Corporate Decisions Research Articles

Can board of directors’ faultlines improve corporate innovation performance? Evidence from China

Innovation, which is a pivotal force behind the sustained growth of enterprises, has garnered significant attention across various industries. As the epicenter of corporate decision-making, the board of directors plays a pivotal role in allocating resources and overseeing the execution of strategy. Consequently, it inevitably impacts the innovation capabilities of a business. Previous research has focused primarily on single board member characteristics, such as age, gender, tenure, and educational qualifications, overlooking the cumulative influence of multiple attributes. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of faultlines arising from the intersection of these characteristics within a board on innovation performance. Using panel data from China’s A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2021, this research constructs a framework to analyze board faultlines based on gender, age, education, director tenure, independence status, and occupational background. A comprehensive examination reveals a positive association between board faultlines and innovation performance, indicating that diversity within a board can foster enhanced innovative outputs. These findings persist even after rigorous robustness tests, including two-stage instrumental variable regression using lagged innovation performance as well as when substituting explanatory variables and sample intervals. Further analysis reveals that the influence of board faultlines on innovation performance is significant only under certain contextual conditions: when equity concentration is low, industry competition is intense, and risk aversion is greater. This study offers valuable insights for optimizing board membership configurations and thus, ultimately, enhancing the innovation capabilities of enterprises.

Impact of post-IPO investments on the long-term financial market performance of Japanese IPOs: A preregistered report

This pre-registered report seeks to understand how investments made after a firm's initial public offering (IPO) impact its long-run IPO financial performance. That IPOs substantially underperform three to five years after going public (Loughran and Ritter, 1995) has been much debated with various factors implicated in causing the “new issues puzzle”. However, few studies focus on how firms actually spend their IPO capital and the associated impacts of those choices on long-term performance. By empirically testing the impact of the actual “use of proceeds” by newly public IPOs, the proposed study will bridge this gap. It can also inform corporate decision making by addressing how spending on debt repayment, fixed assets, working capital, and investments in shares, as well as investments in shares of stock, secondary stock, and foreign direct investments impact a firm's long-term financial market performance.

Fuzzy logic framework for financial distress prediction: Enhancing corporate decision-making under uncertainty

This research aims to develop an enhanced Fuzzy Logic Framework for Financial Distress Prediction to improve corporate decision-making under uncertainty. The primary objective is to address limitations in traditional fuzzy logic models, such as static rule bases and lack of adaptability to dynamic financial conditions. To achieve this, a time-dependent fuzzy logic system is proposed, incorporating real-time financial data and adaptive learning mechanisms to improve predictive accuracy over time. The research design involves creating a dynamic fuzzy rule base, assigning weights to rules based on predictive performance, and optimizing membership functions and rule weights using real-time data. The methodology applies the proposed framework to financial indicators such as liquidity, profitability, and leverage, with a numerical example demonstrating the system's effectiveness in predicting financial distress. The results show that the model can accurately predict financial distress levels, with a predicted distress value of 0.588 compared to an actual value of 0.6. The model’s ability to update rule weights and optimize predictions over time represents a significant improvement over static fuzzy logic models. This research fills a critical gap in financial distress prediction by introducing a dynamic, adaptive fuzzy logic framework that evolves with real-time data. The model offers significant implications for both academics and industry, providing a tool for more accurate risk assessment in volatile financial environments. However, further research is needed to refine the model’s computational efficiency and test its long-term predictive capabilities across different industries

Product Market Competition and Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from China

Synopsis The research problem This study analyzes the relationship between product market competition (PMC) and stock price crash risk in China, especially for firms with weak corporate governance and a lower-quality information environment. Motivation Emerging capital markets like China have less-developed financial systems and institutions compared to developed capital markets like Europe and the United States, making them more susceptible to stock price crash risk. The impact of product market competition (PMC) on corporate decision-making has attracted considerable attention from scholars, especially given the increasingly intense and complex strategic competition in global markets and uncertainty in the world today. However, the effect of PMC on a firm’s stock price crash risk has not been thoroughly explored. Therefore, this study investigated how PMC affects managers’ tendency to hoard bad news and how this behavior contributes to the risk of stock price crashes. The test hypotheses We tested two competing hypotheses: PMC is negatively correlated with crash risk, and PMC is positively correlated with crash risk. Target population This study should be of interest to stakeholders, including firm managers, practitioners, regulatory authorities, policymakers, and investors. Adopted methodology This study employed ordinary least squares (OLS), difference-in-differences analysis (DID), and path analysis. Analysis Using a sample of Chinese A-share listed manufacturing firms from 2000 to 2021, this study found that competitive pressure from the product market encouraged managers to hide bad news, thereby increasing future stock price crash risk. Moreover, we performed additional tests to examine how PMC affected stock price crash risk. Findings We found robust evidence that PMC significantly increases stock price crash risk. Further tests showed that the effect of PMC on crash risk is more pronounced for firms with weak corporate governance and a lower-quality information environment. We also provide evidence that firms in highly competitive industries tend to disclose fewer negative words in the management discussion and analysis section of the annual report and fewer risk factors in the internal control report. Moreover, we show that operational risk is the underlying driver through which PMC affects crash risk.

Empowering Accounting with Artificial Intelligence

AI is entering the accounting profession. What should accountants do to get the most out of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their daily jobs? The Tilburg Winter Symposium and Research Camp, themed “Empowering Accounting with Artificial Intelligence,” brought practitioners and researchers together in a two-day event on this important topic. While the tasks and opportunities for AI are numerous, the conference’s overarching conversation suggests that the core of the accountant’s profession is likely to evolve rather than disappear. This evolution requires accountants to redefine their roles by focusing more on how AI can assist in strategic decision-making. Furthermore, participating experts recommend that accountants set up operational and organizational structures and manage stakeholder involvement when using AI, so that the right questions can be asked to ensure that AI can assist in improving corporate decisions.

UTILIZATION OF BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE IN BUSINESS DECISION MAKING

Making wise and well-informed company decisions at a time where data is the most valuable resource requires the application of business intelligence (BI). Big Data is handled by modern BI, which also benefits from more processing power, fast data access, opportunity detection, and risk mitigation. In order to correctly represent the facts, this research employs a qualitative technique and gathers data from several sources. The study's findings demonstrate the importance of business intelligence in corporate decision-making. In order to assist educated decision-making, plan development plans, and offer insight into internal and external performance, business intelligence (BI) gathers data from a variety of sources. Implementing BI necessitates a business and technological expertise, but it also makes difficult data analysis easier, boosts productivity, and helps identify possibilities and resolve issues. Business Intelligence (BI) is critical to success in the current day because it gives reliable information, increases operational efficiency, and assists management in making decisions that are responsive to changes in the market. The study's findings also demonstrate how BI gathers information from a variety of sources to offer perception into the market, consumer behavior, and internal business performance.

Party control and corporate labour investment: evidence from China

ABSTRACT Our focus of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of how political parties engage with businesses. Specifically, we investigate how government intervention impacts the strategic decisions on hiring and subsequent labour investment efficiency in Chinese listed firms. A unique aspect of this study lies in the adoption of a difference-in-difference framework using the mandatory requirement by the China Securities Regulatory Commission to establish a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) branch in 2018 as an exogenous shock. We find a significant influence of the formation of CCP on employment growth accompanied by enhanced investment efficiency in labour. Further analysis reveals that understaffed firms primarily drive these outcomes. Moreover, our findings suggest heterogeneous effects across firms based on labour cost, state ownership, or audited by the Big Four accounting firms. Moreover, labour productivity has also improved because of the formation of a CCP branch. Finally, our results are robust to an alternative measure of labour investment efficiency. In conclusion, this research offers valuable insights into the considerable sway the government holds on corporate decision-making.

Firm ownership structure and voluntary carbon disclosure: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose This study aims to systematically consolidate and quantitatively integrate the mixed empirical results on the association between ownership mechanisms and voluntary carbon disclosure using meta-analysis and further propose potential country-level moderators of this relationship. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply meta-analytic procedures on 55 empirical studies conducted during 2008–2022, covering 13 countries, 85 effect sizes and 226,473 firm-year observations. To gauge the significance of the estimated mean effect size, a random-effects Hedges and Olkin meta-analysis procedure is adopted, followed by a restricted maximum likelihood based meta-regression, to test the effect of possible moderators. Findings Aligned with agency and stakeholder theories, the results highlight institutional and state ownership (SO) as having a significant positive impact on voluntary carbon disclosure. On the other hand, ownership concentration, managerial and foreign ownership have an insignificant effect on voluntary carbon disclosure. Based on institutional theory perspectives, the authors confirm the impact of institutional ownership on voluntary carbon disclosure to be more prominent in civil law countries and those countries that have implemented an emission trading scheme (ETS). Practical implications The finding that institutional and SO in firms can translate into higher voluntary disclosures deems investors and the government as crucial stakeholders in achieving carbon neutrality. Furthermore, the finding that the effect of institutional investors on carbon disclosure is heightened in ETS-implemented countries provides evidence to the regulatory authorities in favour of this scheme. Social implications The positive impact of institutional and government ownership on voluntary carbon disclosure highlights that these ownership structures not only have the potential to transform corporate decisions but also have implications for the wider society. As firms owned by institutional investors disclose their carbon information, it provides access to critical information about their environmental practices to the public. This fosters an environment of transparency and trust between the firm and its stakeholders (the community), leading to an overall well-informed society. Originality/value While prior meta-reviews studied the impact of corporate governance on voluntary disclosures, the meta-literature, as of 2024, has yet to address its influence specifically on carbon disclosures, which are pertinent amidst the ongoing global climate change crisis. The findings inform policymakers about the pivotal institutional factors that can amplify the impact of effective ownership structures on voluntary carbon disclosure. Future scope exists for investigating the effects of ownership mechanisms on firm-level sustainable investments. Furthermore, future empirical analysis could consider the moderating influence of “culture” and “ease of doing business” on the ownership-carbon disclosure relationship.

Corporate Legal Dogmatics on the Revocation of Share Donation Due to Breach of the Duty of Loyalty

Abstract The article is devoted to the research of the institution of revocation of share donation and, mainly based on the interrelationship of German civil and corporate law, proposes a dogmatics intended for use in the development of a uniform Georgian judicial law on the issue. Failure to use corporate legal specifi cs and legal dogmatics in the cancellation of the share donation agreement, which is the direction taken in the latest Georgian judicial practice, may lead to outcomes detrimental to corporate governance and business development. The management of any entrepreneurial entity and, especially, capital-type corporation essentially depends on how the partner will enjoy the rights derived from his share and what influence he will be able to have on making corporate decisions. Of course, it is the general legal duty of the company partner, under both private and corporate law, to exercise the rights arising from the membership in good faith, for the benefi t of the common public interest, to reject any individual mercantile intentions and ensure the company’s management process with a high standard of duty of loyalty. In violation of this standard, the partner may be held individually liable in case of damage to the enterprise, which is considered a kind of neutralizing deterrent against the violation of the duty of corporate loyalty. Establishing such a uniform judicial practice of cancelling the share donation agreement, without considering the specifics of corporate law, threatens to severely constrain the realization and implementation of the rights arising from the share itself, which is not allowed in corporate law.

From words to finances: Unraveling the negative net debt-languages nexus

Using an international dataset, we find that firms in countries with languages that lack a clear distinction between present and future tenses, leading to weaker future time references, are more likely to adopt negative net debt. This conservative and non-standard financing policy is notably pronounced among financially constrained firms, those with weaker governance, and those operating in highly competitive industries. Interestingly, this increase in negative net debt with weak-FTR is higher in countries with more established institutions, financial systems, and legal frameworks, which typically exhibit a lower prevalence of financial conservatism and a weaker influence of informal institutions on corporate decisions.

The Business Judgment Rule as a Protective Armor for Directors’ Responsibilities: A Comparative Study Among Mauritius, United Kingdom, and United States

Abstract The business judgment rule (BJR) is a corporate law doctrine that protects a decision of directors from fairness review by a court of law unless there is sufficient evidence that the director has breached his fiduciary duties or that the decision-making process is tainted. Given that the BJR acts as a protective armor for directors as their personal liability is not engaged for a corporate decision irrespective of its outcomes provided that some requirements are satisfied, the purpose of this paper is to critically assess whether directors of Mauritian companies are sufficiently protected and encouraged in the exercise of their duties. To achieve the research objective, the black letter research method was adopted to collect secondary data and a comparative analysis with some other countries’ rules on business judgment was conducted. A desk-based approach and content analysis were used to collect this information. The countries selected for the comparison are the United Kingdom and United States. Mauritian law does not afford protection to directors for decisions taken based on business judgment whereas this research has demonstrated that the laws of other countries being the United Kingdom and the United States as well as their judicial instances both recognize and apply the BJR.

Media and social media sentiment and CEO pay cuts

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between media and social media sentiment and the likelihood of CEO pay cuts. The purpose is to examine whether and how these pay cuts influence market reactions. The study aims to provide insights into how external sentiment affects corporate decision-making and market perceptions, particularly in the context of CEO compensation.Design/methodology/approachUsing a sample of 6,331 firm-year observations from 2015 to 2021, this paper employs quantitative analysis to assess the association between media and social media sentiment and CEO pay cuts. We utilise company DEF14A SEC filings to identify CEO pay cut dates and capture traditional media and Twitter sentiment 30-days prior to these filing dates.FindingsWe find a negative association between media and social media sentiment and CEO pay cuts, indicating that firms facing more negative sentiment are more likely to engage in pay cuts. We find evidence that CEO pay cuts are negatively correlated with market reactions, suggesting markets generally do not seem to favour decisions to cut CEO pay. This relationship, however, is complex and influenced by multiple factors, including the nature of sentiment and the specific components of CEO compensation.Research limitations/implicationsThe study faces limitations in identifying the varying degrees of pay cuts and their motivations. Additionally, the content of news articles and Twitter posts used to measure sentiment was not specifically identified, which may affect the accuracy of sentiment measurement.Practical implicationsThis research offers valuable insights for managers and corporate decision-makers, highlighting the potential impact of public sentiment on critical executive compensation decisions.Social implicationsThe study underscores the influence of media and social media in shaping public opinion and driving corporate actions, highlighting the growing intersection between social perceptions and corporate governance. This has broader implications for how firms engage with media platforms and manage their public image, particularly in the realm of executive compensation.Originality/valueWe are the first to study the impact of media and social media sentiment on CEO compensation decisions and market reactions. By employing DEF14A filings as event dates for market reaction studies, we offer a novel approach to analysing the impact of executive compensation changes on market behaviour.

Co‐opted Independent Directors and Firms' Environmental Performance

ABSTRACTResearch Question/IssueConsidering escalating environmental concerns and the important role of board members in shaping strategic corporate decisions, we investigate the relationship between co‐opted independent directors and firms' environmental performance.Research Findings/InsightsExamining US firms from 2002 to 2018, we document a significant negative relationship between co‐opted independent directors and firm environmental performance. Our findings show that while institutional ownership and CEO power exacerbate the negative association, strong corporate governance mitigates this negative impact of co‐opted independent directors on environmental performance. The cross‐sectional results show that the relationship is pronounced in firms with young CEOs, male CEOs, and low CEO compensation. Further, the relationship is also prevalent in boards with fewer meetings, high multiple directors, and higher compensation, indicating a monitoring compromise by independent co‐opted directors.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsReasonable theoretical arguments are drawn from agency theory and the theory of friendly boards, and our statistical analysis supports the academic position of the theory of friendly boards. The negative effect of independent co‐opted directors on firm environmental performance challenges the role of independent directors in addressing agency issues in environmental efforts, hinting at a departure from conventional agency theory expectations.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsTo improve environmental performance, firms should reconsider their board structures, acknowledging the potential drawbacks of co‐opted independent directors. Our findings challenge the Sarbanes–Oxley Act's (SOX) emphasis on increasing the number of outside directors, which assumes independent board members will rigorously oversee executives. Such legislation is greatly based on the premise that independent board members strictly monitor executives. However, our findings indicate that not all independent directors are strict monitors, as demonstrated by lower environmental performance when there are more co‐opted independent directors.

Alleged Delay in Notification of Takeover of Shares of Pt Kadi Indonesia Manufaktur by Nippo Corporation Decision: 16/KPPU-M/2023

Alleged Delay in Notification of Takeover of Shares of Pt Kadi Indonesia Manufaktur by Nippo Corporation Decision: 16/KPPU-M/2023

Beyond transparency: Unpacking the financial effects of third-party environmental disclosure in China's semiconductor sector

This study aims to investigate the impact of third-party environmental information disclosure (EiD) on the corporate financial performance (CFP) of Chinese semiconductor companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2008 to 2022. Utilizing the two-way fixed effects model and method of moments quantile regression (MMQR), the results reveal that for each unit increase in third-party EiD index, there is a corresponding 0.87% increase in investments returns. However, this impact is moderated by the presence of female executives and strengthened by CEO political ties. The findings further identify financial constraints and green subsidies as mediating mechanisms, indicating that while financial constraints can deter third-party EiD adoption, green subsidies can facilitate it. High transparency does not always result in financial gains despite the general benefits. This study contributes to understanding the role of third-party EiD in driving corporate sustainability and provides empirical evidence regarding the financial and operational implications of voluntary engagement of the public in environmental governance. Such findings can inform corporate decision-making and policy formulation, encouraging more firms to participate in environmental regulation initiatives voluntarily.

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Its Effect on the Flow of Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions (M&As)

Extant research finds effective intellectual property rights (IPR) protection encourages firms to initiate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals. IPR strengthening positively affects firms’ research and development activities and thus their innovative ability. Consequently, acquirer firms can improve their innovation quotient by pursuing target firms in regions undertaking IPR protection and enforcement measures. The present study examines the impact of IPR protection on 20,363 inbound M&A deals engaged in 42 countries between the years 2014 to 2019. Differing from the use of conventionally employed, Ginarte and Park index available in a five-yearly interval, which evaluates only Patents, this paper proxies IPR strengthening through a more comprehensive annual intellectual property (IP) index (covering other intellectual assets like copyrights, trademarks, etc. besides patents) constructed by Global Innovation Policy Center, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Estimates from panel regression, including country and year-fixed effects, indicate that reforms that improve IP protection in a target country are positively and, to a more considerable extent, significantly associated with an increase in inbound cross-border M&As. In addition, the impact is weakly significant when target firms belong to emerging countries. This study sheds light on whether IPR protection influences corporate decision-making. The results suggest that acquirers look forward to regions undertaking efforts to improve their IP ecosystem, either to protect their intellectual capital transmitted through technology transfer or to acquire targets high on innovative quotient.

Determinants of Accounting Information System Quality and Its Impact on Accounting Information Quality: Study on Hospitality in Semarang City, Indonesia

This research intends to investigate the user capabilities and culture of an organization on the quality of accounting information systems and its impact on information quality. A quantitative approach was adopted, and 82 questionnaires were distributed to hotel employees in Semarang, Indonesia working in the accounting department. Partial least squares are used to achieve numerical results that can explain the phenomenon under study. The research results show that users’ technical abilities and organizational culture have a positive effect on the quality of accounting information systems. The influence of users’ technical capabilities and organizational culture on the quality of accounting information systems has an impact on the quality of accounting information. This research is one of the first to link user capabilities and the culture of the organization to the quality of accounting information systems and its impact on information quality. This contributes to decision usefulness theory, highlighting systems of accounting information systems and quality of information, systems of accounting information are created to produce good quality information that can be used as a basis for corporate decision-making. The results also contribute to the systems of accounting information literature.

How female leadership and auditor affiliations shape audit fees: evidence from Egypt

Purpose This study aims to examine how female directors on corporate boards and audit committees, and auditor affiliations (Big 4 versus Egyptian firms affiliated with foreign auditors), influence audit fees. This examination is driven by the global call for increased female representation in leadership roles and its potential implications for audit quality and financial transparency. Design/methodology/approach A sample of non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange is used for the period 2011–2020. The authors used multivariate regression models, the Heckman two-stage and tokenism to support the analysis. Findings The results are threefold. First, this analysis reveals that female directors, whether on corporate boards or audit committees, are more likely to choose higher-quality audits in the form of high audit fees. Second, both Big 4 firms and Egyptian audit firms affiliated with foreign auditors are positively associated with audit fees and earn significant audit fee premiums. Third, a minor difference in audit fee premiums could be attributed to the existence of female directors. Research limitations/implications Future research may expand the analysis performed in this study by investigating the characteristics related to female directors (e.g. education, experience and age) on audit fees. Practical implications This study suggests insights for regulatory bodies, corporate decision-makers, auditors and corporate governance researchers. For instance, this study reveals that the Big 4 are not homogenous and provide different audit quality levels along with significant audit fee premiums. Originality/value This study extends and contributes to the growing literature on female representation in corporate leadership. First, this study adds to the limited research in Egypt by examining the effect of female board representation on audit quality. Second, this study adds to the extant literature on the gender of financial experts by demonstrating that female financial expert is more likely to demand high-quality audits. Finally, the results have significant implications for policymakers. For instance, this study reveals that the Big 4 are not homogenous and provide different audit quality levels along with significant audit fee premiums.

Ageing effect: the impact of chair-CEO age dissimilarity on investment efficiency

ABSTRACT According to different research paradigms, the impact of chair-CEO age dissimilarity on corporate decision-making may have a bright side or a dark side. This paper discusses the effect of chair-CEO age dissimilarity on investment efficiency in China. Using the sample of public firms from 2005 to 2019, we find an ‘ageing effect’ that a normative age gap between the chair and CEO improves firms’ investment efficiency by mitigating under-investment. Our finding deepens the understanding of the antecedent and the mechanism of investment efficiency from the micro-perspective of executives’ age differences.

What induces corporations to engage in controversial marketing and environmental practices? A linguistic perspective

PurposeLinguists classify the world’s languages into two types: futured and futureless. Futured languages (e.g. French) require speakers to grammatically mark future events, a construction that is optional in futureless languages such as German. This treatise examines whether the grammatical structure of the predominant language in a given country explains firms’ propensity to engage in controversial marketing and environmental management practices. This is expected to happen because a speaker’s future time perspective and temporal discounting vary depending on the type of language used.Design/methodology/approachThe sample period for this research was from 2001 to 2020. The sample of the study consists of 5,275 firms representing 47 countries. The sample is comprised of firms from 29 countries where the predominant language is a strong future time reference (FTR) language and 18 countries with a weak-FTR language. The maximum number of firm-country-year observations of the study was 39,956. This study employed multi-level mixed effects modelling as well as other relevant estimation techniques such as random effect panel regression, ordinary least square regression and two-stage least square regression.FindingsThis research empirically demonstrates that firms based in countries where the predominant language requires speakers to grammatically differentiate between the present and the future – known as strong-FTR or futured languages – engage more often in controversial marketing- and environment-related practices than those located in countries where the predominant language does not necessarily require grammatical differentiation between the present and the future (known as weak-FTR or futureless languages).Practical implicationsThe findings are important for managers of firms with foreign subsidiary operations: top management teams of such firms need to be aware that their foreign subsidiaries’ propensity to engage in controversial marketing and environmental management practices varies depending on the predominant language those subsidiaries use. Also, firms located in countries with weak-FTR languages need to be more rigorous in their selection process when considering forming a joint venture or acquiring a firm in countries with strong-FTR languages.Originality/valueThe current research enriches the burgeoning body of literature on the effect of language on corporate decision-making. It extends the body of knowledge on the impact of language structure on firms’ inclination to engage in controversial marketing and environmental management practices.