UK Firms Research Articles

Carbon performance, carbon disclosure, and economic performance: the mediating role of carbon (media) legitimacy in the UK

There has been a continuous and controversial debate about the relationship between carbon performance, carbon disclosure, and economic performance. This study investigates whether corporate economic performance is influenced by carbon performance and disclosure and whether carbon (media) legitimacy mediates such relationships. This study provides a broader understanding of the relationship between carbon performance, disclosure, and economic performance by investigating the mediating role of carbon (media) legitimacy, and offers further evidence from the UK context. Based on a balanced panel data of 95 UK firms between 2009 and 2014 (amounting to 475 observations in total) and using path analysis, we find that improving the company’s carbon performance is not financed by shareholders, and carbon (media) legitimacy as an intangible asset enhances the economic performance of the firm. We also find that while carbon disclosure does not directly improve economic performance, it indirectly does so via carbon (media) legitimacy. Finally, the results show while carbon performance is not reflected in carbon (media) legitimacy, carbon disclosure as a legitimizing tool strongly enhances carbon (media) legitimacy. Overall, our results suggest that voluntary carbon disclosure, regardless of the firm’s underlying carbon performance, is an effective tool to manage corporate (media) legitimacy, and subsequently improve economic performance. Thus, voluntary carbon disclosure in the UK may hinder future improvements in a firm’s carbon performance.  Â

Regulation of Compensation and Systemic Risk: Evidence from the UK

ABSTRACTThis paper studies the consequences of regulating executive compensation at financial institutions by examining the introduction of the UK Remuneration Code in 2010, which aimed to change the decision‐making horizon and risk‐taking incentives of bank executives. We find that, although both banks and nonbanks show increased contribution and sensitivity to systemic risk in the United Kingdom post‐2010, this increase is lower for UK banks, in line with the intent of the regulation. However, UK banks also experience higher unforced CEO turnover when compared to other UK firms. Therefore, while the regulation may have had the desired effect on systemic risk, it may also have given rise to some unintended consequences.

Encouraging firms to adopt beneficial new behaviors: Lessons from a large-scale cluster-randomized field experiment

Policymakers are interested in how to encourage firms to adopt beneficial new behaviors. In this study, we report on the results of an experiment to encourage firms to file their annual accounts electronically and on time. Our intervention involved UK firms filing their annual company accounts to an official registrar of companies. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial, we found behaviorally informed letters had no detectable effect on encouraging firms to file electronically. A letter using a social norm had a small (2.4%, p=0.053) effect on encouraging firms to file on time. The trial indicates behavioral science in this context has limited use in influencing firms to adopt new behaviors. We conclude more evidence is required to understand which behavioral interventions will have the most impact on influencing firm behavior in different contexts.

Stated Preferences for the Adoption of IFRS and UK GAAP: Case Study Vignettes

Our aim is to see if the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is beneficial. Our methodology involved both quantitative methods (with non-parametric tests) and qualitative methods (with case study vignettes) in a complementary way, as in the ‘mixed method’. Our objective was to use a formal metric, adapted from economic choice theory, to analyze choosing behavior in firms over financial reporting standards, using calculated ratio and net utilities. Our evidence and analysis are based on a random sample of twenty-one UK firms. From these firms, primary source data were collected, using questionnaires and fieldwork interview tools, to enable the testing of our hypothesis that the adoption of IFRS was beneficial. Using robust non-parametric statistical tests, we found that public firms which had to adopt IFRS, as a matter of necessary policy compliance, often perceived this imposed choice to be unbeneficial, refuting our null hypothesis. This finding is highly statistically significant. The implication of our qualitative evidence was that this perception of lack of benefit in adopting IFRS created a voice for regulatory change.

Brexit and the contraction of syndicated lending

We document a 24% decline in loan issuances in the UK syndicated loan market after the Brexit vote relative to a set of comparable loan markets. The decline in lending is driven by a pervasive reduction in demand by UK firms. Changes in GDP forecast around the Brexit vote explain about 61% of the decline in lending. We do not find evidence, however, that the United Kingdom loses its attractiveness as a financial center for cross-border lending. Our results point to the resilience of global financial centers in the face of large unexpected shocks.

The impact of audit quality on real earnings management in the UK context

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether audit quality influence real earnings management activities using a sample of UK listed firms that have strong incentives to manage earnings upward through meeting past year’s earnings as a benchmark in the post-adoption period of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Design/methodology/approach The authors use a sample of 4,774 firm-year observations of UK listed firms during the period 2005–2018. Univariate and multivariate analyses have been conducted to test the association after controlling for firm characteristics and institutional variables. Findings The study reports that the presence of Big 4 auditors is significantly and positively related with greater levels of sales and discretionary expenses manipulation. Though the authors do not find any conclusive evidence on production costs manipulation, the aggregated measure of real earnings management shows a significant positive association with the presence of Big 4 auditors. Practical implications The study implies that managers who have incentives to manage earnings upward around the UK firms take advantage of the accounting flexibility in defining policies while reducing information asymmetry among the investors to signal better future performance. The approach to detect earnings manipulation as described in the auditing standards fails to limit the managerial use of real activities due to limited scope and unclear guidance. Thus, due to the significant impact on public policies, the results should, therefore, be of interest to the regulators and standard setters. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines the association between audit quality and real earnings management for the UK all-purpose operational firms in sampled data that just meet past year’s earnings as a benchmark in the post-IFRS period.

Impact of the Brexit vote announcement on long-run market performance

We examine how the Brexit announcement influenced the market performance of British and European listed firms over a 12-month horizon after the announcement. Using daily data and a sample composed of 3,015 European listed firms (805 UK and 2,210 non-UK), we find that the Brexit announcement affected negatively the one-year financial performance of British (UK hereafter) firms and European non-British (non-UK hereafter) firms that conduct most of their business activities within the British area. We also provide the new evidence that, after the Brexit announcement, analysts’ earnings forecasts and the operational performance decreased, and the return volatility increased for UK firms. These novel results in the literature show definitively that the Brexit announcement has reduced the financial and operational performance over a 12-month period but exclusively for firms involved in British businesses.

Managerial tools used to meet or beat analyst forecasts: Evidence from the UK

This paper examines the tools that managers use to meet or beat analyst forecasts in the post-International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) period, using a sample of UK firms for the period 2005 to 2015. Our results are consistent with the view that managers utilize both classification shifting and managerial guidance to hit analyst forecasts. The results suggest that managers are more likely to continue to exercise their discretion in using these two tools following the adoption of IFRS. This paper supports the argument that managers engage in classification shifting, and IFRS adoption is more likely to increase market demand for more disclosuresthrough managerial guidance. In contrast, there is weak evidence to suggest that real earnings management or accrual earnings management are used to hit analyst forecasts. Our results are expected to be of interest to policymakers, regulators, and external auditors.

The Check Is in the Mail: Can Disclosure Reduce Late Payments to Suppliers?

A common corporate cash management strategy is to delay payments owed to suppliers. We examine whether buyers pay suppliers faster in response to a recent regulatory change in the United Kingdom that mandates the public disclosure of buyers’ payment practices. We find that after the regulatory change, UK firms subject to this regulation shortened their payment periods relative to several control samples of firms that were not subject to the regulation. In cross-sectional tests, we predict and find that this shortening of the payment period is attenuated for firms that are less able to bear the costs of paying suppliers faster. Specifically, we find that the reduction in the payment period is smaller for buyers that (i) have longer operating cycles, (ii) depend more heavily on trade credit as a source of external financing, and (iii) pay dividends. In supplemental tests using proprietary data, we find that buyers subject to this regulation reduced their trade credit that is overdue by 30 days or more. However, this reduction is partially offset by an increase in the trade credit that is overdue by less than 30 days. Our findings are important in light of the ongoing debate in other regimes (e.g., the United States) on whether to require additional disclosures of trade credit.

Two‐stage decision‐making within the firm: Analysis and case studies

This article analyses, with case study illustrations, a two‐stage decision support technique for making informed choices within firms. The technique can assist managers by the use of simple decision‐tree diagrams, assigning values to its branches. The technique is based on the microeconomics of choice orderings, and we demonstrate how appropriate decision trees can be constructed and applied. This technique is illustrated by three case study vignettes based on real actions of UK firms. These show how such decision trees can both aid our understanding of choices made and assist in the practice of choosing financial reporting regimes and techniques.

How corporate social responsibility mediates the relationship between corporate governance and sustainability performance in UK: a multiple mediator analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct and indirect links between corporate governance and sustainability performance using corporate social responsibility.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a sample consisting of 300 UK firms over the 2005–2017 period. This study applied structural equations models that specify both a direct and an indirect link between corporate governance and sustainability performance.FindingsThe authors find that corporate governance has a positive effect on sustainability performance. In addition, this study shows that corporate social responsibility fully mediates the relationship between corporate governance and sustainability performance in UK firms.Practical implicationsThis study shows that firms are invited to engage more in sustainability performance and corporate social responsibility activities, which reduces agency conflicts between managers and shareholders.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, no research studies examined empirically the direct and indirect relationship between corporate governance and sustainability performance. Therefore, the main contribution of this research is to show how corporate governance effectiveness leads to higher corporate social responsibility level and sustainability performance using two analyses methods (mediator analysis and multiple mediator analysis).

Financial Reporting Quality and Investors' Divergence of Opinion*

ABSTRACTThe main purpose of this study is to analyze the association of financial reporting quality and investors' divergence of opinion. We focus on UK firms listed on the London Stock Exchange. Divergence of opinion is measured by two proxies based on unexpected trading volume and by dispersion in analysts' forecasts made one and two years ahead. Previous literature shows that the amount of firms' disclosure is negatively associated with the dispersion in analysts' forecasts. The results obtained in our study show that the quality of the disclosure is negatively associated with divergence of opinion, whether it is proxied by measures of unexpected trading volume or dispersion in analysts' forecasts. Financial reporting quality affects divergence of opinion not only in the months that immediately follow the disclosure of the reports but in the whole year that follows.

Do CEO overconfidence and narcissism affect corporate social responsibility in the UK listed companies? The moderating role of corporate governance

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of two CEO characteristics, namely, narcissism and overconfidence on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the moderating effect of corporate governance (CG) mechanisms in the UK. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 2,360 UK firms listed on the FTSE 400 index for the years 2010–2017, the feasible generalized least squares method was applied to test the hypotheses developed. Findings The finding argues that CEO narcissism and overconfidence positively affect CSR. In addition, this paper found that CG effectiveness moderates the CEO’s CSR behavior. Research limitations/implications This research is subjected to two limitations. First, this study used different measures to proxy for CEO narcissism and overconfidence. However, other measures are not included owing to the difficulty to collect data regarding these measures. Second, this study includes only CSR performance instead of all other dimensions and categories of CSR. These limitations do not change the conclusions of this research, and they may provide guidance for further investigations. Practical implications Given that the CEOs psychological and behavioral features are critical in understanding CSR, shareholders and boards of directors should incorporate the behavioral aspects of narcissistic and overconfident CEOs in the design of CSR strategy. Originality/value This study emphasizes the importance of top executives’ psychological characteristics for CSR, which is a key application and complements the “upper echelons theory” and fills the research gap in the literature. This is one of the few studies that investigate the interaction between CG, CEO profile and CSR.

Innovation in times of pandemic: The moderating effect of knowledge sharing on the relationship between COVID‐19‐induced job stress and employee innovation

The goal of this study is to examine knowledge sharing as a boundary condition under which employee innovation can be enhanced in response to the job stress induced by the COVID‐19 pandemic. We argue that when stressed employees share knowledge, they can expand their knowledge base and thereby enhance their innovative potential. Consistent with our hypothesis, multiple regression analysis results based on a sample of 61 R&D employees of UK and US technology‐based firms show that knowledge sharing moderated the relationship between COVID‐19‐induced job stress and employee innovation, such that the relationship was negative when knowledge sharing was lower but became positive when knowledge sharing was higher. These findings highlight the importance of investing in knowledge‐based resources to promote innovation behavior at work during a pandemic.

Start-ups, Innovation and Knowledge Spillovers

The knowledge spillover theory of entrepreneurship (KSTE) seeks to explain the mechanisms of how uncommercialized knowledge can be turned into new to market products. This paper uses a large unbalanced panel of 16,542 UK firms constructed from six consecutive waves of a community innovation survey and annual business registry survey during 2002–2014 to test the differences in the returns to knowledge spillover for innovation between start-ups and incumbent firms. The theoretical, managerial, and policy implications of the study are discussed.

The flexibility of corporate payouts vis-à-vis capital investment: some UK evidence

PurposeThis study investigates the relative flexibility of payouts vis-à-vis investment in the UK, motivated by concerns regarding this market's distinct payout characteristics and limited relevant research. It addresses the information gap related to the use of conditional mean estimations and examines firm behavior across the investment distribution.Design/methodology/approachThe sample is an unbalanced panel of 6,173 firm-year observations, from 271 non-financial firms in the FTSE-All Share Index, during 1990–2019. Estimation methods include pooled- ordinary least squares (OLS) and firm fixed-effects regressions as well as unconditional quantile regressions with firm fixed effects.FindingsFor the “average” firm results show a negative relationship between share repurchases and investment, amplified in the presence of financial constraints and growth opportunities. Quantile regressions analysis reveals heterogeneous firm behavior as this relationship becomes stronger in successive quantiles of the investment distribution and disappears at the upper/lower extremes. Results suggest that UK firms exploit the inherent flexibility of share repurchases to facilitate investment. However, this flexibility appears irrelevant to firms with extremely high/low investment, characterized by significant differences in growth opportunities, cash flows and external financing cost. Dividends and investment are independent across the investment distribution, underlining the rigidity of dividends in the UK.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the relative flexibility of payouts vis-à-vis investment in the UK, using firm-level financial data and at points other than the conditional mean. Its value lies in that it shows that share repurchases facilitate rather than impede investment and thus do not corroborate relevant concerns by economists and policymakers. Additionally, by utilizing a relatively new methodology it uncovered heterogeneous firm behavior across the investment distribution suggesting that conditional mean estimations should be applied with caution at least for highly heterogeneous samples.

Busy female directors: an exploratory analysis of the impact of quotas and interest groups

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an exploratory analysis of male and female directors, comparing the case of UK FTSE 350 boards of directors for 2010–2018, with Norwegian boards from 2002 to 2018, to examine patterns of busy female directors. This paper considers the differences between the effects of interest groups’ actions and those of quotas on the emergence of busy female directors.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a longitudinal approach, providing an examination of both non-busy directors and busy directors sitting on the boards of UK and Norwegian firms, with a focus on female directors. Drawing on methods from social network analysis, several trends and patterns are mapped for the two corporate systems. The paper tests whether the proportion of busy male directors is significantly different from the proportion of busy female directors in the two institutional settings.FindingsThe results show there has been an increase in the proportion of busy female directors, whereas the level of busy male directors is slightly decreasing in the UK from 2010 to 2018. In Norway, following the introduction of gender quotas on corporate boards, there has been an increase in overboarded directors, especially female directors, along with the rise of so-called “golden skirt” directors. However, when compared to the UK case, the proportion of busy male and female directors is higher, suggesting that the emergence of the golden skirts in Norway is not a result of quotas alone.Originality/valueThe topic of busy directors has received increased attention in recent years, yet the gender of these directors is often neglected. This paper provides an overview of the characteristics of busy female directors for large UK and Norwegian firms, presenting avenues for future research.

CEO overconfidence and the probability of corporate failure: evidence from the United Kingdom

This paper investigates the impact of CEO overconfidence on the probability of corporate bankruptcy. Using a large dataset of UK firms, we find that firms with overconfident CEOs face a greater risk of failure. The presence of overconfident CEOs leads to a higher risk of bankruptcy in innovative environments, while the impact is insignificant in non-innovative environments. Moreover, overconfident CEOs can increase the bankruptcy risk of firms with less conservative accounting. We find that banks, as major creditors, seem to play an important role in constraining CEO overconfidence, and hence in reducing the likelihood of bankruptcy. Finally, the impact of overconfidence on the probability of bankruptcy is stronger in firms with generalist CEOs than specialist CEOs.

The Great Trade Collapse and the determinants of UK export margins: A cohort‐ and firm‐level matching approach

AbstractThis paper uses a detailed data set of UK firms between 2005 and 16, to investigate how export participation and export values were affected by the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, and particularly the post‐crisis recovery period of 2011–16. Viewing the post‐crisis period as a treatment compared to before the crisis, we compare firm export propensity and export values using a propensity score matching approach. We conclude that the underlying relationships between size, productivity, creditworthiness and exports remained remarkably consistent throughout the period. After correcting for TFP and credit scores, we find relatively constant export propensity across the whole time period, except for younger firms in services industries, whose export propensity increased. Our results suggest that the slowdown in trade in this period has not been attributable to a change in underlying firm export behaviour.

Does board committee independence affect financial distress likelihood? A comparison of China with the UK

This study explores the relationship between board committees’ independence and the financial distress of firms in China and the UK. Akin to previous literature, we estimate this relationship between 2007 and 2016 using a conditional logit model on a sample of matched pair firms. For China, the results indicate a positive and statistically significant association between the percentage of independent audit committee members and the financial distress of firms. In contrast, the opposite relationship was found for independent compensation and nomination committee members. For the UK, the relationships are the same, but the results are significant only for nomination committee independence. Our overall results suggest that independent audit committee members are not favorable for firm survival. In contrast, the independent compensation and nomination committee members are beneficial for the financial health of firms, as they are responsible for designing fair compensation packages and for selecting the most suitable persons to decide the strategic moves of the firm, respectively. A robustness test demonstrates that the results are robust to the assumed functional form imposed by the conditional logit model and confirms our core findings for both Chinese and UK firms.