Reforms Protecting Minority Shareholders and Firm Performance: International Evidence

This study investigates the effect of corporate governance reforms protecting minority shareholders on the firm value measured by Tobin’s Q. Using the difference-in-differences estimation and a large international sample from 65 countries for the period 2005–2018, the results show that the firm values increase more in the reform countries than non-reform countries relative to pre-reform levels. This positive effect changes for firms with high and low levels of debt. Moreover, the values after reforms increase more for firms located in civil countries and in countries with rule-based reform approaches and low debt enforcement because the reforms strengthening minority shareholder protection are more efficient in those countries. The evidence is robust to accounting-based performance as well.

Acquisitions of non-controlling equity stakes: Agency conflicts and profitability

While past research on minority acquisitions has ignored how agency conflicts could prevent acquirers from realizing value creation opportunities, this study investigates whether principal–agent and principal–principal conflicts with the target’s managers and controlling shareholder hinder acquirers’ ability to capture value from acquisitions of non-controlling equity stakes. Using archival data from a global sample of 443 minority acquisitions announced between 2011 and 2019, we found that cumulative abnormal returns are positively associated to minority shareholder protection and negatively associated to the presence of a strong controlling shareholder in the target firm. We also found that acquisitions of small non-controlling equity stakes amplify the negative effect of the strong controlling shareholder, which instead weakens if acquirers purchase large non-controlling equity stakes. This study contributes to the development of our understanding of the conditions that expose acquirers to value losses from minority acquisitions by examining the intricate bundle of agency conflicts with the target’s managers and controlling shareholder. In so doing, this study also provides useful insights to business practice.

Political institutions and investor protection

This study examines how political institutions are associated with investor protection. Our results show that consensual political institutions have higher creditor protection but lower minority shareholder protection. Further, the system of government (parliamentary vs. presidential) and the level of democracy are the two dimensions of political institutions that best explain investor protection. The study presents some recommendations that add to the debate that shows that there is no single political theory or set of factors that fully explain the range of outcomes across OECD countries, and that looking to other dimensions of political institutions are useful to explain investor protection.

Derivative Claims

The distinction between the personal rights of the shareholder and the rights of the company is fundamental to the concept of minority shareholder protection.

The Current Rights of Minority Shareholders in Saudi Arabia

The preceding articles examined the legal framework of corporate governance in Saudi Arabia and the important elements of the institutional framework for Saudi corporate governance. The discussion in this chapter first focuses on government and government-regulated institutions established to enforce compliance and see that the actions of corporations are in line with corporate governance law. This chapter then examines minority shareholdings interests and rights and investigates minority shareholder protection under the CL. In addition, the board of directors is described, which controls and guides firm operations in compliance with corporate governance standards and regulations.