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Full-Text Articles in Business

Japanese Corporate Governance: Structural Change And Financial Performance, Asli M. Colpan, Toru Yoshikawa, Takashi Hikino, Hiroaki Miyoshi Dec 2007

Japanese Corporate Governance: Structural Change And Financial Performance, Asli M. Colpan, Toru Yoshikawa, Takashi Hikino, Hiroaki Miyoshi

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper analyzes institutional and legal changes related to corporate governance and their impact on financial performance in Japan since the second half of the 1990s. We attempt to address two issues systematically: (1) how much the governance reforms of Japanese firms transformed the conventional system of alliance capitalism and managerial control; and (2) what economic outcomes those governance changes have yielded. As the Commercial Code and other legal and institutional frameworks were revised, Japanese firms experienced shifts in terms of stock ownership, corporate control and managerial organizations. Our empirical results show that the influence of new ownership composition and …


Corporate Governance Reform As Institutional Innovation: The Case Of Japan, Toru Yoshikawa, Lai Si Tsui-Auch, Jean Mcguire Nov 2007

Corporate Governance Reform As Institutional Innovation: The Case Of Japan, Toru Yoshikawa, Lai Si Tsui-Auch, Jean Mcguire

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

To address the convergence-divergence debate in corporate governance, we conduct a multiple-case, multiple-level study to analyze the diffusion of governance innovation in Japan. We argue that Japanese systems of corporate governance neither fully converge to, nor completely diverge from, the Anglo-American model. Rather, Sony-the pioneer of corporate governance reforms-and its followers selectively adopted features from this model, decoupled them from the original context, and tailored them to fit to their own situations to generate governance innovation. However, we find that the spread of innovation across firms and institutional levels is far from linear and straightforward, and that other well-regarded firms …


Monitoring: Which Institutions Matter?, Xia Chen, Jarrad Harford, Kai Li Nov 2007

Monitoring: Which Institutions Matter?, Xia Chen, Jarrad Harford, Kai Li

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Within a cost–benefit framework, we hypothesize that independent institutions with long-term investments will specialize in monitoring and influencing efforts rather than trading. Other institutions will not monitor. Using acquisition decisions to reveal monitoring, we show that only concentrated holdings by independent long-term institutions are related to post-merger performance. Further, the presence of these institutions makes withdrawal of bad bids more likely. These institutions make long-term portfolio adjustments rather than trading for short-term gain and only sell in advance of very bad outcomes. Examining total institutional holdings or even concentrated holdings by other types of institutions masks important variation in the …


The Association Between Corporate Governance And Audit Fees, Cindy K. Harris Oct 2007

The Association Between Corporate Governance And Audit Fees, Cindy K. Harris

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) established not only corporate governance reform but also legislated significant changes to the practice of auditing publicly held corporations. Rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) further reinforced stronger corporate governance standards. The effect of these reforms on the cost of public audits is indisputable: the initial rise in audit fees was dramatic as corporations complied with the new provisions. This paper examines the relationship between corporate governance characteristics and audit fees for a random sample of 100 publicly traded corporations drawn from the 2005 Fortune 500 list. The data is obtained …


Profiling Non-Executive Directors In Australia, C. L. Cortese, G. Bowrey Jul 2007

Profiling Non-Executive Directors In Australia, C. L. Cortese, G. Bowrey

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper presents a profile of non-executive directors of Australia’s largest public companies. Using descriptive data, it assesses the extent to which these companies adhere to the requirements set down in the Australian Stock Exchange’s Principles of Good Corporate Governance. In relation to these profiles, the generic roles of non-executive directors are discussed and evaluated in terms of their actual and perceived independence from management. The paper concludes with an examination of the need for independence and questions whether competence, among other characteristics, is a more valuable characteristic of a non-executive director than independence.


The Non-Executive Director Of Australian Statutory Authorities, Graham Bowrey, C. L. Cortese Jul 2007

The Non-Executive Director Of Australian Statutory Authorities, Graham Bowrey, C. L. Cortese

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper is based on a review of the board composition of material Commonwealth Statutory Authorities with particular focus on the profile of non-executive directors. The analysis examines the mix of non-executive directors gender, remuneration, length of board membership and the number of other directorships held and The paper will review the roles of directors and outline a number of additional requirements these directors have in comparison to directors of private sector organisations and highlight the paradoxial requirement of independence. The paper concludes questioning the need for independent directors (if there are any) on the boards of Commonwealth Statutory Authorities.


Whistleblowing And Good Governance, Tim V. Eaton, Michael D. Akers Jun 2007

Whistleblowing And Good Governance, Tim V. Eaton, Michael D. Akers

Accounting Faculty Research and Publications

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) has forever changed corporate governance for publicly held corporations. Recent data suggest that the costs of compliance with the provisions of SOX can be very significant. Problems exist in the government and nonprofit sectors just as they do in the corporate sector. Recent alleged problems at the World Bank include kickbacks, payoffs, bribery, embezzlement, and collusive bidding. In 2002, the United Way scandal came to the public's attention. Its aftermath has had a dramatic impact on fundraising. Even universities are not immune from scandals. Organizations of all kinds should better understand what whistleblowing is, …


Bonding To The Improved Disclosure Environment In The Us: Firms Listing Choices And Their Capital Market Consequences, Ole-Kristian Hope, Tony Kang, Yoonseok Zang Jun 2007

Bonding To The Improved Disclosure Environment In The Us: Firms Listing Choices And Their Capital Market Consequences, Ole-Kristian Hope, Tony Kang, Yoonseok Zang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This paper examines whether the current reporting and disclosure requirements for foreign registrants in the United States affect foreign firms' decisions to list on a U.S. exchange. We find that while firms from a weak disclosure environment are more likely to cross-list and either trade over-the-counter or be placed privately among institutional investors, they are less likely to list on an exchange in which firms are required to comply with U.S. GAAP. This is consistent with the idea that the decrease in the potential private control benefits accruing to managers discourages them from listing on an organized exchange. We further …


Hedge Funds In Corporate Governance And Corporate Control, Marcel Kahan, Edward B. Rock May 2007

Hedge Funds In Corporate Governance And Corporate Control, Marcel Kahan, Edward B. Rock

All Faculty Scholarship

Hedge funds have become critical players in both corporate governance and corporate control. In this article, we document and examine the nature of hedge fund activism, how and why it differs from activism by traditional institutional investors, and its implications for corporate governance and regulatory reform. We argue that hedge fund activism differs from activism by traditional institutions in several ways: it is directed at significant changes in individual companies (rather than small, systemic changes), it entails higher costs, and it is strategic and ex ante (rather than intermittent and ex post). The reasons for these differences may lie in …


Corporate Governance Ratings In Emerging Markets: Implications For Market Valuation, Internal Firm-Performance, Dividend Payouts And Policy, Edward Baker, Ben Godridge, Aron Gottesman, Matthew Morey Apr 2007

Corporate Governance Ratings In Emerging Markets: Implications For Market Valuation, Internal Firm-Performance, Dividend Payouts And Policy, Edward Baker, Ben Godridge, Aron Gottesman, Matthew Morey

CRIF Seminar series

This paper utilizes a new data set from AllianceBernstein that, unlike other corporate governance data, has country-level and monthly-updated firm-level governance ratings for 22 emerging markets countries for almost a five year period. With these data we examine the relationship of firm-level and country-level corporate governance on firm valuation, dividend payout, internal firm performance and other issues. We find a number of interesting results that have implications for corporations, investors and policymakers. First, we find there is a positive and significant relation between firm-level and country-level corporate governance ratings and market valuation. Second, we find this relation between governance and …


Accumulation And Scarcity: An Accountability Safari, K. Rudkin, K. Cooper Jan 2007

Accumulation And Scarcity: An Accountability Safari, K. Rudkin, K. Cooper

Faculty of Business - Accounting & Finance Working Papers

Traditional notions of accountability and corporate governance derived from institutions of advanced capitalist states are argued to be inadequate for global gifting relationships, such as those exemplified in the Live 8 and G8 events of 2005. This paper demonstrates using a literature based analysis and critique, and that ideas of accountability have narrowed over time from a broader idea of stewardship for a community to accountability to the providers of capital. It is argued that this has lead to the inadequacy of accountability and corporate governance mechanisms for calling to account economic relationships between geographically remote donor recipient relationships between …


Northerners Counting Black Elephants: On Safari With Live 8 And G 8, K. Rudkin, K. Cooper Jan 2007

Northerners Counting Black Elephants: On Safari With Live 8 And G 8, K. Rudkin, K. Cooper

Faculty of Business - Accounting & Finance Working Papers

Purpose – To demonstrate the inadequacy of traditional concepts of accountability and corporate governance for global gifting relationships, as exemplified in the Live 8 and G 8 events. An alternative construct of value in exchange is proposed. Design / Methodology / Approach – A discussion paper using a literature based analysis and critique. Findings – Accounting avoids social responsibility by denying culturally determined legitimate meanings of value other than those constructed from an economic perspective. New accountability and corporate governance mechanisms are needed for donor/recipient relationships. Research limitatations / Implications – The arguments advanced should be further explored in alternate …


Classified Boards And Firm Value, Michael D. Frakes Jan 2007

Classified Boards And Firm Value, Michael D. Frakes

Faculty Scholarship

Classified boards constitute one of the most potent takeover defenses for U.S. firms today. However, as with takeover defenses more generally, economic theory offers an ambiguous prediction as to the effect that classified boards have on bottom-line firm value. A resolution of this ambiguity will require sound and convincing empirical methodology. In an effort to address limitations in the existing empirical literature, this article approaches the relationship between corporate governance and firm value while taking various measures to account for unobserved sources of heterogeneity across firms. Using the instrumental variables model developed by Hausman and Taylor, I find evidence of …


Legitimacy And Corporate Governance, Cary Coglianese Jan 2007

Legitimacy And Corporate Governance, Cary Coglianese

All Faculty Scholarship

Parallels between corporate governance and state governance appear to be growing. This essay focuses on the suggestion that corporate governance is becoming structured much more like public government in certain ways. This shift may well be helpful for enhancing credibility and confidence in capital markets, but it also raises important questions. Will reforms enacted in the post-Enron era limit managers' discretion to innovate, take risks, and respond quickly to changing economic circumstances? How far should society go in imposing on corporations the kinds of procedures found commonly in democratic governments?