Academic independent directors in China: factors influencing career decision-making
Academic independent directors in China: factors influencing career decision-making
Purpose: The board independence norm has shaped corporate governance globally, but research on the supply of independent directors (IDs) is limited. “New careers” studies suggest that dynamic non-conventional career paths are evolving, but empirical evidence is mostly limited to Western societies. The authors studied reasons for academics to consider taking on an ID role in firms in China. Design/methodology/approach: Employing a quantitative methodology, data were collected via a survey targeting 1,500 academics, representing a quarter of business-linked academics in China's National Key Universities. The response rate was 55% and, after eliminating irrelevant responses, the sample used comprised 581 academics, 111 of whom have taken on an ID role. Findings: Career orientation and work attitudes play significant roles in decision-making around career success. Becoming an ID can be a rewarding and positive career path for academics who look for additional responsibility, income and impact. This new academic career path manifests in how career actors interact with each other to reach a state of equilibrium in a wider career ecosystem. Appointing academics with relevant knowledge and willingness to create impact can help organisations – both firms and academic institutions. Practical implications: Becoming an ID can increase future collaborations and success in terms of research and corporate governance, and offer individuals another route to career success. Originality/value: The results contribute to research on career studies and corporate governance, revealing a new source of talent for firms and a new career path for academics.
Academic careers, Academic directors, China, Corporate governance, Independent directors
634-656
Dai, L.
a2ab07e9-d96c-4672-b2e8-06a9687d71a2
Li, Pingli
a7bf0454-129f-46fa-bdf3-5bd940f569c4
Baruch, Yehuda
25b89777-def4-4958-afdc-0ceab43efe8a
2 December 2022
Dai, L.
a2ab07e9-d96c-4672-b2e8-06a9687d71a2
Li, Pingli
a7bf0454-129f-46fa-bdf3-5bd940f569c4
Baruch, Yehuda
25b89777-def4-4958-afdc-0ceab43efe8a
Dai, L., Li, Pingli and Baruch, Yehuda
(2022)
Academic independent directors in China: factors influencing career decision-making.
Career Development International, 27 (6-7), .
(doi:10.1108/CDI-11-2021-0288).
Abstract
Purpose: The board independence norm has shaped corporate governance globally, but research on the supply of independent directors (IDs) is limited. “New careers” studies suggest that dynamic non-conventional career paths are evolving, but empirical evidence is mostly limited to Western societies. The authors studied reasons for academics to consider taking on an ID role in firms in China. Design/methodology/approach: Employing a quantitative methodology, data were collected via a survey targeting 1,500 academics, representing a quarter of business-linked academics in China's National Key Universities. The response rate was 55% and, after eliminating irrelevant responses, the sample used comprised 581 academics, 111 of whom have taken on an ID role. Findings: Career orientation and work attitudes play significant roles in decision-making around career success. Becoming an ID can be a rewarding and positive career path for academics who look for additional responsibility, income and impact. This new academic career path manifests in how career actors interact with each other to reach a state of equilibrium in a wider career ecosystem. Appointing academics with relevant knowledge and willingness to create impact can help organisations – both firms and academic institutions. Practical implications: Becoming an ID can increase future collaborations and success in terms of research and corporate governance, and offer individuals another route to career success. Originality/value: The results contribute to research on career studies and corporate governance, revealing a new source of talent for firms and a new career path for academics.
Text
Dai et al. Academic ID CDI 2022as accepted
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 8 October 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 22 November 2022
Published date: 2 December 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This research/project is supported by the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its Research Centre of Excellence award to the Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials (I-FIM, project No. EDUNC-33-18-279-V12). The computational work was supported by the Centre of Advanced 2D Materials, funded by the National Research Foundation, Prime Ministers Office, Singapore, under its Medium-Sized Centre Programme.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Keywords:
Academic careers, Academic directors, China, Corporate governance, Independent directors
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 471833
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/471833
ISSN: 1362-0436
PURE UUID: 8b8fc8cb-7866-4214-9336-aa667955b11c
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Date deposited: 21 Nov 2022 17:53
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:36
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Author:
L. Dai
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