Swanich, Simon2016-05-042016-05-042016-03-302015Hornett, CD 2015, The impact of board nationality, gender and race diversity on company performance, MBA Mini-dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52408>GIBShttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/52408Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2015.Controversy lingers in academic circles surrounding the merit that diversity brings to an organisation s board directorate construct, particularly the influence it has on firm performance. Director fiduciary responsibilities prescribe the provision of direction and governance, representative of and accountable to, company shareholders and its stakeholders. The question then avails itself, if the extent of board diversity, in respect to human and social capital, facilitates enriched decision-making through varied experience and backgrounds to proficiently serve their constituency, and if positive, have organisations reaped the improved benefits owing to the positive effect expected of diversity through desegregation? This research report was conducted with the intention of understanding the effects of board composition diversity on company performance. The research commenced with a robust interrogation of literature exemplifying diversity, in particular, that of board diversity and its impact on company performance. A quantitative methodology was employed in the evaluation of company performance relative to the level of diversity of the board. The ratios, Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE) and Tobin s q, were employed to assess both financial and market performance across 130 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, for the 2014 financial year. The attributes of diversity in this analysis embodied nationality, gender and race. The findings show that board diversity has an impact on company performance and that the full benefits thereof have not yet been realised. Diversity is an enabler of company performance yet the status quo of homogenous board directorates is evident in the minimal female representation on company s boards within South Africa, demonstrating the slow adoption of change. Quotas imposed upon companies impede the benefits of diversity as in certain instances, this is seen as window dressing and is not embraced in the spirit in which it was intended. This paper, however, does not paint a picture of doom and gloom but instead shows diversity as being positive and encourages the early adoption thereof, specifically within a South African context.en© 2016 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of PretoriaUCTDMini Dissertation445285