Do Index Funds Monitor?

Passively managed index funds now hold over 30$\%$ of U.S. equity fund assets; this shift raises fundamental questions about monitoring and governance. We show that, relative to active funds, index funds are less effective monitors: (a) they are less likely to vote against firm management on contentious governance issues; (b) there is no evidence they engage effectively publicly or privately; and (c) they promote less board independence and worse pay-performance sensitivity at their portfolio companies. Overall, the rise of index funds decreases the alignment of incentives between beneficial owners and firm management and shifts control from investors to managers.

Impact of family control on information technology investment and information technology adoption in India

PurposeThis study tests the impact of family control on information technology (IT) investment and IT adoption in MSMEs in India.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a survey research design. Micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) owners in India were surveyed to test the impact of family control on IT investment and IT adoption.FindingsOur empirical results show that family control — measured by family ownership, family member firm management, and/or family CEO duality — increases IT investment and IT adoption in India. Family ownership increases the chances of IT investment and IT adoption by 19.24% and 38.40%, respectively. Firm management by family members increases the chances of IT investment and IT adoption by 11.29% and 18.29%, respectively. CEO duality increases the chances of IT investment and IT adoption by 51.13% and 258%, respectively. Thus, CEO duality has a higher impact on IT investment and IT adoption than family ownership and firm management by family members.Research limitations/implicationsThe empirical results may be generalized only to MSMEs similar to those surveyed in this study. Additionally, this study relied on the perceptions and judgments of MSME owners.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on the impact of family control on IT investment and IT adoption in the developing economics. This study can help scholars to develop further studies in the family control area. Our findings may help MSME owners to increase family control to survive and prosper into the future. Additionally, MSME management consultants may find the empirical results useful to provide consulting services.

Women's Roles in Family Businesses

This chapter is based on a systematic literature review of 56 articles published in leading academic journals and aims to reflect on the role of women in family businesses, focusing on specifics, contradictions, and opportunities derived from this specific setting. In detail, this work intends to disentangle this ambiguous and fragmentary topic and shed light on new perspectives by identifying how and why women are involved in invisible or minor roles where they are sometimes unpaid or paid less than men, despite having shown uncontested ability in firm management. Further studies are suggested to analyze in depth specific insights of the topic, particularly those related to anthropological and psychological perspectives.

The Impact of Leverage on Investment for Firms Listed in the Indonesian Stock Exchange

Food and beverage firms listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) that have opportunities to grow and develop and predicted to be improved. Food and beverage firms needed by mankind because of basic ingredient. Food and beverage firms engaged in manufacturing products and ordering to obtain large profits. Achieving these objectives, management need high level of effectiveness that is required. Firm management faced by various kinds of corporate financial decisions, one of which is investment decisions. Investment decision must consider factors such as the leverage ratio. The main adjective is to examine and obtain evidence about the impact of leverage on investment decisions in a food and beverage firm listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange. The study used a quantitative approach with purposive sampling technique. The population used in this study were food and beverage firms from 2015 to 2019. The TKT achievement was TKT 6. The results have finding that leverage with the DAR proxy have a significant positive impact on investment. The greater the leverage, the greater the firm's investment. Research have beneficial for firm shareholders who consider their investment, and also for firm management for developing corporate leverage and investment.

Competition, Technocracy and Inequality

The article present a brief analyze of theoretical virtues of free competition in relation with some visible limits and negative consequences observed in real economic life. Social intervention to correct (at least in part) those social failures and the new responses of the firms are discussed too. Possible motivations of these new actions are presented in connection with technocratic model of firm management. It seems that the model of professionalization of firm leadership created not only a new structure within the category of the intermediaries (one with extremely high powers), but later generated new interests typical for a social category. The intermediary develops his own agenda and seeks to control not only the market but also the business owners (which is possible in the conditions of the fragmentation of the large property). They have the power to distort and undermine normal competition (or at least to try it) and that conduct to some practices at legal and ethical borderline.