ABSTRACT Given the growing pressure on companies to achieve high ESG performance while minimising ESG controversies, this study investigates how ESG performance and ESG controversies jointly affect firm financial performance (measured as ROA and ROE), considering the effect of the presence of women directors and of operating in controversial versus non‐controversial industries. Using random‐effects panel regression and heterogeneity analyses of 2696 US companies over the period 2013–2023, we find that the joint effect of high ESG performance and few ESG controversies (i.e., being an ESG leader) does not significantly affect firm financial performance. For ESG leaders, the presence of women directors may be associated with a negative effect on firm financial performance, except in the case of ROE in non‐controversial industries. This study advances previous literature by redefining the concept of ‘ESG leader’, examining the role of women directors and type of industry and considering alternative measures of firm financial performance.

ABSTRACT This study examines how three core corporate governance mechanisms, board independence, institutional ownership, and CEO duality, drive ESG performance among 551 publicly listed firms in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand over the period 2015–2023 (4959 firm‐year observations). Using fixed‐effects panel regressions with two‐way clustered standard errors and year, country, industry, and firm fixed effects, the results show that board independence and institutional ownership are strongly and positively associated with ESG performance, whereas CEO duality has a significant negative effect. Board gender diversity not only has a direct positive impact but, more importantly, significantly moderates these relationships: It amplifies the beneficial effects of independence and institutional ownership and intensifies the detrimental effect of CEO duality. All governance, ESG linkages, and the moderating role of female directors are markedly stronger in Malaysia and Singapore, countries characterized by rigorous regulatory enforcement and gender‐diversity mandates, than in Indonesia and Thailand. Robustness tests employing random effects, outlier‐excluded subsamples, and a critical‐mass threshold (≥ 30% women directors) confirm the stability and even strengthen the findings. These results highlight that effective internal governance requires supportive institutional conditions and meaningful female board representation to deliver superior sustainability outcomes in Southeast Asia.

ABSTRACT Based on the premises of the social role theory, we investigate whether board gender composition may influence firm‐level pay inequality by improving the ability of boards to oversee managers and counter their influence on the compensation‐setting process. Using the data of Chinese listed firms over the period 2007–2022, we investigate the relationship between female board directorships, the CEO–employee pay ratio (pay inequality) and firm performance. Consistent with social role theory, we find that firms with women directors on their boards have higher CEO–employee pay ratios, which have a positive impact on firm performance. We find these results to be robust by using different measures of female board directorships, alternative sample compositions and alternative estimation methods and by addressing any potential endogeneity concerns. Overall, our findings support that women directors are effective in deciding the level of pay inequality that is linked to improved firm performance.

In this interview, which was conducted in January 2025, Valerio Ruiz reflects on Elvira Notari’s pioneering role in silent Italian cinema. Ruiz’s new documentary film, Elvira Notari (2024), celebrates Italy’s first woman director, as well as her Neapolitan social–cultural scene. Notari (1875–1946) founded Dora Film as a family enterprise and produced, wrote and acted in over one hundred films embedded in Naples’s urban landscape. Her realist melodramas and documentary shorts evoke the everyday life of the plebeian characters of the city’s vicoli (‘alleyways’) and of Italian immigrants in New York. Ruiz’s docu-film, which premiered on RAI Storia on 4 October 2024 in the series ‘Donne di Campania’ (‘Women of Campania’), formally resembles archaeological restoration, relying on interviews intercut with the surviving clips to reconstruct Elvira’s career. A number of individuals lead us through a journey of discovery of Notari’s cinematic Neapolitan realm. Most central are actress Iaia Forte and film critic Giuliana Bruno.

Do women directors enhance the performance of Bangladeshi firms

This test pursuit to empirically observe the impact of Political Connection, Corporate Social Disclosure, and Woman Director on Tax Avoidance (Empirical observe of manufacturing corporations indexed on the Indonesia Stock Change for the 2021-2023 length). The populace of this examine includes all manufacturing corporations indexed on the Indonesia Stock Change for the length 2021-2023, namely 270 corporations. The sample of this look at amounted to seventy six corporations studied for three years, so that the overall sample turned into 228. The sampling used on this have a look at used a purposive sampling method, at the same time as the facts processing method used on this have a look at was panel data regression with manage variables of company size, sales growth, and Leverage the use of STATA software version 17. The effects of this observe imply that Political Connection haven't any effect on Tax Avoidance, Corporate Social responsibility Disclosure has a negative impact on Tax Avoidance, and Woman Director has a negatif impact on Tax Avoidance. This studies is the usage of tax avoidance proxies using permanently recorded tax variations (DTAX), due to the fact it's miles taken into consideration extra able to discover tax avoidance in terms of efforts to reduce taxable income and is superior to other measurements, such as the overall effective tax fee (ETR) and CETR.

This paper focuses on the flourishing presence of Lusophone women filmmakers in contemporary cinema, particularly in Brazil, Portugal, and Portuguesespeaking African countries. While earlier studies highlighted the scarcity of women’s contributions, we now shift the lens to the remarkable advances in recent decades. Drawing on ongoing doctoral research, we analyze more recent publications — such as Karla Holanda’s Mulheres de Cinema (2019), Nina Rodrigues’s intersectional approaches, and Helena Ignez’s pioneering work — alongside data compiled on the “Mulheres Audiovisual” platform. We also incorporate insights from bell hooks, Lélia Gonzalez, and Beatriz Nascimento to underscore how race, gender, and identity dialogues shape today’s cinematic narratives. This open-access digital tool catalogs and publicizes the work of various women directors, including Black and Indigenous filmmakers whose voices are increasingly reshaping the audiovisual field. We explore new policy frameworks and funding programs, referencing Orlandi (2021) and Martins (2021) on strategies and challenges faced by contemporary women filmmakers. Rather than reiterating invisibility, this paper highlights collective networks, digital expansion, and social critique. Ultimately, we argue that Lusophone women now shape the cinematic sphere through artistic innovation and collaborative agency.

This study examines the relationship between firms’ adoption of occupational safety and health (OSH) protection policies and corporate sustainability performance. Using firm-level data from five Asian markets, namely China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, from 2010 to 2023, we apply fixed-effects panel regression analysis. The results show that the adoption of OSH protection policies significantly enhances overall ESG performance as well as performance across individual ESG pillars. This positive impact is also consistently observed in firms’ progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11). We conduct several robustness tests, including the use of lagged OSH policy adoption, application of the generalized method of moments (GMM), inclusion of institutional governance quality controls, and industry-adjusted ESG scores. Further analysis reveals that the positive relationship is more pronounced in firms with a weaker organizational climate for corporate governance and environmental responsibility. Additionally, we find that complementary initiatives such as the establishment of a task force and the implementation of whistleblower protection policies strengthen the positive effects of OSH policy adoption. Finally, gender diversity in the workplace, particularly the presence of women employees and women directors, is found to positively moderate the relationship between OSH policy adoption and ESG performance.

ABSTRACT Research Question/Issue This paper examines how board faultlines, which divide boards into homogeneous subgroups based on multiple diversity attributes, impact the resources devoted to the professional development of women at lower levels of the firm. Research Findings/Insights Analyzing data from Belgian listed firms from 2009 to 2019, we investigate how disparity‐based faultlines—divisions within boards arising from diversity attributes related to status and power—can significantly increase the proportion of the firm's education budget allocated to women. Disparity‐based faultlines are linked to the formation of resource‐based subgroups. When women directors form such cohesive subgroups, they can act as a unified bloc to gain greater decision‐making power, thereby reshaping resource distribution within the organization to better benefit women. We indeed find empirical support for this end. Next, the resource dependency of a firm could strengthen a subgroup's ability to advocate for greater resource investment, amplifying the impact of disparity‐based faultlines on resource allocation toward women. Our further analysis indicates that the main effect is indeed more pronounced in firms that are knowledge intensive, exhibit lower employment productivity, or have higher employment intensity. Theoretical/Academic Implications Our study contributes to the understanding of how board composition in terms of faultlines influences organizational strategies, specifically in the context of gender diversity and professional development. It highlights the importance of subgroup dynamics within boards and their role in shaping resource allocation decisions, thereby enriching the literature on board diversity, corporate governance, and organizational behavior. Practitioner/Policy Implications For practitioners and policymakers, these findings underscore the importance of recognizing and managing board faultlines to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment for women's professional growth. By acknowledging the positive impact of diverse subgroups on investment in women's education, firms can adopt strategies to enhance diversity and inclusion, ultimately benefiting from a more skilled and qualified female workforce.

Extensive research on corporate governance has led to a greater focus on disclosure (financial and narrative) in sustainability reporting, with the company’s primary goal of winning over and maintaining the support of stakeholders to gain competitive advantage. Managers could choose to present information using a qualitative approach rather than a quantitative one, manipulate the rhetoric, and influence investors’ perceptions. This study investigates whether corporate governance influences the tendency of companies to use particular textual narratives, as part of impression management techniques, to expose a favourable projection of overall activity. Three specific characteristics measure the propensity to employ impression management in sustainability reporting, while corporate governance is quantified considering board gender diversity. Additionally, company-level control variables are included. Research hypotheses are asserted in line with previous literature and tested based on a sample of non-financial companies from Eastern European countries, for the time frame between 2022 and 2023. Data on narrative tone is collected using textual analysis of sustainability reports, while corporate governance characteristics and control variables are extracted from the Tomson Reuters Eikon database. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multilevel regression estimation are employed to analyse the panel data. Mixed findings are highlighted, depending on the proxy used to measure impression management. They show that textual characteristics of sustainability reports are impacted by corporate governance. Empirical evidence emphasises that in boards with greater representation of women, the tendency of impression management strategies in the narrative tone of sustainability disclosure decreases. Women directors are associated with more balanced, precise, and clear, but not extensive reports. Results may represent an original and valuable resource for academic and business environments. First, this study adds to the existing literature and contributes to the debate on corporate governance mechanisms from the perspective of impression management, as a basis for present and future research horizons. Second, due to a thorough understanding of the tone of narrative disclosure, business representatives, regulators, and policymakers will be fully aware of potential opportunistic behaviours, as well as corporate governance mechanisms that exert significant influence and could lead to high-quality reporting. Third, impression management measurements as well as sample specifics and methodological insights support the originality of the investigation.

Women directors on traditionally male-dominated stock exchange boards: can they make a difference?

Abstract Board gender diversity has extensively generated interest from both researchers and practitioners, as it is not only driven by an economic logic but also a matter of ethics and social justice. However, in hierarchical business groups (BGs) where headquarters (HQs) effectively control the affiliated firms, the latter’s board diversity practices can be attributed to a cascading effect of the former’s governance practices. By adopting an organizational approach to acyclical social hierarchy and drawing on power dependence theory, we examine a sample of hierarchical BGs with HQs located in European OECD countries. We find that affiliates indeed follow their HQs’ board gender diversity practices, even if they have to defy the ethical expectation to enhance board gender diversity by having a low percentage of women directors. This finding suggests that HQs’ influence over their affiliates is a double-edged sword for board gender diversity practices, thereby raising an ethical concern regarding whether affiliates should follow or not their respective HQs’ practices. Moreover, our findings show that HQ’s control, attention, and organizational proximity to the affiliate intensify the cascading effect. Thus, the cascading effect of BG gender diversity practices depends on the power dependence of the affiliate with respect to the HQ.

The role of women directors in strengthening corporate governance and improving company performance is well recognised, yet their representation on corporate boards remains limited. This study explores the underrepresentation of women on the boards of publicly listed companies in Malaysia and investigates the factors contributing to this issue. A qualitative research design was employed, involving in-depth interviews with six directors from publicly listed Malaysian companies. This approach provided rich insights into women directors' contributions and the barriers that hinder their broader participation. The findings reveal that women directors enhance board effectiveness by improving stakeholder representation, enriching decision-making processes, and advancing corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement. The women directors' perspective was also noted as adding depth to boardroom discussions and strengthening governance outcomes. However, challenges persist, particularly in identifying suitable female candidates, which is often limited by industry-specific knowledge gaps and a lack of awareness of the available talent pool. These constraints highlight the structural and organisational complexities shaping gender representation on boards. The study contributes to the discourse on gender diversity by offering insights to guide future research, policymaking, and corporate practices to promote inclusivity in board leadership.

ABSTRACT Recent corporate governance literature highlights the crucial role of women directors in shaping firms' strategic investments, particularly in research and development (R&D). Although existing studies often measure gender diversity by the percentage of women on boards, they overlook women directors' specific roles and characteristics. This study addresses this gap by exploring the conditions necessary to comprehend how and whether women directors influence R&D investments. Drawing on the intellectual capital‐based view theory, we examine the moderating effect of women directors' intellectual capital on the relationship between board gender diversity and corporate R&D investments. A Tobit model is applied to a unique hand‐collected dataset of Italian‐listed industrial companies. Our findings confirm the hypotheses, revealing that foreign (human capital), interlocked (relational capital) and tenured (structural capital) women directors positively moderate the relationship between the proportion of women on the board and the firms' R&D expenditures.

Diversity in board stems from need for versatile talents, newer ideas vital for innovation, globalisation, changing demographics and customer expectation (NASSCOM, 2011). Gender diverse board is measured by presence of independent woman director on the board. As per section 149(1) of the Indian Companies Act 2013 and Rule 3 of the Companies (Appointment and Qualification of Directors) Rules 2014, at least one woman director is mandatory for all listed companies, and violation of mandate by the companies will be fined Rs. 10,000. The current study attempts to examine the implementation of Companies Act 2013 mandate and inquire into the status of women representation on Indian boards. In doing so, the present study undertook analysis of board composition of BSE listed top 31 Hospitals & Health Care Companies of the current year 2023. It is found, as a whole, women representation in the Board of Directors (with different board sizes) of sample companies is nearly 23%. The board composition of the selected sample companiesclearly indicate mere compliance of the regulationresulting in appointment of women in the boards. The study makes some useful recommendations for the corporate managers and policymakers.

Purpose The value of women serving on the corporate board for strengthening the board's efficiency and decision-making quality has received a large amount of prominence. Therefore, this paper aims to underscore the effect of women directors on a company’s equity risk. Design/methodology/approach This empirical research employed a system generalized method of moments, a superior approach to investigate the relationship between women directors and corporate risk. This study also utilized Blau and Shannon indices for the robustness of the study’s results. Findings The results indicate that the percentage of female directors has a negative and significant relationship with corporate risk. The outcome is bolstered by other measures of gender diversity. It validates the concept of the resource-based theory, which holds that a more diverse and larger board is linked to better results through reduced variability in corporate performance. Furthermore, the interaction effect between board size and female directors may minimize the corporate risk. Research limitations/implications Regulators and policymakers should design new policies and regulations that will further expand the role of female directors beyond mere tokenism. Further, it guides investors that investing funds in gender diversity corporate firms can enhance their returns. Originality/value The study contributes to the existing literature by examining the relationship between female directors and corporate risk in the Indian context. It also investigates how board size influences such a relationship, which is an underexplored area in corporate governance literature.

Despite recognising the important role of women directors in improving company performance, their representation on corporate boards remains limited, prompting ongoing debate. This study aims to explore the director's understanding of board diversity, its importance, and women directors' contributions and challenges to reveal the reasons behind the underrepresentation of women directors on corporate boards. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the agency, stakeholder, and resource dependency theory. Employing a qualitative research approach, we interviewed six directors from publicly listed Malaysian companies to extract subjective insights into the contributions and challenges associated with women directors in the boardroom. The findings reflect that the concept of gender diversity is generally recognised and valued by the respondents, primarily for reasons related to board effectiveness, representation and regulatory compliance. It also highlights the three key contributions of women directors in terms of stakeholder representation, decision-making, and engagement in CSR, which would result in enhanced company financial performance, good image and sustainability. However, respondents highlighted challenges in identifying suitable female candidates due to industry-specific knowledge gaps and limited talent pool awareness. This study contributes to understanding gender diversity in corporate governance and the complexities surrounding women's representation on corporate boards. It offers valuable insights for future research and organisational practices.

ABSTRACT While ranks of women behind the camera have grown in the horror industry, common misconceptions that women simply “don't do horror” persist. However, the last decade has seen a radical shift in the genre, and women directors are expanding the genre to unsettle audiences in innovative ways. This essay analyzes Promising Young Woman (2020) in the context of revenge narratives and raging women in horror, specifically the rhetorical shifts that have taken place in the genre. Zolciak explores the historical relevance of this film in relation to other women‐directed horror/revenge movies, such as Karyn Kusama's Jennifer's Body (2009) and Ana Lily Amirpour's A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014). Drawing on Kendall Phillips' primary models of rhetorical criticism, Zolciak asserts that Promising Young Woman proposes a different character that doesn't fall in line with victims, final girls, or strong women, and instead proposes a new, more flawed and nuanced character. This new character, in addition to the other stylistic choices, speak to the affective structures within the film, inviting viewers to revel in the complex feelings of grief, revenge, and refusal.

Abstract As the first woman director in Malaya, Wan Hoi-Ling was overlooked by film history for a long time. Through detailed archival research, this article assembles historical fragments from Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Singapore to illustrate Wan Hoi-Ling’s transnational filmmaking career. The study not only reveals Wan Hoi-Ling’s diasporic experience during World War II but also reflects on the reasons for Wan Hoi-Ling’s omission from film history. As a pioneering woman in transnational and cross-cultural film production, she was usually mentioned only as an assistant and was not credited for her versatile talents in various filmmaking roles. The films she created were often dismissed as “shoddy” and “inappropriate.” However, they can be acknowledged as a form of “multicultural hybrid cinema of poverty,” drawing from her transnational diasporic filmmaking experience within the broader context of transnational film history.

ABSTRACT The paper examines the role of women directors in climate risk disclosure using a comprehensive measure in an international setting. Grounded in stakeholder orientation, resource dependence, and legitimacy theories, the paper analyzes 26,289 firm‐year observations across 42 countries from 2002 to 2019 and documents that a higher proportion of women directors enhances climate risk disclosure, particularly women independent directors. Additionally, global gender quota reforms strengthen this relationship, and women directors and climate risk disclosure collectively contribute to improving firm performance. These results hold various robustness tests, including endogeneity assessments. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on the business case for board gender diversity and provides valuable insights for regulators, investors, and policymakers.