This volume, the first to focus exclusively on women serving on corporate boards of directors, provides the latest thinking and research findings on this increasingly important corporate governance issue. It includes censuses of women directors in a number of countries, identifies reasons for their limited numbers, indicates why appointing qualified women to boards offers competitive advantages, and suggests practical ways corporations can attract, recruit and appoint more women board members. Researchers interested in gender and corporate governance issues, companies interested in increasing their numbers of women board members, and women and men serving or hoping to serve on corporate boards will find this book of interest.

Female presence and involvement on boards improves firm performance, transforms corporate governance and leads to the transition towards more responsible business. Corporate boards are essential bodies for governance and management and their efficiency determines a company’s performance. The board is a crucial element of the corporate governance structure and its efficiency and performance determines the success of the operation and monitoring of the company. The board is viewed as the liaison between providers of capital (shareholders) and managers who use this capital to create value. The board role is to represent, formulate and fulfill the interests and expectations of shareholders as the owners of the companies. The discussion surrounding female participation in business inevitably needs to refer to their presence on corporate boards. It is also a reliable indicator of a gender equality policy and advancement, adopted by countries and companies. The book traces the logic behind the decision patterns of female involvement in governance and management. In particular, it identifies the patterns of women’s presence on corporate boards, with respect to theoretical and conceptual argumentation, policy and regulatory implication, as well as practical adaptation. The phenomenon of women on corporate boards is analyzed in the context of different political, cultural and institutional environments addressing challenges in both developed and emerging economies. The role of female directors is viewed as one of the crucial aspects in corporate governance, adding to the quality of control and management.

This volume introduces readers to recent developments in the fields of board of directors and corporate social responsibility. It also provides new insights and perspectives on corporate governance practices in different countries.

This book shows the way for directors to achieve high performance and be an essential part of a high-functioning board. Calderon and Stautberg prepare women to take their seat at the boardroom table and to thrive and add significant value once they get there. Board service today requires a more complex set of skills, experiences, and leadership styles than ever before.

The book discusses the various aspects of diversity of corporate boards in terms of gender, age, nationality, tenure, education, experience and personalities. It enumerates the need for such diversity in each category and related concerns. Statistics from around the world support the authors' claims. The nine chapters in this short book have not been previously published. - Explains the dimensions of board diversity and ways to use them to increase effectiveness - Supports its findings with statistics from around the world - Relevant for researchers and professionals working in corporate governance and corporate finance

THE BOARD GAME presents the undeniable case for having more women corporate directors at the decision-making tables of America's public companies. Fifty-eight women directors tell how they won their first board seats. From her executive-search perspective, author Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire gives valuable advice to women at all career stages so YOU, your sisters, your mothers, and your daughters will have a chance to win The Board Game.

Although women now represent over forty percent of the workforce in most countries, organizations have been slow to capitalize on the potential of their women employees. This volume focuses on the business case for change, sources of resistance - including male backlash, denial, inaction and repression - and both organizational and legislative initiatives to support women. Limitations of affirmative action programs and policies are identified. New approaches towards creating a more level playing-field in organizations are proposed. This volume should be of interest to women and men in managerial and professional positions, women and men studying in professional fields such as business, law and government, organizations interested in managerial best practice and academic researchers whose work examines women in management issues.