About the survey

The survey is being conducted by the ‘Computational Economics and Finance’ research group at the IDea_Lab at the University of Graz. We are inviting members of the boards of directors of large European companies to take part in the survey and answer questions on diversity, corporate governance and internal policies.

Aims of the study

The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the composition and dynamics of corporate boards across Europe and to examine how board diversity relates to a company’s strategy and corporate governance. In particular, we are interested in:

• the professional background and personal characteristics of board members,
• the attitudes of board members towards diversity, and
• the internal policies that companies have implemented regarding diversity on their boards.

Company boards play a central role in shaping corporate strategy with regard to profitability, sustainability and social responsibility, and their decisions can influence practices far beyond their own organisation. Whilst the general composition of company boards has already been extensively researched, the factors influencing diversity within these bodies, as well as their impact on corporate governance, remain poorly understood. This study aims to close this research gap by collecting data directly from the board members themselves.

Further background information on the underlying research project can be found on the other pages of this website and at: https://www.fwf.ac.at/en/research-radar/10.55776/PAT7780824

Who should take part

We invite current board members of large, listed companies in Europe to take part in this survey. Participation is voluntary; no special preparation is required. The survey takes around 20 minutes to complete and covers your role on the board, your career history and general background, as well as your assessment of how the board handles diversity, sustainability and social responsibility.

Data protection and ethics

This study has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Graz University of Technology. All data will be collected and processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and will be pseudonymised and treated confidentially. Personal contact details, such as your name or email address, will be stored separately from your survey responses, and no results will be published that allow conclusions to be drawn about individual participants or their company affiliation. Participation is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw from the survey at any time without giving a reason and without suffering any disadvantages.

Contact

If you have any questions about the study, would like further information before deciding whether to take part, or are interested in being interviewed as part of this research, please contact us by email or via the form below.

Email: matthias.raddant(at)uni-graz.at

Study coordinator: Matthias Raddant, IDea_Lab, University of Graz.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the study, its objectives and the use of your data.