Este estudo tem por objetivo captar as percepções dos conselheiros de administração no Brasil a respeito das atividades que norteiam o escopo de atuação dos mesmos, em especial da RSC, Responsabilidade Social Corporativa. O intuito é de responder aos seguintes questionamentos: os conselheiros de administração no Brasil possuem uma visão ampliada do seu escopo de atuação, se envolvendo nas questões estratégicas das organizações? Nesse contexto, qual a percepção destes em relação à questão da RSC? O estudo observa a interrelação existente entre RSC, GC, Governança Corporativa, e o papel dos conselheiros. A premissa é de que a agenda da RSC é progressivamente uma extensão da agenda de GC e seria da responsabilidade dos conselhos de administração (ELKINGTON, 2006; INGLEY, 2008; JAMALI et al, 2008). Na pesquisa de campo, foram coletados dados junto a 128 conselheiros certificados pelo BCC, Banco de Conselheiros Certificados do IBGC, Instituto Brasileiro de Governança Corporativa. Os resultados apontam na direção de que os conselheiros não consideram relevantes, dentro do seu escopo de atuação, somente as atividades de cunho monitoramento e controle, mas também as atividades estratégicas e aquelas relacionadas à RSC. A RSC é justificada, conforme os conselheiros, porque uma empresa possui a responsabilidade de ir além de criar empregos, pagar impostos e gerar lucros. Tal posicionamento reflete na maneira exposta pelos conselheiros de como tomam decisões. Segundo os mesmos, mais do que os valores e as crenças dos acionistas, eles consideram aquilo que gera valor no longo prazo para as organizações. Os conselheiros não buscariam simplesmente remunerar o capital dos acionistas, mas criar e manter valor para que as organizações possam operar de forma sustentável. Com esses resultados, entende-se que essa pesquisa contribui para o desenvolvimento dos campos de estudo da RSC e da GC. / This study aims to grasp the perceptions of corporate board members in Brazil about the activities that guide the scope of work of the same, in particular the CSR, Corporate Social Responsibility. The intent is to answer the following questions: do corporate board members in Brasil have a broad view of the scope of their activities, engaging in strategic issues of the organizations? In this context what their perception regarding the issue of CSR? The study remarks the interrelationships among CSR, CG, Corporate Governance, and the role of directors. The main premise is that the CSR agenda is increasingly an extension of the CG agenda, so that it would be under the responsibility of Corporate Boards (ELKINGTON, 2006; INGLEY, 2008; JAMALI et al, 2008). During the field-level research, data have been collected from 128 counselors certified by BCC, Bank of Certified Counselors from IBGC, Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance. Results indicate that directors do not consider relevant, in the scope of their activities, such as monitoring and control, but also the strategic activities and activities related to CSR. According to directors, CSR is justified because companies have the responsibility to go beyond creating jobs, paying taxes and profiting. This positioning reflects on the manner directors revealed to make their decisions. According to them, beyond considering the values and beliefs of the shareholders, they consider all that creates long-term value for the organizations. Directors would not only seek to remunerate the shareholder capital, but also to create and maintain value for the organizations so that they can operate sustainably. With these results, it is understood that this research contributes to the development of CSR and CG fields of study.

Diversos trabalhos estão sendo desenvolvidos sobre o Comitê de Auditoria nos Estados Unidos e outros países, porém esse assunto é ainda recente no Brasil. Esta pesquisa difere dos estudos anteriores, pois o foco está na análise da exceção dada pela Securities and Exchange Comission - SEC à Regra 10A-3 para as empresas estrangeiras com American Depositary Receipts - ADRs. A SEC permitiu que, no caso do Brasil, o Conselho Fiscal pudesse adaptar suas funções às do Comitê de Auditoria. Todavia, há controvérsias em relação à utilização do Conselho Fiscal adaptado. Este estudo fornece evidências empíricas sobre o Comitê de Auditoria e o Conselho Fiscal adaptado nas empresas que operam no Brasil. Além de analisar as características das empresas que optaram por formar o Comitê de Auditoria ou o Conselho Fiscal adaptado sob o ponto de vista da teoria da agência e o impacto da formação desses órgãos no retorno das ações das companhias, são apresentados também os resultados obtidos com aplicação de questionários a executivos das empresas e entrevistas com analistas de mercado. Os resultados significantes dos testes estatísticos indicam que empresas com vendas inferiores a R$ 15.000 milhões têm menor probabilidade de constituir Comitê de Auditoria e empresas com proporção de ativo imobilizado sobre vendas inferior a 60% têm maior probabilidade de constituir Comitê de Auditoria, conforme esperado. Além disso, empresas em que os gestores possuem algum percentual de participação têm maior chance de constituir o Comitê de Auditoria. Há indícios de uma relação positiva entre a formação do Comitê de Auditoria e o ativo total da empresa, a classificação da empresa no novo mercado ou nível 2 de governança corporativa, número de diretores e o retorno das ações, conforme esperado, ressalvando-se que o modelo é não significante. Não houve consenso dos analistas de mercado quanto à influência do nível de governança corporativa na formação do Comitê de Auditoria. Ao contrário do esperado, não há indícios da existência de uma relação positiva significante entre a empresa ter maior alavancagem e a presença do Comitê de Auditoria. Além disso, diferentemente do esperado, tanto a maioria das empresas que formaram o Comitê de Auditoria quanto as que optaram pelo Conselho Fiscal adaptado foram auditadas por uma das Big4 e foram classificadas como large accelerated filer. Já os analistas de mercado não souberam informar se a presença de uma Big4 poderia influenciar na escolha de um dos órgãos. De acordo com os executivos das empresas que formaram o Comitê de Auditoria, a maioria apontou que o nível de governança corporativa foi um dos fatores que influenciou na decisão do Comitê ou Conselho Fiscal adaptado, enquanto a maioria dos executivos das empresas que formou o Conselho Fiscal adaptado indicou o nível de governança corporativa, o fato de ser auditada por uma das Big4 e a classificação da empresa conforme o valor agregado de mercado como fatores que influenciaram nas suas decisões. Tanto a maioria dos executivos das empresas quanto a maioria dos analistas de mercado concordaram plenamente que o Comitê de Auditoria pode ser visto como um mecanismo de monitoramento da gestão da companhia, e discordaram que no Brasil faltem executivos com perfil que se enquadre no Comitê de Auditoria conforme definido pela SEC. Não houve consenso de opinião entre os executivos das empresas e os analistas de mercado quanto ao Conselho Fiscal ser mais adaptável que o Comitê de Auditoria ao ambiente de negócios brasileiros, quanto às funções dos dois órgãos serem distintas e quanto aos custos associados à formação do Comitê de Auditoria. Assim, percebe-se que, em alguns casos, o ponto de vista dos analistas é diferente da opinião obtida com os executivos das empresas e com os resultados baseados nas informações financeiras das companhias. Pode-se concluir que esse assunto precisará ser acompanhado de perto, afinal seu entendimento é ainda divergente. / Various works are being developed regarding Audit Committees in the United States and other countries, though the issue has only recently been introduced in Brazil. This research differs from previous studies given that its focus is on analysis of the exception made by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Regulation 10A-3 regarding foreign companies possessing American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). In the case of Brazil, the SEC allowed the Fiscal Council to adapt its roles to those of the Audit Committee. However, there are controversies relative to the use of an adapted Fiscal Council. This study provides empirical evidence on Audit Committees and the adapted Fiscal Councils within companies operating in Brazil. Besides analyzing the characteristics of companies that opt to form an Audit Committee or an adapted Fiscal Council from the agency theory point of view, it also discusses the impact of building these agencies on the company\'s return on investment, along with the results obtained from questionnaires given to company executives and interviews with market analysts. The results of the statistical tests were significant, indicating that companies with sales under R$ 15,000 million have a lower probability of building an Audit Committee, while companies with a proportion of fixed assets over sales that is less than 60% are more likely to build an Audit Committee, as was expected. Also, companies where managers possess some stake in the company have a greater chance of building an Audit Committee. There are indications that a positive relationship exists between building an Audit Committee and a company\'s total assets, a company\'s classification within the new market or level 2 corporate governance, the number of directors and the return on investment, as expected and remembering that the model is not significant. No consensus was reached by market analysts regarding the influence of the level of corporate governance on building an Audit Committee. Contrary to expectations, there are no indications that a meaningful positive relationship exists between the company having greater leverage and the presence of an Audit Committee. Also contrary to expectations, was the fact that both the majority of companies that formed an Audit Committee or an adapted Fiscal Council were audited by one of the Big 4 and classified as large accelerated filers. On the other hand, market analysts could not explain if the presence of one of the Big 4 could influence the choice of one entity over the other. According to executives from companies that formed Audit Committees, the majority pointed out that the level of corporate governance was one of the factors that influenced the decision between a Committee or an Adapted Fiscal Council, while the majority of executives from companies that chose the adapted Fiscal Council indicated the level of corporate governance, the audit by one of the Big 4 and the company\'s classification according to the Aggregate Worldwide Market Value as the factors that influenced their decisions. Both the majority of company executives and the majority of market analysts agree that an Audit Committee can be viewed as a monitoring mechanism for the company, while disagreeing that Brazil lacks executives who match the Audit Committee profile defined by the SEC. There was no consensus of opinions among company executives and market analysts regarding a Fiscal Council being more adaptable to the Brazilian business environment than an Audit Committee, both in terms of the role of each entity being distinct and in terms of the costs associated with building an Audit Committee. Thus, in some cases, one notices that the point of view of analysts is different than that of company executives, with results based on the company\'s financial information. One can conclude that this issue needs to be closely monitored, given that no consensus has been reached in its regard.

Este trabalho tem como proposta analisar a regra prevista no art. 147, § 3º, da Lei das S.A., e compreender a efetiva extensão do interlocking board e seus impactos para a vida das companhias brasileiras. Com base na análise dos motivos que levaram à inclusão desse dispositivo, propõe-se uma nova abordagem interpretativa. Afasta-se uma concepção abrangente da hipótese de conflito de interesses contemplada no inciso II ou a interpretação autônoma da atuação em sociedade considerada concorrente, independentemente da existência de conflito de interesses. A proposta interpretativa, nesse sentido, aponta para a complementaridade dos dispositivos, de forma que ocorra o impedimento quando o conselheiro atuar em sociedade concorrente e, em decorrência disso, tiver interesse conflitante com o da companhia. Propõe, da mesma forma, um novo enfoque para o estudo das situações de conflito de interesses entre os administradores e a companhia, sugerindo uma desvinculação das conclusões obtidas com a análise do conflito de interesses do acionista (art. 115, § 1º) para aceitar a possibilidade de uma análise a priori do conflito de interesses entre o administrador e a companhia, ainda que identificável por critérios substanciais. / This work intends to study the Article 147, Paragraph 3, of the Brazilian Corporate Law (Law 6.404/76), and understand the actual extension of interlocking board and their impacts on the Brazilian companies. Based on the study of the reasons that led to the inclusion of this Article during Brazilian Corporate Law changes during the year of 2001, we propose a new interpretative approach. Disregarding a wide view of the conception of conflict of interest, under Article 147, Paragraph 3, Item II, and the autonomously conception of interlocking board, under Item I, regardless the existence of any related conflict of interests, we propose a complementary view of items I and II, so that the disqualification of the board of directors applicant occurs when he/she holds of a position in a competing company and, as a result, have conflicting interests with the company. We also propose a new approach to the study of conflict of interests between managers and the company, suggesting a disconnection of the conclusions from the analysis of conflict of interests between shareholders and the company (Article 115, Paragraph 1) to accept the possibility of a prior analysis of the conflict of interests between managers and the company, even with the use of a substantial criteria.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:44:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriane Cristina dos Santos de Almeida.pdf: 872430 bytes, checksum: eff9b0219cc013d004b1749834ce1ce5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-22 / The objective of this research is to map director s compensation in Brazil. Given that literature about board compensation is scarce in the country, a qualitative study was realized, consisting of several interviews with directors aiming to understand the Brazilian compensation framework. In order to identify the main compensation structures currently adopted, a quantitative study was realized with 165 companies listed in the special listing segments of corporate governance levels at BM&FBovespa, using compensation data from the year of 2010. Descriptive statistics was used in this analysis. From the 35 companies in this sample that pay incentives to directors, a deeper study was realized, about the types of incentives to directors, compensation policies and main metrics used to set compensation. This study also analyzed if director s compensation was given in the same parameters as those for executives. The study concluded that director s compensation for this sample is based exclusively on fixed remuneration as a consequence of Brazilian model of concentrated ownership control, in which shareholder is close to daily activities. In this model, directors focus mainly in monitoring and consulting roles, without much need to be incentivated. Remuneration based in performance is more disseminated for executives than for directors. No excessive alignment between directors and executives was verified. However, within the companies with more incentivebased remuneration, the short-term compensation incentives is more frequent / Esta dissertação tem como principal objetivo traçar um panorama da remuneração de conselheiros de administração no Brasil. Dada a escassez de literatura a respeito da remuneração de conselheiros de administração no país, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa que consistiu em uma série de entrevistas buscando compreender o modelo brasileiro de remuneração de conselheiros. Para identificação das principais formas de remuneração atualmente praticadas, foi realizada uma pesquisa quantitativa com base em uma amostra de 165 companhias listadas nos níveis diferenciados de governança corporativa da BM&FBovespa e analisados dados de remuneração referentes ao ano de 2010, utilizando-se estatísticas descritivas. A partir das 35 empresas desta amostra que praticam remuneração variável ou baseada em ações para conselheiros, foi realizado estudo mais detalhado sobre os tipos de incentivo oferecidos aos conselheiros, as políticas de remuneração e as métricas utilizadas como parâmetro definição da remuneração. Também se buscou analisar se a remuneração baseada em desempenho dos conselheiros de administração segue os mesmos parâmetros da diretoria. Conclui-se que a remuneração dos conselheiros de administração para esta amostra é, sobretudo fixa, devido ao controle acionário concentrado no Brasil, em que o acionista encontra-se próximo ao dia-a-dia da empresa, com reduzida necessidade de incentivo aos conselheiros, que se atém aos papeis de aconselhamento e monitoramento. A remuneração baseada em incentivos para executivos é muito mais disseminada do que para conselheiros e não se verificou estímulo, através da remuneração, ao alinhamento excessivo entre conselheiros e executivos. Todavia, nas empresas em que a remuneração baseada em desempenho é mais disseminada para os conselheiros, ainda há grande participação de remuneração baseada no curto prazo

The thesis aims to explore the effect of team dynamics on team and organisational outcomes. Dynamics is a broad term that encompasses all the processes and attitudes that exist between team members and influence the direction of team's performance. Trust, conflict and behavioural integration comprise psychological facets of teamwork and are amongst the most common dynamics of a team. The current study aims to shed light on the perceptions of board members about the level of conflict, trust and behavioural integration during board meetings, which comprise the most critical forum of the group. Trust, conflict and behavioural integration are the primary attitudes, behaviors, and cognitions that arise within the board and encompass the core aspects of teamwork. There is a gap in the literature for examining the role of social-psychological processes and interactions between the board members because access to the boardroom is difficult and the researchers are forced to turn their attention on secondary data and proxies for board behaviors. Although that board of directors is an upper echelons group of executives who can ensure the long-term survival of the organisations, there is scarce of research in studying boards from a team perspective. Until today, we have limited knowledge of team processes, such as conflict, both inside the boardrooms and in the context of strategy implementation. The literature review in this thesis is drawn from multiple disciplines, including management, psychology and sociology, which enable us to gain a deep understanding of team's dynamics. The methodology has been based on a positivist approach since the focus is centered around the data collection process and the statistical interpretation of the findings. Primary data was collected from board members in Nordic countries, namely Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Norway. The data was collected with the use of survey method and the findings are based on 186 usable responses. The Nordic corporate governance model remains still the less known outside the Nordic region (Thomsen, 2016) but this thesis postulates that valuable lessons can emanate from its study. The study of the Nordic model could give us useful lessons for the roles of the board and the structure of their organisations. The statistical analysis of the model involved: Descriptive Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factory Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of this thesis provide theoretical and managerial recommendations for achieving superior board performance. The importance of the role of the Behavioural Integration inside the boardroom is underlined as a significant finding of this study. Moreover, the role of Trust in the board context raises some important questions about its priority since there may be other processes or dynamics which present more clear-cut results on board effectiveness. Furthermore, the deleterious effects of conflict have been underlined. It is also underlined that in this competitive era boards should go beyond fiduciary responsibilities to a more strategic role on a broader range of matters With the exception of a few studies, researchers still to move inside the "black box" of the upper echelons processes and understand how the executives in the board interact. Building a strong board of directors requires a focus beyond demographic characteristics to board interactions. The most effective boards have the strongest board dynamics and are characterized by openness, teamness and collaborative behaviour. The power of the board comes from the ability of the directors to effectively work together and hopefully the current study contributes substantially to the corporate governance field and the way that team processes affect team outcomes.

Submitted by Joana Azevedo (joanad@id.uff.br) on 2017-06-30T13:36:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert ALINE DE CARVALHO MEIRA.pdf: 3247332 bytes, checksum: d18a76c1a55780d100636e9520f129dc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Biblioteca da Escola de Engenharia (bee@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-07-10T16:30:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert ALINE DE CARVALHO MEIRA.pdf: 3247332 bytes, checksum: d18a76c1a55780d100636e9520f129dc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T16:30:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert ALINE DE CARVALHO MEIRA.pdf: 3247332 bytes, checksum: d18a76c1a55780d100636e9520f129dc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-17 / Nas duas últimas décadas, as organizações brasileiras passaram por transformações intensas na esfera econômica que alteraram a configuração do espaço democrático da sociedade como um todo. Ao mesmo tempo, a nova geopolítica das nações que se configura no século XXI, agravada por sucessivas crises econômicas e mudanças de cenários dos negócios, aumenta o nível de exigências do mercado e dos stakeholders quanto à adequação do modelo de governança corporativa das empresas a estas novas circunstâncias. Um exemplo disso é a implementação da Lei nº 12.353, de 28 de dezembro de 2010, que dispõe sobre a participação de empregados ativos nos conselhos de administração das empresas públicas e de economia mista e suas subsidiárias e controladas. Este novo mecanismo representa um avanço na governança das empresas estatais e de economia mista, na medida em que em que aprimora os processos de discussão e tomada de decisão. Diante deste cenário, este estudo tentará buscar o elo de significados que une a presença de um representante dos empregados no Conselho de Administração da Petrobras, a legitimação do poder representativo do trabalhador, face às transformações do capital e do trabalho, ao longo do último século, as mudanças nos espaços organizacionais e as exigências crescentes do mercado quanto ao aprimoramento dos mecanismos de governança e do papel dos conselhos de administração das empresas. A Petrobras passa por um processo de revisão de suas perspectivas futuras, com a redefinição de sua estrutura e reorganização do modelo de governança e gestão que abrange todas as áreas. De um lado, a companhia mantém o compromisso de expandir os projetos do pré-sal com competitividade e eficiência, frente às mudanças do mercado internacional de óleo e gás. De outro, busca realizar esforços de aprimorar sua governança e garantir maior transparência ao negócio. Neste sentido, o estudo busca responder de forma empírica à questão-chave da pesquisa: “A inclusão do assento para o representante dos empregados em conselhos de administração, especificamente no caso da Petrobras, contribui para a construção de um novo modelo de governança corporativa?”. O estudo de caso irá abordar os pleitos eleitorais realizados na Petrobras no período entre janeiro de 2012 e janeiro de 2016. / In the last two decades, Brazilian organizations have undergone sweeping changes in the economic sphere that changed the configuration of the democratic space of the society as a whole. At the same time, the new geopolitics of nations in the twenty-first century, exacerbated by continuing economic crises and changing business environment, increases the level of requirements from both the market and the stakeholders on the adequacy of the corporate governance model of the companies, under the new circumstances. An example of this is the implementation of Law no. 12,353 of December 28 2010, which regulates the participation of active employees in the boards of public companies and public-private companies, and theirs subsidiaries. This new mechanism is a step forward in the governance of state-owned or state-controlled enterprises as it greatly enhances the debate and the decision-making process. In this scenario, this study aims at exploring the links uniting the presence of an employee representative on the Board of Directors of Petrobras, the legitimacy of the representative power of the worker, given the transformations of capital and labor over the last century, the changes in organizational spaces and the increasing demand from the market for an improvement of corporate governance mechanisms and the discussion of the role of executive boards. Petrobras is undergoing a process of reviewing its future prospects with the redefinition of its structure and reorganization of the both corporate governance and organizational management models comprising all departments. On the one side, the company is committed to expand its pre-salt projects with competitiveness and efficiency despite recent changes in the international oil and gas market. On the other, it works to improve their corporate governance and ensure greater transparency to its business practices. In this respect, the study seeks to answer empirically the key issue of the research: "The inclusion of a seat for the representative of the employees in the board of directors, specifically in the case of Petrobras, contributes to the construction of a new corporate governance model?". The case study will address the voting process for an employee's representative in the executive board in Petrobras from January 2012 to January 2016.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo testar quais são as características dos Conselhos de Administração de 20 bancos, com capital aberto, no Brasil, no período compreendido entre os anos de 2007 a 2013, bem como detectar a influência das mesmas sobre a Rentabilidade do Ativo (ROA), Rentabilidade do Patrimônio Líquido (ROE) e a Razão Valor de Mercado (RVM). Para alcançar esses objetivos foram levantadas características relevantes que envolvem os Conselhos de Administração (CA) dos bancos, apoiando-se nas recomendações do Comitê de Basileia sobre o que se exige da estrutura desses Conselhos como instrumento de governança. Além das instruções do Comitê, outros artigos científicos, envolvendo dados dos CA e sua provável influência sobre a rentabilidade, foram referenciados. Após o levantamento das variáveis do CA utilizou-se uma análise de regressão múltipla para avaliar se as mesmas influenciam ou não e, em que dimensão elas interferem na rentabilidade dos bancos. Os resultados foram divididos em duas partes: a primeira levou em conta a alavancagem de controle do maior acionista de cada banco no período estudado e, a segunda considerou como uma das variáveis independentes a alavancagem de controle dos três maiores acionistas, entre os anos de 2007 a 2013. Através do resultado estatístico de uma análise quantitativa constatou-se que as características do CA influenciam, em intensidades diferentes, o ROA, ROE e o RVM. Quanto ao ROE e ao ROA, os menores níveis de Governança Corporativa (GC) demonstraram influências negativas para os dois tipos de controle, enquanto que o maior nível, o 3, mostrou influenciar positivamente o resultado. O número de componentes do CA refletiu, positivamente, sobre a rentabilidade. Porém, um aumento ocasionaria um decréscimo na mesma. As variáveis de controle influenciaram em pelo menos uma das variáveis dependentes. O estudo estatístico apresentou um importante resultado sobre a GC em bancos brasileiros. Esse aspecto pode servir de suporte ao investidor em sua tomada de decisão, pois evidencia que as variáveis abordadas devem ser consideradas quando forem verificados os retornos. / This study aims to test some characteristics of the Board of Directors of 20 publicly traded banks in Brazil in the period of 2007 to 2013, to determine whether these influence the Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and market value ratio (MVR).To achieve these goals, some relevant features that involve the Board of Directors (BoD) of banks were prospected, based on recommendations of the Basel Committee about the demands on the structure of these councils as instruments of governance. Scientific articles involving characteristics of the BoD and the possible influence on profitability were also considered. Once the BoD variables are set up, a multiple regression analysis was applied to assess whether, and how, the characteristics of the BoD influence the profitability of banks. The tests were divided into two parts: the first considering the leverage control of the largest shareholder of each bank, in every year; and the second had as one of the independent variables to leverage control of the three largest shareholders in the same period. Through the statistical results of a quantitative analysis, it was observed that the characteristics of the BoD influence, at different intensities, ROA, ROE and MV. In consideration of ROE and ROA, lower levels of Corporate Governance (CG) showed negative influences for both types of control, while the higher level, 3, resulted positive influence in the result. The number of members of the CA correlated positively with profitability. The control variables influenced on at least one of the dependent variables. Through this study, a significant statistical result is presented about GC in Brazilian banks. This may support the investor in his decision-making, highlighting that these variables must be considered when returns are checked.

This study examines the role of board social and human capital in assessing the market value of firms in the UK context. As the world economy has shifted from manufacturing to service and knowledge-based economies, attributes such as knowledge, expertise, skills, ability and reputation are increasingly fundamental to the success of business enterprises. There is a growing consensus that these attributes are an increasingly valuable form of capital, asset or resource, despite their intangibility. In accounting, there are a number of problems arising from the accountability of non-physical, non-financial capital. Firstly, some forms of capital and certain assets are neither recognised nor presented in the statement of financial position. Secondly, some accounting practices relating to intangible assets are very conservative, resulting in undervalued assets and overstated liabilities. Consequently, there is an increasing gap between the book value and market value of firms. This gap restricts the relevance of information presented in financial statements and suggests that there is something missing in financial statements. This is the research problem being addressed in this study. While prior literature demonstrates that it has proven difficult to operationalise intangible forms of capital, there has been significant empirical attention and theoretical development in social and human forms. This thesis aims to contribute to accounting theory and practice by exploring the impact that board social and human capital have on firm market value. In light of extant research, it is hypothesised that social and human capital possessed at board level are positively related to the market value of firms. This study employs the Ohlson’s (1995) residual income valuation model to test the impact of social and human capital using a sample of UK firms listed on the FTSE All Share index for a period of 10 years (2001-2010). Social and human capital measures are derived from interlocking directorate ties and detailed biographic information of board directors. This study benefits from Pajek and Ucinet network packages to generate network maps and calculate positional metrics such as centrality and structural hole measures.

The majority of previous research in the field of board diversity was dedicated to the direct link between board gender diversity and firm performance. Grounded in Agency- and Resource dependence theory, this thesis expands on this research and examines the main relationship including the influence of two additional factors: educational level of female directors and mandatory board gender quotas. Analyzing a sample of 454 European firms (3,871 firm-year observations) over the period 2007-2017, a positive relationship between board gender diversity and firm performance is found. Furthermore, the results suggest that educational levels or board gender quotas do not affect this relationship. The effects on firm performance differ depending on whether legislative measures or voluntary initiatives are in place, i.e. in contrast to legislative quotas, voluntary initiatives enhance firm performance.

Research on high-performing nonprofit boards has indicated a positive relationship between a board's strength and an organization's effectiveness; however, how boards achieve success remains relatively unknown. The Kirton adaption-innovation (KAI) theory was used to examine board members' cognitive styles in relationship to facilitating problem solving and decision making. This nonexperimental, quantitative study included archived nonprofit board data from 2 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) studies that had addressed the high performance of boards and factors associated with organizational success. A total of 102 randomly selected, high-performing nonprofit board members completed the KAI Inventory, which was used to measure cognitive style on a continuum; participants also answered questions from the second ASAE study to indicate board performance. Correlational and regression analyses were used to determine whether cognitive style on problem solving and decision making predicted high performance of boards. Results showed that cognitive style was not a significant predictor of problem solving; however, participants with an innovation cognitive style provided answers to the decision-making performance questions that were noticeably lower than participants who were classified as adaption. Findings might be used by nonprofit board members to enhance individual growth, increase organizational agility, and improve problem solving for effective decision making to ensure nonprofit board excellence.