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Dissertation
Board technology expertise and data breaches
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Drexel University
Jun 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011091
Abstract
This dissertation examines how the presence of specialized board committees and director expertise influences organizations' vulnerability to cybersecurity breaches. Using a comprehensive dataset of 70,606 firm-year observations from 2004-2021, including 1,080 confirmed breach incidents, the study investigates whether technology committees, cybersecurity committees, and board members with technology, cybersecurity, Big Four, and consulting backgrounds affect breach likelihood. Contrary to theoretical expectations, ordinary least squares regression reveals positive associations between most governance mechanisms and breach occurrence, suggesting a reverse causality dynamic wherein firms often implement enhanced governance structures reactively following security incidents rather than proactively. Fixed effects models provide additional nuance, revealing that cybersecurity committees demonstrate significant negative associations with breach likelihood when controlling for time-invariant firm characteristics. The findings carry important implications for corporate governance, suggesting boards should implement robust cybersecurity oversight proactively rather than reactively, while recognizing that effective governance requires more than merely establishing formal structures or appointing directors with specialized backgrounds. This research extends agency theory and upper echelon theory to the cybersecurity domain, demonstrating how these theoretical frameworks require refinement when applied to rapidly evolving technological risk contexts.
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Details
- Title
- Board technology expertise and data breaches
- Creators
- Wendy L. Frank
- Contributors
- Curtis Hall (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- 106 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Bennett S. LeBow College of Business; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022061254404721