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Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Series

2016

Diversity

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Business

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Outsiders' Perceptions Of Diversity Mixed Messages, Leon Windscheid, Lynn Bowes-Sperry, Deborah L. Kidder, Ho Kwan Cheung, Michele Morner, Filip Lievens Sep 2016

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Outsiders' Perceptions Of Diversity Mixed Messages, Leon Windscheid, Lynn Bowes-Sperry, Deborah L. Kidder, Ho Kwan Cheung, Michele Morner, Filip Lievens

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

To attract a gender diverse workforce, many employers use diversity statements to publicly signal that they value gender diversity. However, this often represents a misalignment between words and actions (i.e., a diversity mixed message) because most organizations are male dominated, especially in board positions. We conducted 3 studies to investigate the potentially indirect effect of such diversity mixed messages through perceived behavioral integrity on employer attractiveness. In Study 1, following a 2 x 2 design, participants (N = 225) were either shown a pro gender diversity statement or a neutral statement, in combination with a gender diverse board (4 men …


Board Diversity, Firm Risk, And Corporate Policies, Gennaro Bernile, Vineet Bhagwat, Scott Yonker Feb 2016

Board Diversity, Firm Risk, And Corporate Policies, Gennaro Bernile, Vineet Bhagwat, Scott Yonker

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We examine the effects of diversity in the board of directors on corporate policies and risk. Using a multi-dimensional measure, we find that greater board diversity leads to lower volatility and better performance. The lower risk levels are largely due to diverse boards adopting more persistent and less risky financial policies. However, consistent with diversity fostering more efficient (real) risk-taking, firms with greater board diversity also invest persistently more in R&D and have more efficient innovation processes. Instrumental variable tests that exploit exogenous variation in firm access to the supply of diverse nonlocal directors indicate that these relations are causal.