Characteristics and determinants of the board of directors of growing Spanish SMEs going public

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
María-José Palacín-Sánchez ◽  
Francisco Bravo ◽  
Nuria Reguera-Alvarado

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics and the determinants of board structure in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the process of going public within the continental European corporate system. Design/methodology/approach These issues are explored through the study of all the initial public offerings (IPOs) in the Spanish equity market for growing SMEs, and the statistical methodologies of ordinary least squares regression and stepwise regression are applied. Findings The results show that board size is larger than the minimum level established in law and that boards are composed of a majority of non-executive directors. In addition, the determinants of firm characteristics of board structure are firm age, level of financial leverage, and ownership structure. Practical implications This research is significant since its findings should help entrepreneurs reflect on which board structure is most appropriate for this new stage of the life cycle of their company as a listed firm. This evidence is also of interest for regulators and investors, who can, therefore, better understand board structures of SMEs at the moment of IPO. Originality/value This paper is the first to study characteristics and determinants of the board of directors of growing SMEs at the moment of going public. This study implies a step forward in research into the governance of small business and IPO literature, since the results differ from the evidence found for large company IPOs and contribute towards the debate regarding the need to consider the context and the type of firm in corporate governance studies.

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaia Maseda ◽  
Txomin Iturralde ◽  
Gloria Aparicio ◽  
Lotfi Boulkeroua ◽  
Sarah Cooper

Purpose In order to deepen our knowledge of governance of family firms, the purpose of this paper is to focus our attention on the relation between family owners who are members of the board of directors and firm performance. Also, this study sheds more light on how the generation in charge of the family firm affects that relationship, as generational involvement may be a unique predictor of governance behavior in these firms. Design/methodology/approach The authors applied a cross-sectional ordinary least squares regression model to test the hypotheses on a sample of 313 non-listed Spanish family SMEs. The authors suggest the possibility of a non-linear relationship between the percentage of ownership by family members of the board of directors and firm performance, and specifically, the authors propose an S-shaped effect that implies two breakpoints. Findings The authors find not only that an inverted U-shaped relationship exists, but also an S-shaped relationship between family board members’ ownership and firm performance in family SMEs. Nevertheless, the results are different in comparing first-, second- and later-generation family firms. Originality/value This is one of the few empirical studies that examine the relationship between family board ownership and firm performance in the context of non-listed family SMEs. The authors consider that the influences of family directors on the board of directors as well as the concentration of family ownership on the board of directors are worth studying in non-listed family SMEs. Moreover, previous studies have focused mainly on large listed family firms but not on unlisted ones.


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

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaista Wasiuzzaman ◽  
Fook Lye Kevin Yong ◽  
Sheela Devi D. Sundarasen ◽  
Noor Shahaliza Othman

Purpose When a firm goes public for the first time, its prospectus serves as an important reference for investors. It is required by regulation that the risk factors which have significant influence on the business be disclosed in the prospectus. The purpose of this study is to analyze how disclosure of these risk factors influences the initial returns of initial public offerings (IPOs). Design/methodology/approach To do this, a sample of 96 Malaysian new equity offerings (IPOs) from year 2009 to year 2013 is used. Ordinary least squares regression technique is used to regress initial returns against risk disclosures. Aside from overall risk disclosure, individual dimensions of risk (internal risk, external risk and investment risk) are also considered. Findings Results of the regression analyses reveal a direct relationship between the IPO initial returns and the disclosure of risk. Overall risk disclosure is found to be highly significant in influencing initial returns. However, further investigation into the individual group of risks shows that only investment risk is highly significant in influencing IPO initial returns. Originality/value The results found in this study are interesting as, unlike prior studies, it is shown that disclosures of internal and external risks are not significant in influencing investors’ actions possibly because of their generalizability, whereas disclosures related to investment risks are significant. Equity of firms which disclose more of its risk factors can be expected to generate higher initial returns.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1401-1418
Author(s):  
Carrie A. Belsito ◽  
Christopher R. Reutzel ◽  
Jamie D. Collins

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between human resource (HR) executive representation in top management and the growth of newly public firms. It draws upon research on strategic leadership, strategic HR management and Penrose’s theory of firm growth to consider the role of HRs executives in addressing demands placed upon top managers in the pursuit of firm growth. This study attempts to extend the focus of research on the influence of HR executives on organizational outcomes Design/methodology/approach In order to test study hypotheses, this study analyses data from a sample of US newly public firms that underwent initial public offerings (IPO) during the 2007 calendar year. Study data were analyzed using ordinary least squares regression in order to test study hypotheses. Findings This study provides general support for study hypotheses. First, HR executive presence in top management was found to be positively related to post-IPO firm growth. Second, upper echelon size and the number of firm employees were found to weaken the positive effect of HR executive presence in top management on post-IPO firm growth. Research limitations/implications As a consequence of study design, the results found in this study may be limited with respect to their external validity. Therefore, researchers and practitioners are encouraged to use caution before generalizing study findings to other contexts. Practical implications This study provides implications for top management team staffing and the pursuit of firm growth. Newly public firms appear to benefit in terms of firm growth by including HR executives in top management. The benefits of doing so appear to be reduced for newly public firms as the size of their upper echelons and number of employees increase. Originality/value This study extends research on the firm level consequences of HR executive presence in top management as well as research on factors which influence firm growth.


2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Venancio Tauringana ◽  
Musa Mangena

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the extent and focus of supplementary narrative commentary (SNC) on amounts reported in the primary financial statements and board structure variables. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses the disclosure index methodology to measure the extent of SNC in annual reports of 167 FTSE 250 companies. Ordinary least squares regression analysis is employed to examine the association between the extent and focus of SNC and board structure variables. Findings – The findings show that the extent of SNC on amounts reported in the primary financial statements is about 30 per cent, suggesting that companies provide commentary on a small number of amounts reported in the financial statements. In terms of focus of SNC, companies provide greater SNC on amounts in the income statement relative to the balance sheet. The regression results indicate that the extent of SNC is negatively associated with board size, and positively associated with audit committee (AC) independence and financial expertise. Focus of SNC is negatively related to AC independence and finance expertise. Originality/value – The research contributes to both the voluntary disclosure and impression management literature streams. The findings provide evidence of the extent and focus of SNC on amounts in the financial statements. They also demonstrate that board structure variables are related to the extent and focus of SNC on amounts in primary financial statements. These findings have implications for policy makers who have responsibilities for ensuring that users of annual reports receive adequate information to make decisions.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Entissar Elgadi ◽  
Wafa Ghardallou

Purpose This paper aims to empirically assess the impact of gender diversity and board of directors’ size on Islamic banks’ performance. Design/methodology/approach Hand-collected data set including 27 banks from 2005 to 2013 is used to investigate the effect of the above mechanisms on banks’ performance as measured by return on equities and return on assets. The study uses pooling regression, which requires estimating a single equation on different cross-sectional data. Specifically, ordinary least squares is used to estimate the model. Findings Obtained results suggest that the presence of women on the board of directors does not have a significant influence on banks’ performance. However, gender diversity in the management department is found to have a negative and significant impact. Besides, the findings prove that the board of directors’ size adversely affects banks’ performance. Research limitations/implications Findings of this study will enhance a better understanding of the interrelationships between performance measures and determinants, which can improve estimations of key inputs in the decision-making process. Such deeper understanding should provide policy and decision makers with an important part of the framework needed to provide quality outcomes. In addition, the results of this study provide some beneficial insights on performance determinants to the policymakers, industry leaders and bank managers. Accordingly, those parties could enhance the profitability of Sudanese Islamic banks by improving capitalisation and assets utilisation and by improving banks operation efficiency, leverage and by reducing the size of the board of directors. Industry leaders and bank managers could also benefit from the findings on bank age, which suggest that they can learn from the experience of newly established banks, as the latter are shown to be able to use their resources to generate more profits. Practical implications Results suggest that in the future, Islamic banks should focus on how to weaken the negative performance effect of female executives’ participation. Besides, banks should work to decrease labour market discrimination and increase long-term career commitment amongst women. Originality/value After reviewing the literature, the research objective was not accounted for by the existing empirical works. Indeed, the role of gender diversity and board of directors’ size on a bank’s performance was not examined in the case of Sudanese Islamic banks.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schuldt ◽  
Jose Vega

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the association between revenue-based earnings management in the periods immediately before and after firms’ initial public offerings (IPOs) and regulatory scrutiny by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during review of IPO firms’ registration statements. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses conditional discretionary revenues (Stubben, 2010) as its measure of earnings management, and revenue recognition comments delivered by the SEC as its measure of regulatory scrutiny. The authors use ordinary least squares regression (OLS) models, as well as a supplemental count model, to assess the association between conditional discretionary revenues and revenue recognition comments delivered by the SEC. Findings This study finds evidence of a positive association between earnings management measures in the pre-IPO period and the number of revenue recognition comments received by those firms during the SEC’s review. Furthermore, this study provides evidence that greater numbers of comments are associated with declining earnings management measures in the post-IPO period. However, the evidence suggests that these associations apply only to income-decreasing earnings management. Originality/value This paper extends the IPO earnings management literature by using conditional discretionary revenues as the measure of earnings management, and contributes to a nascent research stream in the accounting literature by investigating the SEC’s comment letter process and its association with, and impact upon, earnings management in the IPO process.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Richardson ◽  
Grantley Taylor ◽  
Roman Lanis

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of women on the board of directors on corporate tax avoidance in Australia. Design/methodology/approach The authors use multivariate regression analysis to test the association between the presence of female directors on the board and tax aggressiveness. They also test for self-selection bias in the regression model by using the two-stage Heckman procedure. Findings This paper finds that relative to there being one female board member, high (i.e. greater than one member) female presence on the board of directors reduces the likelihood of tax aggressiveness. The results are robust after controlling for self-selection bias and using several alternative measures of tax aggressiveness. Research limitations/implications This study extends the extant literature on corporate governance and tax aggressiveness. This study is subject to several caveats. First, the sample is restricted to publicly listed Australian firms. Second, this study only examines the issue of women on the board of directors and tax aggressiveness in the context of Australia. Practical implications This research is timely, as there has been increased pressure by government bodies in Australia and globally to develop policies to increase female representation on the board of directors. Originality/value This study is the first to provide empirical evidence concerning the association between the presence of women on the board of directors and tax aggressiveness.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengyuan Wang ◽  
Biao Luo ◽  
Yong Liu ◽  
Zhengyun Wei

Purpose The paper aims to study the relationship between executives’ perceptions of environmental threats and innovation strategies and investigate the moderating effect of contextual factor (i.e. organizational slack) on such relations. It proposes a dualistic relationship between executives’ perceptions of environmental threats and innovation strategies, in which different perceptions of environmental threats will lead to corresponding innovation strategies, and dyadic organizational slack can promote such processes. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a survey with 163 valid questionnaires, which were all completed by executives. Hierarchical ordinary least-squares regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses proposed in this paper. Findings The paper provides empirical insights about that executives tend to choose exploratory innovation when they perceive environmental changes as likely loss threats, yet adopt exploitative innovation when perceiving control-reducing threats. Furthermore, unabsorbed slack (e.g. financial redundancy) positively moderates both relationships, while absorbed slack (e.g. operational redundancy) merely positively influences the relationship between the perception of control-reducing threats and exploitative innovation. Originality/value The paper bridges the gap between organizational innovation and cognitive theory by proposing a dualistic relationship between executives’ perceptions of environmental threats and innovation strategies. The paper further enriches innovation studies by jointly considering both subjective and objective influence factors of innovation and argues that organizational slack can moderate such dualistic relationship.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-362
Author(s):  
Latif Cem Osken ◽  
Ceylan Onay ◽  
Gözde Unal

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the dynamics of the security lending process and lending markets to identify the market-wide variables reflecting the characteristics of the stock borrowed and to measure the credit risk arising from lending contracts. Design/methodology/approach Using the data provided by Istanbul Settlement and Custody Bank on the equity lending contracts of Securities Lending and Borrowing Market between 2010 and 2012 and the data provided by Borsa Istanbul on Equity Market transactions for the same timeframe, this paper analyzes whether stock price volatility, stock returns, return per unit amount of risk and relative liquidity of lending market and equity market affect the defaults of lending contracts by using both linear regression and ordinary least squares regression for robustness and proxying the concepts of relative liquidity, volatility and return constructs by more than variable to correlate findings. Findings The results illustrate a statistically significant relationship between volatility and the default state of the lending contracts but fail to establish a connection between default states and stock returns or relative liquidity of markets. Research limitations/implications With the increasing pressure for clearing security lending contracts in central counterparties, it is imperative for both central counterparties and regulators to be able to precisely measure the risk exposure due to security lending transactions. The results gained from a limited set of lending transactions merit further studies to identify non-borrower and non-systemic credit risk determinants. Originality/value This is the first study to analyze the non-borrower and non-systemic credit risk determinants in security lending markets.


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