3.6.0 Introduction

Documentgegevens:

N.J.M. van Zijl, datum 05-10-2012

Datum: 05-10-2012
Auteur: N.J.M. van Zijl
JCDI: JCDI:ADS595973:1
Vakgebied(en): Ondernemingsrecht / Algemeen
Ondernemingsrecht / Corporate governance

The resource dependence theory regards a board as an essential link between the company and its environment, and the external resources on which a company depends. The resource dependence theory is described in subsection 3.6.1 and the board composition according to proponents of the resource dependence theory is treated in subsection 3.6.2. Table 3-5 first gives a short summary of the resource dependence theory, which is worked out further in the remainder of this section.

Table 3-5: Summary of the main characteristics of the resource dependence theory.

Description of theory	The resource dependence theory regards the company as an organisation that is dependent on a number of external resources. In this context, the board is an essential link between the company and these external resources.
Problem	Dependence on external resources is a problem for the company, because the company has to rely on these external resources and their behaviour might be unpredictable.
Solution	By cooptation – inviting representatives of interdependent organisations or companies on the board – the company is able to control the source of the dependence. ‘The most direct method for controlling dependence is to control the source of that dependence.’
Focus on independence	Resource dependence theory does not focus on independence of the board, but on the inclusion of representatives of interdependent organisations or companies.