Idag finns det mycket existerande forskning gällande bolagsstyrning. Mycket av denna forskning handlar om bolagsstyrelser, dess struktur, roll och sammansättning. Forskningsområdets fokus har oftast legat hos de traditionella bolagen vilka givit god grund till information och vetskap kring ämnet. Däremot finns det en begränsning i forskning gällande hur dessa styrelser måste anpassa sig vid en implementering av e-handel. Med denna kvalitativa studie vill vi studera styrelser och hur deras roll samt sammansättning påverkas då ett bolag väljer att implementera e-handel bland sina försäljningskanaler. Genom tolkning av arbetets teoretiska referensram och kvalitativa intervjuer med tre respondenter vilka alla besitter erfarenhet inom styrelsearbete. Fann vi att implementeringen av e-handel har påverkat hur bolag arbetar med sin styrelse. En styrelse har blivit ett strategiskt verktyg som krävs för att klara av e-handelns snabba tillväxt. Det läggs även en större vikt på styrelsens sammansättning, där en viss typ av kompetens efterfrågas mer än tidigare. / There is a great amount of research made about corporate governance. Much of this research is about the company's board of directors, its structure, role and composition. The area of focus has often been aligned with traditional companies which have given a stable foundation of information and knowledge regarding the subject. There is however a limitation in research with the focus on how these boards of directors must adapt to an implementation of e-commerce. With this qualitative study, we want to study boards of directors and how their roles and compositions are affected when a company chooses to implement e-commerce among their sales channels. Through interpretation of the studies theoretical chapter and qualitative interviews with three respondents which all possess experience within board governance. We discovered that the implementation of e-commerce has affected how a company works with their board of directors. The board has become a strategic tool that is required when handling high demands of growth related to e-commerce. The composition within the board of directors is as well of a greater importance of which a certain type of competence is in demand more than before.

This study investigates if the proportion of women on Board of Directors (BOD) and Top Management Teams (TMT) in Swedish listed firms affect the financial performance. Using a sample of 1,432 firm-year observations for firms listed at Nasdaq Stockholm during the years 2012-2019, the study estimates multiple regressions to investigate the association between proportion of women on BODs and TMTs and firms’ financial performance, measured as ROA, ROE and Tobin’s Q. Using an interaction variable, the study also investigates if female representation in TMT affects the association between BOD gender diversity and financial performance. Furthermore, in line with critical mass theory, the study investigates whether there is a specific threshold of female representation that needs to be achieved for the performance effect to occur. The study’s results provide some evidence for a positive association between proportion of women on BOD and financial performance, but only possible indications for a negative effect of proportion of women in TMTs and financial performance. No support is found for the interaction effect. The positive impact of female representation on BOD and TMT does not seem to depend on any critical mass threshold. The study contributes with a new perspective on how gender diversity on several firm levels affects the financial performance.

Titel: Styrelsens roll i små och medelstora företag - en studie om ägartyper SMEs, styrelseroller och företagsprestation. Bakgrund: Då europas företag till stor del utgörs av SMEs är dessa mycket viktiga för ekonomin. Vad deras styrelse gör och hur de påverkar företagsprestationen är därför ett intressant forskningsområde. Därför ställer vi oss i denna studie frågan: “Hur ser sambanden ut mellan ägartyp, styrelseroll och företagsprestation samt påverkar styrelsens roll sambandet mellan ägartyp och företagsprestation i SMEs?” Syfte: Studiens syfte är att förklara eventuella samband mellan ägartyp, styrelseroll och företagets prestation samt om styrelsens roll påverkar sambandet mellan ägartyp och företagsprestation i SMEs. Metod: Denna studie är utformad efter kvantitativ metod och tillämpar en deduktiv forskningsansats där teorier och tidigare litteratur används för att sedan testa olika modeller. För inhämtning av empirisk data har en enkätstudie gjorts som sedan kompletterats med manuell inhämtning av arkivdata. Slutsatser: Studiens slutsatser är att ingen av de modeller som presenterats i studien accepteras. Endast ett fåtal samband kan konstateras. Ägaren behöver nödvändigtvis inte påverka vilken roll styrelsen får. Försiktighet bör iakttas innan företagsägare förlitar sig på styrelsen som mekanism för att forma eller påverka företagets prestation, eftersom den inte behöver ha någon påverkan. Den rådgivande, nätverkande och övervakande styrelserollen har positiva samband mellan varandra. / Title: The boards role in small and medium sized enterprises - a study of owner types, board roles and corporate performance. Background: Since most european companies are SMEs, these are very important for the economy. What their boards do and how they affect corporate performance is therefore an important question. Because of this, we ask ourselves the question: What does the relationship between owner type, board role and company performance look like, and does board role affect the relationship between owner type and company performance in SMEs? Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain eventual relationships between owner type, board role and company performance and if the board role affects the relationship between ownertype and company performance in SMEs. Method: This study is designed by quantitative method and applies a deductive research approach where theories and previous literature are used to test different models. For the collection of empirical data this study uses a survey study, which is supplemented with manual recording of archive data. Conclusions: The conclusions of this study is that none of the models are accepted. Only a few relationships are supported. The owner doesn’t necessarily have any effect on what role the board has. SME owners should be careful before trusting the board roles as a corporate governance mechanism to shape or affect company performance, since they doesn’t necessarily have any impact. The advisory, networking and monitoring roles are all positively related to each other.

No description available.

Purpose In any organization, the Board of Directors acts as the last line of defense against fraud and abuse. Since 2008, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has required nonprofit organizations to publicly disclose any significant asset diversion, defined as theft or unauthorized use of assets, that occurred during the filing year. This research study uses this new disclosure of asset diversion to investigate whether proper board policy oversight and/or governance reduces the likelihood of asset diversion. Understanding how policy and governance impacts a nonprofit organization is critical for managers and practitioners to understand. Organizational management, board members and regulatory agencies (auditors, IRS) all have a responsibility to prevent asset diversion and would benefit from a deeper understanding of where the individual failure points exist from within the organization that create an increased chance of asset diversion. Research Methodology This research study spanned the period between 2014 through 2018 and was comprised of 254 nonprofit organizations. The total sample of organizations that were represented in the IRS data sets consisted of 113,899 separate nonprofit organizations. Organizational data collected from IRS 990 filings across each of the 5 years was first isolated by organizations that experienced asset diversion (n=127) and then matched with an equal number of nonprofit organizations that did not experience asset diversion through random sampling. From the IRS filing data, 18 different variables were then tested against the dependent variable, asset diversion, using logistic binary regression analysis. Findings The findings of this study both reaffirmed certain key aspects of asset diversion in nonprofit organizations as well as introduced new key variables that showed significant correlation with an increase in asset diversion. The findings suggest that there are variables from both board policy oversight and board governance regression analysis that show a significant relationship with asset diversion. More specifically, there were three common variables that showed significance throughout each test: organizational required audit, independent auditors, and improper party transaction with family members of current or former directors and/or officers of the organization. One additional variable, improper party transaction with an entity owned or operated by a current or former officer and/or director, showed significance in four of the five models tested, indicating that there is a strong correlation with increasing asset diversion. Keywords: fraud, asset diversion, nonprofit, binary regression, Board of Directors, IRS 990 filing / Business Administration/Strategic Management

Small businesses are an important engine of economic growth and are essential to the stability and health of the national and global economies. U.S. Census Bureau data show that small businesses have poor survival rates, however. The literature on organizational failure contains no generally agreed-on list of the variables that separate success from failure. Although external factors are beyond a company’s control, internal factors such as business practices, management teams, and choice of business model are within its influence, and an effective board of directors can address many of the internal factors that cause failure.The majority of the literature focuses on the boards of large, publicly listed companies. The unique needs of owner-manager companies (OMCs), which are generally synonymous with small business, have not been studied sufficiently. Without a legal requirement for a board of directors, some OMCs establish panels of advisors. Using a quantitative method, the first study investigated the impact of the specific knowledge and experience that advisors possess on the performance of OMCs, as moderated by the company’s stage of growth. One key finding of this study is that the early stage of growth, managerial experience has a positive relationship to both measures of OMC performance and entrepreneurial experience has a negative relationship to both. The study also provided evidence that the impact of experience and knowledge on OMC performance is moderated by the company’s current stage of growth. The second study further explored the key findings of the quantitative study using a qualitative method. A series of thirty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with owner-mangers and advisors. The second study corroborated the importance of managerial experience to both measures of OMC performance in the early stages of a company’s development. It also corroborated the negative relationship of entrepreneurial experience to one measure of OMC performance but contradicted its negative relationship to the other. This mixed-methods approach provided a deeper understanding of the actions that owner-managers take and how those ultimately affect OMC performance. / Business Administration/Interdisciplinary

This dissertation consists of three chapters. First two chapters examines how nonprofit organizations (NPOs) react to the state level minimum wage increases, and the third chapter studies the effect of board interlock on the diffusion of innovation.In the first chapter, I investigate the impact of minimum wage increases on employment. I extend the literature by hypothesizing and showing a differential impact of state-level minimum wage increases on nonprofit organizations relative to for-profit organizations. While I find that increases in minimum wages reduce employment growth in both types of organizations, this decrease is substantially larger for nonprofit organizations. I also find that investment in automation, i.e., information technology, rises in nonprofits post minimum wage increase, consistent with the substitution of capital for labor. Minimum wage increases also increase the likelihood of nonprofit exit. In the second chapter, I investigate how CEO pay in nonprofit organizations responds to an exogeneous increase in labor cost resulting from state-level minimum wage hikes. I find that these increases in labor cost, which constrain budgets, are followed by declines in the total pay of NPO CEOs. In contrast, I do not find an impact on CEO pay in for-profit companies. I attribute the differential response between NPO and for-profit organizations to NPO CEOs acting as stewards of the NPO, whereby they are willing to take less to ensure the continued existence of the enterprise, as well as fulfillment of its mission. This phenomenon has previously been observed in the nonprofit sector and termed labor donation, whereby individuals who work for NPOs are intrinsically motivated and consequently, are willing to work for less money. Cross-sectionally I find the declines in compensation are larger in NPOs headquartered in smaller counties, in counties with higher levels of religiosity, and in counties with greater levels of social capital, and in NPOs that are run by their founders. In the last chapter, I propose that board interlocks can act as a channel of information transmission and social learning, hence enhancing the diffusion of innovation among firms. I find that a firm’s patents are more likely to be cited by patents from firms that have common directors (i.e., interlocked firm). The result is robust under a difference-in-differences setting, where the death or retirement of interlocking directors is used as an exogeneous shock to board interlock. The effect is more pronounced for interlocking directors who have longer experience in R&D-intensive industries, have a larger network, and have a higher compensation delta. While I find that board interlock enhances the diffusion of innovation across industries, it has no effect on within-industry knowledge diffusion. Finally, I document that board interlock enhances firms’ overall innovation output, measured by patent counts and citation counts per patent. The paper sheds light on an important role played by board of directors in promoting knowledge spillover and innovation. / Business Administration/Finance

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore Board decision making in non-profit sport organizations operating in a multi-level governance system. Four major research objectives were addressed: (1) the way non-profit sport organization Boards make decisions, (2) the types and impacts of non-profit sport organization Boards' internal factors on their decision making, (3) the types and impacts of non-profit sport organization Boards' external factors on their decision making, and (4) the similarities and differences in non-profit sport organization Boards' decision making within and between levels of a federated sport model. Strategic decision-making theory is applied alongside internal (i.e., organization size; organization age; Board structure; Board size; leader-member exchanges; professionalization; socio-demographic indicators; motivation; and skills, expertise, and experience) and external factors (i.e., legal requirements, institutional pressures, inter-organizational relationships, market conditions, collaboration, stakeholders, and federated sport model) - originating from the Integrated Board Performance Model and relevant sport governance literature - to comprise the dissertation's theoretical framework. A multiple case study methodology was used featuring six non-profit sport organizations Boards (two national and four provincial/territorial) operating in the Canadian sport system. Data were collected longitudinally through three methods: non-participant overt observations, semi-structured interviews, and documents. Data were thematically analyzed via NVivo12, and SPSS was used for descriptive statistics and comparisons of the observed Board decisions (i.e., t-tests, ANOVA). Board decision making in non-profit sport organizations was identified as information and engagement based, which incorporated multiple sources of internal and external information, involved five members, and occurred over two meetings with some informal interactions (e.g., email discussions between Board members). Five internal factors impacted Board decision making: Board composition, Board size, Chair-Chief Executive Officer relationship, Board meeting practices and environment, and technology. The first four had a positive impact, while the latter resulted in both a positive and negative impact on Board decision making. Two external factors had a negative impact on Board decision making: the sport system structure and market conditions. Seven statistically significant differences were identified in Board decision making at the provincial/territorial level (none for national non-profit sport organizations) and 21 between levels (i.e., national versus provincial/territorial) of the federated sport model. More similarities than differences were found when comparing Board decision making within (i.e., two non-profit sport organizations at the national level, four non-profit sport organizations at the provincial/territorial level) and between (i.e., national versus provincial/territorial non-profit sport organizations) levels of a federated sport model, notably related to duration and interactions. However, differences were attributed to sources of delays, the process to acquire information, and the types of information sources used. Overall, non-profit sport organizations Boards' decision making in a federated sport model is characterized with complexities arising from internal and external factors, thereby having a positive or negative impact on duration, delays, interactions, process to acquire information, and types of information sources used to make decisions. These notions are illustrated in the developed Non-Profit Sport Organization Board Decision Making Model, which address the dissertation's overall purpose. Altogether, this dissertation offers theoretical and practical contributions. Notably, it demonstrated strategic decision-making theory's temporal and contextual boundary to investigate the chosen phenomenon at the group level (i.e., Boards) of non-profit sport organizations in a federated sport model. Further, the conceptual rigour of the applied theory is developed as novel variables (e.g., technology) to measure sub-constructs (e.g., impediments) identified in this dissertation should be incorporated to better understand decision making. Results also contribute to the broader sport governance literature as the approach undertaken in this dissertation supports the value and need for multi-method, in situ, and longitudinal research designs to better understand process-based phenomena (e.g., Board decision making). Practically, this dissertation's results develop strategies and recommendations for Boards of non-profit sport organizations. Specifically, Boards should understand virtual meetings are convenient, cost-friendly, and allow decisions to be made even when restrictions are imposed during a health crisis (e.g., travel, social). However, delays and challenges in engagement are found during virtual meetings. To engage members during decision making, Chairs have an important role to ensure a diverse set of perspectives are gathered from individual members, thereby making a better informed decision. Formalizing decision making with purposefully developed documents (e.g., Board papers) and an action registry is also vital for Boards to be transparent and accountable in their decisions made.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is making significant progress in recent times and is gaining a strong foothold in business. Currently, there is no generally accepted scholarly framework for the governance of AI-based information technologies within corporate environments. Boards of directors who have the responsibility of overseeing corporate operations need to know how best to govern AI technologies within their companies. In response, this dissertation aims to understand the key elements that can assist boards in the governance of AI-based information technologies. Further, it attempts to understand how AI governance elements dynamically interact within a holistic system. As AI governance is a novel phenomenon, an exploratory investigation was conducted via a qualitative approach. Specifically, the study adopted a grounded theory methodology, within the constructivist paradigm, with the intent of generating theory instead of validating existing theory. Data collection included in-depth interviews with key experts in AI research, development, management, and governance processes in corporate and academic settings. Data were further supplemented with data received from conference presentations given by AI experts. Findings from this dissertation elicited a theoretical model of AI governance that shows various AI governance areas and constituting elements, their dynamic interaction, as well as the impact of these elements in enhancing the organizational performance of AI-based projects and reducing the risks associated with those projects. This dissertation provides a scholarly contribution by comparing governance elements within the IT governance domain and the new AI governance domain. In addition to theoretical contributions, this study provides practical contributions for the benefit of the boards of directors. These include a holistic AI governance framework that pictorially represents twenty-two AI governance elements that boards can use to build their own custom AI governance frameworks. In addition, recommendations are provided to assist boards in starting or enhancing their AI governance journeys. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to a set of technologies that seek to perform cognitive functions associated with human minds, such as learning, planning, and problem-solving. AI brings abundant opportunities as well as substantial risks. Major companies are trying to figure out how best to benefit from AI technologies. Boards of directors, with the responsibility of overseeing company operations, need to know how best to govern such technologies. In response, this study was conducted to uncover key AI governance elements that can assist boards in the governance of AI. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with AI experts and by attending AI conference presentations. Findings yield a theoretical model of AI governance that can assist scholars in enhancing their understanding of this emerging governance area. Findings also provide a holistic framework of AI governance that boards can use as a practical tool to enhance their effectiveness of the AI governance process.

Corporate governance's main purpose is to ensure that companies act in a way that is beneficial for their shareholders. This study presents skin in the game as a possible solution and investigates its impact on firm performance on the Swedish market. More precisely, the board of directors’ amount of skin in the game in the companies they manage and its impact on return on assets (ROA). Data of board composition and stock ownership are, among other variables related to the board of directors, used in a multiple regression to determine possible relationships with firm performance. Swedish corporate governance tradition advocates a clear separation of ownership and control. Despite this, a positive relationship between skin in the game and firm performance in Swedish companies is confirmed. ​​The conclusion of the study is that a board of directors with skin in the game increases firm performance.