Chief Executive Officer Experience Research Articles

CEO international experience and firm performance revisited: What’s culture got to do with it?

PurposeThis paper examines the relationship between chief executive officer (CEO) international experience (IE) and firm performance. The authors also examine the symmetry of this relationship, whereby home and host countries would be interchangeable without any significant change in the impact of each cultural dimension on firm performance.Design/methodology/approachFor a sample of CEOs from Fortune's list of Global 500 companies, firm performance was measured as average net margin for the first four years of CEO tenure. IE was the difference between home country culture and that where CEO experience was gained, based on the GLOBE cultural dimensions. Regression then tested the IE/firm performance relationship. For symmetry, distance direction was coded as either positive or negative, depending on whether home country score on a given dimension was higher or lower than that of the host. Moderator regression then tested for whether distance direction impacted the relationship between IE and firm performance.FindingsResults show that overall distance between home and host cultures in aggregate does not have a significant effect on firm performance. However, for specific dimensions, greater distances between the CEO's countries of experience and that of the parent company on in-group collectiveness and performance orientation are associated with higher firm performance, and greater distances on power distance and assertiveness are associated with lower performance. The authors further find asymmetric patterns in the IE–performance relationship, attributable primarily to the fact that, when scores on performance orientation are greater for the home than host country, organizational performance is significantly enhanced.Originality/valueThis study's hypotheses are grounded in theory, combining the human capital perspective with cultural paradox theory. In addition, the authors offer a unique approach for measuring the dimensional distance of culture.

Does ownership concentration matter for the relationship between CEO characteristics and real earnings management: evidence from Jordan

PurposeThe current research inspects the moderation role of ownership concentration on chief executive officer (CEO) characteristics and real earnings management (REM) relationship in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachDriscoll–Kraay regressions were run using data from 348 firm-year observations for companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange between 2013 and 2018.FindingsDriscoll–Kraay regressions demonstrate that CEO experience, tenure and political connections improve REM practices. Ownership concentration diminishes and limits REM practices when combined with CEO experience, tenure and political connections, since all three have a negative and significant link with REM.Research limitations/implicationsInitial constraints include the study’s lack of generalisability due to a small number of CEO-related parameters. Second, critics of the ideal model for judging EM have a foreseeable flaw. No generally accepted model is perfect.Practical implicationsThis study’s conclusions are crucial for industry participants, including companies, policymakers, investors and the general public. These findings will help investors, practitioners and regulators understand that businesses with significant ownership concentrations and experienced CEOs have superior earnings and low REM practises.Social implicationsThe findings of this study have an optimistic impact on the existing body of knowledge. The current literature has yet to properly inspect the moderation role that ownership concentration has on the connotation between CEO characteristics and EM.Originality/valueDespite several research studies in both developed and developing nations, ownership concentration has been almost virtually neglected. The current study could fill a hole in earlier research, rendering it a novel study.

CEO’s sofisticados financeiramente são mais eficientes ao realizar investimentos?

ABSTRACT This study aims to examine the relationship between the financial sophistication (FS) of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the efficiency of corporate investments using empirical analysis in a sample of 189 companies listed on the B3 S.A. - Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão (B3), from 2010 to 2021. Research on the individual characteristics of managers has mainly explored aspects related to decisions on companies’ financial policies. Thus, this study seeks to add a new element to the discussion by investigating how these characteristics are related to the efficient use of resources available for investment. By examining the relationship between CEO FS and investment efficiency, it contributes to the discussion in the literature on how manager characteristics affect the way in which decision makers run companies. This adds new insights to the understanding of how the financial skills and individual characteristics of managers can influence organizational performance and results. The research is relevant in presenting the relationship between CEO expertise and investment decisions in the Brazilian market, where the supply of capital tends to be low (financial constraint); consequently, investing more assertively and efficiently has an impact on the organization’s results and longevity. Using a proxy that measures investment efficiency, regressions were run using the generalized method of moments (sys-GMM) and multinomial regression. The analyses suggest that CEO FS is related to investment efficiency in several ways. When FS is measured in terms of components, past experience is negatively related to deviations from the optimal level of investment. However, the international component is positively related to such deviations. In addition, a multinomial analysis showed that CEO experience helps reduce the probability of underinvestment, suggesting that an experienced CEO tends to contribute to the efficiency of company investments.

The Effect of Chief Executive Officer and Board Prior Corporate Social Responsibility Experiences on Their Focal Firm's Corporate Social Responsibility: The Moderating Effect of Chief Executive Officer Overconfidence.

This research aims to examine how the prior experiences of the chief executive officer (CEO) and board influence the focal firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. Further, the present study examines how CEO overconfidence influences the diffusion of CSR activities. The authors theorize that overconfident CEOs are influenced more by the corporate strategies they experienced on other boards and less by the corporate strategies experienced by other directors. Through longitudinal analyses of the CSR profiles a sample of S&P 500 companies for the period 2006-2013, the study shows that CEO and board prior CSR experience are positively related to the firm’s current CSR activities. The authors find a significant positive moderating effect of CEO overconfidence on the relationship between CEO prior CSR and the focal firm’s CSR. The theory and results highlight how CEO and board prior CSR exposure may influence the focal firm’s stances toward CSR and that CEO overconfidence may have differential effects on these relationships.

Executive Turnover and Founder CEO Experience: Effect on New Ventures’ R&D Investment

As the direction and strategies of new ventures depend on the top management team (TMT)’s stability and continuous efforts, we investigate the relationship between executive turnover and research and development (R&D) investment investment. Furthermore, we assess the moderating role of the founder chief executive officer (CEO)’s prior experiences to show that founders’ experiential knowledge mitigates the adverse side effects of executives’ departure. Our empirical analysis utilizes a large pool of firm-level survey datasets comprising 1897 Korean founder-led ventures. The empirical results show that executive turnover reduces R&D intensity, suggesting that new ventures’ longer-term investments may be affected by the instability of the management team. We also show that the negative effects of executive turnover weaken when the founder CEO has a longer prior work experience, prior business group experience, and founding experience. Our findings show that the founder CEO’s entrepreneurship based on valuable prior experiential knowledge mitigates the negative impact of organizational instability. While the TMT factor is essential for a new venture’s survival, our findings show that the manner in which leaders act should also be considered separately.

CEO characteristics, management support for internal audit and corporate performance: an analysis of listed Malaysian companies

PurposeThis study aims to advance the discussion on internal audit (IA) findings by empirically investigating the relationship between chief executive officer (CEO) characteristics and the IA function, particularly IA findings and implementing IA recommendations and examining whether CEO and management support for IA moderate the effect of the recommendations on corporate performance.Design/methodology/approachData were gathered from two sources. A survey was conducted, directed at 217 heads of internal audit (HIAs) in listed companies on the Bursa Malaysia, and the annual reports of these companies for the period of 2018–2019 were consulted. A second survey was directed at audit committee chairs to obtain a perspective from other parties.FindingsThe results indicate that although CEO characteristics are not significantly associated with the number of IA findings, only CEO experience has a significant relationship with the level of the implementation of IA recommendations. The study also demonstrates that management support for IA is positively associated with corporate performance. Further, CEO experience and management support for IA increase the effects of the level to which those recommendations are implemented on corporate performance. However, the effect of management support on corporate performance is eliminated when it interacts with the involvement of CEOs in the HIA appointment and when these HIAs report directly to CEOs.Practical implicationsThese outcomes provide implications for policymakers, regulators and researchers. Malaysia’s regulatory authorities, as well as those in other countries, particularly emerging markets where the institutional and cultural environments have similar characteristics, could consider the evidence of the relationship between the CEO’s financial background, management support for IA and IA recommendations when guiding companies about the mechanisms for appointing HIAs. Simultaneously, the results obtained could be useful when auditors are involved in risk assessment and rely on IA recommendations.Originality/valueThis study adds to the literature on the significant relationship between CEO characteristics (particularly CEO experience) and the level of implementing IA recommendations. It advances the research efforts on management support for IA by providing empirical evidence of how such support fosters a greater role for IA in improving corporate performance, as well as moderates the effect of IA in that endeavour. Further, the present study contributes to the developing literature on determinants of corporate performance by considering how these variables perform in the Malaysian setting.

The Effect of CEO on Bank Efficiency: Evidence From Private Commercial Banks

The main purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Key attributes on the financial performance of banks. Current literature gives little attention to the important characteristics of CEOs, therefore, this paper investigates the effects of characteristics of CEOs, such as education, experience, nationality, military background (MTB), and political connectedness (PC), on the financial (return on assets) performance of listed private commercial banks in Pakistan. This research sample included 20 private commercial banks of Pakistan and used Secondary data that was derived from 2011 to 2020, which contained 200 sample observations. This paper used the Fixed effect model, Normality test, Breush–Pagan, white test, multi-collinearity, and Augmented Dickey–Fuller test to investigate the study hypotheses. The main results revealed that CEO MTB and PC significantly and positively affected the financial performance of the bank. It is also found that the CEO's education and Experience have a significant and positive relationships with bank profitability. In contrast, the nationality of the CEO has no significant relationship with the financial performance of the bank.

How Digital Transformation Influences Employee Outcomes: The Moderating Role of CEO Experience

This study examines whether a firm’s use of digital transformation influences employee work-related outcomes such as affective commitment, psychological safety, and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior and how chief executive officer (CEO) challenge experience alters the relationship between digital transformation and the employee outcomes. Based on 947 employees nested in 46 subsidiary firms, our multilevel analysis shows that, on average, the usage of a firm’s digital transformation is negatively related to employee’s affective commitment and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. However, we find that the negative effects of digital transformation on the three employee outcomes are buffered when the firms have a CEO with more challenge experiences. Our theory and findings suggest that the employment of CEOs with more challenge experiences can play an important role in weakening the negative effect of digital transformation on employee outcomes under the fourth industrial revolution, contributing to the literature on digital transformation, stress, and CEO experiences.

The effect of board multiple directorships and CEO characteristics on firm performance: evidence from Palestine

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the effect of board multiple directorships and chief executive officer (CEO) characteristics on firm performance among nonfinancial firms listed on the Palestine Security Exchange (PSE) during the period from 2009 to 2016. Design/methodology/approach – Based on 200 observations, this study utilizes panel data to examine the effect of the predictors on firm performance measured by return on assets. The analysis is repeated using the return on equity and two regression methods to evaluate the robustness of the main analysis (pooled regression, and backward stepwise regression analysis). Findings – The results show that the “busyness” of a CEO reduces their effectiveness and is associated with losses in the companies where they are in charge. On the other hand, the results show that CEO tenure, CEO experience and CEO political connections have a positive effect on corporate performance. Originality/value – This study is timely given that the practice of multiple directorships is widely common among firms in developing countries. Prior research in Palestine has not investigated the role of multiple directorships and the CEO characteristics on corporate outcomes. This study provides a picture of the potential benefits to firms, policymakers and professional bodies from considering CEO variables. The findings of such an examination can help them to set up suitable policies and enhance the role and the quality of the CEO in firms.

The effect of board multiple directorships and CEO characteristics on firm performance: evidence from Palestine

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to empirically examine the effect of board multiple directorships and chief executive officer (CEO) characteristics on firm performance among nonfinancial firms listed on the Palestine Security Exchange (PSE) during the period from 2009 to 2016.Design/methodology/approachBased on 200 observations, this study utilizes panel data to examine the effect of the predictors on firm performance measured by return on assets. The analysis is repeated using the return on equity and two regression methods to evaluate the robustness of the main analysis (pooled regression, and backward stepwise regression analysis).FindingsThe results show that the “busyness” of a CEO reduces their effectiveness and is associated with losses in the companies where they are in charge. On the other hand, the results show that CEO tenure, CEO experience and CEO political connections have a positive effect on corporate performance.Originality/valueThis study is timely given that the practice of multiple directorships is widely common among firms in developing countries. Prior research in Palestine has not investigated the role of multiple directorships and the CEO characteristics on corporate outcomes. This study provides a picture of the potential benefits to firms, policymakers and professional bodies from considering CEO variables. The findings of such an examination can help them to set up suitable policies and enhance the role and the quality of the CEO in firms.

Audit committee members with CEO experience and the value of cash holdings

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine whether the presence of an audit committee (AC) members with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) experience (supervisory experts) affects the market value of cash holdings.Design/methodology/approachTo estimate the marginal value of cash holdings, this study uses the model proposed by Faulkender and Wang (2006). The sample is 2,031 firm-year observations in Korea from 2000 through 2015.FindingsThe authors find that the presence of supervisory experts on ACs has a negative impact on the value of cash holdings. This result suggests that supervisory experts on ACs weaken monitoring of managerial actions. The authors also find that the negative effect of supervisory experts on the value of cash holdings is mitigated when there are other AC members with accounting expertise.Practical implicationsThe findings that AC supervisory expertise impairs the effectiveness of ACs, and thus destroys shareholder value have policy implications because the current regulations in many countries use a broad definition of financial expertise that includes supervisory expertise.Originality/valueThis is the first study that directly examines the effect of AC supervisory expertise on the value of cash holdings. The study also contributes to the literature on the role of ACs in emerging markets by documenting the limitations of corporate governance systems adopted from the Anglo–Saxon model.

CEO career horizons and earnings quality in family firms

PurposeThe present study examines the effect of the chief executive officer (CEO) career horizon (CH) problem on earnings quality (ERN) for selected family-controlled firms known to have a unique operational goal.Design/methodology/approachThe generalised method of moment linear regression model was used on a sample of family-controlled firms in Malaysia from 2005 to 2016.FindingsThe study found a negative relationship between CH and ERN, measured by earnings persistence and earnings predictability. However, in the earnings predictability model, the reverse was found to be the case after interacting CH with CEO family affiliation, CEO experience and CEO equity. However, the use of a reputable auditor could not mitigate the CH problem. Also, the study obtained a closely related result in the earnings persistence model. The result aligns with the socio-emotional wealth (SEW) theory, which states that the goals of family-controlled firms go beyond financial objectives to include other non-financial objectives, and hence, their commitment to perpetuating their dynasty encourages them to preserve the quality of their earnings.Originality/valueExisting studies on family firms and ERN have treated family firms as homogeneous entities by comparing family and non-family firms, using the underlying theoretical justification of the agency theory. However, this study departs from the agency theory, by considering those factors (i.e. the extent of CEO alignment with family owners and the choice of auditor), using the SEW theory, which establishes the differences among family firms. This work builds on that of Chen et al., (2018) and Ali and Zhang (2015), which suggested that corporate governance can mitigate the CH problem. Therefore, the strength of a CEO's attachment to the family firm (measured by CEO equity ownership and CEO affiliation to family members in family firms) and the choice of the auditor can explain the variation in the effect of the CH problem in family firms.

General Managerial Ability and Corporate Cash Holdings

This article examines whether the general managerial ability of a chief executive officer (CEO) is associated with corporate cash holdings. Integrating the agency and upper echelon theories, we predict that generalist CEOs hold more cash to meet the firm’s obligations or exploit future investment and growth opportunities. To test this conjecture, we incorporate the general managerial ability measure of Custodio et al. (2013) to the cash estimation model developed by Bates et al. (2009). The paper applies linear regression analysis with fixed effects by firm and year. Based on the findings, we confirm that general managerial ability is a valid determinant of corporate cash holdings. We find supportive evidence that extensive levels of human capital generality may result in a higher level of cash. Additional findings indicate that the effect of general managerial ability on the cash to total assets ratio is higher for financially constrained firms. We further show that the positive impact of general managerial ability on cash holdings is more evident for firms with higher levels of industry competition and low-tech industries. The empirical findings should assist investors, financial analysts, and shareholders in better understanding the CEOs’ effect on cash holdings at the firm level. This study addresses the debate concerning the implications of CEO experience in firm-level context. We contribute to the literature by examining how corporate policies are linked to managerial characteristics and how the CEO’s professional expertise influences corporate cash holdings. Our evidence adds to the existing knowledge about the real effects of CEOs skills and partially explains the variation in firm cash holdings.

The Effect of Corporate Governance on the Corruption of Firms in BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India & China)

This study examines the correlation between corporate governance and corruption (firm bribery) using 8885 firms in four emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRICs). The sample firms are collected from the World Bank Enterprise Survey database. To estimate the corruption of a firm, a logistics regression is used. The dependent variable of the logistics regression is a dummy variable on firm bribery while the test variables are a corporate governance metric composed of an ownership structure proxied by the percentage of the largest ownership and that of foreign ownership, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) characteristics proxied by CEO gender and CEO experience in the same sector, and an external audit on a firm’s financial statements. We find that firm bribery is negatively associated with the percentage of the largest ownership and external audit on financial statements, but is positively related to CEO experience. These results suggest that increases in the largest ownership, external audits on financial statements, and a shorter tenure of a CEO in the same sector are negatively associated with firm bribery in BRICs.

Chief human resources officers on top management teams: an empirical analysis of contingency, institutional, and homophily antecedents

Having the director of human resources (HR) as a member of the top management team (TMT) and giving him/her the title of chief human resources officer (CHRO) indicates an important strategic and symbolic choice. Such decisions not only determine who participates in controlling an organization and setting its strategic direction, but also reflect the organizational structure. In this paper, we examine the antecedents of CHRO presence according to the contingency, institutional, and homophily theories. Based on a multi-industry sample of 215 firms that considers a 10-year period, we find that the presence of a CHRO is influenced by the rates of unionization, rapid declines or increases in numbers of employees, the employment of a new or outsider chief executive officer (CEO), and the institutionalization of the CHRO position in the industry or firm. However, we find no evidence of the presumed influence of knowledge intensity or the CEO or TMT human resource management (HRM) experience. Overall, we find that the institutional theory has the highest explanatory power regarding the existence of CHRO positions.

Avoiding the “too comfortable in the saddle” syndrome: Obtaining high performance from the chairperson, CEO and inside directors

When the chairperson and chief executive officer experience long co-tenure working together building knowledge and understanding, strategizing, and developing company-specific resources there can be significant organization performance gains. However the broader board context, especially the insider ratio – the number of executive directors as a proportion of the total number of directors – provides clues as to whether an organization is in a less productive configuration. In this study data from 102 Australian Stock Exchange listed companies is gathered on corporate governance configurations and organization performance. Australia is an interesting setting because the chairperson and chief executive officer roles are generally separated, in contrast to the United States. Results show that organizations with long co-tenure benefit from having a lower insider ratio. Implications are discussed including how the chairperson and chief executive officer working with a large number of inside directors can become “too comfortable in the saddle” negatively impacting performance.

Valuable Choices: Prominent Venture Capitalists’ Influence on Startup CEO Replacements

This paper explores how prominent venture capitalists (VCs) affect chief executive officer (CEO) replacement in startups. Defining prominence using eigenvector centrality, we use matching methods and instrumental variables to show that startup CEO replacement occurs more often and faster when prominent VCs participate. We further explore these VCs’ comparative advantage in managing CEO turnover, finding that the prominent VC effects increase as replacement costs rise, such as when incumbent CEOs are entrenched or possess specialized technology know-how, or when startups are in an early stage. When prominent VCs participate, replacement CEOs are disproportionately experienced outsiders—external hires who possess prior startup CEO experience. Our results reveal that CEO turnover is associated with increases in startups’ ex post innovation and survival performance, with experienced outsider CEO replacements showing the strongest survival rates. This paper was accepted by Gustavo Manso, finance.

Influences on Strategic Planning Processes among Irish SMEs

In this study we argue that the approach to strategy formation reflects organizational and individual influences. The study, based on questionnaire responses from 359 firms, examines a number of organizational and individual factors influencing the type of strategy formation process adopted. The constructs of strategic posture, organization structure, management ownership, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) experience are measured. Three models predicting strategy formation approaches are explored. First, an organizational model emphasizing the impact of strategic posture and organization structure is analyzed. Second, a model is tested dealing with CEO and top management team characteristics reflecting the effects of agency costs and experience base. Finally, an integrative model combining both organizational and individual factors is evaluated. The results highlight the importance of organizational factors and show, for instance, that entrepreneurial firms tend to adopt more formal strategic planning approaches, while conservative firms adopt more incremental approaches. In addition, both management shareholding and CEO experience are negatively related to formal strategic planning activities.

Contextual Influences on Executive Selection: Firm Characteristics and CEO Experience

This study examines the relationship between antecedent organizational characteristics and the pre‐succession experience of individuals chosen as chief executive officer (CEO) – relationships that have received limited attention in past research. A sample of 214 CEO selection decisions was used to test hypothesized relationships between the firm characteristics of size, performance, growth, advertising intensity, risk and individual attributes pertaining to the experience of selected CEOs. Results indicate the following relationships: pre‐succession profitability, size and advertising intensity are associated with the chosen executives' organizational tenure levels; pre‐succession firm size and risk are associated with the age of selected CEOs; and, pre‐succession profitability and advertising intensity are associated with type of functional background experience. Findings provide new insights into the relative importance of pre‐succession experience associated with different organizational contexts in CEO selection decisions.

The management of information technology, governance, and managerial characteristics

Abstract. Using a sample of Fortune 500 industrial firms, this study hypothesizes that various infra‐organizational factors, including those commonly associated with agency, governance and managerial characteristics of the firm, that affect the decision to create a top management executive position for a chief information officer (CIO). Statistically meaningful relationships were observed between the creation of a top executive CIO position and (1) top management's equity interests, (2) the number of outside directors on the board, (3) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) age, and (4) CEO Experience.