Malaysian Public Listed Company Employees’ Perception of Key Influences on Board Gender Diversity: the Mediating Role of Human Resource Practices

Gan, Xin Yu (2025) Malaysian Public Listed Company Employees’ Perception of Key Influences on Board Gender Diversity: the Mediating Role of Human Resource Practices. Masters thesis, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

This research aims to explore the perceptions of employees in Malaysian Public Listed Companies (PLCs) regarding the key influences on Board Gender Diversity (BGD). BGD has gained increasing attention in academic research and corporate governance reforms since 2010, as it has been linked to enhanced corporate performance, improved decision-making and ethical business practices. In Malaysia, the Malaysian government and regulatory bodies, such as the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) and Bursa Malaysia have introduced various initiatives to encourage greater female representation in corporate leadership. Despite Malaysian government’s effort on BGD, many organisations still face challenges in achieving significant female representation and there were PLCs which have not appointed at least one female director and do not meet the requirements set by the Bursa Malaysia. Therefore, this research will primarily investigate the perceptions of Malaysian PLC employees regarding the key influences on board gender diversity (BGD), as well as examine the factors affecting BGD. Furthermore, this research will address gaps by examining how gender quotas (GQ) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) impact BGD, with human resource practices (HRP) serving as a mediator. It will explore how internal organisational efforts can enhance or sustain the effects of external regulatory and CSR initiatives in promoting BGD within Malaysian PLCs. Data collected from 204 employees through Google form reveals significant relationships between CSR and HRP with BGD, while the study finds that GQ alone does not have a huge impact on increasing BGD. Additionally, the mediating role of HRP in the relationship between CSR and BGD is evident. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing BGD in Malaysian PLCs and provides recommendations for both companies and policymakers to foster more inclusive corporate governance practices.