Previous research has explored the impact of life and career experiences and circumstances on CEO managerial styles. This past research shows a monotonic or unidirectional effect of a CEO’s life experiences on risk-taking. For example, CEOs rising from difficult economic circumstances might be more risk-averse while CEOs born in prosperous circumstances might be less risk-averse. […]
Read More… from The Connection Between Disasters and Less Risk-Averse CEOs
As our perception of corporate governance has evolved, the need for a new and comprehensive way to report on an organization’s performance and sustainability has become apparent. One that takes account not only of financial performance and compliance issues, but one that also looks at an organization's strategy, overall governance, performance and commercial outlook – […]
More and more board of directors have the CEO as the only insider on the board. At first glance, this movement toward near unanimous outside directors would seem to meet the mandate of independent oversight and governance that have defined corporate boards since the corporate scandals of the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, new research […]
Read More… from Corporate Governance: The Power of Outside Directors on CEO-Only Boards
Previous studies have explored the link between CEO pay and future business performance with mixed results. In some cases, higher CEO pay is linked to better results; other studies show the opposite: the companies of the highest paid CEOs perform less well, on average, than their more moderately paid counterparts. A research team from the […]
Read More… from High CEO Pay Leads to Overconfidence and Poor Results
Singapore is known for the diversity of its population, but you would never glean this from the boards of directors of its companies. A new report, from the NUS Business School's Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations working with BoardAGender, shows that Singapore’s boards continue to be overwhelmingly male-dominated and ethnically homogeneous. Based on data from […]
Read More… from Board Diversity Improves Corporate Results: Lessons from Singapore
Does hiring compensation consultants result in higher pay for CEOs? Until recently, academic studies exploring this question have yielded no evidence that CEOs use compensation consultants to justify higher pay. A new disclosure requirement from the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), however, allows researchers to better differentiate the potential motives behind the hiring of compensation consultants […]
Read More… from How CEOs Strong-Arm Their Compensation Consultants to Get What They Want
Companies want shareholders who share their long-term investment horizon, according to a survey of 138 North American investor relations professionals. More than 90% of the companies surveyed describe their ideal shareholder as one with a long-term perspective. The reason: by giving companies the freedom to make strategic decisions and long-term investments, long term-focused shareholders help […]
Read More… from The Impact of Ideal Vs Problematic Shareholders
Critics argue that ‘myopic’ activist shareholders, especially activist hedge funds, force corporations to sacrifice long-term profits and competitiveness in order to reap quick short-term benefits. The immediate spike that comes after interventions from these activist shareholders, they argue, inevitably leads to long-term declines in operating performance and shareholder value Three researchers, Lucian Bebchuk of Harvard […]
Read More… from Hedge Fund Activism Can Help, Not Hurt, in the Long Run
The decisions of C-suites and boards are influenced by the previous experiences of their members. In uncertain situations, organizations gain legitimacy — and reduce the costs of experimentation — by copying others. These common-sense principles are borne out in a large body of research that points to the importance of ‘interlocks’ — i.e. previous or current ties to […]
The term ‘human capital’ encompasses the knowledge, skills and talents inherent in individuals. These skills represent an important source of productivity in an organization, and can be enhanced through training and education. But could an individual’s selection from a top educational institution constitute or signal that they will amount to a ‘better’ human capital resource […]
Read More… from Do Ivy League or Elite Educated CEOs Outperform Others?
