Corporate governance research: a contingency framework

Purpose – The purpose of this editorial is to discuss the problems inherent in examining the effectiveness of corporate governance without explicit consideration of the environment faced by firms. It advocates a contingency approach to the research area, illustrating its ideas by reference to the research papers contained in this issue. Design/methodology/approach – The paper discusses several papers in the literature, placing the papers in this special issue in context, and making recommendations for future research. Findings – It is apparent that the mixed results from the vast body of research in corporate governance are potentially due to failure to adequately consider all factors affecting optimal governance practice. Research implications – Researchers should beware of assuming research findings from one environment will be replicated in another environment. Policy implications – Policy makers should not assume that transferring “best practice” from one regime to another will lead to the same outcomes