Corporate Reputation and Women on the Board

Authors: Brammer, Stephen; Millington, Andrew; Pavelin, Stephen

Source: British Journal of Management, Volume 20, Number 1, March 2009 , pp. 17-29(13)

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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.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2008.00600.x

Affiliations: 1: Economics Department, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AH, UKCorresponding author, Email: s.pavelin@reading.ac.uk

Publication date: 2009-03-01