Problemdiskussion: Mångtalet forskare har argumenterat för behovet av kreativitet i dagens problematiska organisationsklimat och med detta som grund har forskningen om kreativitet fått stor uppmärksamhet och utvecklats i nära alla tänkbara riktningar. Trots detta finns det ett område som fortfarande är mycket outforskat, nämligen det om kreativitet och styrelser. Då samband påvisats mellan styrelser och, de till kreativitet nära besläktade områdena, innovation samt intraprenörskap uppskattar vi emellertid att styrelsen har en betydelsefull roll också i skapandet av kreativitet. Syfte: Vårt syfte är att skapa förståelse för styrelsens roll i skapandet av kreativitet i den enskilda organisationen. Metod: Studien bygger på en flerfallsdesign och är genomförd med en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi och en abduktiv forskningsansats. Som undersökningsmetod användes kvalitativa intervjuer av semi-strukturerad karaktär. Slutsats: För båda fallföretag tolkar vi att styrelsen spelar en betydelsefull och främjande roll i den kreativitetskapande processen i den enskilda organisationen. Den av styrelsens formulerade roller som är av störst vikt i denna process hör vidare till området för strategi. / Problematization: Due to the challenging environment organizations face today, the need for creativity has been raised by numerous researchers and thus the research of creativity has been developed in nearly all possible directions. In spite of this there is still one area that is critically unexplored, namely that of creativity and board of directors. Since connections have been found between boards, innovation and intrapreneurship, areas that are closely related to creativity, we however estimate that boards play an important role in the creativity making process as well. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to create understanding of the board’s role in the creativity making process of the individual firm. Method: Based on case studies from two organizations, the study is conducted with a qualitative research strategy and an abductive research approach. Qualitative interviews of semi-structured nature were used in order to gather empirical information. Conclusion: According to our interpretation the board plays a significant and stimulating role in the creativity making process of both individual firms. Furthermore the board function that is of highest importance in this process belongs to the field of strategy.

This study is motivated by the numerous reforms to strengthen the efficacy of corporate boards and their oversight committees, in the wake of high profile corporate failures. The empirical question, however, is whether recent proposals would enhance board and their committee effectiveness and in this way, reduce the likelihood of firm`s failure. This study examines whether the composition, structure and functions of corporate boards and their interactions are related to the probability of corporate failure. Prior studies employ agency and resource dependency theories in isolation as theoretical lenses. This study, however, employs these aforementioned theories as theoretical lenses and argues that the board control and resource function affects the relationship between corporate board attributes and corporate failure. This study examines a sample of 358 UK listed firms, consisting of 95 failed firms and 263 non-failed firms during the period 1999-2011. This study also uses a unique hand-collected data set that measures the corporate governance attributes and functions of these 358 firms over a period of five years preceding failure or otherwise, resulting in 1748 firm-years observations. This study reveals that the probability of failure is lower in firms with large board size, former government officials, independent remuneration committee chairman and greater proportion of outside directors as well as effective audit and remuneration committees. This study also finds that the prospect of corporate failure is higher in firms with less than three independent NEDs on both the audit and nomination committees, without audit committee and where audit committee has no one with financial expertise. The results, however, suggest that the possibility of corporate failure is higher in firms whose boards have a female director and where the nomination committee meets often or where its membership is exclusively preserved for independent NEDs. On the interaction effects, the results show that frequency of board meetings as well as its interactions with presence of female directors, audit and remuneration committees effectiveness are positively related to the probability of corporate failure. The results also indicate that a number of interactions between corporate board attributes and functions are unrelated to the likelihood of corporate failure. These include the interactions between board composition measures (i.e. proportion of outside directors, presence of female directors and board size) and the board resource proxy (i.e. former government official). These associations, especially remuneration committee effectiveness, remuneration committee chairman independence, firm size and profitability, are not only statistically and economically significant but also robust to different specifications. Further, the Receiver Operating Curves indicate that the impact of corporate governance measures after controlling for firm size, liquidity, profitability, age, industry effects, and leverage is more profound in two years preceding failure. The implication of this is that corporate governance mechanisms alone are insufficient to rescue the firm on the verge of collapse. The findings are consistent with the idea that failing firms decline in size, managerial performance, corporate board attributes as well as their board`s ability to discharge it`s monitoring and resource roles. This study adds to the debate on the impact of corporate governance on corporate failure by developing, analysing and testing a robust UK corporate failure prediction model which is underpinned by a multi-theoretical framework: agency and resource dependency theories. This study also offers several recommendations for policy makers and firm-level corporate governance strategies in the mix of the numerous corporate governance reforms worldwide, this in particular makes this study unique.

Background: Family-owned companies characterize both the Swedish and many of the world's corporate markets. The family circle is the core of the family business on which the family business depends. A successful generational change is thus a fundamental component for preserving the continuity of the family-owned company. Despite this, there is research that shows that generational shifts are not always feasible and research on why family members leave their empire is limited. This is where the master thesis takes over. Purpose: The purpose of the master thesis is to understand reasons that may be the basis for a family member's distancing from the family-owned company with a special focus on the board's functions. Method: Deductive research approach has been used where existing theory about the board's functions and factors that can affect the family-owned companies' succession process has built up the master thesis' theoretical model. The study has been carried out through a quantitative research method and more specifically a questionnaire survey where the collected data forms the basis for the empirical analysis and results that are presented. Conclusion: The study has, with some caution, been able to show that there is distancing in family businesses of family members and that this is often due to natural causes such as retirement and death. We have been able to confirm previous research regarding the companies' vision of a continuity and a long-term corporate governance perspective, but also that the need for the board’s control function will become a more central part when the company is faced with difficult financial times. / Bakgrund: Familjeföretag präglar både den svenska och många av världens företagsmarknader. Familjekretsen utgör familjeföretagens kärna som familjeföretaget är beroende av. Ett lyckat generationsskifte är därmed en grundläggande komponent för att bevara familjeföretagets kontinuitet. Trots detta finns det forskning som visar på att generationsskiften inte alltid är genomförbara och forskningen kring varför familjemedlemmar lämnar sitt imperium är begränsad. Det är här examensarbetets undersökning tar vid. Syfte: Syftet med examensarbetet är att förstå vilka orsaker som kan ligga till grund för en familjemedlems distansering från sitt familjeföretag med en särskild inriktning på styrelsens funktioner. Metod och genomförande: Deduktiv forskningsansats har använts där befintlig teori kring styrelsens funktioner och faktorer som kan påverka familjeföretagens successionsprocess byggt upp uppsatsens teoretiska modell. Studien har genomförts genom kvantitativ forskningsmetod och mer specifikt en enkätundersökning där den insamlade datan utgör grund till den empiriska analys och resultat som presenteras. Slutsats: Studien har, med viss försiktighet, kunnat påvisa att det förekommer distansering i familjeföretag av familjemedlemmar och att detta många gånger beror på naturliga orsaker såsom pensionering och dödsfall. Vi har kunnat bekräfta tidigare forskning vad gäller företagens vision om en kontinuitet och ett långsiktigt bolagsstyrningspespektiv, men även att behovet av styrelsens kontrollfunktion kommer bli en mer central del när företaget möts av svåra finansiella tider.