Texas Christian University

About: Texas Christian University is a education organization based out in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 3245 authors who have published 8258 publications receiving 282216 citations. The organization is also known as: TCU & Texas Christian University, TCU.

Female Presence on Corporate Boards: A Multi-Country Study of Environmental Context

Abstract: A growing body of ethics research investigates gender diversity and governance on corporate boards, at individual and firm levels, in single country studies. In this study, we explore the environmental context of female representation on corporate boards of directors, using data from 43 countries. We suggest that women’s representation on corporate boards may be shaped by the larger environment, including the social, political and economic structures of individual countries. We use logit regression to conduct our analysis. Our results indicate that countries with higher representation of women on boards are more likely to have women in senior management and more equal ratios of male to female pay. However, we find that countries with a longer tradition of women’s political representation are less likely to have high levels of female board representation.

When does entrepreneurial self-efficacy enhance versus reduce firm performance?

Abstract: The entrepreneurial self-efficacy of lead founders has been generally considered to be a robust predictor of the performance of their firms. Few studies, however, have considered variables that might moderate this relationship. The current study attempts to fill this gap in the literature by examining two possible moderators of the effects of entrepreneurial self-efficacy on firm performance: dispositional optimism and environmental dynamism. Results indicate that these factors do indeed moderate the effects of entrepreneurial self-efficacy; in fact, a three-way interaction between self-efficacy, optimism, and environmental dynamism was observed with respect to firm performance. Consistent with predictions, in dynamic environments, the effects of high entrepreneurial self-efficacy on firm performance were positive when combined with moderate optimism, but negative when combined with high optimism. In stable environments, in contrast, the effects of self-efficacy were relatively weak, and were not moderated by optimism. Overall, results suggest that high self-efficacy is not always beneficial for entrepreneurs and may, in fact, exert negative effects under some conditions. Copyright © 2008 Strategic Management Society.

Effects of structured cooperative contact on changing negative attitudes toward stigmatized social groups.

Abstract: The contact hypothesis predicts that cooperative interaction with members of a disliked group results in increased liking for those members and generalizes to more positive attitudes toward the group. The authors sought to provide evidence consistent with the hypothesis that contact affects attitude in part by eliciting a more positive portrait of the typical group member. Undergraduates participated in a 1-hr dyadic learning session (scripted cooperative learning, jigsaw cooperative learning, or individual study) with a confederate portrayed as a former mental patient. Students initially expected the confederate to display traits similar to those of a typical former mental patient. After the sessions, initially prejudiced students in the 2 cooperative conditions described the typical mental patient more positively and adopted more positive attitudes and wider latitudes of acceptance toward the group. Connections between intergroup attitudes and impression formation are discussed.