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The board advisory tasks in small firms and the event of crises

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  • Alessandro Minichilli
  • Cathrine Hansen

Abstract

In this article we examine what affects the board of directors’ involvement in the advice to management, with emphasis on the influence of crises on the board advisory tasks performance. Based on a survey of 881 small Norwegian firms, we analyse responses from CEOs in order to determine whether and to what extent the board is actively involved in the governance process during crises through providing advice. The study has two major contributions to board research in general and research of into small firms in particular. The first is the go beyond the “usual suspects” of board size, CEO duality, and board independence when looking for determinants of board involvement in advice. The second contribution is a clearer understanding of board involvement during crises. Our results show that board member diversity becomes particularly important during crises, since this provides the CEO and firm access to a more diverse pool of competences and experiences. We also find that crises moderate the effects of incentive on the board’s involvement in advice. This evidence sheds new light on the determinants of directors’ involvement in board tasks, suggesting that directors’ incentive to perform certain board tasks vary according to the contingent situation the firm is experiencing. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007

Suggested Citation

  • Alessandro Minichilli & Cathrine Hansen, 2007. "The board advisory tasks in small firms and the event of crises," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 11(1), pages 5-22, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jmgtgv:v:11:y:2007:i:1:p:5-22
    DOI: 10.1007/s10997-007-9014-9
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    8. Su, Xuan-Qi & Lin, Yung-Chieh & Chen, Chin-Ming & Lowe, Alpha, 2019. "Are educational managers credible or overconfident? Evidence from share repurchases in Taiwan," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 93-112.
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    10. Michael C. Withers & Kevin G. Corley & Amy J. Hillman, 2012. "Stay or Leave: Director Identities and Voluntary Exit from the Board During Organizational Crisis," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(3), pages 835-850, June.
    11. Åberg, Carl & Bankewitz, Max & Knockaert, Mirjam, 2019. "Service tasks of board of directors: A literature review and research agenda in an era of new governance practices," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 648-663.
    12. Paolo Agnese & Francesca Romana Arduino & Massimiliano Cerciello & Simone Taddeo, 2024. "Does board knowledge matter for ESG performance in the European banking industry?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 4454-4468, September.
    13. Linda Höglund & Maria Mårtensson & Aswo Safari, 2018. "Expectations and the performance of governance functions between a board, management and other stakeholders: the case of Robotdalen," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(4), pages 805-827, December.
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    15. Lohe, Fynn-Willem & Calabrò, Andrea, 2017. "Please do not disturb! Differentiating board tasks in family and non-family firms during financial distress," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 36-49.
    16. Calabrò, Andrea & Torchia, Mariateresa & Pukall, Thilo & Mussolino, Donata, 2013. "The influence of ownership structure and board strategic involvement on international sales: The moderating effect of family involvement," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 509-523.

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