SoM Working and Occasional Papers
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Item Open Access Business Critical: Understanding a Company’s Current and Desired Stages of Corporate Responsibility Maturity(2014-06-01T00:00:00Z) Ainsbury, R.; Grayson, D.It’s been a while since the Corporate Responsibility profession took stock of its collective wisdom on where we have been, and where we are going on running businesses responsibly. Meanwhile hardly a week goes by without a helpful suggestion from the outside world on how an organisation should improve its economic value, social usefulness and environmental efficiency; and it is very easy to spot businesses that get their social, environmental and economic decisions out of balance: these organisations hit the headlines seemingly within nanoseconds. On the upside, businesses are increasingly taking an approach that builds an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) premium into the core economic valuation. This is achieved by those organisations which bring in a diverse set of views to inform risk and reputation management activities, and to build a research and development pipeline for the future. This is managing both the negative and the positive social, environmental and economic impacts.Item Open Access Supply network relationships: a review of empirical evidence(2012-11-01T00:00:00Z) Humphries, Andrew; Mena, CarlosSupply networks are prevalent industry structures which, like the academic literature, are complex, confusing and short on practical guidance. We evaluate the current position of empirical research to expose the main constructs that can be used to study cooperative supply network relationships, to identify emergent themes, gaps and shortcomings, to share insights with managers and, to propose future research approaches. Five significant drivers of supply network relationship behaviors are identified: complexity, power, alignment of objectives, knowledge management and coordination. This paper provides a unique, topical 'map' of the supply networks field and proposes a theoretical model for integrating the many diverse concepts into a general framework. This will enable researchers to focus more effectively on its relational dynamics. We also give managers some key guidance for successful operations within these essential structures.Item Open Access The Impact of the Investors in People Standard on People Management Practices and Firm Performance(2008-09-01T00:00:00Z) Bourne, Mike; Franco-Santos, Monica; Pavlov, Andrey; Lucianetti, Lorenzo; Martinez, Veronica; Mura, MatteoThis document reports on an extensive study into the impact of the Investors in People Standard on business performance. We started by reviewing what is already known about the Standard’s impact on business performance, before building a framework of the expected benefits of IIP from the Strategic Human Resource Management literature. This framework was tested using case studies, a survey and financial analysis to create a body of knowledge that improves our understanding of how the Investors in People Standard improves business performancItem Open Access Social intrapreneurs - an extra force for sustainability(2010-12-31T00:00:00Z) Grayson, David; McLaren, Melody; Spitzeck, HeikoItem Open Access The Female FTSE Report 2005: New look women directors add value to FTSE 100 Boards(2005-01-01T00:00:00Z) Singh, Val; Vinnicombe, SusanSeventy-eight FTSE 100 companies, a new record number, now have women directors, up 13% from last year. But the breakthrough is in who these new female directors are and the diverse experiences they bring to the boardroom. The new female directors are more likely to be international, have board experience and have much richer, more varied work backgrounds than the men. Six FTSE 100 companies appointed their first ever woman director (Intercontinental Hotels, Capita, ITV, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto, Sage). However, only eleven FTSE 100 companies now have female executive directors, down from 13 in 2005 and worryingly, below the 2002 figure. Still 22 of the FTSE 100 boards are all-male, an anachronism in 2005.Item Open Access The Female FTSE Board Report 2009: Norway and Spain join our census to benchmark corporate boards(2009-01-01T00:00:00Z) Sealy, Ruth; Vinnicombe, Susan; Doldor, Elena2009 marks our eleventh annual report with a small incremental increase in the percentage of women on boards. Overall, there are 12.2% women directors on the FTSE 100 boards. There is a discouraging decline in the number of companies with female executive directors to 15 (from 16). Also disappointing is a decline in the number of boards with multiple women directors to 37 (from 39). In addition there is a decline in the overall number of companies with women on boards, and once again one in four companies have exclusively male boards.Item Open Access The Female FTSE Report 2007: A Year of Encouraging Progress(2007-01-01T00:00:00Z) Sealy, Ruth; Singh, Val; Vinnicombe, SusanIn 2007, our ninth report, we see a continuing change in the balance of directorships in the FTSE 100 corporate boards. Both the number of executive directorships and total number of directorships are at their lowest levels for nine years. Meantime, the number of non-executive directorships is at its highest for nine years. Against this context we have seen several high water marks in women’s advancement onto these boards. There is an emerging polarisation between the cluster of 24 companies who are entirely male led and the newly growing cluster of 35 companies with multiple women directors. There are now 100 women occupying 123 directorships on FTSE 100 boards making up 11% of total directorships. Women constitute 20% of all new director appointments this year – the highest since Cranfield started monitoring the Female FTSE in 1999. Thirty women were appointed this year, of whom five had not previously held FTSE 100 directorships. More note worthy, there are now 122 women sitting on the FTSE 100 executive committees, an increase of 40% on 2006 and these women occupy a great variety of roItem Open Access The 2002 Female FTSE Report: Women Directors moving Forward(2002-11-01T00:00:00Z) Singh, Val; Vinnicombe, SusanFTSE 100 COMPANIES THE GOOD NEWS: After two years of slippage, there is evidence that companies are again taking advantage of the diversity and talent that women directors can bring to their boards, by appointing new women. 61 companies now have women directors, up from 57 companies in 2001, but still not yet reaching the post-election “mini-boom” year 1999 when 64 companies had female directors. It is good to see that more companies have women executive directors, who now hold 3% of all executive board seats. In fact, women executive director numbers have increased by 50% since last year, up from 10 to 15. THE BAD NEWS: 88 of the UK’s top 100 companies still have no women executive directors. Chairmen and CEOs must take more responsibility for recruitment and development of their corporate talent pool to include women and diverse groups, to improve decision- making and bring variety and new voices into the boardroom. Indirectly, women directors act as powerful role models to younger, more junior female manItem Open Access The Female FTSE Report 2006: Identifying the New Generation of Women Directors(2006-01-01T00:00:00Z) Singh, Val; Vinnicombe, SusanOnly 77 FTSE 100 companies now have women directors, down 1% from last year. Five FTSE 100 companies appointed their first ever woman director (Cairn Energy, Rexam, British Land, Reed Elsevier, Shire), but some boards reverted to all-male status. Thirteen FTSE 100 companies now have female executive directors, up from only 11 in 2005, but still indicating a major under-development of female talent after more than three decades of mandatory equal opportunities policies. However, in line with Higgs’ recommendations, the balance between executive and non-executive directors is changing, resulting in 20% reduction in executive seats since 2002, so competition for executive seats is keener than beforItem Open Access Acting on information: Performance management for the public sector(2006-07-01T00:00:00Z) Neely, Andrew; Micheli, Pietro; Martinez, VeronicaThis briefing examines how public sector organisations can use performance data more effectively to support decision-making and produce improvements in organisational performance. In particular it looks at the challenge of converting performance data into insights and then acting on those insights. Drawing on the academic literature, as well as some notable case studies from the private sector, we have identified five key ‘best practice’ lessons for organisations that want to extract greater insight from their performance data and to ensure that those insights are actedItem Open Access Standard Chartered Bank: Women on Corporate Boards in India 2010(2010-09-17T00:00:00Z) Banerji, A.; Mahtani, S.; Sealy, Ruth; Vinnicombe, SusanThis first Standard Chartered Bank: Women on Corporate Boards in India 2010 report looks at the representation of women on the boards of India's leading companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE-100) . It ranks the companies in terms of the gender diversity of their boards, with those with the highest percentage of women on their boards appearing at the top. The report also examines the general topic of gender diversity on the boards of the BSE-100 by presenting the findings of interviews with 18 female directors of BSE-100 companies.Item Open Access Increasing diversity on public and private sector boards - Part 2 What is being done to improve diversity on boards and how effective is this?(2009-11-01T00:00:00Z) Sealy, Ruth; Doldor, Elena; Vinnicombe, SusanThe project was commissioned by the Government Equalities Office in order to examine the issue of diversity on boards of directors in the private and public sectors.The project addresses two main questions: Why are there so few women and other under-represented groups on public and private sector boards? and What is being done in order to increase diversity on boards? The report is published in two parts: Part I considered the available evidence on diversity on boards. It examined academic and non-academic literature in the field, in the UK and internationally, and reviewed available evidence concerning the factors accounting for the absence of diversity on boards.This second part maps out current practices aimed at increasing board diversity. It is based on interviews with several international experts in the field, giving case studies of various initiatives in four country contexts (UK, Norway, Spain and the Netherlands). In drawing together the report’s conclusion, some recommendations are formulated for further action to increase board diversity in the UItem Open Access Increasing diversity on public and private sector boards, Part 1 - How diverse are boards and why?(2009-10-01T00:00:00Z) Sealy, Ruth; Doldor, Elena; Vinnicombe, SusanThe Government Equalities Office (GEO) commissioned Cranfield School of Management to examine the issue of diversity on boards of directors in the private and public sectors.The project sought to addresses two main questions: Why are there so few women and other under-represented groups on public and private sector boards? and What is being done in order to increase diversity on boards? The report is published in two parts: Part I considers the available evidence on diversity on boards. It examines academic and non-academic literature in the field, in the UK and internationally, and reviews available evidence concerning the factors accounting for the absence of diversity on boards. Part II maps out current practices aimed at increasing board diversity based.The review of evidence reviewed revealed a persistent under-representation of groups such as women, ethnic minorities and disabled people on both public and private sector boards. However, most evidence in the UK and internationally focused on gender rather than other underrepresented groups.Item Open Access Investors in People, Managerial Capabilities and Performance(2010-01-31T00:00:00Z) Bourne, Mike; Franco-Santos, MonicaExecutive Summary: Investors in People (IiP) UK commissioned the Centre for Business Performance at Cranfield School of Management to investigate the impact of Investors in People on managerial capabilities, managerial performance and business results. In this study, we took three different approaches. Firstly, we conducted in depth case studies in seven different organisations. Through a series of interviews with HR professionals and line managers, we investigated the impact Investors in People had on management capabilities and managerial performance, probing their understanding of how good management delivered business performance. Secondly, we conducted a survey across some 400 small, medium sized and larger companies based in the UK. Senior, middle and junior managers provided data on their understanding of the role of Investors in People, the company’s managerial capabilities, the performance of managers, and the company’s financial and nonfinancial performance results. Thirdly, we accessed published data from returns to Company’s House (as provided through the FAME database) to test the linkage between perceptions of managerial performance and firm profitability. The companies we visited for our case studies highlighted the differences in managerial capabilities and performance between Investors in People recognised companies, and nonrecognised companies. They also illustrated the differences in organisational commitment to people and their development and provided practical examples of tools being successfully used to build management capabilities. In our study, we found empirical evidence showing that Investors in People: Enhances managerial capabilities - that is to say the knowledge, experience and skills of managers. Supports the development of an organisational learning culture. Improves the effectiveness of management development practices. Facilitates the creation of a high-performing environment. Increases the performance of managers. Furthermore, working with Investors in People triggers a chain of events (see figure 1). Investors in People recognised companies have better managerial capabilities that engender higher managerial performance, which leads to better perceived non-financial and financial performance, resulting in higher profitability - as shown in their published accounts – than nonrecognised companies. Managers play a key role in delivering business performance. This research shows how Investors in People underpins effective management through its impact on the development of management capabilities and management performance. Also, we conclude that the more companies embrace Investors in People, the better their performance will be.Item Open Access Sustainable Value: Corporate Responsibility and measuring the Financial and Non- financial performance of the firm(2009-09-30T00:00:00Z) Grayson, DavidThis is the final report from a two-year EABIS funded research project. The purpose of the research has been to explore how the environmental, social and governance performance of companies might impact on the drivers of business success; how companies explain these linkages to investors, and how the investment community treats these data. The research project has been run in close contact with a parallel EU CSR Alliance Laboratory on “Corporate Responsibility and the market-valuation of non-financial performance”. This Lab has been led by Lloyds Banking Group and Telecom ItaItem Open Access Developing businesses through developing individuals(1997-04-30T00:00:00Z) Butcher, David; Harvey, Penny; Atkinson, SallyItem Open Access Relationship marketing and relationship managers : a customer value perspective(1999-01-01T00:00:00Z) Holt, SueItem Open Access Telling a Good Story: Meeting with Bill Knight and David Lindsell, Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Financial Reporting Review Panel(2009-09-30T00:00:00Z) Bender, RuthPrepared for the Audit Committee Chair Forum, published by Ernst & Young, CBI and Cranfield School of Management. This paper reflects the discussions at a meeting of the Audit Committee Chair Forum(ACCF) held on 8th June 2009, which was addressed by Mr Bill Knight and Mr DavidLindsell, respectively the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Financial ReportingReview Panel ("FRRP" or "the Panel"). The meeting discussed financial reporting in the UK and the work of the Panel.Item Open Access A Conversation with a Regulator : Meeting with Paul Boyle, Chief Executive of the Financial Reporting Council(2009-05-29T00:00:00Z) Bender, RuthPrepared for the Audit Committee Chair Forum, published by Ernst & Young, CBI and Cranfield School of Management. This paper reflects the discussions at a meeting of the Audit Committee Chair Forum (ACCF) held on 19th March 2009, which was addressed by Mr Paul Boyle, Chief Executive of the Financial Reporting Council. The meeting discussed corporate governance and corporate reporting in the UK.Item Open Access Change for the Better?: Meeting with Peter Williams, Chair of the Investor Relations and Markets Committee of the Hundred Group(2009-12-31T00:00:00Z) Bender, RuthPrepared for the Audit Committee Chair Forum, published by Ernst & Young, CBI and Cranfield School of Management. This paper reflects the discussions at a meeting of the Audit Committee Chair Forum(ACCF) held on 24th September 2009, which was addressed by Mr Peter Williams. Mr Williams is chair of the Investor Relations and Markets Committee of The Hundred Group,which represents the finance directors of the 100 largest publicly-traded companies in theUnited Kingdom. The meeting discussed the UK corporate governance regime and how it was likely to change.