scholarly journals The effects of corporate governance mechanisms on the financial leverage–profitability relation

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 387-409
Author(s):  
Hanh Song Thi Pham ◽  
Duy Thanh Nguyen

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the moderating effects of corporate governance mechanisms on the financial leverage–profitability relation in emerging market firms. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines the impacts by estimating the empirical model in which a firm’s accounting profitability is a dependent variable, while financial leverage, board size, board independence, CEO duality, CEO ownership, state ownership and the interaction variables are predictors. The paper uses the panel data set of 295 listed firms in Vietnam in the period 2011-2015 and two key econometric methods for panel data, namely, the two-stage least square instrumental variable and general moments method. Findings The paper finds the evidence for the significant and positive effect of board size, board independence and state ownership on the financial leverage–profitability relation. The effect of CEO duality on the financial leverage–profitability relation tends to be negative, and the impact CEO ownership inclines to be positive, although both of them are statistically insignificant. The results are consistent across different estimation methods. Originality/value This paper is the first investigating the moderating effect of various corporate governance mechanisms on the financial leverage–profitability relationship in emerging market firms.

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Mohammad Tahervafaei ◽  
Hossein Tarighi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between the characteristics of the audit committee and the board and profitability among the companies listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) in Iran. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the companies listed on the TSE during the period from 2010 to 2015 are investigated. The Linear panel regression method is employed for this purpose. The independent variables of the study are composed of some corporate governance mechanisms including audit committee size, audit committee expertise, board size, board independence, chief executive officer (CEO) duality, and institutional ownership. Findings In spite of the fact that there does not exist any significant association between audit committee size and corporate financial performance, the results indicate that there is a positive and significant relationship between audit committee financial expertise and profitability. The authors found that the number of board members cannot affect corporate performance; moreover, duality of CEO role in Iranian companies does not affect company performance. However, the outcomes showed a positive and significant association between the proportion of outside directors on the board (board independence) and profitability at 99 percent confidence level. This implies that the role of non-executive directors in Iran is inconsistent with the stewardship theory. This is due to the fact that independent directors understand the status of business and market better than the board’s executive members. Finally, the results indicated that there is no significant association between institutional owners and Iranian companies’ performance. Practical implications The findings of this study will reveal more than ever the role of corporate governance mechanisms for society and users of financial statements because as tools on the CEO actions, they always have to pay attention to the implementation of corporate principles in the economic entity’ operation. Originality/value This is one of the most important studies that simultaneously examine the impacts of characteristics of the audit committee and the board on profitability in an emerging market, and the results of the study may give strength to Iranian as well other developing countries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 843-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roshima Said ◽  
Ariffah Ashikin Abdul Rahim ◽  
Rohail Hassan

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of corporate governance and human governance on management commentary disclosure among Malaysian Public Listed in the Main Market, Bursa Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachThe annual reports of 150 companies listed on the main market, Bursa Malaysia, for the year ended 2014, are examined to analyze the company’s management commentary disclosure using content analysis. A management commentary disclosure index was developed based on the five elements that had been established by the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board (MASB) in Practices of Management Commentary’s framework. The study considers four corporate governance mechanisms such as board composition, board size, board’s education and ownership structure. Structural equation modeling (SEM -PLS), partial least squares (PLS) and SmartPLS software were used to measure the impact of corporate governance and human capital on management commentary disclosure.FindingsThe results reveal that most of the information disclosure by Malaysian Listed companies was not presented in a complete and balanced manner and not providing an insight because they are more focused on describing the process. Besides, there was no clear link between companies’ strategies and performance measure. Consequently, the reporting is not balanced and cannot assist the shareholders in understanding the opportunities and risk associated with the business. The results, based on a structural model, indicated that only two variables, namely, board size and board independence, showed a positive and significant influence on the degree of disclosure information of management commentary. Board independence is the most significant variable that influences the degree of corporate governance and human capital on management commentary disclosure.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the information disclosure literature as it presents in empirical evidence proving that governance mechanism affects the management commentary disclosure of information by companies. This study also provides additional information which is expedient to other researchers since there is lack of studies in management commentary which relates the attributes of corporate and human governance mechanisms as key drivers in providing management commentary information. Importantly, this study will stimulate the interest of academics in research activities concerning the attributes of governance mechanisms and corporate and human governance on management commentary activities.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamanna Dalwai ◽  
Syeeda Shafiya Mohammadi ◽  
Gaitri Chugh ◽  
Mahdi Salehi

PurposeThis study examines the impact of intellectual capital efficiency and corporate governance mechanisms on the annual report readability of Oman's financial sector companies.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a sample of 150 firm-year observations of listed financial sector companies in the Muscat Securities Market, Oman, from 2014 to 2018. Flesch Reading ease and Flesch Kinkaid Index are used as proxies for annual report readability. As part of sensitivity analysis, the study also uses the natural logarithm of annual report pages as alternative readability measures. The investigation is conducted using random effects regression analysis and supported with system GMM estimation for robustness.FindingsThe findings of this study demonstrate a decrease in intellectual capital efficiency associated with better readability of annual reports for the financial sector firms. Alternatively, banks report a positive association of intellectual capital efficiency with the Flesch Reading ease score of the annual report. The structural capital and capital employed efficiency are also found to be negatively associated with annual report readability. Corporate governance mechanisms such as dispersed ownership and audit committee size also result in easy-to-read annual reports that support agency theory.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was conducted for financial firms of Oman, and thereby the findings can be generalized to the financial sector of countries with similar settings, such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.Practical implicationsThe policy implications arising from this study suggest a strengthening of the intellectual capital efficiency and corporate governance mechanisms to improve the readability of the firms and thereby increase investor confidence.Originality/valueThis paper's uniqueness is in the model used to investigate the impact of intellectual capital efficiency and corporate governance mechanisms on the annual report readability of an emerging market.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-46
Author(s):  
Ming-Te Lee ◽  
Kai-Ting Nien

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rihab Grassa ◽  
Raida Chakroun ◽  
Khaled Hussainey

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of Islamic banks (IBs) product and services disclosure (PSD). Design/methodology/approach A computer-based content analysis is run upon the annual reports for a sample of 78 IBs operating in 11 countries from 2004 to 2012 to find the number of product and services statements. The levels and trends of PSD are identified. A regression analysis to identify the factors affecting PSD in IBs is also used. Findings The findings suggest that there has been a significant improvement of PSD over time. The results show a positive association between PSD and Shariah board size, board size, chief executive officer (CEO) tenure, duality in position, blockholders and investment account holders. However, they show a negative association between PSD and institutional ownership. In addition, it appears that board independence does not affect significantly banks’ PSD. It is also found that the bank performance, bank age, leverage, listing, adoption of international financial reporting standards, adoption of Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions and country transparency index have a positive effect on the PSD. Originality/value This study offers an original contribution to corporate disclosure literature by being the first to develop and investigate PSD for a large sample of IBs during a long period of time. It links P&S with bank corporate governance characteristics. The findings have many important policy implications. More specifically, this paper encourages regulators in the studied countries to improve corporate governance mechanisms in their Islamic banking systems through the optimization of ownership structure, CEO’s characteristics and the board’s characteristics, to promote PSD. Moreover, the findings support the theoretical predictions of the generalized agency theory. This study’s empirical evidence enhances the understanding of the corporate social responsibility disclosure environment in general and the PSD environment in particular for IBs. This study is the first one that measures PSD in the annual reports for a large cross-countries sample of IBs during a long period of time. It is also the first one that links PSD with IBs corporate governance mechanisms.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Obsa Teferi Erena ◽  
Mesfin Mala Kalko ◽  
Sara Adugna Debele

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on financial and non-financial aspects of firm performance in medium and large-scale manufacturing firms in Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach The cross-sectional survey and simple random sampling methods are adopted while the data collection is through a questionnaire that covers five corporate governance indicators consisting of the board independence, board effectiveness, shareholders role, internal audit effectiveness (IAE) and disclosure and transparency. The dimensions of firm performance were indicated by six firm performance indicators of customer and market (CM), internal process (IP), differentiation, efficiency, competitive position (CP) and financial (organizational) performance (OP). The covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) with the maximum likelihood parameter estimation technique was used to perform the data analysis. Findings A significant positive relationship has been found between the independence of the board of directors and firm performance (especially with respect to differentiation, OP, CP and IP). However, the board of directors’ effectiveness showed an unexpected result, significant negative effect on differentiation, OP, CP, CM and IP. The study also indicates a positive significant effect of disclosure and transparency on differentiation, CP and OP. However, the coefficient on the CM construct of firm performance is negative and significant. A significant negative linkage has also been revealed between IAE and two constructs of performance: differentiation and CP. One of the important findings of the study is that shareholders’ role has a significant positive impact on both board characteristics (board independence and board effectiveness) and firm performance (differentiation, efficiency, CP and OP). Research limitations/implications The study has two potential limitations. First, in comparison to prior studies, this study is based on a small sample size which limits the generalizability of the findings. Different scholars have suggested (Anderson and Gerbing, 1984, 1988; Iacobucci, 2010; Hair et al., 2019) that SEM requires a large sample size to test the hypothetical model. Thus, future research can further investigate the link between corporate governance and firm performance by using a larger sample size to achieve more reliable results. Second, the current study used a quantitative approach only, but prior studies (e.g. Ahrens and Khalifa, 2013) suggest a qualitative approach to more investigate and reach a very conclusive idea on corporate governance. The approach is currently receiving growing popularity in the literature. Practical implications The findings of the study would have measurable implications for different stakeholders who are in the position of supporting or regulating manufacturing firms. First, the findings give a clue about how a firm can design a good corporate governance system. Second, managers of the firm can get a hint or tip from the result that might help as input for designing strategies. Finally, it might help policymakers to understand and think about the very crucial role of active participation of shareholders in curtailing/reducing agency cost and enhancing firm performance apart from (beyond) the conventional corporate governance mechanisms (board of directors, internal audit, disclosure and transparency). Originality/value This study seeks to extend and contribute to the current literature in several ways. First, in contrast to previous studies, this study used both financial and non-financial performance measures and thereby providing new empirical insights relating to the non-financial performance measures. Second, this study provides a new result that the role of shareholders has a direct significant positive impact on board characteristics (i.e. board independence and board effectiveness) and firm performance. Finally, this study has come with a new insight that disclosure and transparency is a major driver of firm performance.


Author(s):  
Razali Haron ◽  
Anwar Hasan Abdullah Othman ◽  
Naji Mansour Nomran ◽  
Maizaitulaidawati Md Husin

This study examines the corporate governance mechanisms and how they affect firm performance in Malaysia. After the financial crisis in 1997/98, the CG issues have been the most debated, discussed, and researched in the attempt to improve the CG structure accommodating every economy regardless of the economic landscapes. Using a rich and huge data on Malaysian firms for 16 observation years, this study found that the MCCG has been of a closely referred blueprint by firms in Malaysia to improve firms' performance. Certain CG mechanisms do have significant impact on firm performance. Firms seem to operate in a large board size indicating a positive relationship with performance and board independence. CEO duality is negatively related, in support of separation of roles, complementing the result of board independence and ownership structure as positively related to performance. Agency theory seems to be the dominant theory influencing the CG structure of firms in Malaysia.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud A. Nasr ◽  
Collins G. Ntim

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of corporate governance (CG) mechanisms (board size, board independence, separation of chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) roles and external auditor type) on accounting conservatism in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach Archival data relating to CG and accounting conservatism are collected and analysed using multivariate regression techniques. Findings The findings indicate that board independence is positively associated with accounting conservatism. By contrast, board size and auditor type are negatively associated with accounting conservatism, while separating the chairperson and CEO roles has no significant relationship with accounting conservatism. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is one of the first empirical attempts at providing evidence on the relationship between CG and accounting conservatism in Egypt.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Puni ◽  
Alex Anlesinya

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of corporate governance mechanisms recommended by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Ghana on firm performance as measured by accounting-based ratios (return on assets, return on equity and earning per share) as well as market-based measure (Tobin’s Q) among listed Ghanaian companies from 2006 to 2018. These mechanisms are: board composition (board size, inside directors and outside directors), board committees (audit, remuneration and nomination), chief executive officer (CEO) duality/separation, board meetings and shareholder concentration. Design/methodology/approach The study used panel regression analysis of data from 38 listed firms in Ghana from 2006 to 2018 to test how each corporate governance variable initiated by the SEC of Ghana contributed to firm performance. Data were extracted from the annual reports of listed companies. Findings The study found that the presence of both insiders and outsiders on the corporate board improved financial performance. Similarly, board size, frequency of board meetings and shareholder concentration/ownership structure generally had a positive impact on financial performance. However, the presence of board committees generally had a negative impact on financial performance while CEO duality had no impact on financial performance. Practical implications The study contributes to the understanding of how good corporate governance practices affect firm performance for both academics and particularly Ghanaian policymakers. Originality/value This study provided new findings to bridge the gaps in the general corporate governance literature relative to the lack of consensus on financial impacts of corporate governance mechanisms. The finding contributes to knowledge by providing new and original evidence that some current corporate governance mechanisms are not effective in minimizing the agency problem in a developing setting. Furthermore, the authors anticipate that the outcomes of this research, which so far is the most comprehensive study in the Ghanaian context in terms of the coverage of corporate governance mechanisms specified by the SEC of Ghana, can significantly shape corporate governance discourse, practices and policies in Ghana, particularly and in other developing countries generally to improve financial performance and corporate sustainability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Francis Chinedu Egbunike ◽  
Ardi Gunardi ◽  
Udunze Ugochukwu ◽  
Atang Hermawan

The main objective of the study was to investigate the effect of corporate governance on tax avoidance of quoted manufacturing firms in Nigeria. The study focused on internal corporate governance mechanisms and specifically examined the effect of board size, board independence, board diligence, CEO duality, and audit committee diligence. The ex post facto research design was adopted. The population comprised of all quoted manufacturing companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). The sample was purposively drawn as all companies in the consumer goods sector of the NSE. The study relied on secondary data obtained from annual reports and accounts of the sampled companies. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The hypotheses were validated using Quantile Regression technique. Results showed that board size, board independence, and board diligence were significant at the median and 75th quantile. CEO duality and audit committee diligence were not significant at the 25th, 50th, and 75th quantile. The study recommended among others moderate board sizes to improve efficiency of decision-making. In addition, the need for more independent directors and meeting frequency should be tailored to suit the needs of the company. Keywords: corporate governance mechanisms, tax avoidance, quantile regression


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