Which formula for corporate risk-taking around the world? Exploring happiness as the “black box”

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thao Phuong Tran ◽  
Anh-Tuan Le
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Alternative Measure ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
The World ◽  
Corporate Risk

PurposeThis paper examines how the degree of happiness affects corporate risk-taking and the moderating influence of family ownership of firms on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use an international sample of 17,654 firm-year observations from 24 countries around the world from 2008 to 2016.FindingsUsing the happiness index from the World Happiness Report developed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the authors show that a country's overall happiness is negatively correlated with risk-taking behavior by firms. The findings are robust to an alternative measure of risk-taking by firms. Further analyses document that the negative influence of happiness on firm risk-taking is more pronounced for family-owned firms.Practical implicationsThe paper is consistent with the notion that happier people are likely to be more risk-averse in making financial decisions, which, in turn, reduces corporate risk-taking.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the broad literature on the determinants of corporate risk-taking and the growing literature on the role of sentiment on investment decisions. The authors contribute to the current debate about family-owned firms by demonstrating that the presence of family trust strengthens the negative influence of happiness on corporate risk-taking, a topic that has been unexplored in previous studies.

Taxes and risk-taking behavior: evidence from mergers and acquisitions in the G7 nations

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-294
Author(s):  
Poonyawat Sreesing
Keyword(s):  
Mergers And Acquisitions ◽  
Option Pricing ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Investment Decisions ◽  
Tax Rates ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Asset Risk ◽  
Tax Effects ◽  
Corporate Risk

PurposeThis study aims to examine how corporate taxes affect corporate risk-taking decisions.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines corporate risk-taking by analyzing how a firm’s asset risk changes following an acquisition carried out by publicly listed companies in the G7 nations. To measure the asset risk of a firm, this study uses the option pricing framework in Merton (1974).FindingsConsistent with an implication of the Merton (1974) framework, the findings show that firms take more risk in their investment decisions when tax rates are high. Moreover, the tax effects wane for firms with a relatively large borrowing opportunity and this suggests that the risk-taking incentive from taxes is moderated by the reputation concern in the debt market, lending support to the Diamond (1989) reputation-building model. The empirical results also show that the tax-induced risk-taking incentive is restrained by creditor rights. Overall, the study reveals an important role of taxes in the structure of corporate investment decisions.Practical implicationsThe implications of this study can be beneficial to policymakers when considering the alteration of tax rates, as it will affect the riskiness of firm investment decisions.Originality/valueThis study provides a better understanding of the role of taxes on risk-taking and also contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting tax effects of risk-taking. The relationship between taxes and risk-taking has proven that the corporate taxation is one of the key factors that firms consider during their selection of risky investments. Unlike previous studies, this research is the first to investigate the change in asset risk, estimating by the option pricing framework, through studying a particular event: mergers and acquisitions.

Do narcissistic CEOs rock the boat?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Aabo ◽  
Frederik Hoejland ◽  
Jesper Pedersen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Large Firm ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Current Position ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status ◽  
Ceo Narcissism ◽  
Corporate Risk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of narcissistic supply for the association between CEO narcissism and corporate risk taking.Design/methodology/approachThe authors investigate a sample of 281 non-financial S&P 1500 firms and a corresponding 457 CEOs in the 10-yr period 2006–2015.FindingsThe association between CEO narcissism and corporate risk taking depends on the admiration, attention, and affirmation of own superiority (“narcissistic supply”) that the CEO receives given her/his current position. Thus, a narcissistic CEO with an insufficient narcissistic supply (small firm/small compensation) will crave for more and take more risks (“rock the boat”) while a narcissistic CEO with a sufficient narcissistic supply (large firm/large compensation) will protect the status quo and be reluctant to take new risks. Specifically, the authors find that a change from a slightly narcissistic CEO to a strongly narcissistic CEO, for positions entailing limited (abundant) narcissistic supply, is associated with an increase (a decrease) in corporate risk of 6%–8% (11%–27%).Originality/valuePrevious research indicates a positive association between CEO narcissism and corporate risk taking in specific domains such as M&A and R&D activities. This paper provides a novel contribution to the existing literature by identifying and assessing the important role of narcissistic supply for the association between CEO narcissism and corporate risk taking in general.

scholarly journals Risk committee, corporate risk-taking and firm value

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Borhan Uddin Bhuiyan ◽  
Muhammad A. Cheema ◽  
Yimei Man
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Risk Committee ◽  
Corporate Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe authors empirically examine the impact of the stand-alone risk committee on corporate risk-taking and firm value.Design/methodology/approachThe authors argue that the existence of a stand-alone risk committee enhances the quality of corporate governance, which reduces corporate risk-taking and strengthens the firm value that might improve investor protection.FindingsThe authors find corporate risk-taking decline significantly for firms that have a stand-alone risk committee compared with firms that have a joint audit and risk committee. The authors also find that the presence of a stand-alone risk committee is positively associated with firm value.Practical implicationsThe evidence is consistent with the proposition that firms with a stand-alone risk committee can effectively evaluate potential risks and implement a proper risk management system.Originality/valueThis is the first paper that investigates the association between the existence of a stand-alone risk committee and firm risk-taking in a multi-industry setting. Also, our research extends the association between a stand-alone risk committee and firm value.

CEO inside debt, market competition and corporate risk taking

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 636-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahbaz Sheikh
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inside Debt ◽  
Debt Market ◽  
Practical Tool ◽  
Corporate Risk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of market competition on the relation between CEO inside debt and corporate risk-taking. Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least squares regressions are used to estimate the relation between CEO inside debt and firm risk. Additionally, instrumental variable (IV-GMM) regressions are used to check the robustness of the results. Findings The results of this paper indicate that CEO inside debt is negatively associated with the measures of future risk. However, this negative association is influenced by market competition. Specifically, CEO inside debt results in lower levels of firm risk when market competition is high. When market competition is low, inside debt has no effect on firm risk. Additional results show that CEOs with large inside debt tend to decrease R&D investments and financial leverage and increase firm cash holdings and working capital only when market competition is high. Overall, these results suggest that market competition significantly influences the effect of CEO inside debt on corporate risk-taking by changing the strength of incentives from inside debt. Practical implications CEO inside debt could be used to provide incentives to CEOs to manage corporate risk-taking. Social implications The empirical results in this paper provide a practical tool to the boards of corporations to manage corporate risk-taking. The results suggest that boards can reduce excessive risk-taking by increasing the level of debt type compensation incentives. However, this strategy is effective only when market competition is high because in such markets inside debt provides the strongest incentives to reduce corporate risk. When competition is low, incentives from inside debt are ineffective in managing corporate risk-taking. Originality/value This is the first study that shows that the negative association between CEO inside debt and corporate risk-taking critically depends on the intensity of market competition.

Corporate risk-taking after changes in credit rating

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hardjo Koerniadi
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Credit Rating ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Event Risk ◽  
Effect Regression ◽  
Investment Grade ◽  
Corporate Risk ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe paper aims to investigate corporate risk-taking following changes in firms' credit ratings (CR) and the mechanisms the firms use in implementing the risk-taking.Design/methodology/approachThe paper employs fixed-effect regression models to examine risk-taking behaviour after firms experience changes in CR after their ratings are downgraded to the lower edge of the investment grade rating (i.e. BBB-) and after their CRs are downgraded below the investment rating.FindingsThe paper finds that, whilst in general, changes in CR are negatively associated with post-event risk-taking, firms downgraded to BBB- do not increase their risk-taking. Only when firms are rated below this grade, firms significantly increase their risk-taking, suggesting that the association between downgrades in CR and firm risk-taking following the event is not linear. Further analysis suggests that these downgraded firms do not increase research and development (R&D) expenses or capital expenditures but employ long-term debt as their risk-taking mechanism.Practical implicationsThe findings of the paper have practical implications for investors considering investing in downgraded-rating firms to shareholders of such firms and especially to those overseeing the firms' risk-taking policies.Originality/valueThe study fills the gap in the literature by providing empirical evidence on corporate risk-taking after changes in CR and also contributes to the optimal debt-maturity choice literature.

scholarly journals Assessing the impact of libraries – the role of ISO 16439

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 87-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Creaser
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Standard ◽  
The World ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Library Impact ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Library impact and how to evaluate it has been debated for a number of years. While the activity – the busy-ness – of the library is now routinely measured and described, the difference the library makes is less tangible and harder to measure. Libraries in all sectors and worldwide are grappling with this issue, and the purpose of this paper is to summarise international standards available to support them. Design/methodology/approach The first international standard concerning library impact, ISO 16439 Information and documentation – methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries, was published in 2014 after several years in development. Findings The standard describes a range of methods for assessing library impact which have been used across the world in a variety of libraries in all sectors. Originality/value This paper summarises the key methods described in the standard, and gives references for further reading.

The ascension of executives' tenure, corporate risk-taking and corporate performance: evidence from Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Osama F. Atayah ◽  
Khakan Najaf ◽  
Ravichandran K. Subramaniam ◽  
Phaik Nie Chin
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Corporate Performance ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Executive Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Top Executives ◽  
Corporate Risk

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the implication of top executives’ number of years of experience (tenure) on corporate risk-taking behaviour and corporate performance in Malaysian corporations.Design/methodology/approachTo test the hypothesis efficiently, the authors have extracted the data from Bloomberg for 788 listed companies of the Malaysian Stock Exchange. The methodology entails ordinary least squares regressions, quantile regression and dynamic system generalized method of moments model.FindingsFirst, the authors show that executive management tenure has a significant negative relationship with corporate risk-taking. It means that the long-tenured executives tend to undertake less risky strategies and decisions. Second, this study reveals that the longer executive management tenure has a positive relationship with corporate performance. Third, the moderating effect of corporate risk-taking with executive tenure (Tenure dummy*Risk) has a negative relationship with the corporate performance by 1%.Practical implicationsIt implies that the appointment of experienced executive management contributes towards corporate performance directly. However, experienced management trends take less risk, which eventually results in mitigating the corporate performance. On that basis, the findings are significant in highlighting the usefulness of executive leadership term and offers insights to academics, practitioners and policymakers.Originality/valueThis paper is novel since it is unique in evaluating the executive tenure and the preferences to handle risk strategies and how that impact the firm performance.

The risk associated with strategic decisions: is it a marketing issue?

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-8
Author(s):  
Davide Settembre-Blundo ◽  
Alfonso Pedro Fernández del Hoyo ◽  
Fernando Enrique García-Muiña
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Function ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Management Perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the strategic management of risks in companies from a marketing management perspective and to provide some guidance for management practice. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the authors’ viewpoint, and it conceptualizes a new approach to risk management. Findings The conceptual discussion has opened up a possible new way for enterprises, especially SMEs, to start taking a strategic approach to risk. Originality/value This paper would like to contribute to the current debate on the role of marketing function in managerial practice beyond the classic four Ps.

scholarly journals Expatriates’ withdrawal intentions

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1852-1869 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Helena Pinto ◽  
Carlos Cabral Cardoso ◽  
William B. Werther Jr
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Business Goals ◽  
Culture Characteristics ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of perceived home and destination organizational culture characteristics and general satisfaction with the assignment as antecedents of expatriates’ withdrawal intentions. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a web survey of an international sample of expatriates with a broad representation of industries, organizations and countries of origin and destination. Findings The results indicate that home and destination organizational cultures affect expatriates’ withdrawal intentions, after controlling for demographics and national cultural differences, namely: home organizational culture has a stronger influence on withdrawal intentions from the organization, while host organizational culture affects withdrawal intentions from the assignment. Further, the relationship between host organizational culture and expatriates’ intentions to withdraw from the assignment is mediated by expatriates’ satisfaction with the assignment. Evidence was also found supporting a stronger and negative influence of the goal orientation dimension of organizational culture, thus suggesting that a collective orientation toward common business goals (i.e. solidarity) may help retain expatriates. Originality/value This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by exploring the influence of organizational culture on expatriates’ withdrawal intentions, and the mediating role of expatriates’ satisfaction with the assignment, on that relationship.

Debt financing puzzle and internationalization

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karren Lee-Hwei Khaw
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Debt Financing ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
Business Operations

PurposeThis study aims to examine the relation between long-term debt and internationalization in the presence of the agency costs of debt and business risk.Design/methodology/approachSample firms consist of 517 non-financial listed firms in Malaysia, with 4,197 firm-year observations from the year 2000 to 2014. This study uses panel data regressions and a series of robustness tests to examine the hypotheses.FindingsThe results show that multinational corporations (MNCs) are more likely to sustain less long-term debt than domestic corporations (DCs) to mitigate the costs related to agency problem and firm risk. Meanwhile, foreign-based MNCs maintain less long-term debt than local-based firms, and the finding is more significant at a higher degree of internationalization. Robustness tests confirm the negative relations.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings indicate that the ongoing debate on the debt financing puzzle can be explained by internationalization. Moreover, the findings suggest that in addition to the systematic differences between MNCs and DCs, studies on the debt financing and internationalization should also account for the systematic differences among MNCs such as the local-based MNCs, foreign-based MNCs and DCs that later expand their business operations abroad.Practical implicationsMNCs have to be responsive to the diverse institutional environments as they diversify their business operations geographically. When the adverse effects of internationalization outweigh the benefits, MNCs could use the long-term debt financing decision to mitigate the costs of doing business abroad. This is because debt financing is also a primary concern in the corporate financial decisions for the maximization of shareholders’ wealth.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the debt financing literature from the international perspective by providing evidence from an emerging market. In addition, this study highlights the importance of recognizing firms by their firm-specific characteristics, such as internationalization, given the systematic differences among firms.

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