The myth of the “good governance code”: an analysis of the relationship between ownership structure and the comply-or-explain disclosure

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 809-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Lepore ◽  
Sabrina Pisano ◽  
Assunta Di Vaio ◽  
Federico Alvino
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Ownership Concentration ◽  
Equal Distribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Code ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Comply Or Explain

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to assess the degree of disclosure about compliance with corporate governance code and the explanations provided by Italian firms and second, to analyze the relationships between this disclosure and different variables of ownership structure.Design/methodology/approachThe sample was composed of 75 non-financial companies listed in Italy in 2016. Content analysis of the corporate governance statement and ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression models were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsCompanies tended to comply with the corporate governance code and to disclose this information, but when they decided to not comply, they did not provide adequate explanations. Findings revealed a negative relation between ownership concentration and the disclosure analyzed. Results also highlight that a more equal distribution of shares among larger shareholders is beneficial for disclosure. Moreover, the presence of a dominant financial shareholder at a high level of ownership concentration creates inefficiency of the degree of adherence to the comply-or-explain principle.Originality/valueThis study examines in depth the underexplored issue of “explanation” and exceeds the issue of ownership concentration, which has already been examined extensively, raising the issues of counterweight power and shareholders’ identities, which remain underexplored. In this way, results presented contribute to explaining some causes of the diverse findings that research has found about the relationship between ownership concentration and voluntary disclosure, demonstrating the importance of counterweight power and largest shareholder’s identity. Consequently, when self-regulating initiatives are designed and implemented, legislators, regulators and managers should not ignore the characteristics of the firms’ ownership structure.

Independent directors, ownership concentration and firm performance in listed companies

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Tuyet Mai Nguyen ◽  
Elaine Evans ◽  
Meiting Lu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Ownership Concentration ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Controlling Shareholders ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of independent directors on firm performance in Vietnam and identify how different types of ownership structure and the presence of controlling shareholders influence the relationship. Design/methodology/approach For a sample of 217 non-financial Vietnam-listed companies during the period from 2010 to 2014, this study uses the ordinary least squares regressions to estimate the relationship between independent directors and firm performance. Two econometric techniques – the fixed effects estimation and the difference in difference estimation – are used to control for endogeneity. The results are also robust to the lag variable of independent directors. Findings The results reveal that independent directors have an overall negative effect on firm operating performance. This finding may be because of information asymmetry, expertise disadvantage and the dominance of ownership concentration that prevent independent directors from fulfilling their monitoring function in governance. The negative relationship between independent directors and firm performance is stronger in firms where the State is a controlling shareholder. Research limitations/implications Findings suggest that changes relating to independent directors, as a response to the new corporate governance code in 2012, do not have a positive effect on the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. Further reform is required to improve internal control mechanisms and corporate governance systems in Vietnam. Originality/value This is the first study to provide a robust evidence on the relationship between independent directors and firm performance in Vietnam as well as to explore the impact of the type of controlling shareholders on the relationship.

Audit committee characteristics and the moderating effect of Malaysian code of corporate governance on IPO liquidity

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal Mohammed Al-Masawa ◽  
Rasidah Mohd-Rashid ◽  
Hamdan Amer Al-Jaifi ◽  
Shaker Dahan Al-Duais
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Initial Public Offerings ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Code Of Corporate Governance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to investigate the link between audit committee characteristics and the liquidity of initial public offerings (IPOs) in Malaysia, which is an emerging economy in Southeast Asia. Another purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of the revised Malaysian code of corporate governance (MCCG) on the link between audit committee characteristics and IPO liquidity. Design/methodology/approach The final sample consists of 304 Malaysian IPOs listed in 2002–2017. This study uses ordinary least squares regression method to analyse the data. To confirm this study’s findings, a hierarchical or four-stage regression analysis is used to compare the t-values of the main and moderate regression models. Findings The findings show that audit committee characteristics (size and director independence) have a positive and significant relationship with IPO liquidity. Also, the revised MCCG positively moderates the relationship between audit committee characteristics and IPO liquidity. Research limitations/implications This study’s findings indicate that companies with higher audit committee independence have a more effective monitoring mechanism that mitigates information asymmetry, thus reducing adverse selection issues during share trading. Practical implications Policymakers could use the results of this study in developing policies for IPO liquidity improvements. Additionally, the findings are useful for traders and investors in their investment decision-making. For companies, the findings highlight the crucial role of the audit committee as part of the control system that monitors corporate governance. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this work is a pioneering study in the context of a developing country, specifically Malaysia that investigates the impact of audit committee characteristics on IPO liquidity. Previously, the link between corporate governance and IPO liquidity had not been investigated in Malaysia. This study also contributes to the IPO literature by providing empirical evidence regarding the moderating effect of the revised MCCG on the relationship between audit committee characteristics and IPO liquidity.

Accounting conservatism, corporate governance and political connections

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nor Farizal Mohammed ◽  
Kamran Ahmed ◽  
Xu-Dong Ji
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Accounting Conservatism ◽  
Political Connections ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Political Connection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between accounting conservatism, corporate governance and political connection in listed firms in Malaysia where political influence plays a significant role in the capital market and in many business dealings. Design/methodology/approach By utilizing 824 firm-year observations comprising large listed companies over a period of four years from 2004, this study uses ordinary least squares regression models to investigate the relationship between accounting conservatism, corporate governance and political connections in Malaysia. Multiple measures of conservatism developed by Basu (1997) and Khan and Watts (2009) are employed. Findings The results show evidence of accounting conservatism (bad news being recognized earlier than good news) in Malaysia. Further, the results reveal that better corporate governance structure in terms of board independence is positively associated with accounting conservatism while management ownership is negatively associated with it. However, political connection has a negative moderating effect on the positive relationship between accounting conservatism and board independence. The results also suggest political connections have a positive association with firm’s future performance. Originality/value This study is the first in investigating the effect of political connections on accounting conservatism in Malaysian context and how political connections negatively affect the monitoring role of the corporate boards. By directly measuring political connection and controlling for various corporate governance mechanisms and firm-specific attributes, this study contributes to enhance the authors’ understanding of the political influence in financial reporting quality and firm performance in an emerging market setting.

Corporate governance, globalization and firm performance in emerging economies

2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 1310-1333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neha Saini ◽  
Monica Singhania
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Foreign Capital ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Foreign Ownership ◽  
Foreign Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
The Relationship

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.

Deposits structure, ownership concentration and corporate governance disclosure in GCC Islamic banks

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rihab Grassa
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Far East ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Ownership Concentration ◽  
Islamic Banks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gcc Countries ◽  
Transparency And Disclosure ◽  
Governance Disclosure

Purpose This paper aims to assess the effects of deposits structure and ownership structure on the GCC Islamic banks’ corporate governance disclosure (CGD) practices. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a sample of 38 Islamic banks operating in five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and the authors observed them over the period from 2006 to 2011. The authors used the transparency and disclosure score, developed by Standard & Poor’s (S&P), to identify the sample’s CGD scores. Findings This paper’s findings suggest that the level of CGD is lower for Islamic banks with higher ownership concentration, for levered Islamic banks and for Islamic banks with greater concentration of nonprofit-sharing investment accounts (PSIA) and is higher for Islamic banks with greater concentrations of PSIA; the Islamic bank size; the bank age; listed bank and the country transparency index. By disaggregating the total CGD into the three sub-categories, the authors are able to specify, also, the components of corporate governance (CG) impacted by various determinants. Research limitations/implications This paper is subject to a number of limitations. First, there is manual scoring of annual reports (subjectivity). Second, the research focuses exclusively on the GCC context and excludes the other Middle East, Southeast Asia and Far East countries, where ownership structure and deposits structure might affect CGD differently. Third, the governance score, which is used in this research, is developed by S&P and does not take into account the characteristics of Islamic banks. Practical implications The findings of this paper suggest many policy implications. First, through the optimization of ownership structure, GCC countries’ regulators have to improve the Islamic banking system’s CG mechanisms through the optimization of ownership structure (dispersed ownership) to promote transparency and disclosure. Second, regulators and policymakers should revise guidelines with the main purpose of protecting PSIA’ holders (considered to be minor shareholders without voting power) through promoting disclosure and transparency. Third, the findings can be useful for many international supervisory bodies, like the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) and Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), in evaluating transparency and disclosure standards. Originality/value This study is expected to be useful for all market participants, namely, investors, financial analysts, managers, marker regulators and many international Islamic supervisory bodies, such as the IFSB and AAOIFI, by providing new requirements on CGD in the GCC region and in better understanding its determinants for Islamic banks in this region.

Corporate governance mechanisms and corporate performance of firms in Nigeria and Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Coleman ◽  
Mengyun Wu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Financial Distress ◽  
Corporate Performance ◽  
Tobin’S Q ◽  
Tobin's Q ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Structure Index ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of corporate governance (CG) mechanisms with inclusion of compliance and diligence index on corporate performance (CP) of firms in Nigeria and Ghana. It further examines the moderating effect of financial distress on the relationship between CG and CP.Design/methodology/approachThe study used panel data of 102 nonfinancial listed firms of Nigeria and Ghana stock exchange for the period 2012–2016 with total observation of 510. The study first used OLS in estimating the influence of CG mechanisms on CP. Due to multicollinearity in the independent variables, ridge regression was employed.FindingsIt was revealed that ownership structure index and board compliance and diligence index, board size, board disclosure, ownership structure, shareholders' right and board compliance and diligence index had positive influence on ROA and ROE. Growth of Tobin's Q depends on board procedure and board compliance and diligence index. Also, financial distress (ZFS) negatively moderates the relationship between board structure index, board disclosure index, board procedure index, shareholders' right and performance (ROA and ROE) but negatively moderates between ownership structure index and Tobin's Q.Practical implicationsThis study provides interesting findings to policymakers in full implementation of CG codes as stated by OCED (2015) by West African firms with greater emphasis on compliance and diligence index since it positively influences all CP measures.Originality/valueThe study provides evidence of the importance of the introduction of the new index: compliance and diligence, which looks at disclosure of CSR activities. This has been overlooked by most researchers especially in Africa in assessing quality CG mechanisms.

Corporate governance and firm performance in Malaysia

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 896-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Padmanabha Ramachandra Bhatt ◽  
R. Rathish Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Resource Dependency ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Code ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance (MCCG, 2007 and 2012) on the performance of the listed companies in Malaysia. The agency theory and resource dependency theories indicate that the firms with strong corporate governance outperform firms with weaker governance. This paper explores this relationship in a developing country like Malaysia having different institutional environment compared to western countries. Design/methodology/approach The study used a sample of 113 listed companies in Malaysia. The study incorporates the endogenous relationship between corporate governance, firm performance and leverage. Findings The study analyzes how the corporate governance framework affected firm performance in Malaysia with the help of self-developed corporate governance index (MCGI). The authors’ findings show that the performance of the firm is positively and significantly related with corporate governance measured by MCGI. Secondly, corporate governance of sample firms shows marked improvements after implementation of MCCG 2012 as compared to MCCG 2007. Originality/value The findings of this paper support the agency and the resource dependency theories. The study contributes to the understanding of the relationship between the corporate governance and firm performance in emerging economy and builds a case for enforcement of strong corporate governance code by government agencies.

Does compliance with corporate governance code hinder corporate entrepreneurship? Evidence from the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 765-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adel Elgharbawy ◽  
Magdy Abdel-Kader
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Corporate Entrepreneurship ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Organisational Performance ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Code ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Comply Or Explain

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the possible trade-off between accountability and enterprise in the context of comply or explain governance. The issue was addressed through examining the effect of compliance with the corporate governance code (CGC) on corporate entrepreneurship (CE) and organisational performance. Design/methodology/approach Based on cross-sectional survey and content analysis of annual reports, the level of CE and compliance with the CGC were measured in the large and medium-listed companies in the UK during 2010. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. Findings The results suggest no conflict between compliance with the CGC and CE in the UK, which can be attributed to the flexibility of the “comply or explain” approach. This implies that no trade-off between accountability and enterprise in the context of comply or explain governance. Practical implications The study provides evidence in support of the regulatory governance framework in the UK and the comply or explain approach at large. This evidence contributes to the debate on the rules-based or principles-based governance, which may affect future CG regulations. It can also guide the directors to achieve the balance between their conformance and performance roles. Originality/value The study bridges the gap between CG and CE disciplines through developing a theoretical model that integrate contingency and agency theories lenses. Adopting a holistic approach provides insights into the relationships between CG and CE, rather than investigating the effect of each of these practices separately on organisational performance.

Corporate disclosure of human capital via LinkedIn and ownership structure

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Pisano ◽  
Luigi Lepore ◽  
Rita Lamboglia
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Ownership Concentration ◽  
Quantitative Methodology ◽  
Corporate Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Stock Of Knowledge ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between ownership concentration and human capital (HC) disclosure released via LinkedIn. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a quantitative methodology. The sample is composed of 150 European companies. Content analysis was used to examine HC disclosure via LinkedIn. Regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis. Findings The results indicate that ownership concentration negatively influences HC disclosure via LinkedIn, confirming that closely held firms have little motivation to voluntarily release information. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this study relates to the sample size. Furthermore, this study investigates only the quantity of HC disclosure; it does not consider the quality of this information. Practical implications The typical ownership structure of European firms generates a force that opposes the growing pressure for internationalization and global transparency. This important issue needs to be considered in investor decisions, HC management and reporting and in setting accounting standards. Moreover, the study points out that, despite the potential opportunities provided by LinkedIn to build and enforce relationships with their stakeholders, companies mainly use LinkedIn for recruitment purposes. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on HC disclosure because it is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first study that exclusively examines HC disclosure by European companies via LinkedIn and because it develops a disclosure index that includes items concerning the stock of knowledge and capabilities of employees in addition to the practices in human resource management.

scholarly journals The moderating role of family ownership on the relationship between ownership concentration and comply-or-explain disclosure: An analysis on Italian listed companies

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-42
Author(s):  
Federico Alvino ◽  
Luigi Lepore ◽  
Sabrina Pisano ◽  
Gabriella D'Amore
Keyword(s):  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Ownership Concentration ◽  
Family Ownership ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role ◽  
Comply Or Explain

The aim of the paper is to investigate the relationship between ownership concentration and the degree of comply-or-explain disclosure regarding the composition and functioning of boards of directors, also considering the moderating role played by family ownership. The study is conducted on a sample of 227 Italian non-financial listed companies. The results reveal a negative relationship between ownership concentration and the degree of comply-or-explain disclosure. Moreover, this relationship is stronger in companies having a family firm as a dominant shareholder. The paper contributes to previous studies on the degree of adherence to corporate governance code by investigating both the comply aspect and the explanations provided in cases of non-compliance. Moreover, the study contributes to previous research on the relationship between ownership structure and disclosure by considering the moderating role played by shareholder identity.

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