The relationship between ownership structure and firm financial performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 319-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tariq Tawfeeq Yousif Alabdullah

Purpose Previous studies that dealt with corporate governance have witnessed gradually significant growth that created some new trends. The purpose of this paper is to be involved in such trends through examining the link between ownership structure as one of the important corporate governance mechanisms and firm performance in Jordan as one of emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach The current study used the multiple regression method to analyze available data for non-financial firms listed in the Amman Stock Exchange for the fiscal year 2012. Findings The findings revealed that managerial ownership has a positive impact on performance. On the other hand, the findings surprisingly showed no evidence to support the impact of foreign ownership on performance. Moreover, there is a significant evidence to support the fact that company size has no impact on firm performance. The findings also revealed that industry type has no impact on firm performance. Practical implications The practical implications of the current study demonstrated that good corporate governance is imperative to all organizations and must be encouraged for the interest of all stakeholders. Unlike the majority of the previous studies, the current study unexpectedly found that foreign ownership is not significantly contributing to the firm performance. Thus, Jordanian Government and other related/responsible parties should formulate policies for the foreign investors. Originality/value Interestingly, from developed and developing countries perspective, the study is the first of its kind that exclusively chose the mechanisms of ownership structure in its relationship with firm performance represented by market share, where no previous study has tested foreign ownership in such relationship. In that, this study is the first study in emerging economies to investigate such a link. Such new insights on this relationship by current study provide helpful information that is of great value to the government, academics, policy makers, and other stakeholders.

Author(s):  
Zukaa Mardnly ◽  
Sulaiman Mouselli ◽  
Riad Abdulraouf

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of aggregate and individual corporate governance provisions on firm performance on all firms listed at Damascus Securities Exchange (DSE) for the period between 2011 and 2015. In addition, it disentangles ownership structure provision to ownership concentration and foreign ownership and investigates which component of ownership structure stands behind the significance of ownership structure in explaining firm performance. Design/methodology/approach The study uses multiple linear regression models to analyze the relationship between aggregate corporate governance index and its provisions and firm performance. A corporate governance index is built on the basis of four mechanics (i.e. board of directors, audit, disclosure and ownership structure) for all firms listed at DSE. On the other hand, the dependent variable (firm performance) is measured using Earnings Per Share (EPS) and Return On Assets (ROA). The authors capture current war conditions using political stability and absence of violence indicator, one of Worldwide Governance Indicators accumulated by the World bank. Findings This study finds that ownership structure is the only significant corporate governance provision in determining Syrian firms’ performance, as it loads positively and significantly on firm performance proxies (ROA and EPS). Moreover, the analysis of ownership structure items shows that foreign ownership is the main source of this positive and significant impact. This result is robust for both measures of firm performance and in the presence of political stability indicator. Originality/value This paper provides evidence on corporate governance measures from Syrian Arab Republic, a developing country with an emerging stock exchange. It examines board structure, ownership structure, audit committee and disclosure in a period of crisis because of the war in this country. Moreover, it uncovers that foreign ownership is the only influential provision affecting firm performance at DSE. Furthermore, it combines firm-level governance indicators with country governance indicator of political stability and absence of violence.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelbaset Queiri ◽  
Araby Madbouly ◽  
Sameh Reyad ◽  
Nizar Dwaikat

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between selected board characteristics and ownership elements and the performance of firms listed in the Muscat Securities Market (MSM30). The examination focused on how the firm financial performance was affected by the board size, the number of board meetings and the ratio of the independent board of directors along to the ownership concentration types (i.e. institutional, state and concentrated individual ownership). Design/methodology/approach Data were extracted from the annual reports available online on the MSM30 website over a period of seven years (2009–2015). The sample consisted of 14 firms belonging to the non-financial sector. The data were of a balanced type and there were 98 observations. The analysis was conducted using the ordinary least square in STATA with the use of the robustness technique of standard error. Findings The findings of this study provide evidence that the selected elements for board characteristics and ownership influence firm performance. Nevertheless, such influence has its interpretation that differs to some extent from other securities markets in the developing countries. For instance, the ratio of the independent board of directors, the number of board director’s meetings, state ownership and concentrated individual ownership were inversely affecting the firm performance. However, institutional ownership and board size were found to have a positive effect on firm performance. Originality/value Studies on the influence of corporate governance and ownership structures in the context of Oman are still scarce. MSM30 received little attention, even though such an index encompasses the most liquid and the most profitable firms. MSM30 is an important index for investors in Oman looking for capital gains. Accordingly, this present study contributes to the knowledge body by providing new findings related to Oman and compares it with the other markets within Gulf Council Countries (GCC) and around the world. This will provide more understanding of the Omani context. Moreover, the authors anticipate that the outcomes of this research, which so far is the most comprehensive study in the Omani context in terms of the impact of corporate governance and ownership structure on firm financial performance can significantly shape corporate governance discourse, practices and policies in Oman, in particular, and in other GCC countries in general, to improve financial performance and corporate sustainability.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (8/9) ◽  
pp. 891-914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erick Rading Outa ◽  
Nelson M. Waweru

Purpose This paper aims to examine the impact of compliance with corporate governance (CG) guidelines during the period 2002-2014 on firm financial performance and firm value of Kenyan-listed companies. Design/methodology/approach Using panel data of 520-firm year’s observations between 2005 and 2014, the authors test the hypothesis that compliance with CG guidelines issued in 2002 by Capital Markets Authority (CMA) improved firm financial performance and firm value. Findings Compliance with CG Index which is an aggregate of all the CG guidelines is positively and significantly related to firm performance and firm value. Board evaluation is also positively and significantly related to firm performance. The findings suggest that CG guidelines are associated with firm financial performance and firm value. Originality/value The authors provide evidence on the relationship between CG practices and firm financial performance and firm value in Kenya. Second, the authors provide evidence on board evaluation which has not been tested before in a “comply or explain” environment. Finally, they evaluate how CMA 2002 CG guidelines steered firm financial performance and firm value over its life cycle from 2002 to 2014. These results are important to CMA and other CG regulators and boards in their efforts to improve CG practices in the region.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine Darko ◽  
Zakaria Ali Aribi ◽  
Godfrey C. Uzonwanne

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance of listed Ghanaian companies. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a longitudinal and cross-sectional data set of 20 sampled companies over a period of five years. The data were analyzed using a panel regression and ANOVA analysis to establish the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. Corporate governance is defined in terms of three indices – board structure, ownership structure and corporate control, while firm performance is measured by return on assets, return on equity, net profit margin and Tobin’s Q. Findings The empirical results show that ownership concentration and female representation on board have a positive impact on performance. Although the results revealed no evidence to support the impact of board size and audit committee size on performance, there is significant evidence to support the fact that independent directors and audit committee frequency both adversely affect firm performance. Research limitations/implications The scope of this paper can be expanded to include non-listed firms. In addition, other corporate governance mechanisms could be considered to broaden the scope of the paper. Originality/value This paper contributes to the scarce literature on corporate governance and firm performance in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The paper provides useful information that is of great value to policymakers, academics and other stakeholders.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Boachie

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the moderating effect of ownership on the links between corporate governance and financial performance in the context of Ghanaian banks.Design/methodology/approachThe current study used a sample of 23 banks and the multiple regression method to analyze a panel dataset of 414 from banks over an 18-year period.FindingsThe findings revealed that audit independence, chief executive officer (CEO) duality, non-executive directors and banks size have a positive impact on performance. The findings also revealed that foreign ownership has an interacting effect between corporate governance and profitability.Practical implicationsThe practical implications of the current study demonstrated that good corporate governance creates value and must be invigorated for the interest of all stakeholders. Foreign ownership has an interacting effect between corporate governance and performance. Policymakers should formulate policies for attracting foreign investors.Originality/valueInterestingly, this study is the first of its kind that exclusively chose ownership structure to interact between corporate governance and bank performance in Ghanaian perspective. Such new insights on this relationship provide useful information to the government, academics, policymakers and other stakeholders. The growing economies of African countries, and the inadequate governance–performance literature in African context, have created a demand to appreciate the governance parameters in these countries and its influence on firm's performance.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Zhang ◽  
Zhe Zhang ◽  
Ming Jia ◽  
Yeyao Ren

Purpose The effect of prestigious CEOs on firm performance is not clear. By integrating resource dependence and agency theories, this paper aims to focus on how prestigious CEOs affect firm performance and how informal relations between the CEO and outside directors affect agency costs and resource benefits associated with prestigious CEOs. Design/methodology/approach The authors use ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to analyze their data set, which is conducted by a sample of 4,226 Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2013. The authors also use OLS regression to assess the sensitivity and robustness of their findings. Findings The findings indicate that prestigious CEOs are significantly and positively associated with firm performance. Moreover, the authors find the effect of prestigious CEOs on firm performance is more pronounced when prestigious outside directors interact with prestigious CEOs. Guanxi – a Chinese concept similar to camaraderie – attenuates this association, particularly when the CEO and outside directors share the same surname. Research limitations/implications Future research should consider whether there is a mediating link between prestigious affiliates (i.e. CEOs) and firm performance. Practical/implications This paper provides two practical implications. First, China Securities Regulatory Commission policymakers should pay more attention to outside directors’ quality and ability and their informal guanxi with the CEO. Second, prestigious CEOs may also have potential costs. Originality/value This study contributes to corporate governance literature and CEO-board relations literature by shedding light on how resource dependence and agency theories apply to corporate governance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Yuosef Alodat ◽  
Zalailah Salleh ◽  
Hafiza Aishah Hashim ◽  
Farizah Sulong

Purpose This study aims to assess the effect of director board and audit committee attributes and ownership structure on firm performance. In general, resource dependency and agency theories have underlined the superior performance of firms equipped with stronger Corporate Governance (CG) versus those of deficient governance. Concurrently, the study delineated the provisions of ownership structure provision, specifically foreign ownership and institutional ownerships, thus describing the component denoting the structural significance in explicating firm performance. Design/methodology/approach The current study implemented an empirical approach involving the construction of extensive CG measures thus, subjected to 81 non-financial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange spanning the period of 2014–2018. Findings The current study identified the positive and significant relationship between the board of directors and audit committee characteristics with the firm performance measures tested, namely, return on equity (ROE) and Tobin’s Q. In terms of ownership structure, both foreign and institutional ownerships yielded a significant and positive relationship with ROE. Meanwhile, Tobin’s Q led to an insignificant and negative relationship between both ownership types and firm performance measures. Practical implications The analytical outcomes substantiate the possibility of enhanced performance shown by growing global firms because of the implementation of CG mechanisms, specifically because of the practices resulting in minimised agency costs. Originality/value The current study offers novel evidence detailing the impact of CG effectiveness towards performance and its implementation in emerging markets following the minimal amount of scholarly efforts on the topic. It is a timely contribution towards the current understanding of the relationship linking governance and performance for the purpose of ensuring the adoption and imposition of a strong corporate governance code by the government.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Bajaher ◽  
Murya Habbash ◽  
Adel Alborr

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether board governance mechanisms and ownership structure play a role in foreign investors’ decisions when buying shares in Saudi listed companies Design/methodology/approach Foreign investment in the Saudi capital market started in 2015 and reached a peak in 2019, with corporate governance regulations having been updated in 2017. The authors tested the proposed relationships using hand collected data for all Saudi non-financial firms in 2019. Findings This study found that it does not play a role in attracting foreign investment in the Saudi capital market. Foreign investors also seem to avoid firms with concentrated ownership that either have high government or director ownership; however, accounting and market variables show significant impact on foreign investors' decisions. The outcomes of this study provide empirical evidence that current foreign investors in the Saudi stock market do not place enough merit on board governance and their investment decisions tend to depend on share performance. Thus, the results show that the current governance changes and capital market regulations in Saudi Arabia may not have been sufficient to stimulate the inflow of institutional foreign investment to the country to date, but rather they have attracted individual retail foreign investors. Originality/value This empirical study is one of only a small number of studies to investigate the impact of internal corporate governance on foreign ownership in developing countries and the first in the Saudi context. In fact, most previous governance research in Saudi Arabia focused on how board governance and ownership structure influences firm performance. A review of the prior studies found that only Badawi et al. (2019) examined the determinants of foreign ownership among Saudi listed firms. Thus, the present investigation extends that study by examining the role of board governance in attracting foreign investors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 1310-1333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Saini ◽  
Monica Singhania

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine relationship between corporate governance (CG) and firm performance for a set of 255 foreign-funded firms in the form of foreign direct investment (FDI) and private equity (PE). The authors employ a wide range of CG measures including board size, meetings, board gender and foreign ownership which are used as the proxy of globalisation and control variables like firm age, leverage, firm size and capital expenditure to arrive at a conclusion.Design/methodology/approachPanel data set of 255 (187 companies funded by foreign capital in the form of FDI, and 68 companies having foreign capital in the form PE) companies listed on Bombay Stock Exchange, for the period of eight years (2008–2015) are analysed by using static (fixed and random effects) and dynamic (generalised method of moments (GMM)) panel data specifications to examine the relationship among CG, globalisation and firm performance.FindingsThe empirical results of static model indicate the relationship between CG and performance of foreign firms, which are not very strong in India. This is due to the fact that most of the firms are not following the guidelines and regulations strictly in the initial period of sample years. Diversity in board is found as an important variable in accessing firm performance. And the authors also found that foreign firms are very particular about the implementation of CG norms. The results of GMM model highlight the interaction term of foreign ownership with governance indicators. CG is having a positive and significant impact over performance, inferring that higher foreign ownership (in the form of FDI and PE) in firm leading to positive effect on profitability.Practical implicationsThe investor’s preference of financing a unit is guided by the performance of a firm. Investors are more inclined towards high-performing firms, and hence higher profitability leads to higher inflow of capital. The result indicates that higher accounting and market performance may be achieved by good governance practices, in turn, leading to reduced agency costs. Countries with high governance scores attract more of foreign capital. Similar to the best governed countries, the companies having good governance practices attract more foreign inflows in the form of capital.Originality/valueWhile previous literature considered a single measurement framework in the form of a CG index, the authors tried to incorporate a range of CG indicators to study the effect of globalisation and CG on firm performance. The authors segregated foreign-owned funds into two parts, especially FDI and PE. This paper examined heterogeneity in the form of FDI-funded and PE-funded firms, as no prior literature is available which has evaluated different sets of foreign funds simultaneously on CG.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Navaz Naghavi ◽  
Saeed Pahlevan Sharif ◽  
Hafezali Bin Iqbal Hussain

PurposeThis study seeks to add more insights to the debate on “whether”, “how”, and “under which condition” women representation on the board contributes to firm performance. More specifically, the current study aims to investigate if the effect of board gender diversity on firm performance is dependent on macro factors of national cultures.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used the generalized method of moments regression and a data set consists of 2,550 company year observations over 10 years.FindingsThe results indicated that cultural variables interact with board diversity to influence firm performance. Having women on the board in countries with high power distance, individualist, masculine and low-uncertainty avoidance culture influences the firm performance negatively.Originality/valueThe findings indicate that the effects of corporate governance structure on firm performance depends on culture-specific factors, providing support for the argument that institutional norms that are governed by cultural norms affect the effectiveness of corporate governance structure.


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