Purpose The purpose of this paper is to attempt to fill a research gap in the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and financial performance of family and non-family firms’ by using a sample of non-financial firms listed on Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) for the period 2009–2015. Design/methodology/approach This research employs a quantitative method using data that include corporate governance mechanisms, firm characteristics and financial ratios of a sample of Jordanian listed firms in the ASE over the period 2009–2015. The sample covers all companies that have been part of the ASE during the period including both family and non-family firms, part of total of 228 companies listed on the ASE as of 31 December 2015. The study used accounting-based measures such as return on asset (ROA) and market-based measures such as Tobin’s Q as proxies for corporate financial performance. Findings The study found that board size both in term of Tobin’s Q and ROA has a negative relationship with the performance of family firms. In non-family firms, there is no systematic relationship with corporate performance. There is a strong relationship between corporate performance and independent directors in non-family firms. In addition, the authors found some evidence for a relationship between performance and independent directors in family firms. Also, results indicated that ownership concentration has an insignificant correlation with corporate performance and in family firms has a negative and significant correlation with Tobin’s Q. There is a significant relationship between local investors’ ownership and corporate performance as measured by Tobin’s Q in family and non-family firms. Originality/value Studies concerned with the effect of corporate governance on firm performance remains comparatively under-researched in Middle East countries and Jordan in particular (Najib, 2007; Omet, 2004; Marashdeh, 2014). Moreover, studies investigating whether the practice of corporate governance has the same impact on family firm performance are still relatively less well known than those when ownership is distributed widely (non-family firms) (Jaggi, Leung and Gul, 2009; Prencipe and Bar-Yosef, 2011). This research is seeking to fill this current gap in Jordan, which is one of the developing countries with an emerging economics that are very poorly represented in the literature.

This study examines the impact of female directors on the financial performance of family and non-family Jordanian firms. A sample of 103 Jordanian public firms listed on Amman Stock Exchange for the time period 2009-2015 was selected. The study had a quantitative approach and used a panel data methodology. The data analysis was conducted using Ordinary Least Square Regression. ROA and Tobin’s Q were deployed as measurement of financial performance. The appointment of female directors does not have any significant impact on the financial performance of family firms. However, with regard to non-family firms, female directors appeared to have a negative impact on the performance of these firms. The impact of female directors on family firm performance merits further research in the context of different countries and cultures. Appointments based on qualifications and expertise is more likely to have a positive impact. Jordan is an under-researched area where the impact of female directors on the firm performance would merit further research. Differentiating between the impact of female directors on family and non-family firms would also merit further research, especially in the context of the conditions under which they are appointed.

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