Journal of Finance and Accounting
ISSN (Print): 2333-8849 ISSN (Online): 2333-8857 Website: https://www.sciepub.com/journal/jfa Editor-in-chief: Apply for this position
Open Access
Journal Browser
Go
Journal of Finance and Accounting. 2024, 12(1), 35-42
DOI: 10.12691/jfa-12-1-2
Open AccessArticle

C-Suite Synergy: Elevating Corporate Governance Through Dynamic Board Diversity and CEO Tenure, Research from the Private Sector in Kenya

Chepkwony Protus1, , Tuwey Joel1 and Tenai Joel1

1Department of accounting & finance, Moi University, Kenya

Pub. Date: March 10, 2024

Cite this paper:
Chepkwony Protus, Tuwey Joel and Tenai Joel. C-Suite Synergy: Elevating Corporate Governance Through Dynamic Board Diversity and CEO Tenure, Research from the Private Sector in Kenya. Journal of Finance and Accounting. 2024; 12(1):35-42. doi: 10.12691/jfa-12-1-2

Abstract

Purpose- Although there is empirical evidence that the board members has a major impact to firm performance, studies are fragmented, with many focused on skewed thinking. Design/ methodology- Explanatory research design was utilized. 371 private firms in Kenya were studied. Hierarchical regression was done to test for moderation. Findings- The results show that a diverse board promotes company performance, while a short tenured CEO reduces the effect of diverse board members on firm performance. Practical implication- privately owned firms should consider diverse board members to improve firm performance. However, when CEOs stay in office for an extended period of time, they wield enormous power to the point that board members become passive and succumb to the CEO's directives, negatively impacting firm performance. Originality- the study findings seeks to address gaps in existing research by giving more proof on the association between a diverse board members and business performance and whether CEO tenure moderates the relationship.

Keywords:
board diversity CEO Tenure firm performance

Creative CommonsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]  Hsu, C. S., Lai, W. H., & Yen, S. H. (2019). Boardroom diversity and operating performance: the moderating effect of strategic change. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 55(11), 2448-2472.
 
[2]  Miller, T., & del Carmen Triana, M. (2009). Demographic diversity in the boardroom: Mediators of the board diversity–firm performance relationship. Journal of Management studies, 46(5), 755-786.
 
[3]  Ararat, M., Aksu, M., & Tansel Cetin, A. (2015). How board diversity affects firm performance in emerging markets: Evidence on channels in controlled firms. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 23(2), 83-103.
 
[4]  Terjesen, S., Couto, E. B., & Francisco, P. M. (2016). Does the presence of independent and female directors impact firm performance? A multi-country study of board diversity. Journal of Management & Governance, 20, 447-483.
 
[5]  Aggarwal, R., Jindal, V., & Seth, R. (2019). Board diversity and firm performance: The role of business group affiliation. International Business Review, 28(6), 101600.
 
[6]  Dedunu, H. H., & Anuradha, P. A. N. S. (2020). Impact of board diversity on firm performance: Evidence from Sri Lanka.
 
[7]  Mohsni, S., Otchere, I., & Shahriar, S. (2021). Board gender diversity, firm performance and risk-taking in developing countries: The moderating effect of culture. Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, 73, 101360.
 
[8]  Saeed, A., Sameer, M., Raziq, M. M., Salman, A., & Hammoudeh, S. (2019). Board gender diversity and organizational determinants: Empirical evidence from a major developing country. Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 55(8), 1803-1820.
 
[9]  Farah, B., Elias, R., Aguilera, R., & Abi Saad, E. (2021). Corporate governance in the Middle East and North Africa: A systematic review of current trends and opportunities for future research. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 29(6), 630-660.
 
[10]  Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American journal of sociology, 94, S95-S120.
 
[11]  Guping, C., Safdar Sial, M., Wan, P., Badulescu, A., Badulescu, D., & Vianna Brugni, T. (2020). Do board gender diversity and non-executive directors affect CSR Reporting? Insight from agency theory perspective. Sustainability, 12(20), 8597.
 
[12]  Bear, S., Rahman, N., & Post, C. (2010). The impact of board diversity and gender composition on corporate social responsibility and firm reputation. Journal of business ethics, 97, 207-221.
 
[13]  Kakabadse, N. K., Figueira, C., Nicolopoulou, K., Hong Yang, J., Kakabadse, A. P., & Özbilgin, M. F. (2015). Gender diversity and board performance: Women's experiences and perspectives. Human Resource Management, 54(2), 265-281.
 
[14]  Azmat, F., & Rentschler, R. (2017). Gender and ethnic diversity on boards and corporate responsibility: The case of the arts sector. Journal of Business Ethics, 141, 317-336.
 
[15]  Hiebl, M. R. (2014). Upper echelons theory in management accounting and control research. Journal of Management Control, 24, 223-240.
 
[16]  Uhde, D. A., Klarner, P., & Tuschke, A. (2017). Board monitoring of the chief financial officer: A review and research agenda. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 25(2), 116-133.
 
[17]  Bose, S., Hossain, S., Sobhan, A., & Handley, K. (2022). Does female participation in strategic decision‐making roles matter for corporate social responsibility performance?. Accounting & Finance, 62(3), 4109-4156.
 
[18]  Estélyi, K. S., & Nisar, T. M. (2016). Diverse boards: Why do firms get foreign nationals on their boards?. Journal of Corporate Finance, 39, 174-192.
 
[19]  Cetin, C. K., & Cerit, A. G. (2010). Organizational effectiveness at seaports: a systems approach. Maritime Policy & Management, 37(3), 195-219.
 
[20]  Van der Walt, N., Ingley, C., Shergill, G. S., & Townsend, A. (2006). Board configuration: are diverse boards better boards?. Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, 6(2), 129-147.
 
[21]  Abdullah, S. N., & Ku Ismail, K. N. I. (2017). Gender, ethnic and age diversity of the boards of large Malaysian firms and performance. Abdullah, SN, & Ismail, KNIK (2013). Gender, Ethnic and Age Diversity of the Boards of Large Malaysian Firms and Performance. Jurnal Pengurusan, 38, 27-40.
 
[22]  Adams, R. B., & Ferreira, D. (2009). Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and performance. Journal of financial economics, 94(2), 291-309.
 
[23]  Makri, M., Lane, P. J., & Gomez‐Mejia, L. R. (2006). CEO incentives, innovation, and performance in technology‐intensive firms: a reconciliation of outcome and behavior‐based incentive schemes. Strategic Management Journal, 27(11), 1057-1080.
 
[24]  Chen, W., Zhong, X., & Lv, D. D. (2022). Negative performance feedback, CEO tenure, and punctuated equilibrium innovation. R&D Management, 52(3), 564-576.
 
[25]  Mahadeo, J. D., Soobaroyen, T., & Hanuman, V. O. (2012). Board composition and financial performance: Uncovering the effects of diversity in an emerging economy. Journal of business ethics, 105, 375-388.
 
[26]  Şener, İ., & Karaye, A. B. (2014). Board composition and gender diversity: comparison of Turkish and Nigerian listed companies. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 150, 1002-1011.
 
[27]  Fernández-Temprano, M. A., & Tejerina-Gaite, F. (2020). Types of director, board diversity and firm performance. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 20(2), 324-342.
 
[28]  Scholtz, H., & Kieviet, S. (2018). The influence of board diversity on company performance of South African companies. Journal of African Business, 19(1), 105-123.
 
[29]  Song, H. J., Yoon, Y. N., & Kang, K. H. (2020). The relationship between board diversity and firm performance in the lodging industry: The moderating role of internationalization. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 86, 102461.
 
[30]  EmadEldeen, R., Elbayoumi, A. F., Basuony, M. A., & Mohamed, E. K. (2021). The effect of the board diversity on firm performance: An empirical study on the UK. Corporate Ownership and Control, 18(3), 337-347.
 
[31]  Darmadi, S. (2011). Board diversity and firm performance: The Indonesian evidence. Corporate ownership and control Journal, 8.
 
[32]  Ujunwa, A., Okoyeuzu, C., & Nwakoby, I. (2012). Corporate board diversity and firm performance: Evidence from Nigeria. Revista de Management Comparat International, 13(4), 605.
 
[33]  Karim, S., Naeem, M. A., & Ismail, R. B. (2022). Re-configuring ownership structure, board characteristics and firm value nexus in Malaysia: the role of board gender and ethnic diversity. International Journal of Emerging Markets.
 
[34]  Julizaerma, M. K., & Sori, Z. M. (2012). Gender diversity in the boardroom and firm performance of Malaysian public listed companies. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 65, 1077-1085.
 
[35]  Minichilli, A., Zattoni, A., & Zona, F. (2009). Making boards effective: An empirical examination of board task performance. British Journal of Management, 20(1), 55-74.
 
[36]  Carter, M. E., Franco, F., & Gine, M. (2017). Executive gender pay gaps: The roles of female risk aversion and board representation. Contemporary Accounting Research, 34(2), 1232-1264.
 
[37]  Chen, J., Leung, W. S., Song, W., & Goergen, M. (2019). Why female board representation matters: The role of female directors in reducing male CEO overconfidence. Journal of Empirical Finance, 53, 70-90.
 
[38]  Brown, J. A., Anderson, A., Salas, J. M., & Ward, A. J. (2017). Do investors care about director tenure? Insights from executive cognition and social capital theories. Organization Science, 28(3), 471-494.
 
[39]  Duru, A., Iyengar, R. J., & Zampelli, E. M. (2016). The dynamic relationship between CEO duality and firm performance: The moderating role of board independence. Journal of Business Research, 69(10), 4269-4277.
 
[40]  Nyarko, F. K., Yusheng, K., & Zhu, N. (2017). Corporate governance and performance of firms: An empirical evidence from the banking sector of Ghana. Journal of Economics and International Business Management, 5(1), 14-29.
 
[41]  Harrison, J. S., & Fiet, J. O. (1999). New CEOs pursue their own self-interests by sacrificing stakeholder value. Journal of Business Ethics, 19, 301-308.
 
[42]  Zhu, Q., Hu, S., & Shen, W. (2020). Why do some insider CEOs make more strategic changes than others? The impact of prior board experience on new CEO insiderness. Strategic Management Journal, 41(10), 1933-1951.
 
[43]  Walters, B. A., Kroll, M. J., & Wright, P. (2007). CEO tenure, boards of directors, and acquisition performance. Journal of Business Research, 60(4), 331-338.
 
[44]  Boivie, S., Withers, M. C., Graffin, S. D., & Corley, K. G. (2021). Corporate directors' implicit theories of the roles and duties of boards. Strategic Management Journal, 42(9), 1662-1695.
 
[45]  Guldiken, O., Mallon, M. R., Fainshmidt, S., Judge, W. Q., & Clark, C. E. (2019). Beyond tokenism: How strategic leaders influence more meaningful gender diversity on boards of directors. Strategic Management Journal, 40(12), 2024-2046.
 
[46]  Davis, J. H., Schoorman, F. D., & Donaldson, L. (2018). Toward a stewardship theory of management. In Business Ethics and Strategy, Volumes I and II (pp. 473-500). Routledge.
 
[47]  Ting, H. I., Chueh, H., & Chang, P. R. (2017). CEO power and its effect on performance and governance: Evidence from Chinese banks. Emerging Markets Review, 33, 42-61.
 
[48]  Zhu, D. H., & Chen, G. (2015). CEO narcissism and the impact of prior board experience on corporate strategy. Administrative science quarterly, 60(1), 31-65.
 
[49]  Zorn, M. L., DeGhetto, K., Ketchen Jr, D. J., & Combs, J. G. (2020). The impact of hiring directors' choice‐supportive bias and escalation of commitment on CEO compensation and dismissal following poor performance: A multimethod study. Strategic Management Journal, 41(2), 308-339.
 
[50]  Hamori, M., & Koyuncu, B. (2015). Experience matters? The impact of prior CEO experience on firm performance. Human Resource Management, 54(1), 23-44.
 
[51]  Serrano-Bedia, A. M., López-Fernández, M. C., & Garcia-Piqueres, G. (2016). Analysis of the relationship between sources of knowledge and innovation performance in family firms. Innovation, 18(4), 489-512.
 
[52]  Chatterjee, A., & Pollock, T. G. (2017). Master of puppets: How narcissistic CEOs construct their professional worlds. Academy of Management Review, 42(4), 703-725.
 
[53]  Brauer, M. F. (2013). The effects of short-term and long-term oriented managerial behavior on medium-term financial performance: longitudinal evidence from Europe. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 14(2), 386-402.
 
[54]  Cook, M. L., & Burress, M. J. (2013). The impact of CEO tenure on cooperative governance. Managerial and decision economics, 34(3-5), 218-229.
 
[55]  Hair Jr, J. F., Matthews, L. M., Matthews, R. L., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). PLS-SEM or CB-SEM: updated guidelines on which method to use. International Journal of Multivariate Data Analysis, 1(2), 107-123.
 
[56]  Cooper, D. R., Schindler, P. S., Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2006). Marketing research. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
 
[57]  Singh, A. S., & Masuku, M. B. (2014). Sampling techniques & determination of sample size in applied statistics research: An overview. International Journal of economics, commerce and management, 2(11), 1-22.
 
[58]  Huse, M., Nielsen, S. T., & Hagen, I. M. (2009). Women and employee-elected board members, and their contributions to board control tasks. Journal of Business Ethics, 89, 581-597.
 
[59]  Zou, S., Taylor, C. R., & Osland, G. E. (1998). The EXPERF scale: a cross-national generalized export performance measure. Journal of international Marketing, 6(3), 37-58.
 
[60]  Yousaf, U. B., Jebran, K., & Wang, M. (2021). Can board diversity predict the risk of financial distress?. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 21(4), 663-684.
 
[61]  Shalhoub, O. (2019). The Effects of Board Diversity on Firm Risk (Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University).
 
[62]  Joshi, A., & Jackson, S. E. (2003). Managing workforce diversity to enhance cooperation in organizations. International handbook of organizational teamwork and cooperative working, 277-296.
 
[63]  Schumacher, C., Keck, S., & Tang, W. (2020). Biased interpretation of performance feedback: The role of CEO overconfidence. Strategic Management Journal, 41(6), 1139-1165.
 
[64]  Alessandri, T. M., & Pattit, J. M. (2014). Drivers of R&D investment: The interaction of behavioral theory and managerial incentives. Journal of Business Research67(2), 151-158.
 
[65]  Oh, W. Y., Chang, Y. K., & Jung, R. (2018). Experience-based human capital or fixed paradigm problem? CEO tenure, contextual influences, and corporate social (ir) responsibility. Journal of Business Research, 90, 325-333
 
[66]  Hillman, A. J., Withers, M. C., & Collins, B. J. (2009). Resource dependence theory: A review. Journal of management, 35(6), 1404-1427.
 
[67]  Bhatt, R. R., & Bhattacharya, S. (2015). Do board characteristics impact firm performance? An agency and resource dependency theory perspective. Asia-Pacific Journal of Management Research and Innovation, 11(4), 274-287.
 
[68]  Aiken, L. S. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage google schola, 2, 103-135.