Leading diversity in the boardroom: board evaluation project 2017

This is the final version of the report.Listed companies are obligated to conduct annual internal evaluations and triennial external board evaluations. The board evaluation industry is concentrated in a small number of organisations conducting the majority of FTSE 350 companies’ evaluations. Recognising the evaluator community has rare and privileged access to Chairs, their boards, and witnessing the impact of boardroom composition, we conducted interviews with 11 experienced board evaluators, operating independently or within firms that offer wider sets of services, to ascertain their views on gender diversity in the boardroom. Board evaluation can be crudely divided into those focused on more procedural reviews and those engaging with behavioural elements. Our interviews revealed that, through more behaviourally focused reviews, board evaluators demonstrate a deep understanding of the impact they see of group composition on boardroom behaviour, culture and effectiveness. These evaluators were extremely clear about the considerable benefits of a critical mass of diversity in the boardroom (often defined as three ‘diverse’ individuals). They evidence this through the dynamics of debate and decision-making. Evaluators can advise Chairs on how to optimise the benefits of a diverse board, providing challenge and support, particularly in the areas of feedback, induction and developing a diverse pipeline of talent, in the pursuit of highly effective team performance. On the understanding that behavioural reviews are more likely to comprehensively address issues of diversity, we suggest that the Financial Reporting Council recommend that board evaluation disclosure in the Annual Report includes information on whether a behavioural or a procedural external evaluation was undertaken, in addition to a summary of actions taken since the evaluation. We also recommend that the board evaluation industry adopts minimum standards for reviews, in the form of a Code of Conduct, kitemark or other method, by mutual agreement. The minimum standards should address the areas raised in this report, i.e. on diversity and dynamics, culture and behaviour, on feedback, induction and the talent pipeline. Our findings are unique in terms of behavioural insight into the dynamics of the boardroom and should encourage more Chairs to strive for, and more investors to insist on, maximising the benefits of a critical mass of boardroom diversity

Highly conductive Sb-doped layers in strained Si

The ability to create stable, highly conductive ultrashallow doped regions is a key requirement for future silicon-based devices. It is shown that biaxial tensile strain reduces the sheet resistance of highly doped n-type layers created by Sb or As implantation. The improvement is stronger with Sb, leading to a reversal in the relative doping efficiency of these n-type impurities. For Sb, the primary effect is a strong enhancement of activation as a function of tensile strain. At low processing temperatures, 0.7% strain more than doubles Sb activation, while enabling the formation of stable, ~10-nm-deep junctions. This makes Sb an interesting alternative to As for ultrashallow junctions in strain-engineered complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor device

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, Entanglements in Burdock, Arctium spp., at Delta Marsh, Manitoba

Exotic burdock (Arctium spp.) pose a risk of mortality for small native birds, such as the Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris), which may become entangled in its burrs. At Delta Marsh, Manitoba, we found 11 hummingbirds and five individuals of four species of songbirds entangled on burdock in the dune-ridge forest over a 20-year period. Entangled birds were mostly migrants. Most hummingbirds caught were juvenile males, whereas the few songbirds were mostly adult males. We suspect that hummingbird entanglements resulted from an attraction to the purple flowers of burdock, but aggressive interactions with conspecifics and other factors may have been involved. Birds may be at a higher risk of entanglement at important migratory stopover sites, such as Delta Marsh, where both burdock and large numbers of birds are concentrated in a small area

Seen and not heard: A comparative case study of women on boards and process loss beyond critical mass

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordData availability statement: Data are available on request due to privacy/ethical restrictions.Research Question/Issue: Building on a classic model of socio-cognitive board processes, we consider the behaviors of men and women directors in boardrooms. We question whether having a critical mass of women on boards, defined as three or more women, removes barriers to women's participation in the boardroom, asking “How does gender influence board processes in boards with three or more women?”. Research Findings/Insights: Using a comparative case study of three boards through board observation and qualitative interviews, we question the assumption that a critical mass of women delivers effective board processes. We reinterpret the need for women to collaborate supportively as process loss, defined as interaction difficulties preventing groups reaching full potential, revealing potential barriers for women non-executive directors to contribute across the whole agenda, particularly during critical debates. Theoretical/Academic Implications: Critical mass theory ignores important interactions between gender and other job-related characteristics to underestimate social complexity in the boardroom. Building on an existing typology of diversity, we suggest that gender in the boardroom can operate as status diversity (disparity), as well as information-based diversity (variety) and value-based diversity (separation). Practitioner/Policy Implications: Chairs and board evaluators who observe board meetings should be vigilant for patterns of participation and collaboration that indicate that women directors are experiencing restricted access to discussion, in particular if women are interrupted. Board leadership decisions should be reviewed regularly to ensure they are supporting board effectiveness, maintaining focus on the task rather than navigating complex social dynamics.University of Exete

Ultrastructural Study of Yam Tuber as Related to Postharvest Hardness

Usually, parenchyma cell walls of monocotyledons do not develop secondary walls; however a few days after harvesting, the yam tuber of Dioscorea dumetorum starts to harden. Two or three weeks Iater, hardness is so pronounced that the tubers cannot be eaten, even after a long cooking time. Cytochemical studies using autofluorescence or some fluorescent dyes, such as phloroglucinol hydrochloride showed that the thin, and flexible cell walls of parenchyma tubers very quickly became fully lignified after harvesting. Ultrastructura 1 stud ies of the hardened ce 11 wa 11 s showed very thick secondary wa 11 s and very deep pit apertures. These secondary walls reacted strong ly with li gn in reactants such as potassium permanganate. The use of a radioactive (l \u27• C) ce llulose precursor, uri dine- 5\u27-d ipho sphateglucose, confirmed the formation of such secondary walls. The lignification started from the corners of the cells around intercellular spaces and proceeded along the walls

The patient-provider relationship and antenatal care uptake at two referral hospitals in Malawi: A qualitative study

Background In post-stroke patients, impairment of quality of life (QOL) has been associated with functional impairment, age, anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Good social support, higher education, and better socioeconomic status are associated with better QOL among stroke survivors. In Africa, studies from Nigeria and Tanzania have reported on post-stroke QOL.Background Approximately 90% of Malawian women attend antenatal care at least once during their pregnancies; however, most mothers first present during months five and six and do not adhere to the World Health Organization’s recommended four visits. The objective of this study was to explore the role the patient-provider relationship has on antenatal care uptake.Methods A qualitative study, consisting of interviews with 20 urban pregnant mothers and eight health workers, was conducted from September to December 2014. Two large tertiary care hospitals in the Central and Southern regions of Malawi were selected as study sites.Results Several factors influenced antenatal care attendance. Significant barriers reported included the patient-provider relationship, clinic wait times, family and friend support, distance from home to the clinic, transportation, cost, and number of visits. The patient-provider relationship appears to have a large impact on antenatal clinic participation. Mothers indicated that health workers often mistreat or demean them during visits. Additionally, health workers revealed that, due to staff shortages, patients often do notreceive the care they deserve.Conclusions The results of this study suggest that, in addition to other factors, healthcare provider attitudes influence antenatal clinic attendance. Improving the patient-provider relationship may increase antenatal clinic attendance and decrease pregnancy complications during pregnancy. Professional development opportunities and quality improvement programmes are would help improve patient care and health outcomes while the continued staff shortages in the country are addressed

Glocal integrity in 420 stainless steel by asynchronous laser processing

Cold working individual layers during additive manufacturing (AM) by mechanical surface treatments, such as peening, effectively “prints” an aggregate surface integrity that is referred to as a glocal (i.e., local with global implications) integrity. Printing a complex, pre-designed glocal integrity throughout the build volume is a feasible approach to improve functional performance while mitigating distortion. However, coupling peening with AM introduces new manufacturing challenges, namely thermal cancellation, whereby heat relaxes favorable residual stresses and work hardening when printing on a peened layer. Thus, this work investigates glocal integrity formation from cyclically coupling LENS® with laser peening on 420 stainless steel