Board Gender Diversity, Corporate Transparency, and Employees’ Perceptions of Stakeholder Engagement in Malaysian Companies: The Mediating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility Performance

Wah, Pei Yee (2026) Board Gender Diversity, Corporate Transparency, and Employees’ Perceptions of Stakeholder Engagement in Malaysian Companies: The Mediating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility Performance. Masters thesis, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

Text 20 Wah Pei Yee.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (1MB)

Abstract

This research investigates how Board Gender Diversity (BGD) and Corporate Transparency (CT) influence Perceived Stakeholder Engagement (PSE) in Malaysia. Utilising a quantitative cross-sectional design and PLS-SEM analysis of 353 employee surveys, the study addresses the gap between symbolic governance and genuine stakeholder trust. Findings reveal that neither BGD nor CT exerts a direct significant impact on engagement (p > 0.05). Instead, Corporate Social Responsibility Performance (CSRP) acts as a full mediator. This "gatekeeper" mechanism indicates that diversity and transparency only enhance engagement when they result in substantive, realised CSR outcomes. With the strongest relationship found between CSRP and PSE, the study concludes that Malaysian firms must move beyond "box-ticking" toward a "shared value" approach to secure long-term stakeholder support and build authentic relational trust.