The effect of royal family members on the board on firm performance in Saudi Arabia

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-518
Author(s):  
Zahra AL Nasser
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Resource Dependence Theory ◽  
Royal Family ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
The Board Of Directors

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the effect of royal family members on firm performance of publicly listed companies in Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach Using 491 firm-year observations of non-financial publicly listed firms in Saudi Arabia’s stock market between 2009 and 2013, the study employs, besides others, the advanced econometric technique GMM-system estimator. This allows the dynamic nature and control of the endogeneity problem to be accounted for in corporate governance and firm performance. Findings The main result is that the attendance of royal family members at board meetings negatively influences firm performance but does not have an influence on firm value. The results also show that firms with many independent royal family members on the board of directors have better firm performance and firm value. In addition, firms with a high number of royal family members presenting on the board have better firm performance. Research limitations/implications This study offers guidance to assist the further investigation of the SA Royal Family’s BoD membership either in SA or in other monarchy countries. It is interesting to compare these results in order to further understand the different effects that the Royal Family’s BoD membership have in such countries. This study’s results suggest that independent members of SA’s Royal Family on the BoD have some influence on firm performance in both the short and long term. Thus, policymakers should encourage the members of SA’s Royal Family to become more involved in firms’ BoDs. Practical implications This study offers guidance for further investigation of royal family members in the region or in other monarchy countries. It will be interesting to compare these results. The study suggests that royal family members on the board have a partial influence on firm performance, especially the independent ones. Thus, the policymakers should encourage more involvement of independent royal family members on the board. Social implications Foreign and minority investors, who invest in SA’s publicly listed firms, should note that when independent members of SA’s Royal Family are on the BoD their investment will benefit from the reduced risks and uncertainty. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study undertaken to investigate empirically the influence a royal family’s presence on the board of directors has on firm performance. This study is based on both theories, namely the agency theory and resource dependence theory.

scholarly journals The Effect of Internal Corporate Governance of the Firm’s Performance and Firm Value in Five GCC Countries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahra AL Nasser
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Royal Family ◽  
Gcc Countries ◽  
Big 4 ◽  
The Board Of Directors

A critical glance at the literature review of GCC countries, firm performance and firm value shows that the literature does not adequately consider the uniqueness of an institutional setting such as the presence of royal family members and government officials’ members on the board. Additionally, noticeable features are not accounted for in the previous literature, such as a large involvement of relatives and the presence of a female on the board of directors. It is important to understand whether these variables matter or not in this region as this then influences the firm’s performance and firm value. Thus, this study focuses on the effect of internal CG of the firm’s performance and firm value in five GCC countries. The final sample consists of 220 firms (1,096 firm-year observations) for the fiscal year 2009 to 2013. The main finding is that there is a positive significant relationship is seen between expertise factors and firm performance. The expertise factor encompasses royal family members on the board as well as hiring one of the Big 4-auditing firms. This result is in line with a theoretical claim (agency theory), the research question expectation and empirical evidence.

scholarly journals Ownership structure, board of directors and firm performance: evidence from Taiwan

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mao-Feng Kao ◽  
Lynn Hodgkinson ◽  
Aziz Jaafar
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms

PurposeUsing a data set of listed firms domiciled in Taiwan, this paper aims to empirically assess the effects of ownership structure and board of directors on firm value.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of Taiwanese listed firms from 1997 to 2015, this study uses a panel estimation to exploit both the cross-section and time–series nature of the data. Furthermore, two stage least squares (2SLS) regression model is used as robustness test to mitigate the endogeneity issue.FindingsThe main results show that the higher the proportion of independent directors, the smaller the board size, together with a two-tier board system and no chief executive officer duality, the stronger the firm’s performance. With respect to ownership structure, block-holders’ ownership, institutional ownership, foreign ownership and family ownership are all positively related to firm value.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the Taiwanese corporate governance reform concerning the independent director system which is mandatory only for newly-listed companies is successful, the regulatory authority should require all listed companies to appoint independent directors to further enhance the Taiwanese corporate governance.Originality/valueFirst, unlike most of the previous literature on Western developed countries, this study examines the effects of corporate governance mechanisms on firm performance in a newly industrialised country, Taiwan. Second, while a number of studies used a single indicator of firm performance, this study examines both accounting-based and market-based firm performance. Third, this study addresses the endogeneity issue between corporate governance factors and firm performance by using 2SLS estimation, and details the econometric tests for justifying the appropriateness of using 2SLS estimation.

scholarly journals CEO duality and firm performance: the moderating roles of CEO informal power and board involvements

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1453-1474
Author(s):  
Chaminda Wijethilake ◽  
Athula Ekanayake
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Resource Dependence ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Resource Dependence Theory ◽  
Ceo Duality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Board Of Directors

Purpose This study aims to draw on the resource dependence theory to synthesize the conflicting arguments as well as commonalities of the agency and stewardship perspectives on the relationship between CEO duality and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach Multiple regression analysis is used to analyze the data collected from a sample of 212 large-scale publicly listed companies representing 20 sectors in the Colombo Stock Exchange in Sri Lanka. Findings The research results based on all of 212 publicly listed companies in Sri Lanka show, in support of the agency theory, that CEO duality exerts a negative effect on firm performance when the CEO is equipped with additional informal power. Conversely, CEO duality exhibits a positive effect on firm performance when board involvements are high, a finding that supports the commonalities of the agency and stewardship theoretical perspectives. Practical implications By examining the governance practices and concepts in an Asian developing economy, this study provides insight into the power dynamics between the CEO and the board of directors in managerial contexts that are largely different from those in western countries. Originality/value This study expands the theoretical underpinning of corporate governance research by identifying the performance implications of CEO duality within the broad context of the resource provision of the board of directors and the informal power of CEOs.

scholarly journals The controlling power of royal family members on the board of directors and audit committee effectiveness

Accounting ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 987-992
Author(s):  
Khaled Salmen Aljaaidi ◽  
Abdulaziz Alothman ◽  
Raj Bahadur Sharma ◽  
Omar Ali Bagais
Keyword(s):  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Family Ownership ◽  
Marginal Effect ◽  
Governance Mechanism ◽  
Royal Family ◽  
The Board Of Directors ◽  
Corporate Governance Mechanism ◽  
Relationship Of

This paper examines the association of the presence of royal family members on the board of directors with audit committee effectiveness. The sample of this study consists of 444 listed manufactured firms in Saudi Arabia for the period 2012-2019. Using the Pooled OLS regression, the result of the study shows that royal family ownership is associated with audit committee effectiveness, giving support to the substitution hypothesis. The result indicates that members from the royal families are good monitors imposed into the companies' managements as both taking the role of decision makers and owners who may substitute the effectiveness of the audit committee. The presence of royal family members on the board has an alternative for the effectiveness of the audit committee. The marginal effect of audit committee effectiveness as an internal corporate governance mechanism is substituted by the presence of royal family members on the board. This study provides insightful evidence to regulators and policy makers at the company and country levels on the relationship of royal family ownership and audit committee effectiveness.

scholarly journals Board of directors, performance and firm value in Brazilian listed state-owned enterprises

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Carolina Coletta ◽  
Roberto Arruda de Souza Lima
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Agency Conflicts ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
The Board Of Directors ◽  
Structure Index ◽  
Corporate Governance Practice

<p>This paper investigates the relationship between the board of directors' structure and firm performance and the value of Brazilian listed state-owned enterprises (SOEs), from 2002 to 2017, totaling 327 observations using an unbalanced panel data with fixed and random effects regressions. The evolution of corporate governance practices adopted by the boards is presented for this period, using a Board Structure Index (BSI). The results indicate a significant positive relation between the board's structure and firm performance, measured by ROE and ROA, and firm value, measured by Tobin's <em>q</em>. These findings are consistent with corporate governance literature, in the sense that the board's role of monitoring management reduces agency conflicts. The results also show an improvement in adopting corporate governance practice on Brazilian SOEs' boards over the last decade.</p>

Director interlocks and the strategic pacing of CSR activities

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (10) ◽  
pp. 2782-2798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bilal Al-Dah
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Shareholder Wealth ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Csr Engagement

Purpose Throughout years of corporate social responsibility (CSR) debates, most studies have focused on whether or not a firm should engage in CSR activities, while giving little attention to the firm’s engagement strategy. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the optimal way of engaging in CSR activities to maximize firm value while acting in a socially responsible manner. Design/methodology/approach The sample includes US-listed firms and was initially split into three categories (slow-paced, steady-paced and fast-paced firms) based on how fast the firm increased/decreased the pace of its CSR involvement. The sample was later split into firms that have interlocked directors and those that do not, to highlight the important role played by interlocked directors in moderating the relationship between CSR pace and firm performance. Findings Results suggest that firms engaging in CSR activities at a slow or steady pace experience superior financial returns than firms engaging in CSR activities at a fast pace. Further analysis indicates that rapid CSR involvement is counterproductive for firms with no interlocked directors. On the other hand, firms with interlocked directors benefit from their directors’ social network, and experience positive returns when engaging in CSR activities at a fast pace. Practical implications This study is of particular importance for firms establishing their CSR engagement strategies. The results highlight the optimal way a firm can engage in CSR activities while still maximizing shareholder wealth. Originality/value This paper is the first to study the pace determinants of a firm’s CSR engagement strategy. The absence/presence of interlocked directors is identified as a key moderating variable for the CSR–firm performance relationship. The study pinpoints the absence of interlocked directors as a constraint for firms that rapidly engage in CSR activities.

scholarly journals Royal Family Members and Financial Reporting Timeliness: Evidence from UAE

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-27
Author(s):  
Mohammed Ali Almuzaiqer
Keyword(s):  
Board Of Directors ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Reporting Quality ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Financial Reporting Quality ◽  
Royal Family ◽  
The Board Of Directors

This study aims to examine the association between Royal family members on the board of directors and financial reporting quality in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). UAE has two markets, namely Abu Dhabi Exchange Security (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM). The data of the current study were collected from these two markets listed companies for the periods of 2011 to 2018 which resulted in 437 observations. The results of this study showed that the existence of royal family members on the board of the UAE listed companies is significantly associated with financial reporting timeliness. This study provides evidence on the role played by the elite groups (Royal Family members) in UAE in enhancing the role of the board of directors. The findings also reported that board independence, audit committee size, audit committee expert, and firm profitability are significantly associated with financial reporting timeliness. The findings of this study contribute to the existing theory and empirical evidence of how the existence of Royal family members on the board of directors adds values to the company and improves its financial reporting quality.

scholarly journals The influence of corporate governance structure on sustainability reporting in Malaysia

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira Jamil ◽  
Nazli Anum Mohd Ghazali ◽  
Sherliza Puat Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Sustainability Reporting ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Resource Dependence Theory ◽  
Corporate Governance Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Capital ◽  
The Board Of Directors

Purpose Following the introduction of the revised Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance in 2012 (MCCG 2012), this study aims to investigate the influence of corporate governance structure on the quality of sustainability reporting from the perspectives of agency theory and resource dependence theory. Design/methodology/approach Based on an analysis of 126 firms’ annual reports for the year ended 2010 and 2014, this study analyses sustainability reporting quality before the introduction of MCCG, 2012 (year ended 2010) and after (year ended 2014). Findings The findings of the study show that there was a significant increase in the quality of sustainability reporting from 2010 to 2014. Results from multiple regression analyses indicate that the number of sustainability-related training attended by the board of directors and the percentage of directors with sustainability-related experience have a significant impact on the quality of sustainability reporting. Practical implications Observations from the study provide useful insights into the importance of the appointment of directors with sustainability-related experience as part of the criteria for directors’ appointment. Moreover, the board of directors is encouraged to attend sustainability-related training to help firms improve sustainability practices and reporting. Social implications The increase in the quality of sustainability reporting indicates that companies are committed in ensuring that environmental degradation is put at the minimum level if not eliminated. It appears that companies are embracing the concept of sustainability reporting, and hence, contributing to improving and enhancing social well-being. Originality/value This study contributes to the discussion of both internal mechanisms (board independence and board capital) and external mechanisms (compliance to the code on corporate governance) of corporate governance structure on the quality of sustainability reporting. The findings can be used to identify necessary mechanisms that should be enhanced to strengthen the practice of sustainability reporting.

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