How Women Directors Influence Corporate Governance and Firm Dissertation

How Women Directors Influence Corporate Governance and Firm Performance - Dissertation Example Women have been shown to have a positive influence on a board, from aspects of participation such as attendance and dutiful diligence, to higher rates of pay for directors because of observable increases in performance which denote higher rates of return. The female presence on a corporate board provides a variety of advantages to the overall performance of a firm. Male Domination in the Board Room According to Gomez and Moore the statistics of female representation on corporate boards â€Å"show a disproportionate representation of women on boards in relation to their roles in society as consumers and employees†. According to Sparrow, only 15% of the board members in the United States are women, with only 1% being CEOs. In comparison, Sweden has 23%, Norway has 29%, Finland 20%, and Denmark 18%, because of Scandinavian policies that are encouraging the expansion of roles for women at the corporate level. However, in other European companies there is a lesser representation than in the United States. However, the problem with the statistics is that it does not reflect the number of female board members who are no more than a ‘trophy’ member, who holds several positions on the boards of multiple companies, decreasing the actual percentage of women who hold these positions. According to Reeves â€Å"Women’s lack of representation on boards is signific ant because boards make high level policy decisions that affect large numbers of people, including shareholders, employees, and ultimately consumers† (19). When women are represented on boards, there seems to be a ripple effect as more higher level management positions are then held by women within an organization. According to Reeves, the increases in CEO’s that are women have gone from nine in 2006, ten in 2007, twelve in 2008, and 13 in 2009, so the power balance is shifting, but by 2009, that number of 13 still only represented 2.6% of all corporate CEO’s. Reeves reports that while the average corporation has 21.8 corporate officers, only 3.6 of these positions are held by women. In 2006, 75% of the companies on the Fortune 500 had no women in top-earning positions within the corporate structure. An example to the social deficit that this creates can be seen where â€Å"women are more involved than men in the healthcare decisions for themselves and for their families†¦(however) more than one third of the world’s top 500 healthcare and pharmaceutical companies have no women on their corporate boards† (20). According to Peterson and Philpot, the professional backgrounds of board members on corporate boards shows that women are just as qualified in experience and background as are the men, but that they serve less frequently on executive committees than do men. Peterson and Philpot also find that gender is related to the way in which members are assigned to boards, and that the resource dependent theory provides for the phenomenon of women serving on more human and socially oriented boards, with men providing more representation on financial and budgetary committees. They suggest that there is â€Å"some relationship between committee assignment, gender, and the resource dependence role of directors† (193). Using the theory put forth by Nussbaum, the capabilities based approach, the nature of female representation should not be considered by the nature of gender but

Globalization and HRM Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Globalization and HRM Strategies - Assignment Example Technology is a critical tool in competition as it is essential in ensuring quality of goods and services. Though it means increase in production costs of the company, technology as a tool ensures increase in sales and product quality to meet the ever increasing/ growing consumer expectations and taste. Additionally, globalization has seen that a company like Sony improves greatly on its information and knowledge transfer which, much like technology is important in helping the company stay connected and informed of emerging customer preferences. Information therefore enables adaptation to trends and its quick and effective transmission has become vital in customer retention and growth hence. Different cultures of the world have very little effect and impact on Sony and unlike most other multinational corporations, Sony has managed to break the barriers of culture across the globe by producing a wide range of high quality, sophisticated and culturally acceptable goods and services. In addition, Sony’s policy of recruiting from any culture, age, gender and other such barriers puts it in a favorable position for worldwide appeal and acceptance. However, the financial and credit services offered by Sony, for example, may receive negative and little acceptance in other parts of the world. Islam, for instance, strictly forbids the use of usury. In such areas, the company may be viewed in bad light and rejected altogether. This is highly unlikely however as Sony offers a wide range of services and products and if one of them is found to be unpalatable in a certain culture, other products eventually override this ‘dislike’ altogether and firmly establishes Sony in the area. Just like cultures, labor markets are of very... This paper approves that different cultures of the world have very little effect and impact on Sony and unlike most other multinational corporations, Sony has managed to break the barriers of culture across the globe by producing a wide range of high quality, sophisticated and culturally acceptable goods and services. In addition, Sony’s policy of recruiting from any culture, age, gender and other such barriers puts it in a favorable position for worldwide appeal and acceptance. According to the paper the human resource department spends much time with the new recruits in bid to get them fully on board with the objectives and strategies of the company and is focused on universal standard employment offering superior working conditions and paying employees their locally relevant wages. Sony also offers management training to promising recruits. IHRM plays an important role in ensuring productivity of Sony. There are a series of undertakings that the IHRM could pursue to ensure improved productivity and competitiveness of Sony globally. Seminars that serve to enlighten employees further on consumer needs and improve service delivery could be brought on board. The paper comes to the conclusion that Problem solving groups are essential and swift solution of arising issues or any quarrels act to minimize employee infighting and the distractive and destructive office gossip thus creating the much needed and indispensable harmonious, smooth working environment.