Corporate risk taking and sustainability: a case of listed firms from USA and Germany

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahid Irhsad Younas ◽  
Ameena Zafar
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Profit Maximization ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Corporate Risk ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the impact of corporate risk taking on the sustainability of firms in USA and Germany. As risk taking is an expensive phenomenon, the firm may shift the resources from stakeholder well-being to profit maximization of shareholders. Ultimately, risk taking results in the reduction of firm’s sustainability.Design/methodology/approachTo capture the impact of corporate risk taking, the corporate-governance variables, i.e. “independent board structure” and “board size,” were used as instrumental variables to control excessive corporate risk taking and restrict it at a healthy level. A sample of 3,387 unbalanced panel observations from USA and Germany, for the period 2004-2015, were assessed.FindingsThe results confirm that corporate risk taking has a negative and significant impact on the sustainability of firms.Research limitations/implicationsGovernment and policymakers in USA and Germany may introduce regulations to curb excessive corporate risk taking for sustainable corporations and sustainable society. This research suggests that corporate risk taking is not in the best interest of stakeholders.Originality/valuePrevious literature only finds the impact of sustainability on corporate risk taking and there is not a single study that examines the impact of corporate risk taking on the sustainability of a firm. Thus, this study contributes to existing literature on corporate risk taking and sustainability. The study further contributes by using the instrumental variable two stage least square.

Corporate governance mechanisms and R&D intensity in OECD courtiers

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 863-885
Author(s):  
Aws AlHares
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Oecd Countries ◽  
Least Square ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Governance Mechanisms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of ownership structure and board structure on risk-taking as measured by research and development (R&D) Intensity in OECD countries. Design/methodology/approach A panel data of 300 companies from Anglo American and European countries between 2010 and 2016 were used. The ordinary least square multiple regression analysis procedure is used to examine the relationships. The findings are robust to alternative measures and endogeneities. Findings The results show that institutional ownership, board size, independent directors and board diversity are negatively related to risk-taking, with greater significance among Anglo American countries than among Continental European countries. In contrast, the results show that director ownership is statistically insignificant. Originality/value This study extends and contributes to the extant corporate governance (CG) literature, by offering new evidence on the effect of ownership and board structure on risk-taking between two different traditions. The findings will help regulators and policy-makers in the OECD countries in evaluating the adequacy of the current CG reforms to prevent management misconduct and scandals. These findings are relevant for companies aiming to adopt the most suitable governance mechanisms to pursue their R&D objectives and for policymakers interested in promoting R&D investment.

scholarly journals Board structure and corporate R&D intensity: evidence from Forbes global 2000

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 445-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aws AlHares ◽  
Ahmed A. Elamer ◽  
Ibrahem Alshbili ◽  
Maha W. Moustafa
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
National Level ◽  
Oecd Countries ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Board Structure ◽  
Accounting Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Anglo American ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of board structure on risk-taking measured by research and development (R&D) intensity in OECD countries. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a panel data of 200 companies on Forbes global 2000 over the 2010-2014 period. It uses the ordinary least square multiple regression analysis techniques to examine the hypotheses. Findings The results show that the frequency of board meetings and board size are significantly and negatively related to risk-taking measured by R&D intensity, with a greater significance among Anglo-American countries than among Continental European countries. The rationale for this is that the legal and accounting systems in the Anglo American countries have greater protection through greater emphasis on compliance and disclosure, and therefore, allowing for less risk-taking. Research limitations/implications Future research could investigate risk-taking using different arrangements, conducting face-to-face meetings with the firm’s directors and shareholders. Practical implications The results suggest that better-governed firms at the firm- or national-level have a high expectancy of less risk-taking. These results offer regulators a resilient incentive to pursue corporate governance (CG) and disclosure reforms officially and mutually with national-level governance. Thus, these results show the monitoring and legitimacy benefits of governance, resulting in less risk-taking. Finally, the findings offer investors the opportunity to build specific expectations about risk-taking behaviour in terms of R&D intensity in OECD countries. Originality/value This study extends and contributes to the extant CG literature, by offering new evidence on the effect of board structure on risk-taking. The findings will help policymakers in different countries in estimating the sufficiency of the available CG reforms to prevent management mishandle and disgrace.

Board composition and corporate risk-taking: a review of listed firms from Germany and the USA

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 526-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahid Irshad Younas ◽  
Christian Klein ◽  
Thorsten Trabert ◽  
Bernhard Zwergel
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Audit Committees ◽  
Board Composition ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Corporate Risk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Corporate governance is a crucial factor when considering excessive corporate risk-taking. Since corporate boards play such an important role in corporate governance, the purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of board composition and further board characteristics on excessive corporate risk-taking. Design/methodology/approach This study investigates listed firms from Germany and the USA from 2004 to 2015 based on data from Thomson Reuters Data Stream. The authors apply the fixed effect and random effect estimation method to demonstrate the impact of board composition on corporate risk-taking. Findings This study provides empirical evidence that an increase in the proportion of independent directors is associated with less corporate risk-taking. These effects are stronger among German firms. Lastly, the effects of board size and audit committee effectiveness (AUCE) on risk-taking have mixed results. Research limitations/implications The results favor continued efforts to strengthen the composition of corporate boards and improve the effectiveness of audit committees to curb unhealthy corporate risk-taking. The recommendations from the research will provide regulators and corporate management with the necessary information needed to design an appropriate independent board structure, and board size (BOSI). The research will, furthermore, fortify the indispensability of financial experts on audit committees. Originality/value This study contributes to the agency theory debate with these findings. Stronger board independence enables a better monitoring of the CEO, which leads to decision making based on a more appropriate level of risk.

Board diversity and corporate risk: evidence from China

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 280-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kalim Ullah Bhat ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
Khalil Jebran ◽  
Zulfiqar Ali Memon
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Governance Practices ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Task Oriented ◽  
Corporate Risk

Purpose The purpose of this study shows how overall board diversity influences corporate risk-taking. Board diversity is quantified into task-oriented diversity (tenure and education) and relation-oriented diversity (age and gender). Further, this study tests whether the association of board diversity and corporate risk varies across state-owned firms (SOEs) and non-state-owned firms (NSOEs). Design/methodology/approach The authors used a sample of Chinese listed firms over the period 1999-2017. The results are estimated using the fixed-effects model. To deal with the endogeneity problem and single model bias, the authors use a dynamic model, i.e. two-step generalized method of moment’s model. Findings The results show that both task-oriented and relation-oriented diversity reduces corporate risk. Further, the authors document that overall board diversity reduces risk-taking across different types of firms, that is, SOEs and NSOEs. These results are consistent after controlling for endogeneity problems. Practical implications The results provide implications for enhancing corporate governance practices by considering overall board diversity as an important factor influencing corporate decisions. The findings suggest that policymakers and shareholders should consider different diversity attributes important for the composition of a board, which can enhance board outcomes. Originality/value Most of the prior studies considered only one dimension of diversity, and therefore, have overlooked the overall board diversity. Unlike prior studies, this study considers four board diversity attributes – age, gender, tenure and education, and further tests their association with corporate risk. Further, this study also examines the effect of overall diversity on corporate risk in SOEs and NSOEs.

The performance and corporate risk-taking of firms: evidence from Malaysian agricultural firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanis Hazwani Ahmad ◽  
Adilah Azhari
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Random Effect ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Corporate Risk

PurposeThis study explores the effects of the performance and corporate risk-taking behaviour of agricultural firms. Despite its importance in mitigating climate change, the agricultural sector also faces global competition, market liberalisation, rapid technological advances and the starter of stricter quality and safety procedures, all of which require firms to take greater risks.Design/methodology/approachThis study explores this relationship by applying generalised least square (GLS), random effect methodologies (REM) and generalised method of moments (GMM).FindingsThe findings report a favourable relationship between firm performance and corporate risk-taking using a sample of firms from an emerging market.Research limitations/implicationsThe effects of these results for management practice and recommendations for further research were examined.Originality/valueWhile this empirical study used a sample focused on a single industry, most previous studies focused on multiple industries. The originality of this study is its analysis of how firm performance affects corporate risk-taking in the Malaysian agriculture sector.

scholarly journals Gender, risk-taking and entrepreneurial intentions: assessing the impact of higher education longitudinally

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eda Gurel ◽  
Melih Madanoglu ◽  
Levent Altinay
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intention ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Entrepreneurial Intentions ◽  
First Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Impact Of Higher Education ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis longitudinal study assesses whether higher education has the same impact on the entrepreneurial intentions of women and men with regard to their propensity to risk-taking in particular.Design/methodology/approachA self-administrated survey instrument was used to collect data from students studying business and engineering at five selected universities in Turkey. The survey was carried out in two intervals: first year and fourth year of studies. A total of 215 student participated in both waves.FindingsThe findings indicate that the impact of education is stronger for women than for men as the relationship between gender and entrepreneurial intention is moderated by education and risk-taking propensity in that the entrepreneurial intention of women with high or low risk-taking propensity increases when they acquire higher education. In particular, the boost is more noticeable for women with low risk-taking propensity. On the contrary, the effect of education is negative for men with both high risk-taking propensity and low risk-taking propensity.Practical implicationsThis study has identified that the impact of education is different for women and men. Based on these findings, Turkey could offer gender-specific entrepreneurship education in higher education for individuals who could then exploit their entrepreneurial capacity and thus contribute to the social and economic well-being of the country.Originality/valueThis paper makes two distinct contributions. First, this is one of the few longitudinal studies in the literature which demonstrates the differences between females and males in terms of their entrepreneurial intention and shows how risk-taking and education influence entrepreneurial intention. Second, it offers new insights into entrepreneurship research from a developing-country but emerging-economy context.

Marketing intensity and persistence of firm performance: empirical evidence from Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1109-1127
Author(s):  
Dinesh Jaisinghani ◽  
Harwinder Kaur ◽  
Jatin Goyal ◽  
Mahesh Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Profit Maximization ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Exit Barriers ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Dynamic Panel Regression ◽  
Marketing Intensity ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the degree of persistence of firm performance for publicly listed firms in Indonesia. The study also explores the impact of marketing expenditure on firm’s performance. Design/methodology/approach The data comprise 165 listed firms operating in Indonesia over the period 2007–2016. Dynamic panel regression estimations using Arellano and Bond (1991) and Blundell and Bond (1998) techniques have been deployed to generate the results. Findings The findings show the existence of positive persistence and sub-optimal level of competition in the performance of Indonesian firms. The results highlight that marketing intensity has a positive and significant impact on firm performance. The positive persistence hints at creation of substantial entry and exit barriers by the Indonesian firms and also indicate that Indonesian firms are able to create behavioral inertia among their consumers by properly directing their marketing efforts. Practical implications There is a need on the part of management to strengthen the short-term profit capabilities to nurture long-term benefits of profit maximization. On the regulators part, the authorities should frame the policies to foster long-run competition. Originality/value The current study contributes to the sparse literature on persistence of firm performance in the context of emerging economies like Indonesia. This is the first study on persistence of firm performance for publicly listed firms in Indonesia.

CEO power, corporate risk taking and role of large shareholders

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junaid Haider ◽  
Hong-Xing Fang
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Dynamic Panel Data ◽  
Ceo Power ◽  
Total Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Shareholders ◽  
Corporate Risk ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether a powerful chief executive officer (CEO) impacts corporate risk taking in the distinctive institutional and market setting of China? Second, in case such relationship exists, the paper further aims to investigate whether the presence of large shareholders affects it, and finally, whether this effect of large shareholders varies in state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and non-state-owned enterprises (NSOEs). Design/methodology/approach The authors have used a sample of 1,502 Chinese firms listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges. Sample period is 2008-2013. Besides conventional fixed-effect regression, dynamic panel data estimation (generalized method of moments) is applied to address the potential endogeneity. Findings The results show that CEO power is negatively related with corporate risk taking in two risk proxies, i.e. total risk and idiosyncratic risk. Second, the presence of large shareholders significantly affects this relationship, but does not change the primary negative relationship between CEO power and corporate risk taking. Finally, the results show that the relationship between CEO power and corporate risk taking is different in SOEs and NSOEs. The findings of this paper contend the organizational and behavioral theory viewpoint that individual decisions are more extreme. Practical implications This study provides useful implication for policymakers and suggests that while evaluating CEO’s performance, institutional and market settings should be considered. Originality/value This study provides new insights on the impact of CEO power on corporate risk taking under the two distinctive features in a developing country, i.e. presence of large shareholders and state-owned enterprises.

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.

Think outside: positive risk-taking with people living with dementia

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 157-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Mapes
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Outdoor Activities ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to share findings from the evaluation of dementia adventure (DA) holidays provided in 2016 and drawing on these data, to share reflections on positive risk-taking, which are inherent in outdoor activities, and consider the implications for research and practice with people with dementia. Design/methodology/approach Data are drawn from the 2016 internal evaluation report, using mixed methods design, of DA holidays independently reviewed by Dr Ruth Bartlett at the University of Southampton. Findings DA holidays are leading to a range of social, emotional and physical well-being outcomes, as well as wider benefits for the community of people with dementia, their family and carers. Practical implications Drawing on what positive risk-taking means for individuals, families and organisations, top ten considerations for positive risk taking outdoor activities are presented. Originality/value The number of organisations providing adventure experiences and holidays for people with dementia in the UK remains very low with just a handful of organisations. The impact and evaluation of these holidays is just emerging and whilst compelling needs replication, with larger sample sizes supported by clinical and scientific expertise to deepen our understanding of the impact of positive risk-taking outdoor activities. Additionally, there is a need for thinking and acting differently summarised by the phrase “THINK OUTSIDE” in developing a wide range of nature based positive risk-taking activities with people with dementia.

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