnic diversity. This study also provides the detailed average number and percentage of board diversity pre- and post-the-updated code of good corporate governance. This study implies that the revised code of good corporate governance increases the board diversity of Indonesian-listed companies. Since the last revised code was released in 2006, a new updated code of good corporate governance has been demanded.

Board Gender Diversity, Board Ethnic Diversity and Firm Value of Listed Financial Firms in Nigeria

This study investigates the effect of board gender diversity, board ethnic diversity, and firm value on the listed financial service companies in Nigeria. Firm value, measured by Tobin's q and computed as the ratio of the firm's market value of equity to its book value of total assets, is the study's explained variable, while board gender diversity and board ethnic diversity are the study's explanatory variables. The study’s population comprises fifty-one (51) listed financial service firms on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as of December 31, 2020. Thirty-five (35) of these firms made up the sample size for a period of nine years (2012–2020). Data was acquired from the sampled companies' annual reports and analyzed using the feasible generalized least squares regression (FGLS) approach. According to the study, board gender diversity and board ethnic diversity had a significant positive impact on the firm value of listed financial services firms in Nigeria. According to the findings, the boards of directors of listed financial service organizations in Nigeria should ensure that females are considered for directorship seats on the boards in order to increase their value, as suggested by the resource dependency theory. In addition, the boards of directors of listed financial services firms in Nigeria should consist of a mix of both northerners and southerners to improve firm value.

Board diversity, Political Connections and Firm value: An Empirical Evidence from Financial Firms in Nigeria

This study investigates the effect of board diversity, political connections, and firm value on the listed financial services firms in Nigeria. Firm value, proxied by Tobin's q and computed as the ratio of the firm's market value of equity to its book value of total assets, is the study's explained variable, while board gender diversity, board nationality, board ethnic diversity, and political connections are the study's explanatory variables. The study’s population consists of 51 listed financial service firms on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as of December 31, 2020. Thirty-five (35) of these firms made up the sample size for a period of nine years (2012–2020). Data was gathered from the annual reports of the sampled companies and analyzed using the feasible generalized least squares regression (FGLS) approach. According to the study, board gender diversity, board nationality, and board ethnic diversity have a positive and significant effect on the firm value of listed financial service firms in Nigeria, whereas political connections have a positive but insignificant effect. According to the findings, the boards of directors of listed financial service organizations in Nigeria should ensure that females are considered for directorship seats on the boards, as suggested by the resource dependency theory.Also, the board should be made up of foreign directors in order to lure foreign investors to the firm and enhance its value. In addition, the boards of directors of listed financial services firms in Nigeria should consist of a mix of both northerners and southerners to leverage national spreads and improve firm value.

BOARD DIVERSITY, POLITICAL CONNECTIONS AND FIRM VALUE: AN EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM FINANCIAL FIRMS IN NIGERIA

The effect of board diversity, political connections and firm value of listed financial service firms in Nigeria is investigated in this study. Firm value, proxied by Tobin's q and computed as the ratio of the firm's market value of equity to the book value of total assets, is the study's explained variable, while board gender diversity, board nationality, board ethnic diversity, and political connections are the study's explanatory variables. The study’s population consists of fifty-one (51) listed financial service firms on the Nigerian Stock Exchange as at 31st December 2020. Thirty-five (35) of these firms made up the sample size for a period of nine years (2012-2020). Data was gathered from the annual reports of the sampled companies and analyzed using the feasible generalized least square regression (FGLS) approach. According to the study, board gender diversity, board nationality, and board ethnic diversity have a positive significant effect on the firm value of listed financial service firms in Nigeria, whereas political connections had a positive but minor effect. According to the findings, the boards of directors of listed financial service organizations in Nigeria should ensure that females are considered for directorship seats on the boards in order to increase their value, as suggested by the resource dependency theory. Also, the board should be made up of foreign directors in order to lure foreign investors to the firm and enhance its value. In addition, the boards of directors of listed financial services firms in Nigeria should consist of a mix of both northerners and southerners to improve firm value.

The impact of board ethnic diversity and Chief Executive Officer role on corporate social responsibility

AbstractWe examine the influence of board ethnic diversity on firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities within modern day corporations. Using firm‐year observations in Australia from the period 2004–2017, we document that board ethnic diversity leads to better CSR performance and CSR disclosure. Our results suggest that for every additional ethnic cluster represented on the board, on average, a firm's CSR performance rating from ASSET4 is higher by 2.6% and the odds ratio of producing a CSR report increases by 38.8%. The results are robust to controlling for endogeneity (using both instrumental variable approach and difference‐in‐differences analysis) and alternate proxies to measure CSR performance and ethnic diversity. We also document the moderating impact of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) power on the relationship between board ethnic diversity and firms' CSR activities. Specifically, a less powerful CEO and a CEO of ethnic minority (i.e., non‐Anglo) are more likely to facilitate this relationship. This study adds to our understanding of how board ethnic diversity, an often‐overlooked factor in prior research, can have significant impacts on firm outcomes.

Board Characteristics and Financial Performance of DMBs: Evidence from Nigeria

The study examines the effect of corporate board characteristics on the performance of listed DMBs in Nigeria. This study used secondary data extracted from the annual reports of 12 listed firms in Nigeria during the period 2011 – 2020. The study employed Tobin’s Q as a proxy of firm performance, while Board size, Independence, diligence, gender diversity, and ethnic diversity are employed as the proxies of board characteristics. The Pooled Ordinary Least Square regression (POLS) and panel fixed effect regression methods were used to analyse the data collected. Findings revealed that board size and board ethnic diversity exerts a statistically significant negative influence on DMBs' financial performance, board independence has a negative and non-significant effect on DMBs financial performance, while board diligence and gender diversity have a positive non-significant effect on DMBs' financial performance. The study recommends among others that board size be carefully analysed by shareholders and balanced according to the expected result, board independence be continuously maintained and periodically reviewed, a maximum of 6 board meetings excluding emergency meetings be held annually; board members should consist of at least half gender diversity, and finally, ethnic heterogeneity be allowed on the boards of Nigerian firms for equity, fair representation, and relative peace

The impact of board ethnic diversity on executive pay‐to‐performance sensitivity: Australian evidence

AbstractWe examine how board ethnic diversity impacts executive pay‐to‐performance sensitivity. Using firm‐year observations in Australia for the period 2007–2017, we document that board ethnic diversity leads to higher executive pay‐to‐performance sensitivity. The finding is robust in controlling for endogeneity using instrumental variable regression analysis, as well as using modified measures of board ethnic diversity. We also document that the impact of board ethnic diversity on executive pay‐to‐performance sensitivity is more pronounced for firms suffering from high agency costs and when the CEO's ethnicity is different from that of the majority of the board. This study helps to inform the debate on the issue of board ethnic diversity in Australia.

Do investors value board ethnic diversity? A Canadian study

The purpose of this study is to examine whether investors take the ethnic diversity of boards of directors into account. Based on a sample of 563 Canadian firms listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) for fiscal years 2019 to 2021 inclusively, our results suggest that investors positively perceive the nomination of a greater number of visible minority board members. However, the study findings also show that the impact of ethnicity on investors’ perception is nearly 50 percent less than the impact of gender diversity. The study conducted in the Canadian context corroborates the results observed in some previous work by confirming the positive impact that gender and ethnic diversity can have on business performance.

The Impact of Board Ethnic Diversity on Executive Pay-to-Performance Sensitivity: Australian Evidence

The Impact of Board Ethnic Diversity on Executive Pay-to-Performance Sensitivity: Australian Evidence

Re-configuring ownership structure, board characteristics and firm value nexus in Malaysia: the role of board gender and ethnic diversity

PurposeThis study serves two objectives; first, it examined the impact of ownership structure and board characteristics on firm value; second, the moderating effects of board gender diversity (women appearance on board) and board ethnic diversity (Chinese, Indian, and Foreign ethnicities) have been examined on the relationship between ownership structure, board characteristics, and firm value.Design/methodology/approachThe dynamic model, system generalized method of moments (S-GMM hereafter), is employed to control potential dynamic endogeneity, reverse causality, simultaneity and unobserved heterogeneity persistent in corporate governance-performance relationships during 2006–2017 of 483 Malaysian listed companies.FindingsFindings pertaining to objective one reveal that there is a weak linkage between ownership structure and firm value, whereas board characteristics significantly affect firm performance based on resource dependence theory. While considering the results of objective two, there is mixed evidence of moderating impact of board gender and ethnic diversity on ownership structure, board characteristics and performance nexus.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study are practically significant for regulatory bodies, namely, Bursa Malaysia, Securities Commission (SC) Malaysia, and policymakers to develop guidelines for ownership structure variables. Moreover, Malaysian firms need to disperse their concentrated ownership structure for enhanced firm value. In addition, board characteristics significantly affect firm performance in Malaysian listed companies.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to multiple aspects: first, it examined the impact of ownership structure and board characteristics on firm performance. Second, the moderating effect of board gender and board ethnic diversity contributes to research significant and valuable for the researchers and practitioners. Finally, the study employed S-GMM, controlling for dynamic endogeneity considered a main econometric problem for CG-performance relationships.

BOARD DIVERSITY AND PRICE INFORMATIVENESS FOR MALAYSIAN TOP 100 PUBLIC LISTED FIRMS

This study examines the relationship between the diversity of board members and the price informativeness in the top 100 Malaysian public listed firms. By incorporating a series of the corporate governance and firm characteristic control variables, our findings indicate a negative relationship between ethnic diversity and price informativeness, suggesting that a less diverse board led to a more informative stock price. Nevertheless, gender diversity shows no significant impact. When the sample is divided into board with foreign director(s) and without foreign director, we find that the influence of ethnic diversity on price informativeness does not hold in the former firms. Our overall results imply that less ethnic diversity board reduces internal disagreement during board meetings. The existence of foreign directors mitigates the disagreement and thus undermine the influence of board ethnic diversity on price informativeness. Distinctively, our finding suggests that board foreign investors reduce the asymmetry information by importing corporate governance, yielding essential implications for policy makers.

Diversity and inclusion: Evidence from corporate inventors

Inclusion is often considered a crux of diversity management. However, little is known about how board diversity affects corporate performance through organizational inclusive behavior. Using the inventor-level patenting data, we find that firms with more ethnic minority directors attract more productive ethnic minority inventors and promote greater collaboration among inventors, leading to more patents and patents with greater market value. Our findings are robust to a battery of sensitivity tests. Overall, our study offers new evidence that racially diverse boards cultivate inclusive environment for inventors to succeed. • Board ethnic diversity is associated with better innovation performance. • Diverse boards foster innovation through creating an inclusive work environment. • Ethnically diverse boards tend to promote corporate diversity initiatives.

Board ethnic diversity and goodwill impairment decisions: longitudinal analysis of energy firms in Malaysia

The present study investigates whether ethnic diversity among firms’ directors influences the decision to take goodwill write-offs, after considering the economic factors of impairment (measured in terms of the market capitalization indicator), reporting incentives, and firms’ internal governance. The analysis focuses on energy firms in Malaysia from 2006 to 2018. The regressions results based on binary logistics show that energy firms are less likely to take goodwill write-offs even when the market indicates the possibility for the write-offs. The results also show the absence of the direct relationship between goodwill impairment decisions and ethnic diversity of the board of directors. Nevertheless, the results reveal that board ethnicity moderates the relationship between firms’ goodwill impairment decisions and the market capitalization indicator, suggesting that as firms encounter increasing market indicator of impairment losses, the board with diverse ethnicity positively influences firms in taking goodwill write-offs. The results of the present study add to the literature on board diversity and firms’ decisions with regard to goodwill impairment by highlighting the beneficial roles of having ethnically diverse board of directors, in that they use the market indicator that goodwill may be impaired in their monitoring role on the goodwill impairment decisions. The results offer input to the policymakers by suggesting that to strengthen the monitoring roles of the board of directors, they need to be diverse and equipped with indicators that would assist them in their monitoring decisions. AcknowledgementThe author acknowledges’ the research funding (i.e., FRGS grant 13591 provided via Universiti Utara Malaysia) from the Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia.

Does Board Ethnic Diversity Impact Board Monitoring Outcomes?

AbstractThis study investigates whether board ethnic diversity is associated with stronger board monitoring outcomes. We explore a range of outcomes – CEO compensation, accounting misstatements, CEO turnover–performance sensitivity and acquisition performance – but find no evidence to support this. We also find no evidence that board ethnic diversity improves overall firm performance, even for those firms with higher agency problems. Our results are robust across different methodologies and have important practical implications, by informing the current public policy debate on board ethnic diversity.

Audit committee characteristics, board ethnic diversity and earnings management: evidence from Kenya and Tanzania

This paper investigates the relationship between audit committee characteristics, board ethnic diversity and earnings management in Eastern Africa. We attempt to determine whether compliance with audit committee guidelines has constrained earnings management in companies operating in an environment where control of corruption is considered weak. We include firm performance to the modified Jones model to measure discretionary accruals. The data are collected from annual reports over the period 2005–2014 resulting to a total of 480 firm-year observations. Panel data models are employed in the analyses. The results show that absolute discretionary accruals average about 11.5%, while the independence of the audit committee, the presence of a financial expert on the audit committee and board ethnic diversity were negatively and significantly related to earnings management. We also find that audit committee structures are not country specific.

Audit committee characteristics, board ethnic diversity and earnings management: evidence from Kenya and Tanzania

This paper investigates the relationship between audit committee characteristics, board ethnic diversity and earnings management in Eastern Africa. We attempt to determine whether compliance with audit committee guidelines has constrained earnings management in companies operating in an environment where control of corruption is considered weak. We include firm performance to the modified Jones model to measure discretionary accruals. The data are collected from annual reports over the period 2005–2014 resulting to a total of 480 firm-year observations. Panel data models are employed in the analyses. The results show that absolute discretionary accruals average about 11.5%, while the independence of the audit committee, the presence of a financial expert on the audit committee and board ethnic diversity were negatively and significantly related to earnings management. We also find that audit committee structures are not country specific.

The impact of board ethnic diversity on firm performance: evidence from public listed firms in Malaysia

The impact of board ethnic diversity on firm performance: evidence from public listed firms in Malaysia