Regulatory restriction on executive compensation, corporate governance and firm performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Jiang ◽  
Honghui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Accounting Performance ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
High Level ◽  
Regulatory Restriction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether regulatory restriction on executive compensation in Chinese state-owned enterprises is beneficial to firm performance. The authors also examine the role of monitoring mechanisms in offsetting the effect of compensation restriction. Design/methodology/approach Multivariate analysis is conducted using archival data from Chinese listed companies over the period of 2007-2014. Findings The findings show that the restriction on executive compensation is negatively associated with a firm’s accounting performance, and this negative effect is ameliorated in firms with good internal control and a high level of institutional shareholding. Additional analysis reveals that the negative effect of pay restriction on firm performance is more pronounced in central government-controlled listed SOEs than in those controlled by local government. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate a government’s say-on-pay policy. Specifically, the findings pinpoint the inefficacy of regulatory intervention in corporate executive compensation. The findings add to compensation literature using China’s unique institutional setting.

Managerial discretion, say on pay, and CEO compensation

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Samuel Baixauli-Soler ◽  
Gabriel Lozano-Reina ◽  
Gregorio Sánchez-Marín
Keyword(s):  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Ceo Compensation ◽  
Managerial Discretion ◽  
Governance Mechanism ◽  
Global Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Say On Pay ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of managerial discretion on the effectiveness of say on pay (SOP) as a governance mechanism. This goal covers an important gap since the issue of how effective SOP is in promoting more aligned compensation has proved somewhat controversial.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical research opted for a panel methodology for the period 2003–2017, using a sample of large UK listed-companies (specifically, 3,445 firm-year observations). Data were obtained from several sources (Manifest Ltd, BoardEx, Worldscope, Factset Ownership and DataStream).FindingsResults show that managerial discretion plays an important role in the effectiveness of SOP as a mechanism for increasing aligned CEO compensation. While individual discretion (latitude of objectives) exerts a negative effect, contextual discretion (latitude of action) increases SOP effectiveness. The global effect of managerial discretion is positive when there is high level of both individual and contextual discretion.Originality/valueThis empirical study provides evidence concerning an emerging topic in the literature regarding the impact of SOP as a shareholder activism mechanism of corporate governance on executive compensation. By taking managerial discretion into consideration as a relevant moderating factor, it also offers a better explanation of SOP effectiveness as a governance mechanism.

Board demographic diversity, firm performance and strategic change

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 1110-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kipkirong Tarus ◽  
Federico Aime
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Strategic Change ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Demographic Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fixed Effects Regression ◽  
High Level

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of boards’ demographic diversity on firms’ strategic change and the interaction effect of firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – This paper used secondary data derived from publicly listed firms in Kenya during 2002-2010 and analyzed the data using fixed effects regression model to test the effect of board demographic and strategic change, while moderated regression analysis was used to test the moderating effect of firm performance. Findings – The results partially supported board demographic diversity–strategic change hypothesis. In particular, results indicate that age diversity produces less strategic change, while functional diversity is associated with greater levels of strategic change. The moderated regression results do not support our general logic that high firm performance enhances board demographic diversity–strategic change relationship. In effect, the results reveal that at high level of firm performance, board demographic diversity produces less strategic change. Originality/value – Despite few studies that have examined board demographic diversity and firm performance, this paper introduces strategic change as an outcome variable. This paper also explores the moderating role of firm performance in board demographic diversity–strategic change relationship, and finally, the study uses Kenyan dataset which in itself is unique because most governance and strategy research uses data from developed countries.

Are federal single audit reports of internal control weaknesses a useful tool for evaluating management? The case of charter schools

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Ryberg Bradley ◽  
Dana A. Forgione ◽  
Joel E. Michalek
Keyword(s):  
Charter Schools ◽  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Internal Control ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Stakeholder ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Internal Control Weaknesses ◽  
Single Audit ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe authors examine whether reports of internal control weaknesses (ICWs) under federal single audit (FSA) guidelines are a useful tool for evaluating non-profit (NP) management, using a unique nationwide sample of NP charter schools. While prior research focuses on external stakeholder reactions to reported ICWs, little if any research addresses the utility of these reports for internal users. The authors fill this gap in the literature, finding evidence suggesting that NP charter school decision-makers use internal control (IC) reports when setting executive compensation – awarding lower pay increases when deficiencies are reported.Design/methodology/approachThe authors regress executive compensation changes on reported ICWs and likely determinants of NP compensation, including organization size, growth, liquidity and management performance, using a sample of 173 school/year observations representing 113 unique schools for the years 2012–2015.FindingsThe authors find a negative relationship with executive pay increases subsequent to reports of initial and repeated IC deficiencies, indicating that lower than average pay increases are awarded subsequent to reports of ICWs.Research limitations/implicationsInterpretation of the authors' results is subject to several limitations, including the possibility of omitted variable bias and the authors' sample, though it comprises all available data for the sample period, and is relatively small and may be considered exploratory in nature. Further, charter schools represent a unique public/private partnership in the educational sector, and the results may not be generalizable to other NPs. Future research could explore the relationship between reported IC deficiencies and governance in other, broader NP sectors.Practical implicationsThe authors' findings are useful to NP organization boards of directors as they consider what factors to evaluate in their chief executive officer (CEO) compensation decisions. In addition to other criteria, inclusion of IC effectiveness in the CEO reward system is prudent, especially in today's environment of increasingly important information security and IC matters. The results suggest such information is being included. This previously undocumented use is also of particular value to regulators when weighing the costs and benefits of mandating single audits for smaller NPs, who are otherwise unlikely to obtain information on the organization's IC environment.Social implicationsThese findings may help inform the debate regarding NP charter schools, a fast-growing, economically significant and highly controversial sector in public education. Charters are predominantly funded by state and local taxes. As such, the quality of governance in NP charter schools is of interest to a wide range of stakeholders including parents, regulators and the public at large.Originality/valueWhile prior research on ICWs and NPs focuses on external stakeholder reactions to reported ICWs, little if any research addresses the utility of these reports for internal users, especially in relatively smaller organizations. The research leverages the existence of charter schools, which are independent but present nationwide, providing a suitable sample of like organizations. Further, no extant research to the authors' knowledge examines the relationship of NP executive compensation and reported ICWs – a topic previously addressed in the for-profit (FP) literature.

Characterizing response quantity on academic social Q&A sites: a multidiscipline comparison of linguistic characteristics of questions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Li ◽  
Anrunze Li ◽  
Xue Song ◽  
Xinran Li ◽  
Kun Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Function Words ◽  
Second Person ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Five Disciplines ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Academic Communication ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeAs academic social Q&A networking websites become more popular, scholars are increasingly using them to meet their information needs by asking academic questions. However, compared with other types of social media, scholars are less active on these sites, resulting in a lower response quantity for some questions. This paper explores the factors that help explain how to ask questions that generate more responses and examines the impact of different disciplines on response quantity.Design/methodology/approachThe study examines 1,968 questions in five disciplines on the academic social Q&A platform ResearchGate Q&A and explores how the linguistic characteristics of these questions affect the number of responses. It uses a range of methods to statistically analyze the relationship between these linguistic characteristics and the number of responses, and conducts comparisons between disciplines.FindingsThe findings indicate that some linguistic characteristics, such as sadness, positive emotion and second-person pronouns, have a positive effect on response quantity; conversely, a high level of function words and first-person pronouns has a negative effect. However, the impacts of these linguistic characteristics vary across disciplines.Originality/valueThis study provides support for academic social Q&A platforms to assist scholars in asking richer questions that are likely to generate more answers across disciplines, thereby promoting improved academic communication among scholars.

Does environmental disclosure have an auditing effect?

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-66
Author(s):  
Sheng Yao ◽  
Lingling Pan ◽  
Zhipeng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Audit Fees ◽  
Environmental Information ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Audit Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Media Attention ◽  
Environmental Disclosures ◽  
Audit Opinions ◽  
High Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether firms with high environmental disclosure have a low possibility of non-standard audit opinions and audit fees and whether this trend is more obvious after than prior to the Measures for the Disclosure of Environmental Information (Measure) implemented in 2008. Design/methodology/approach Based on the Measures implemented in 2008, the authors select data for the listed manufacturing firms from 2004 to 2006 (Pre-Measure) and from 2009 to 2011 (Post-Measure) as research samples to investigate the relationships between environmental disclosures, audit opinions and audit fees with difference in difference models. In addition, we also consider the influence of media attention, the polluting industry and internal control on the audit effect of environmental disclosure. Findings The results show that the level of environmental disclosure is significantly negatively correlated with the possibility of issuing non-standard audit opinions and audit fees after measure is implemented, especially hard environmental information. Further evidence indicates that the auditing effect of environmental disclosures is stronger on firms that receive less media attention, in firms with better internal controls, and in firms belonging to industries with heavy pollution. Originality/value In the Chinese setting, a high level of environmental information disclosures can effectively reduce the audit risk and lead to a high possibility of standard audit opinions and low audit fees. This effect is pronounced after issuing Measure. The conclusions suggest that measure and increasing environmental disclosure have an obvious positive audit effect and that firms should be forced or encouraged to disclose more environmental information from the perspective of auditors in China.

Information sharing, operations capabilities, market intelligence responsiveness and firm performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moxi Song ◽  
Yuanhong Liao
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Intelligence ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
High Level ◽  
Operations Capabilities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer an alternative explanation for inconclusive results in the existing literature on the information sharing-firm performance link by examining a moderated mediation model in which operations capabilities mediate the interactive effects of information sharing and market intelligence responsiveness on firm performance within a supply chain context. Drawing on the indirect view of dynamic capability theory, the authors propose that information sharing redeploys and reconfigures operations capabilities, thus leading to superior firm performance, even with a high level of market intelligence responsiveness. Design/methodology/approach The hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression and bootstrapping methods with a sample of 154 Chinese manufacturing firms. A survey-based, two-informant design was used to collect data. Findings The results revealed that operations capabilities fully mediate the relationship between information sharing and firm performance. The information sharing-operations capabilities link is positively moderated by market intelligence responsiveness. Moreover, operations capabilities positively mediate the interactive effects of information sharing and responsiveness on performance. Originality/value The study shifts the research focus from the moderating effect of market intelligence responsiveness in the information sharing-performance link to the interactive effects between information sharing and responsiveness on performance via operations capabilities, thus offering a finer-grained picture of the essential information sharing-performance link. To the best of our knowledge, this study is among the first to advocate and substantiate the theoretical claim that even with a high level of responsiveness, a firm’s performance relies on its operations capabilities, which are renewed and enhanced by information sharing, rather than on information sharing itself.

Product market competition, state-ownership, corporate governance and firm performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Liu ◽  
Wen Qu ◽  
Janto Haman
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
State Ownership ◽  
Product Market Competition ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Good Corporate Governance ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
Negative Effect

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between firm performance and product market competition (PMC), and then examine the mitigation effect of corporate governance and/or state-ownership (SOEs) in the association between PMC and firm performance using Chinese listed firms. Design/methodology/approach The authors consider three determinants of the PMC that affect the nature of competition, and use market concentration, product substitutability and market size as proxies for PMC. The authors construct a corporate governance index which measures the extent of board independence, monitoring strength of supervisory board over board of directors, and monitoring strength of board of directors over CEO. The authors use Tobin’s Q as a proxy for firm performance. The authors use a sample of 20,706 firm-year observations listed on the Chinese stock market between 2001 and 2016 to empirically investigate the research questions proposed in the paper. Findings The authors find that higher PMC is associated with lower firm performance. The authors find that good corporate governance practices moderate the negative effect of higher PMC on firm performance. The association between higher PMC and lower performance is weaker for firms controlled by SOEs compared to non-SOEs. Further, the moderation effect of SOEs on the association between higher PMC and lower performance is more pronounced for firms with good corporate governance practices compared to firms with weak corporate governance practices. Originality/value Extant studies investigating the relationship between PMC and corporate governance suggest an either complementary or substitution relationship in developed economies. Our study highlights the interactive role played by SOEs and good corporate governance practices in firm performance in highly competitive product markets in an emerging economy. The findings provide insightful information to regulators of other emerging countries that SOEs with good corporate governance practices can play an important role in the economy by mitigating the negative effect of higher PMC on firm performance.

Troubled Asset Relief Program and earnings informativeness

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-68
Author(s):  
Jose G. Vega ◽  
Jan Smolarski ◽  
Jennifer Yin
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Executive Compensation ◽  
Financial Institutions ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Total Compensation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Troubled Asset Relief Program ◽  
Earnings Informativeness ◽  
Window Approach ◽  
Relief Program

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine restrictions placed by the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) on executive compensation during the financial crisis. Since it remains unclear if TARP restored public confidence in financial institutions, the authors also analyze what effect such regulations had on investors’ confidence in the information provided by earning with respect to executive compensation during this critical period. Design/methodology/approach To test the assertions, the authors employ an Earnings Response Coefficient model, which captures the association between firms’ earnings surprise (ES) and perceived earnings informativeness. The authors implement both a long- and short-window test to obtain a better understanding of the effects of TARP on financial institutions’ earnings informativeness. The authors use the long-window approach to gather evidence about whether and how financial institutions’ ES are absorbed into security prices conditional on both their participation in TARP and their compliance with TARP’s compensation restrictions. The authors attempt to establish a stronger causal link by also using a short-window approach. Findings The authors find that firms paying their CEOs above the TARP threshold show higher earnings informativeness. Financial institutions that paid their CEOs above the TARP threshold achieved better performance during their participation in TARP. The authors also find that a decrease in total compensation while participating in TARP is associated with improved earnings informativeness. Lastly, separating total compensation into its cash and stock-based components, the authors find that firms improve earnings informativeness when they increase (decrease) cash (performance) compensation during TARP. However, overall earnings informativeness decreases during and after TARP relative to the pre-TARP period. Practical implications The research suggests that executive compensation incentives affect earnings informativeness and that tradeoffs are made between direct and indirect costs in retaining executives. The results have implications for policy makers, investors and researchers because the results allow policy makers and regulators to improve on how they design and implement accounting, market and finance regulations and reforms. Investors may potentially use the results when evaluating firm experiencing financial and, in some case, political distress. It also helps firms and offering optimal compensation contracts to create proper incentives for executives and ensure that managerial actions result in successful firm performance. Social implications The study shows how firms react to changing regulations that affect executive compensation and earning informativeness. The results of the study allow regulators to potentially design more effective regulations by targeting certain aspects of firms’ operation such excessive risk-taking behavior and rent extraction opportunities. Originality/value There are very few studies that deal with how firms react to regulation that affect executive compensation. The authors provide evidence regarding what effect TARP and its compensation restrictions had on financial institutions’ earnings informativeness. The evidence in the study will further regulators’ understanding of whether TARP improved investors’ confidence in financial institutions. The paper also contributes to the understanding in how changes in executive compensation in times of high political scrutiny affect investors’ perceptions of firm performance.

Institutional investors’ investment preference and monitoring: evidence from Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 1327-1346
Author(s):  
Chwee Ming Tee
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Institutional Investors ◽  
Capital Expenditure ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Firm Valuation ◽  
Profit Margin ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Net Profit ◽  
Different Types

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the investment preference of various types of institutional investors in Malaysia, and its influence on firm valuation, operating performance and capital expenditure. Design/methodology/approach This study employs ordinary least squares model to examine: investment preference according to different types of institutional investors; the association between various types of institutional investors and firm valuation; the association between various types of institutional investors and firm performance; and the association between various types of institutional investors and capital expenditure. Findings The result shows that different types of institutional investors exhibit different investment preference. From the domiciles perspective, local institutional investors (LII) are found to be associated with higher Tobin’s Q, ROA and net profit margin. When viewed from business relationship perspective, “pressure-resistant” institutional investors (PRII) are positively associated with Tobin’s Q, ROA and net profit margin. Both LII and PRII are also associated with higher capital expenditure. Originality/value This study reveals the investment preferences of various types of institutional investors in an emerging market economy. The results show that institutional monitoring is associated with higher firm valuation, higher firm performance and higher capital expenditure. However, the effect is largely driven by local and PRII, particularly government-controlled institutional funds. These evidence suggest that different firm outcomes between emerging and advanced economy can be explained by variation in institutional setting.

Fiscal decentralization in Korea

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Im Gon Cho
Keyword(s):  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Fiscal Decentralization ◽  
National Government ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Local Taxes ◽  
Local Municipalities ◽  
High Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to make policy recommendations for the current fiscal decentralization discussion by examining the operating mechanisms of local taxes, unconditional grants, and conditional grants within the fiscal relationships between the national government and local governments in Korea. Design/methodology/approach After examining the current fiscal relationships between the national government and the local governments, this paper analyzes trends of local taxes, unconditional grants from both national and high-level local governments, and conditional grants from both national and high-level (or provincial level) local governments between 2002 and 2015. Local governments are classified into high-level local governments, and three types of low-level local governments are: si, kun, and ku. Findings Since the structure of local government finances in Korea is very complicatedly intertwined, the present decentralization discussion regarding increasing the share of local tax revenues may not achieve its purpose of fiscal decentralization. The authorities in charge of revenue allocation should be first decentralized at high-level local governments; high-level local governments should then arrange unconditional and conditional grants from high-level local governments to low-level local governments while taking into consideration unconditional and conditional grants from the national government to low-level governments. Originality/value The dichotomy between the central government and local municipalities has been utilized in the existing discussion regarding fiscal decentralization in Korea, but this study highlights the important resource allocation roles of high-level local governments.

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