Corporate reputation and women on the board

Stephen Brammer, Andrew Millington, Stephen Pavelin*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

211 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the determinants of corporate reputation, derived from the assessments of managers and market analysts, of a sample of large UK firms. Along with the influences of a variety of firm attributes, we find a reputational effect associated with a female presence at board level. This effect varies across sectors and demonstrates the influence of a firm's stakeholder environment in determining whether a female presence on the board enhances or harms the reputation of the firm. The pattern that emerges indicates that the presence of women on the board is favourably viewed in only those sectors that operate close to final consumers. We argue that the nature of this effect reflects an imperative for equality of representation that highlights the need to reflect gender diversity among customers.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17-29
Number of pages13
JournalBritish Journal of Management
Volume20
Issue number1
Early online date30 Aug 2008
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • FIRM FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE
  • DIVERSITY
  • DIRECTORS
  • TEAMS
  • GOVERNANCE
  • OWNERSHIP
  • STRATEGY

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