Drawing on agency and gender socialisation theories, this study examines the effect of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) power on corporate modern slavery disclosures (MSD) and investigates whether board gender diversity might influence this relationship. Based on a sample comprising the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 100 companies from 2016 to 2020, the findings indicate that, although there has been progress in corporate transparency concerning modern slavery, a significant gap persists in the reporting on the measurement and monitoring of the effectiveness of their policies. This may stem from powerful CEOs' desires to maintain a positive corporate image, leading to minimal disclosure of potentially damaging information. The fixed effects panel regression analysis reveals a negative relationship between CEO power (CEOP) and the extent of modern slavery disclosures (MSD), with a significant moderating effect observed when female board representation is substantial. This evidence suggests that female board members may challenge groupthink and introduce diverse perspectives that can alter the board's dynamics, potentially mitigating the negative impact of CEOP on issues like modern slavery disclosure by encouraging more ethical and collective decision‐making. This research underscores the need for greater transparency and accountability in addressing modern slavery and promoting more responsible business practices.

中文翻译：

---

审视首席执行官权力与现代奴隶制披露之间的关系：英国公司董事会性别多样性的调节作用


本研究借鉴代理和性别社会化理论，探讨了首席执行官 (CEO) 权力对企业现代奴隶制披露 (MSD) 的影响，并调查了董事会性别多样性是否会影响这种关系。基于 2016 年至 2020 年金融时报证券交易所 (FTSE) 100 家公司的样本，调查结果表明，尽管现代奴役问题的企业透明度取得了进步，但在衡量和监测奴役问题的报告中仍然存在重大差距。他们的政策的有效性。这可能源于强大的首席执行官希望保持积极的企业形象，从而最大限度地减少潜在破坏性信息的披露。固定效应面板回归分析揭示了首席执行官权力 (CEOP) 与现代奴隶制披露程度 (MSD) 之间存在负相关关系，当女性董事会代表人数较多时，会观察到显着的调节效应。这一证据表明，女性董事会成员可能会挑战集体思维，并引入不同的观点，从而改变董事会的动态，通过鼓励更多的道德和集体决策，有可能减轻 CEOP 对现代奴隶制披露等问题的负面影响。这项研究强调在解决现代奴隶制问题和促进更负责任的商业实践方面需要提高透明度和问责制。