Cash holdings and corporate governance: theory and contrary evidence from hotel firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 3117-3134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarik Dogru ◽  
Ercan Sirakaya-Turk
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Cash Holdings ◽  
Agency Problems ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Growth Opportunities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which the quality of corporate governance mechanisms and growth opportunities affect agency problems in hotel firms. Design/methodology/approach The effects of cash flows on investments and cash holdings were analyzed using three-stage least square analysis to determine the extent to which agency problems are due to the quality of corporate governance in hotel firms. Findings The findings showed that the effects of cash flows on investments and cash holdings were greater in well-governed hotel firms than in poorly governed hotel firms. These effects were also greater in low-growth hotel firms than in high-growth hotel firms. However, the results from a concurrent examination of the quality of corporate governance and growth opportunities showed that poorly governed hotel firms with low-growth opportunities are exposed to agency problems. Research limitations/implications These results suggest that neither corporate governance mechanisms nor growth opportunities alone indicate agency problems. Theoretical implications are discussed within the realms of free cash flow theory and growth hypothesis. Practical implications High-growth hotel firms should retain all of their cash and cash flows to undertake value-increasing projects when they become available. Shareholders’ wealth is more likely to be maximized in high-growth firms regardless of the quality of corporate governance. Originality/value Although various aspects of corporate governance have been investigated in hospitality literature, previous studies did not examine the concurrent effects of corporate governance and growth opportunities on agency problems.

The association between disclosure of forward-looking information and corporate governance mechanisms

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 578-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basil Al-Najjar ◽  
Suzan Abed
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Computerized Content Analysis ◽  
Forward Looking

Purpose – This paper aims to witness the importance of corporate governance mechanisms and investigates the relationship between the quality of disclosure of forward-looking information in the narrative sections of annual reports and the governance mechanisms for non-financial UK companies. Design/methodology/approach – Computerized content analysis using QSR NVivo 8 is used to measure the extent of forward-looking information in the narratives of the annual reports for 238 companies listed in the London Stock Exchange. Cross-sectional regression analysis is used to examine the impact of the corporate governance mechanisms on forward-looking information. Findings – The results show that board size and the independence of the audit committee are associated with the level of voluntary disclosure of forward-looking information. Research limitations/implication – One limitation of this study is that in controls for the effect of the financial crisis period, by selecting a representative year for a five-year period, 2006. The authors argument in using this year is based on the fact that the main variables of interest do not vary significantly with time, the cross-sectional analysis of the selected period will provide a fair view of the last five year-period. Practical implications – The authors report the importance of some governance practices in the UK, such as the role of the board members as well as the importance of audit committee independence. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the literature by using computerized content analysis to examine the relation between corporate governance mechanism and disclosure quality of forward-looking information using sample of companies before financial crisis period. The authors also examine governance mechanisms that are under-researched in the field of forward-looking disclosure.

Audit committee versus other governance mechanisms and the effect of investment opportunities: evidence from Palestine

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 527-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Islam Abdeljawad ◽  
Ghassan A.I. Oweidat ◽  
Norman Mohd Saleh
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Investment Opportunities ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to explore how the presence of an audit committee is associated with other corporate governance mechanisms, i.e. board structure, ownership structure and quality of external audit. The present study evaluated whether the presence of the audit committee complements or substitutes other governance mechanisms in Palestinian companies. Moreover, the effect of investment opportunities on the relationship between the formation of the audit committee and the quality of the auditor was addressed. Design/methodology/approach The association between the formation of the audit committee and other governance variables was modelled as a binary logistic model. The sample comprising 44 firms listed on Palestine exchange for the period between 2013 and 2017, amounting to 220 firm-year observations. Findings Based on the investigation, the results have indicated that board independence, the distinction between the chairman and chief executive officer function, ownership concentration and audit quality enhance the chance of audit committee formation, implying complementary effect. Contrastingly, board size and board ownership serve as a substitute to audit committee formation. It has also been found that investment opportunities act as an effective moderating factor that strengthens the relationship between audit quality and the formation of the audit committee. Originality/value The study provides valuable insight into the interaction between multiple corporate governance mechanisms within the economy of Palestine where the external uncertainty is high and investment opportunities are constrained by the decisions of the occupying authority. The findings may help regulators and policymakers in Palestine alongside those of other countries with similar environmental features to revise and update their corporate governance codes to ensure that the best control can be achieved, subsequently attracting more foreign and domestic investments.

scholarly journals Does D&O insurance matter for stock price crash risk? Evidence from an Asian emerging market

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-46
Author(s):  
Ming-Te Lee ◽  
Kai-Ting Nien
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Stock Price ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Insurance Coverage ◽  
Crash Risk ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the opposing views of the relationship between directors’ and officers’ liability insurance (D&O insurance) and stock price crash risk in a major Asian emerging stock market. Design/methodology/approach This paper finds an endogenous relationship between D&O insurance and stock price crash risk. Hence, the two-stage least squares regression analysis is used to address the endogeneity issue when the relationship is examined. Moreover, this paper further controls the quality of other corporate governance mechanisms to investigate whether D&O insurance still has an effect on stock price crash risk. Findings The effect of D&O insurance coverage is significantly negatively related to firm-specific stock price crash risk in Taiwan. More importantly, even when the quality of other corporate governance mechanisms is controlled, the negative relationship between D&O insurance coverage and firm-specific stock price crash risk remains significant. The evidence supports that D&O insurance serves as an effective external monitoring mechanism, strengthens corporate governance, and thus reduces stock price crash risk. Originality/value Emerging Asian markets suffer a dearth of research on the relationship of D&O insurance coverage and the firm-specific stock price crash risk. Investigating the relationship in Taiwan, the present study fills the research void. The findings show that D&O insurance plays an important role in reducing stock price crash risk of Taiwanese firms even when other corporate governance mechanisms are in place.

Negative operating cash flows and investment inefficiency

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Harris ◽  
Zhe Li
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Intangible Assets ◽  
Cash Holdings ◽  
Agency Problems ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Operating Cash Flows ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify whether negative operating cash flows are related to investment inefficiency, and specifically whether they are related to subsequent overinvestment and if this relationship is driven by agency problems within the firm.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducts fixed effect regressions, testing the relationship between negative operating cash flows and the firm’s subsequent investment inefficiency. The relationship is further examined for all firms based on size, corporate governance and cash holdings – all of which are related to agency problems.FindingsThe proportion of firms reporting negative operating cash flows has been increasing over time and is positively related to subsequent investment inefficiency. This increase is explained not only by the rise in investment of intangible assets. The positive relationship is not explained by the firm size or corporate governance, but is related to cash holdings. These results are consistent across four different measures of firm investment.Practical implicationsThe percentage of publicly traded firms with negative operating cash flows has never been higher. This paper is one of the first to identify factors that may be contributing to this rise.Originality/valueThis study extends prior findings by identifying previously unexplored factors related to the rise in firms with negative operating cash flows. The rise in investment of intangible assets does not explain the increase alone. High cash holdings also influence the rise in negative operating cash flows.

Did corporate governance mechanisms affect earnings management? Further evidence from GCC Islamic banks

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Chakib Kolsi ◽  
Rihab Grassa
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Earnings Management ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Loan Loss ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Loan Loss Provision ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on earnings management practice for a sample of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Islamic banks (IBs) using a new model of earnings management. Design/methodology/approach First, the authors estimate discretionary accruals based on loan loss provisions discretionary loan loss provision (DLLP) using the procedure derived from Jones’ (1991) original model. Second, the authors run a multivariate regression model to check the linkage between corporate governance characteristics and discretionary loan loss provision. Finally, the authors use an additional sensitivity check analysis to assess whether the results are robust to the estimation procedure and to other exogenous factors. Findings Using as sample of 26 IBs pertaining to the GCC region with a total of 223 firm-year observations and a nine-year period (2004-2012), the results are conclusive and show that first, IBs with large Shariah Board size manage less DLLP. Secondly, Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions membership positively impacts earnings management through DLLP in IBs. Third, there is a negative relationship between boards of director’s independence the extent to which IBs manage DLLP. Fourth, the existence of block holders positively affects earnings management by IBs. Fifth, there is a negative relationship between audit committee meetings and DLLP. Finally, institutional ownership and bank size have no effect on earnings management through DLLPs. Research limitations/implications In this research, the authors do not take into account all governance factors that are supposed to impact earnings management in IBs. Future research should explore the impact of additional IBs governance structures including chief executive officer bonus, experience, gender and the extent to which IBs use real earnings management with Murabaha, Mudaraba and Musharaka transactions. Practical implications The paper is a very useful source of information that may provide relevant guidelines in helping the future development of corporate governance of IBs. In addition, the findings could prove to be useful for regulators because they are responsible for the acceptable level of corporate governance standards. Thus, they must consider strengthening governance mechanisms either through new legislation or stronger enforcement where earnings management is of such magnitude to that serious impedes information transparency and financial reporting quality of IBs. Originality/value This study associates the corporate governance characteristics with earnings management by IBs. The study contributes to the growing body of literature on earnings management and corporate governance in IBs. It should be useful to researchers, regulators, investors, analysts and creditors as well as other players in the capital markets, as it presents a new and important aspect that needs to be accounted for when assessing the quality of IBs’ accounting information in GCC countries.

The complementary/substitution effects of post-privatization corporate governance mechanisms on firm performance in selected MENA countries

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira Ben Hassoun ◽  
Chaker Aloui
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Agency Problems ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Substitution Effects ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mena Countries ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Big Four

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to expand understanding of the determinants of performance in newly privatized firms by empirically examining the interaction effect of internal corporate governance and Big Four auditors in Middle Eastern and North African countries. Specifically, the paper contributes to the existing literature by identifying whether there is a substitute or complementary relation between internal corporate governance mechanisms and Big Four auditors. Design/methodology/approach A data set of 88 NPFs of MENA countries over the period 1987-2010 is used. The methodology is based on two-stage least squares regression analysis. Findings Results show that government ownership and the proportion of outside directors can substitute for Big Four auditors. However, foreign ownership and the CEO duality reinforce each other to improve performance of NPFs. Overall, these findings suggest that in the presence of agency problems within privatization process, different combinations of internal corporate governance and Big Four auditors can serve as a monitoring response in NPFs and should yield a superior performance. Practical implications This study gives insights to policy makers’ managers and regulators who are interested in investing in MENA region. The authors argue that information regarding who is auditing the firm is very value relevant for investors investing in the MENA region. Firms with Big Four auditor as external auditors are likely to disclose better information than those that are audited by non-Big Four auditors. Originality/value This paper extends the understanding of the determinants of the post-privatization performance in MENA region. It fills the privatization literature void by introducing Big Four auditors as an external governance mechanism. To the authors’ knowledge, the authors’ work is the first study that investigates whether Big Four auditors play an important role and interact with internal corporate governance mechanisms to address the dominant/minority shareholders post-privatization agency problems.

scholarly journals Corporate governance and risk disclosure quality: Tunisian evidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 567-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Issal Haj Salem ◽  
Salma Damak Ayadi ◽  
Khaled Hussainey
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Risk Disclosure ◽  
Disclosure Quality ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential influence of corporate governance mechanisms on risk disclosure quality in Tunisia. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine 152 annual reports of Tunisian non-financial-listed firms during 2008–2013, and use the manual content analysis method to measure the risk disclosure quality. Findings The authors find that the quality of risk disclosure in Tunisian companies is relatively low, and also find that the quality of risk disclosure is positively associated with institutional ownership, board independence, the presence of women on the board, the presence of family members on the board and the independence of audit committee. Managerial ownership has a negative effect on risk disclosure quality. Finally, the authors find that the revolution decreases the influence of concentration ownership, government ownership, family ownership and audit committee size on risk disclosure quality. Originality/value Using a comprehensive set of corporate governance mechanisms and a new measure for risk disclosure quality in Tunisia, the authors provide the first empirical evidence on the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on risk disclosure quality in a developing country. The study has theoretical and practical implications for both developed and developing countries.

The impact of board independency, CEO duality and CEO fixed compensation on M&A performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 947-971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuele Teti ◽  
Alberto Dell’Acqua ◽  
Leonardo Etro ◽  
Michele Volpe
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Ceo Duality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Good Corporate Governance ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine whether particular corporate governance mechanisms influence the performance of mergers and acquisitions. Design/methodology/approach Regression analyses investigating 1,596 recent acquisitions in the US market completed over the five-year period from 2009 to 2013 are performed. Findings The results show that board independency, CEO duality and level of CEO fixed compensation have an impact on the return of acquisitions. Moreover, the findings indicate that acquisitions significantly create value for bidders delivering a positive cumulative abnormal return upon announcement. Finally, also focusing on the 690 relative larger deals, there is a clear evidence of a positive influence of good corporate governance mechanisms over the quality of acquisitions completed. Originality/value To our knowledge, this is the first paper trying to identify corporate governance mechanisms related to the best acquisition decisions, by using specifically the three corporate governance variables (CEO duality, CEO fixed compensation and board independency).

scholarly journals Corporate governance and conglomerate diversification strategy – evidence from Vietnam

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1578-1596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thi Xuan Trang Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Board Composition ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Unrelated Diversification ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Control Devices ◽  
Interest Alignment ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of internal corporate governance mechanisms, including interest alignment and control devices, on the unrelated diversification level in Vietnam. Additionally, the moderation of free cash flow (FCF) on these relationships is also tested. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a balanced panel data set of 70 listed companies in both stock markets, Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange and Hanoi Stock Exchange, in Vietnam for the years 2007–2014, which gives 560 observations in total. Findings The results show that if executive ownership for CEOs is increased, then the extent of diversification is likely to be reduced. However, the link between unrelated diversification level and executive stock option, another interest alignment device, cannot be confirmed. Among three control devices (level of blockholder ownership, board composition and separation of CEO and chairman positions), the study finds a positive connection between diversification and blockholder ownership, and statistically insignificant relations between the conglomerate diversification level and board composition, or CEO duality. Additionally, this study discovers a negative link between diversification and state ownership, although there is no evidence to support the change to the effect of each internal corporate governance mechanism on the diversification level of a firm between high and low FCF. Practical implications The research can be a useful reference not only for investors and managers but also for policy makers in Vietnam. This study explores the relationship among corporate governance, diversification and firm value in Vietnam, where the topics related to effectiveness of corporate governance mechanisms to public companies has been increasingly attractive to researchers since the default of Vietnam Shipbuilding Industry Group (Vinashin) happened in 2010 and the Circular No. 121/2012/TT-BTC on 26 July 2012 of the Vietnamese Ministry of Finance was issued with regulations on corporate governance applicable to listed firms in this country. Originality/value This research, first, enriches current literature on the relationship between corporate governance and firm diversification. It can be considered as a contribution to the related topic with an example of Vietnam, a developing country in Asia. Second, the research continues to prove non-unification in results showing the relationship between corporate governance and conglomerate diversification among different nations. Third, it provides a potential input for future research works on the moderation of FCF to the effects of corporate governance on diversification.

Does audit committee substitute or complement other corporate governance mechanisms

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 658-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yousef Hassan ◽  
Rafiq Hijazi ◽  
Kamal Naser
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Governance System ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Characteristics ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanisms

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relation between audit committee (AC) and a set of other corporate governance mechanisms in one of the emerging economies, United Arab of Emirates (UAE). In particular, the current study examines whether an effective AC can serve as a substitute or as a complement mechanism to board characteristics and ownership structure of Emirati listed non-financial companies. Design/methodology/approach Using substitution and complementary theories, a panel data from 48 nonfinancial companies listed on the UAE Stock Exchanges [Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange and Dubai Financial Market] during the period between 2011 and 2013 were used in the current study. A composite measure of four proxies has been used to measure the AC effectiveness, namely, AC size, independence, financial expertise and diligence. To test the hypotheses formulated for the study, a logistic regression model was used to identify the influence of a set of board characteristics and ownership structure variables on the effectiveness of the AC after controlling for firm size, auditor type, industry type and profitability. Findings While AC effectiveness appeared to be positively associated with board size and board independence, it is negatively associated with CEO duality. This points to a complementary governance relation. On the other hand, the negative relationship between AC effectiveness and each of institutional and government ownership suggests substitutive relations. Research limitations/implications The main shortcoming of the current study is that it examines the influence of a certain set of corporate governance factors on the effectiveness of AC. Other corporate governance mechanisms may, however, contribute to the effectiveness of AC. The findings of the study can be used by companies’ managements and regulators in the UAE to improve the corporate governance system. Originality/value To the best of researchers’ knowledge, this study provides the first evidence about the interaction among multiple governance mechanisms required by the code of corporate governance issued by the UAE Ministry of Economy in 2009. The current paper is expected to add to the limited AC literature in Middle East and North African countries in general and Arab World in particular.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document