Abstract  Background: Emerging economies, with all their positives and negatives, needs different actors to come together and play their part in order to achieve the economic growth. The concept of growth is inseparably linked to public and private sector, where a MC is formed with a distinctive fusion of private and political actors. However, the governance strategies for MCs in EE are quite different to governance mechanisms in developed economies, including the digital governance. Having said that, every digital implementation process, in the end, will be effected, not only by the political actors but also by the individual managers, CEO and boards, that are part of the governance mechanism. Purpose:      The purpose of this paper is to explore how governance mechanisms are shaped by different factors in a MC of EE, which eventually either impede of enable the process of implementation of digital strategies. Method: To get in-depth understanding of the research phenomenon, an exploratory design, qualitative study was carried out. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather empirical data, which included 3 directors and 3 board members from two different MCs of Pakistan. The respondents were chosen through non-probability sampling method. An abductive research approach facilitated in determining a deeper understanding between gathered empirical insights and  available literature on governance mechanisms of MC. Conclusion:  As a result, some internal and external factors were identified that shaped the governance mechanism of a MC. The internal factor included, political affiliations, accountability and digital awareness of individuals. While external factors included political interference, corruption, and digital readiness of public to adapt to digital strategies. More the disablers in the process, poorer the digital strategy implementation process which resulted in poorer and fewer digital services provided to the public of that MC.

The purpose of this study was threefold: (a) to identify the priorities that Texas school board presidents perceive to be most important in their role as a school board member; (b) to describe the specific activities, behaviors, and actions that Texas school board presidents say they take to support the priorities they identify; and (c) to compare with and contrast board members' reported priorities, activities, behaviors, and actions with the eight characteristics of effective school board practices. A mixed-methods research design was used to explore school board presidents' perceptions of their role and its relationship to effective board practices. Quantitative data were gathered using an online survey and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were obtained from one-on-one semi-structured interviews which were manually coded using a three-step, hybrid-coding process, as well as from an observation protocol. Evidence from this study identified four top priorities: accountability driven actions, a untied team with the superintendent, aligned and sustained resources, and a vision of high expectations. Eleven subthemes emerged that describe the activities, behaviors, and beliefs that support these priorities including: clear goals, community partnerships, data-driven informed, governance, human capital, policy adoption, professional development, strong communication, student outcomes, training, and trust.

Bakgrund: Könsbalansen i styrelser diskuteras ur rättvise-och effektivitetsperspektiv. Investerare har därför förväntningar på jämställda styrelser. Vissa länder inför också kvotering för att påskynda denna balans. Forskningen kring hur styrelsens sammansättning påverkar besluten om hur verksamheten styrs är inte entydig. Det verkar finnas ett visst samband där jämställda styrelser har mer fokus på specifika icke-finansiella mått som hållbarhet. Överlag så har det visat sig att företag som jobbar mer med icke-finansiella mått har bättre förutsättningar till att nå en bättre företagsstrategi på lång sikt. Det är dessutom viktigt att komplettera och balansera redovisningen av finansiella-mått med icke-finansiella mått för en bättre strategisk prestanda och implementationen av strategiska planer. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att förklara hur könsbalansen inom styrelser påverkar rapporteringen av icke finansiella mått. Metod: En kvantitativ studie som har utformats med av en deduktiv ansats. Studiens hypotes har skapats med teoretisk grund från Critical Mass, The Upper Echelon och det balanserade styrkortet. Datainsamling har gjorts med en innehållsanalys av primärdata från årsredovisningar. Urvalsmetoden består av en totalundersökning från bolag noterade på Large Cap på Nasdaq OMX Stockholm år 2018. Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att det går att förkasta hypotesen “det finns ett samband mellan rapporteringen av icke finansiella mått och jämställda styrelser” eftersom OLS-regressionerna inte visar några signifikanta samband mellan jämställda styrelser och omfattningen av redovisningen av icke-finansiella mått kopplade till det balanserade styrkortet. Studien drar en slutsats om att könsbalansen inom styrelser varken har en negativ eller positiv påverkan på rapporteringen av icke-finansiella mått, då analysen inte har visat något statistiskt signifikant samband. / Introduction: The gender balance in boards is discussed from a fairness and efficiency perspective. Investors therefore have expectations of equal boards. Some countries have also introduced quotas to speed up this balance. The research on how the composition of the board affects decisions about how the business is governed is not clear. There seems to be a certain relationship where gender equal boards have more focus on specific non-financial measures such as sustainability. In general, it has been found that companies that work more with non-financial measures have better conditions for reaching a better corporate strategy in the long term. In addition, it is important to supplement and balance the reporting of financial metrics with non-financial metrics for better strategic performance and for the implementation of strategic plans. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to explain how gender balance within boards affects the reporting of non-financial measures. Method: A quantitative study designed with a deductive approach. The study's hypothesis was created with a theoretical basis from Critical Mass, The Upper Echelon and The Balanced Scorecard. Analysis of data has been done with a content analysis of primary data from annual reports through a census survey from companies listed on Large Cap on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm 2018. Conclusion: The study's results show that it is possible to reject the hypothesis “there is a relationship between the reporting of non-financial measures and gender equality boards” because the OLS regressions did not show any significant relationship between gender equality boards and the extent of the reporting of non-financial measures linked to The Balanced Scorecard. The study concludes that the gender balance within boards has neither a negative nor a positive impact on the reporting of non-financial measures, as the analysis has not shown any statistically significant relationships.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain how the share of independent boardmembers, controlling for different forms of independence, and agency costs correlate within Swedish firms listed on the Nasdaq OMX Stockholm list for large firms. The goal is to extend the understanding of board independence in relation to agency costs while adding empirical insight into the Swedish Code requirements on the board of directors. Theoretical Perspective: With a theoretical anchor in agent theory, this study presents the two conflicts assumed to exist between the agent and the principals within the firms. The first conflict is between agent and principal, and the second is between principal and principal. The agency perspective is used to explain how agency costs arise, within which conflict they arise, and how board members' independence should mitigate these. Method: This study applied a positivistic, deductive research approach using a quantitative strategy. Data was collected from annual reports and the databases Orbis, Holdings, and Retriever Business. Proxies were used for measuring agency costs. The statistical analysis ofthe data consisted of Pearson correlation, linear regressions, and binary logistic regressions. Conclusion: No unambiguous negative correlation could be confirmed between independent board members and agency costs when examined separately. A tradeoff in board members'independence and total agency costs can be confirmed. This implies that when coexisting board members’ different independence works in opposing directions for reducing the residual loss tied both to the agent-principal conflict and the principal-principal conflict

The major purpose of this study was to ascertain the views of school board members concerning the impact of reform and restructuring initiatives on their school districts and on their power and authority to govern. Data were gathered regarding the frequency of reform programs and cross tabulated with selected demographic variables to include region, size of district, and school community type. These data provided an overview of how board members perceived where and to what extent reform programs were impacting on districts. Additionally, members were asked about the quality of reforms in their districts to determine if reforms were having a positive impact, negative impact, or no impact on the quality of education. Lastly, board members were asked to share their perceptions of power and authority to govern their school districts. Did they perceive a shift in power? If changes in power and authority were taking place, who or what was gaining or losing power? Were these shifts related to reform initiatives from the national, state, and local level? Descriptive research methods were employed in this study. A stratified, random sample of school board members was identified from the list of subscribers to The American School Board Journal. Of the 23,958 board members in the population, 6,000 or 23% were surveyed using a mailed questionnaire. The response rate was 22.4%. The study was sponsored by The American School Board Journal, published by the National School Boards Association, the national professional organization for school board members in the United States. The study revealed that reform programs are widespread across regions, district size, and urban, suburban, and rural areas. The Northeastern region appeared less involved in reform than other regions. Additionally, school board members expressed positive attitudes about reform and appeared to associate implementation with improved quality of education. School board members associated reform impetus with local initiative and felt more powerful when involved in the reform process. Despite the positive attitudes about reform and restructuring, many board members did not believe much reform was occurring in their districts and did not believe their power and authority was changing. However, many board members believed that if they had more money and fewer budget concerns more reform would occur. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the opinions of chief executive officers (CEOs) and school board chairs of Texas private schools in educational service center (ESC) Regions 10 and 11 toward board training and the potential benefits for the success of their respective roles. Literature regarding private school board training is limited. As a result, most private school boards face challenges regarding school board training expectations, which could affect their roles and the roles of CEOs. The quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional research design examined Texas private school CEOs’ and school board chairs’ perceptions about school board training and the working relationships between Texas school CEOs and school boards. The researcher developed the survey and interview questions used in this study. Responses to a 4-point Likert-type scale instrument, short answer questions, and interviews were solicited from a population of private school CEO and school board chairs within ESC Regions 10 and 11 from schools with an enrollment of at least 100 students and that contained Grades 9 through 12. In-depth Interviews were conducted with 12 private school CEOs and 12 school board chairs with varying levels of school board training. The research findings indicate that board training does make a significant difference in the working relationships between CEOs and private school boards. The findings of this study may assist private school boards in addressing school board training and the components of such training, which would benefit the working relationships between CEOs and school boards, as well as the success of private schools.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation argues that, for several reasons, school boards serving the various Seventh-day Adventist schools in the Western Cape have not carried out their functions and responsibilities effectively and efficiently. Although the school boards meet on a regular basis, there appear to be several problems that contribute to a lack of effective performance by the board. Through an analysis of data constructed from interviews and questionnaires, the study reveals that many board members feel that they are not fully equipped to carry out the responsibilities of a governor, and furthermore that they do not belong because they do not feel a part of the decision-making process in the school. They therefore are willing to spend time and effort to equip themselves for the task through capacity building programmes and ongoing training. I contend that, in addition to capacity building programmes, the voices of individual members need to be heard as they participate, deliberately, in decision-making processes. This dissertation contends that if the boards are to function optimally, all stakeholders, particularly the school board members, should engage in capacity building programmes and also experience deliberative, democratic citizenship. They must be given an equal voice to participate in deliberations concerning policy formulation and other decision-making processes. This will help them to realise their democratic right to participate and also to experience inclusivity as a free member of the society in which they live. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif argumenteer dat skoolbestuursrade wat verskillende Sewende-dag Adventisteskole in die Wes-Kaap beheer om verskeie redes nie hulle pligte effektief en doeltreffend nakom nie. Hoewel die beheerrade gereeld vergader is daar blykbaar verskeie probleme wat bydra tot ’n gebrek aan die vervulling van hulle pligte. Deur die ontleding van data saamgestel uit onderhoude en vraelyste is daar gevind dat veral die raadslede, en tot ’n kleiner mate ander belangstellendes, voel hulle is nie ten volle toegerus om die verantwoordelikheid van ’n raadslid te dra nie. Hulle voel ook dat hulle nie deel is van belangrike beslissings wat in die skool geneem word nie. Daarom is hulle bereid om tyd te maak om hulle vir die werk van ’n raadslid toe te rus. Ek hou voor dat behalwe vir die gebruik van kapasiteitsbouprogramme moet die individue se stemme gehoor word en moet hulle ’n kans gegun word om saam te praat en ook aan belangrike beslissings deel te neem wat verband hou met die skool en die opvoeding van die leerder. Hulle moet hulle demokratiese burgerregte uitvoer, deelneem aan die ontwikkelinge wat in die skool plaasvind en daardeur sal hulle stemme ook gehoor word.

In Sweden all limited liability companies are required to have a board of directors. The board of directors’ task is to manage the business of the firm, but in recent years boards have been subjected to critical review in the media, questioning the tasks and structure of the board. Further, there are differences in the regulations regarding limited liability companies, depending on whether they are private or public companies. Moreover, a majority of the research within the area of corporate governance has been conducted on public companies. However, corporate governance in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) has in the last 30 years become a field of interest. Several scholars and doctorates have used different board roles to explain e.g. the tasks, demographics, and financial performance. The board roles are mainly derived from the agency-, resource dependence-, and stewardship theory. Many papers have come to the conclusion that a board of directors who performs their task, and/or have a certain board demography is beneficial to the firm. Hence, the board and its activity is of importance, however, a general image is conveyed that boards in SMEs rarely are active, but rather are seen as a necessary mean in order to have a firm. Due to this, the research question in this thesis is: What motivates small and medium sized firms to have an active board and are boards in Norr- and Västerbotten active? The criteria for having an active board has been derived from antecedent research and are further recommendations from StyrelseAkademien. Three different board roles have been used with the purpose of explaining the motivation behind having an active board. Further, this thesis has had a quantitative method, and in order to gather data a survey was sent out to board members in Norr- and Västerbotten. The results show that the motivation behind having an active board cannot be explained through the roles network and service of the board. The control role could partly explain the motivation behind having an active board of directors in SMEs in Norr- and Västerbotten, having a negative relationship to board activity. Moreover, due to the opposing results in terms of whether or not boards are active, an unambiguous answer could not be found. However, 49.1 percent of the sample is considered to be active. Lastly, the finding support that in order to have an active board, the firm must recognize a need to include outside directors.

過去相關文獻從公司治理的角度、股權結構的角度、所有權與經營權分離及代理問題的角度等等來探討董監事持股對公司經營績效的關係，而與其他研究不同者，本研究係從董監持股成數差異數的角度，分析董監持股與公司經營績效的關係。 本研究以2005年到2011年在台灣證券交易所上市之一般產業公司為研究樣本，在控制公司治理與公司特性相關變數，以資產報酬率、股東權益報酬率、每股盈餘EPS衡量公司績效，探討董監持股與規定持股成數之差異數對公司績效之影響。實證結果發現，董監事持股成數超過規定持股成數之公司，其公司經營績效較佳。分析結果可能表示，董監持股比例高，因為其自身的財富與公司財務運作之結果關係密切，監督管理者的動機會較強，而使得公司表現較佳，支持董監事持股比例高於公開發行成數規定之公司，其經營績效較佳之研究假說。換言之，本研究發現符合立法者期望透過較多之董監持股，增強其對公司努力經營及監督管理之動機，以達到提升公司經營績效之目的。 / Most previous studies focus on the effect of ownership structure on firm performance. Different from studies from other countries, the institutional setting in Taiwan concerning minimal board members shareholdings required by the “Rules and Review Procedures for Director and Supervisor Share Ownership Ratios at Public Companies (the Rules henceforth)” provides a unique research opportunity to examine the effect of the Rules on firm performance. Based on a sample of general industry firms listed in Taiwan Stocks Exchange over the period of 2005 to 2011, this study investigates whether companies with board members holdings more shares than required shareholdings by the Rules have better firm performance. This study employs return on assets, return on common stockholders’ equity and earnings per share as measures for firm performance, and difference in shareholdings over the required shareholdings as the primary explanatory variable. After controlling for governance related and firm characteristic related variables, the empirical results indicate that firms with positive differences in board ownership from the required shareholdings by the Rules have better performance. This empirical evidence implies that the legislative purpose of the Rules—enhance firm performance through the alignment of ownership interest— is supported.

The role and function of school counselors remains a consistent source of concern in the school counseling profession. Aligning school counseling activities with comprehensive school counseling practice is a way to standardize the profession. Creating a school board policy for counseling is a strategy to gain support for and institutionalize school counseling practices. The purpose of this dissertation study was to produce two manuscripts related to the role and function of school counselors and school board policies for counseling. The researcher investigated school board members' (N = 169) and school counselors' (N = 341) perceptions of school board knowledge of comprehensive school counseling program activities, school board prioritization of those activities, and school board adoption of policies and actions related to school counseling. The school board perception survey and school counselor perception survey were modified versions of the School Counselor Activity Rating Scale. This research suggested that school counselors were more likely to rate school board members' knowledge of and level of priority for school counseling activities lower than school board members rated themselves. This research also suggested that there was a direct relationship between school board members' knowledge of and level of priority they assign to school counseling activities. / Graduation date: 2013