Purpose This study aims to investigate whether threshold effects exist in the relationship between board gender diversity and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach This study applies the panel smooth threshold regression model (PSTR) to a sample of 284 non-financial French firms listed on Euronext Paris over the period 2009–2017. Firm performance proxies are Tobin’s Q and return on assets (ROA). The board gender diversity is measured by the percentage of women participation in board. Findings Threshold effects in the relationships between board gender diversity and firm performance measures are found. For Tobin’s Q, the model has one threshold at the 34.17% of women directors’ appointment on boards. Similarly, for ROA, the model has one threshold at the 38.28% of women presence in the board. The results show that above the estimated threshold, women directorship has a positive impact on firm performance. However, below the threshold, there is a neutral relationship. The findings support the critical mass view that a minimum of one third women representation in board is compulsory to achieve the desired effect of gender diversity. Practical implications This study’s finding provides useful insights to managers, investors and policymakers. Managers and investors can identify the adequate board gender diversity levels that enhance firm performance. Policymakers are divided on whether mandatory or voluntary board gender quota should be adopted. This study suggests that a quota of one third can be used in policy implementation. Originality/value Unlike prior studies that consider the relationship between firm performance and board gender diversity as linear, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to investigate the threshold effects in this relationship using a new econometric approach.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of board gender diversity on banks' performance and risk for the case of a developing African country. Our sample includes a unique data set of Tunisian banks during the period 2005-2018. We use the two-way cluster regression proposed by Petersen. This approach corrects for the unobserved firm effect (time-series dependence) and time effect (cross-sectional dependence). It gives robust standard errors adjusted for heteroscedasticity, serial correlation, and cross-sectional correlation. Our results support a positive relationship between gender diversity and banks' performance measured by ROA and ROE, while women board members are associated with more default risk measured by Z-score. Our results remain robust to various measures of gender diversity, banks' performance and risk. The findings contribute to the literature by providing empirical evidence from Tunisia, an African emerging economy, where the examination of the role of board gender diversity on bank governance is unexplored. 1 | INTRODUCTION Gender equality in rights, education and employment represent most development challenges facing countries globally,

This paper aims to investigate the effect of foreign institutional investors on banks' performance for the case of a developing African country. Previous studies on the impact of foreign institutional investors on banks' corporate governance and performance are inconclusive. The sample includes a unique dataset of Tunisian banks during the period 2005-2020. First, this study uses panel data regressions with fixed or random individual effects. Then it adopts the GMM system technique to account for potential endogeneity problems and the dynamic nature of the panel data. The results support a positive relationship between foreign institutional ownership and banks' performance as measured by Tobin's Q and Return On Equity. They indicate that banks with more foreign institutional ownership perform better. Foreign institutional investors are considered as good monitors. They facilitate the transfer of technology and the development of new products and services. These findings contribute to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the role of foreign institutional investors in the banking sector for an African emerging economy, where the studies on this matter are scarce. Policymakers and bank managers in emerging economies should attract foreign institutional investors to benefit from their experience and enhance bank performance.

Foreign institutional investors hold over one-fifth of the total market value of the French stock market. Thus, it is important to analyse their influence on corporate investment decisions. This study investigates the impact of foreign institutional ownership on R&D activities. We examine whether these investors enhance or impede R&D investment intensity. Dynamic panel data analysis is applied to a sample of listed French high-tech firms over the period 2008–2014. Our results show that foreign institutional ownership encourages R&D investment while domestic institutional ownership dampens it. Foreign institutional ownership can act as a monitoring mechanism that reduces managerial myopia and encourages long-term and risky investment to enhance firm value.

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