This thesis aims to take part of and contribute to the continuously ongoing debate ongender diversity, more specific about gender diversity in the operational level includingthe gender of CEO in Swedish firms across the Large cap, Mid Cap and Small Cap lists.The purpose is to analyze whether there is a statistical significance between operationalgender diversity and financial performance as well as firm volatility. The thesis uses aquantitative method with an OLS multiple regression analysis on a total of 448 Swedishlisted firms. The measures used for performance are return on assets (ROA) and return onequity (ROE), as well as volatility as a risk measure. The test variables used are femaleCEO and female executives, against the control variables females in the board, sector,market capitalization and full-time employees. The results of the thesis suggest that thereis not any significant correlation between the gender of the CEO and firm performance aswell as volatility, and there is neither any significant correlation between the genderdiversity amongst the executives and the firm performance or stock volatility.

Företag är av stor vikt för det svenska samhället. Presterar de dåligt, drabbar det inte enbart den svenska ekonomin utan även de anställda och deras liv. De senaste åren har antalet noterade aktiebolag på Nasdaq Stockholm ökat, ökningen medför att företagens intressenter blir allt fler. Det är därför även viktigt för aktieägarna att företagen leds av den mest lämpade VD:n och presterar optimalt. I tidigare forskning har det observerats att faktorer såsom lön, kön samt företagsspecifik erfarenhet kan påverka VD:ns agerande och således även företagets prestation. Motstridiga resultat har presenterats mellan företagets prestation och kön samt företagsspecifik erfarenhet, samtidigt som positiva resultat observerats mellan prestationen och lön. Covid-19 har varit brännande aktuellt de senaste åren och en mängd åtgärder har införts från den svenska staten. Forskning från andra länder har konstaterat att företagens prestation har påverkats negativt av Covid-19 pandemin. Vidare har det observerats från tidigare kriser som drabbat den svenska ekonomin, att egenskaper som VD:n besitter haft en stor påverkan på hur företaget klarat sig under kriserna. Detta examensarbete ämnar därmed att undersöka hur de svenska företagens prestation har påverkats av Covid-19, samt om VD:ns egenskaper i form av lön, kön samt företagsspecifik erfarenhet har någon koppling till hur företaget presterar under denna ekonomiska kris. Examensarbetet präglas av en kvantitativ metod där publika företag på Nasdaq Stockholm har legat till grund för studien. Ett antal företag har exkluderats på grund av avgränsningar samt bortfall. Slutligen har det resulterat i att 277 företag observerats under åren 2017 till 2020. Resultaten som återfunnits har visat på att det inte finns något signifikant samband mellan Covid-19 och företagets prestation, däremot finns det tendenser som tyder på detta. Dessutom har det observerats att vissa egenskaper hos VD:n har olika betydelse beroende på om företaget befinner sig i en tid med Covid-19 eller ej. Resultatet visar på att VD:ns kön har större betydelse för prestationen under Covid-19. Detta pekar på att en manlig VD bidrar till ett högre resultat under Covid-19 än vad kvinnliga gör, vilket inte går att konstatera för perioden innan. Däremot är det tydligt att företagen presterar bättre både innan samt under Covid-19, om VD:n har en lång företagsspecifik erfarenhet. Avslutningsvis kunde det observeras att den totala lönen har ett svagt negativt samband med företagets prestation innan men inte under Covid-19.

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / This paper evaluated the relationship between the Chief Executive Officer’s gender and firm performance. This study was conducted by evaluating the differential effect of CEO’s gender and sales turnover, share price and net profit. The study was deemed necessary because related researches in South Africa did not address the relationship between gender and variables such as turnover, share price and net profit. Hence this research focuses on the evaluation of the differential effect between CEO's gender and the corporate turnover, share price and net profit. The methodological approach used in this study was the quantitative approach. Data were collected from the archives of Socially Responsible Investing Index companies in the JSE. The T-test of difference was applied for data analysis of sixteen (16) selected companies. Three specific objectives were examined as follows: (1) To evaluate the relationship between the CEO's gender and company turnover (2) To assess the relationship, the CEO's gender and share price (3) To examine the relationship between the CEO's gender and net profit. Findings from the statistical analysis revealed that there is no significant relationship between CEO gender and sales turnover. It was further identified that no relationship exists between CEO gender and share price. It was also discovered that there is no differential effect between CEO gender and net profit. Findings from statistical analysis revealed that P-Value was greater than 5 percent indicating that there was no significant relationship between CEO gender and sales turnover, share price and net profit. This means that within the companies examined, CEO gender had no influence on sales turnover, share price and net profit. Based on the findings above, women CEOs can perform as well as the men CEOs. Therefore, women should be afforded the CEO’s positions as their presence have no negative effect on firm performance. Key words: CEO gender, firm performance, sales turnover, share price, net profit, JSE listed companies, corporate profitability, shareholder value and gender stereotyping.

In the first essay I examine the cash policies of female-led firms. Recent research finds that female CEOs eschew riskier corporate policies, but it makes contradicting claims whether this is due to risk aversion. Benchmarking risk aversion by the management of firms’ cash, I find that female CEOs are risk averse relative to male CEOs. Specifically, they hold significantly (18%) more cash, even for the same level of dividend payout as male CEOs. Further, they have significantly higher speed of adjustment for cash deficits, are more likely to use excess cash to increase dividends, but are equally likely to use it to increase investment. Collectively, these results indicate that greater risk aversion in the general female population continues beyond the glass ceiling and likely influences female CEOs’ corporate policies. Nonetheless, cash held by female CEOs has greater marginal value, suggesting a dividend-clientele effect. In the second essay I examine the impact of CEO gender on compensation keeping in view the corporate outcomes that they beget. Risk aversion may influence CEOs’ intertemporal choices and effort regarding short-term and long-term corporate activities. Given that females are more risk averse, I examine whether there are gender-based differences in short- and long-term corporate outcomes and whether these lead to gender-based disparity in CEO compensation. I find that female CEOs have significantly (10%) superior performance on short-term firm outcomes, but inferior (24%) performance on long-term outcomes, relative to male CEOs. However, for a given level of short-term (long-term) performance female CEOs obtain relatively more (less) short-term (short-term and long-term) compensation. The end result is that there is no difference in the total compensation between male and female CEOs. This suggests that female CEOs are well rewarded for their short-termism, enough to make up for their relative underperformance on long-term goals.