scholarly journals Corporate governance and firm risk

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudha Mathew ◽  
Salma Ibrahim ◽  
Stuart Archbold
Keyword(s):  
Risk Measures ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Processes ◽  
Governance Index ◽  
Leadership Structure ◽  
Board Leadership Structure ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to explore the relationship between board governance structure and firm risk. In particular, this study develops a “governance index” based on four aspects of the board: board composition, board leadership structure, board member characteristics and board processes, and it examines how the overall index relates to firm risk. Design/methodology/approach The study is conducted using a sample of 268 UK firms from the FTSE 350 index over the period from 2005 to 2010. An index is constructed to capture the overall governance structure of the firm. Regressions of the index on three risk measures are examined. Findings This study finds that the governance index that aggregates the four sets of board attributes is significantly and negatively related to firm risk. Robustness tests confirm this result. Research limitations/implications A large number of studies have explored the relationship between the attributes of corporate boards and firm performance with mixed results. A much smaller number of studies have looked at board attributes and firm risk, but these have either focused on financial sector firms alone or have included only a single or a limited number of attributes. This study, using a broad agency framework, seeks to extend the work on firm risk and board attributes by both expanding industry sectors examined and using a comprehensive set of board attributes. Originality value The findings have policy and practical implications for investors, regulators and chairmen of boards of governors to the extent that they inform these constituencies about the set of board attributes that are associated with firm risk. This study is the first to use a comprehensive measure of governance and relate it to firm risk.

The relationship between board leadership structure and earnings management in Asia-Pacific

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qaiser Rafique Yasser ◽  
Abdullah Al Mamun
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Management ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leadership Structure ◽  
Board Leadership Structure ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to review the growing research area of behavioral corporate governance; it explores the relationship between CEO duality attributes and earning management in the context of Asia-Pacific countries. Over time, the use by boards of chief executive officer (CEO) duality has fluctuated, and the scholarly conceptualizations of the phenomenon have become more complex. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses panel data from 330 firm years from Australia, Malaysia, The Philippines and Pakistan by taking a sample of three years from 2011 to 2013. Findings The results of the analysis reveal that the board leadership structure was not associated with firm performance and financial reporting quality. However, female CEOs impacted negatively on firm performance in Malaysia, The Philippines and Pakistan. Further analyses expose that the firm size was negatively related with performance, whereas established firms in Australia had strong reporting quality. However, large boards assured healthier reporting quality in Australia and Malaysia. Practical implications This paper provides empirical evidence that a unitary leadership pattern has no significant impact on companies in the Asia-Pacific, and it would be of interest to regulatory bodies, business practitioners and academic researchers. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature on corporate governance and earnings management by introducing a framework for identifying and analyzing moderating variables that affect the relationship between the leadership structure and a firm’s financial reporting quality.

The joint effect of board characteristics on financial performance

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hayam Wahba
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Joint Effect ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Characteristics ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Leadership Structure ◽  
Board Leadership Structure ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the joint effect of board characteristics on financial performance. Most of the existing literature implicitly assumes that the relationship between either board composition, or board leadership structure and financial performance is direct. Design/methodology/approach – The generalized least squares method was performed as a panel data analysis on a sample of 40 Egyptian listed firms during the period from 2008 to 2010. Findings – The results demonstrated that under board leadership structure that assigns the duties of the CEO and chairman to the same person, increasing the proportion of non-executive members to the total number of directors has a negative impact on firm financial performance. Practical implications – First, corporate governance structures do not operate in a vacuum, and therefore, corporate governance mechanisms must be considered and assessed altogether. Second, failure to understand the underlying interdependency among corporate governance mechanisms may result in arguments that blame some corporate governance designs for poor financial performance. Third, there is no single board governance mechanism that can be considered ideal, but there are combinations of these mechanisms that are preferred. Originality/value – The paper adds to the corporate governance literature by providing empirical evidence from the emerging market of Egypt. The evidence shows that the relationship between board characteristics and financial performance is not a monotonic relationship. Consequently, these findings imply that existing evidence explaining the relationship between board characteristics and financial performance needs to be interpreted with some caution.

Board independence and internal control quality in Egypt: does CEO duality matter?

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hichem Khlif ◽  
Khaled Samaha
Keyword(s):  
Internal Control ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Ceo Duality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Control Quality ◽  
Leadership Structure ◽  
Board Leadership Structure ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between board independence and internal control quality (ICQ) in Egypt and investigate whether CEO duality moderates such an association. Design/methodology/approach A survey among external auditors is used to assess ICQ among Egyptian listed firms over the period of 2007-2010. Findings Findings show that board independence does not have a significant positive effect on ICQ. However, when testing for the moderating effect of CEO duality on such a relationship, the authors document that the association becomes positive and significant under combined board leadership structure, whereas it is negative under separated leadership structure. Originality/value The authors’ results demonstrate that CEO duality plays a governance role in weak legal environment like Egypt by strengthening board independence role in increasing ICQ.

Board gender diversity and firms' social engagement in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Jizi ◽  
Rabih Nehme ◽  
Cynthia Melhem
Keyword(s):  
Social Engagement ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Gulf Cooperation Council ◽  
Foreign Direct Investments ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Female Representation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gcc Countries ◽  
Thomson Reuters

PurposeThe Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries form a unique socioeconomic environment that makes the conclusions of the prior literature not likely to be applicable. GCC countries have huge oil reserves, yet they are aiming at reducing oil dependency through enhancing transparency, increasing foreign direct investments and reforming their governance structure. Their firms are mainly family owned and have low female representation in leadership positions. The study seeks to fill a literature gap by providing a business case supporting the call for gender diverse boards for better governance.Design/methodology/approachThe study examines a sample of GCC-listed firms for the years 2009–2018. Three measures are used to proxy for firm social engagement, namely, CSR strategy score, environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure score and social pillar score. To ensure whether the presence of women on board or the number of women on board is influential on social engagements, the authors use the existence of women on board and the percentage of women on board variables. Data are collected using Thomson Reuters, and generalized least squares (GLS) panel data regression is used to estimate relationships.FindingsThe authors find that female representation on GCC corporate boards is increasing, yet in a slow path. The reported results support the role of women on boards in prompting firms' social agenda and enhancing the level of sustainability reporting. The results also show that female board representation supports the implementation of climate change policy, business ethics policy and health and safety policy.Originality/valueThe paper evidence the add value of women participation on GCC corporate boards in enhancing boards' functionality and governance. The empirical findings encourage firms and policymakers in the GCC countries to increase the share of females on corporate boards to improve firms' citizenship and facilitate attracting foreign investors.

Board involvement in corporate performance: evidence from a developing country

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaminda Wijethilake ◽  
Athula Ekanayake ◽  
Sujatha Perera
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Resource Dependence ◽  
Corporate Performance ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Ceo Duality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the understanding of the relationship between board involvement and corporate performance within the context of developing countries. Design/methodology/approach – A number of aspects related to board involvement, including board’s shareholdings, frequency of board meetings, availability of independent board committees, board size, CEO duality, and CEO is being a promoter, were examined in order to explore their influence on corporate performance measured in terms of earnings per share. The study mainly draws on agency theory, and is supplemented by resource dependence and stewardship theories. Multiple regression analysis is utilized to analyze the data gathered from a sample of 212 publicly listed companies in 20 industries in the Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka. Findings – Among the aspects of board involvement considered, board’s shareholdings, board meetings frequency, independent committees, and CEO duality showed a positive influence on corporate performance. However, two other aspects, namely CEO being a promoter, and the size of corporate boards showed a negative effect. The findings also suggest that the use of multiple theories, rather than depending on a single theory, is more effective in understanding the relationships examined in this study. Further, the study highlights the need to be cautious in utilizing the theories that are more applicable to matured western economies when analyzing issues relating to developing countries. Originality/value – This study makes an original contribution to corporate governance literature by examining the relationship between board involvement and corporate performance in a developing country, namely Sri Lanka. The study also adds to the existing literature by utilizing multiple theories to examine the issue under investigation.

scholarly journals Risk Governance Structure and Firm Performance: An (Exploratory) Empirical Study in Indian Context

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M.V. Shivaani
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Leverage Ratio ◽  
Governance Index ◽  
Difference Gmm ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The study attempts to explore the relationship between riskgovernance structureand firm performance. In perhaps the first of its kind attempt, a normative framework for risk governance structures is being put forward. Based on the framework, an index indicating strength/quality of risk governance structures is proposed. Then, the impact of risk governance structure on firm performance is gauged. To this end, the study makes use of constituents of S&P CNX500 index and covers a ten year period from April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2015.To control for potential endogeneity among variables of interest, the study makes use of a robust and reliable methodology,‘difference-GMM’. In addition, to ensure completeness of results, the study employs control variables such as recession dummy, firm’s age, size, and growth rate and leverage ratio. The results suggest that robust risk governance structures do not necessarily lead to better firm performance. In fact, risk governance index is negatively related to both ROA and ROE. The relationship is not statistically significant but has wide economic implications. A prominent implication being, mere constitution of risk management committee and appointment of CRO will not improve firm performance; regulators and companies need to ensure that governance structures are not too rigid, excessively risk averse and ineffective and inefficient in decision making. Given the simplicity and reliability of the proposed risk governance index, and the recommendations put forth in the paper, the study is expected to be of immense utility in an important yet neglected area of risk governance.

scholarly journals Women on corporate boards and allocation of capital raised through IPOs

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bazeet Olayemi Badru ◽  
Nurwati A. Ahmad-Zaluki ◽  
Wan Nordin Wan-Hussin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Capital Allocation ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investment Opportunities ◽  
Women On Corporate Boards ◽  
The Impact ◽  
A Company

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the differences in men and women, such as risk aversion in decision making, can influence the amount of capital that the board of directors can allocate for investment opportunities. Design/methodology/approach This study sampled 212 IPOs over the period of 2005–2015 and employed the OLS and the quantile regression techniques to examine the impact of female directors on capital allocation. Findings The results show that women on corporate boards have a positive influence on the amount of capital an IPO company can allocate for investment opportunities. These findings suggest that the investment strategies of women in an emerging financial market, like Malaysia, may differ from women in other financial markets. Practical implications The presence of women on corporate boards plays an important role in board involvement in a company’s strategic decision at the time of the IPO. Therefore, regulators and IPO issuers should pay close attention to the corporate governance structure of a company at the time of an IPO. In addition, investors and other stakeholders of a company may consider women on corporate boards as an important factor in financing and investment decisions. Originality/value Despite several studies that have examined the influence of women on corporate boards on corporate outcomes, globally, the presence of women on corporate boards and their influence on corporate decision-making related to allocation of capital to investment opportunities, have not been fully explored in the IPO literature.

scholarly journals Board leadership structure and earnings quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chinedu Francis Egbunike ◽  
Augustine N. Odum
Keyword(s):  
Earnings Quality ◽  
Main Concern ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Executive Directors ◽  
Board Size ◽  
Ceo Duality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Leadership ◽  
Leadership Structure ◽  
Board Leadership Structure

Purpose One main concern and issue affecting earnings quality is the extent to which managers manipulate earnings to mislead stakeholders about the underlying economic performance of the company or to influence contractual outcomes that depend on reported accounting numbers. This study builds on prior research and examines empirically the relationship between board leadership structure and earnings quality of manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to specifically focus on four board structure characteristics: board size, composition, proportion of non-executive directors and CEO duality. Design/methodology/approach Data used for this investigation were collected from secondary sources, i.e. annual reports and accounts. The study used the Pooled OLS regression model to examine the effect of the board structure on earnings management for a sample of 45 non-financial listed Nigerian companies (conglomerates, consumer goods and industrial goods firms) for the years 2011 to 2016. Findings Based on the analysis, board size and board composition were positive and significant. However, proportion of non-executive directors was negative and significant; while, CEO duality was positive and statistically significant. It was consequently recommended that audit firms should review their audit business model and become more circumspect of their client, e.g. provide fraud assessment and checks for earnings quality. Boards should not just reflect size but rather the skills and expertise of individuals appointed to the board. Furtherance to this, the effectiveness of boards can be improved by committees and sub-committees allocation of duties. Originality/value Few studies have addressed this area in the country.

Does intellectual capital impact firms' capital structure? Exploring the role of firm risk and profitability

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D'Amato
Keyword(s):  
Capital Structure ◽  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Financial Leverage ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Firm Profitability ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between intellectual capital and firm capital structure by exploring whether firm profitability and risk are drivers of this relationship.Design/methodology/approachBased on a comprehensive data set of Italian firms over the 2008–2017 period, this paper examines whether intellectual capital affects firm financial leverage. Moreover, it analyzes whether firm profitability and risk mediate the abovementioned relationship. Financial leverage is measured by the debt/equity ratio. Intellectual capital is measured via the value-added intellectual coefficient approach.FindingsThe findings show that firms with a high level of intellectual capital have lower financial leverage and are more profitable and riskier than firms with a low level of intellectual capital. Furthermore, this study finds that firm profitability and risk mediate the relationship between intellectual capital and financial leverage. Thus, the higher profitability and risk of intellectual capital-intensive firms help explain their lower financial leverage.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings have several implications. From a theoretical standpoint, the paper presents and tests a mediating model of the relationship between intellectual capital and financial leverage and its underlying processes. In terms of the more general managerial implications, the results provide managers with a clear interpretation of the relationship between intellectual capital and financial leverage and point to the need to strengthen the capital structure of intangible-intensive firms.Originality/valueThrough a mediation framework, this study provides empirical evidence on the relationship between intellectual capital and firm financial leverage by exploring the underlying mechanisms behind that relationship, which is a novel approach in the literature.

Relationship between governance mechanisms and contract performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayashankar Maurya ◽  
Amit Kumar Srivastava
Keyword(s):  
Field Research ◽  
Incomplete Contracts ◽  
Critical Dimension ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contract Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain the variation in the relationship between governance mechanisms and the effect of the relationship on contract performance, especially in controlling partner opportunism. Design/methodology/approach This study conducts a comparative case analysis of contract governance of “National Health Insurance Program” in India. The data are collected using field research through in-depth interviews and direct observation across three states in India. Findings The authors find that the governance mechanisms continue to complement and substitute, both in a dynamic manner, but until aligned with the nature of transaction, they are ineffective to mitigate opportunism, a critical dimension of contract performance. Inappropriate governance mechanisms inflate the gaps in incomplete contracts, resulting in partner opportunism. Research limitations/implications The study draws findings from healthcare context and service-based contracting; therefore, the applicability of this study may vary in other contexts. Practical implications The paper highlights the need for building flexibility in the governance structure while designing contracts. Further, managers need to combine both governance mechanisms dynamically to align with the nature of the transaction to control partner opportunism. Originality/value The authors contribute to the existing debate on the conundrum of the relationship between governance mechanisms and provide a new explanation. The authors propose that it is not the specific governance mechanisms but the alignment of the governance mix with the nature of the transaction that determines the contract performance, especially control of partner opportunism.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document