This book expands on the literature on the characteristics of management boards by especially focusing on family-listed and family-controlled companies, as they are ideal for studying board heterogeneity. It uses specific multidimensional indices and in-depth econometric analysis to introduce new variables, such as international experience, that represent a source of competitive advantage for firms in today's globalized world. In addition, by examining the heterogeneity ratio and the representation of independent and family directors, the book demonstrates how family-controlled firms use independent directors to import their heterogeneous expertise.

The book makes a threefold contribution: for regulators, it offers suggestions on improving the quality of reporting in family-controlled firms; for researchers, it demonstrates the importance of including directors' characteristics apart from the firm-specific factors in their analyses; and for practitioners, it shows that selecting directors with specific characteristics can have a substantial impact on firms' performance.

Demonstrates optimal board composition by including directors with specific characteristics and experiences Provides a suggestion for improving the reporting quality of family-controlled firms Elaborates on the main characteristics of family-controlled firms in Italy

Autorentext

Bruno Buchetti completed his Ph.D in Management and Innovation at Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan (Italy). Prior to his Ph.D. he worked at the European Central Bank (Frankfurt, Germany) as a Supervision Analyst and in Credit Suisse (Zurich, Switzerland) as an Analyst. Currently, he is an independent consultant in Milan. His main research interests are focused on corporate governance and family business.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Board composition and its heterogeneity.- Directors' characteristics and firm's performance: research design and hypotheses.- Family firms board characteristics.- Econometric analysis.- Conclusions.