International Comparative Analysis of the Impact of Board of Directors’ Independence on a Firm’s Knowledge and Intellectual Capital Performance
Key Words: Knowledge and intellectual capital; performance; board structures; emerging economies; gender; race.
Abstract:
The primary of this paper, therefore, is to provide an international comparative investigation of the relationship between the level of independence of a firm’s board of directors and its knowledge and intellectual capital (K&IC) performance. This diverges with the prior literature in two major ways. First, the prior literature has virtually relied on data from the United States. Second, prior research has defined firm performance using measures of a firm’s physical capital. It is widely acknowledged in the literature that K&IC capital is now the pivotal factor of a firm’s future wealth-creation and not its physical capital. Thus, a firm future performance and survivability should be measure in terms of its K&IC. A total of 286 firms from three nations, South Africa, Sweden and the United Kingdom are surveyed in this study. Four proxies for board independence are examined. These are: (1) level of outside director representation on the board; (2) percentage of share ownership amongst inside directors; (3) leadership structure; and (4) extent of cash based remuneration of directors. K&IC performance was measured using the Value Added Intellectual Coefficient (VAIC™) technique developed by Pulic (1998). Empirical findings suggest only a marginal association between board independence and IC performance. The most significant proxy for board independence was the separation of individuals working in the roles of chief executive officer and chairperson. Further, results suggested the significance of the affect of board independence on IC performance varied across national boundaries. Overall, the results of this study are consistent with governance requirements varying across firms, thereby, contrasting with the notion that uniform board structures should be mandated.
2
International Comparative Analysis of the Impact of Board of Directors’ Independence on a Firm’s Knowledge and Intellectual Capital Performance