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The study examines the relationship between debt financing and firm performance through the lens of agency costs during the Covid-19 period for standalone firms and firms affiliated with business groups. It does the same for firms engaged in manufacturing and services. Using 4,422 firm-year observations from nonfinancial firms from 2014 to 2020, the study finds that business group firms raised more new debt vis-à-vis standalone firms. On the other hand, service sector firms raised more debt than manufacturing firms. The findings suggest that agency costs declined during the Covid-19 shock, enabling firms to raise debt primarily to increase their liquidity during an uncertain period. Companies had a substantial amount of cash meant for investments in the future. Under these circumstances, corporate governance mechanisms should be strong to prevent the misallocation/misappropriation of funds, thus reducing future agency costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Appointing individuals drawn from suppliers and customers to a firm's board of directors is an increasingly popular practice that can enhance the interorganizational relationship and generate relational rents. Yet, such board members may act in the best interest of their primary employer rather than the shareholders of the firm whose board they serve on, thus creating potential agency conflicts. Drawing on the relational view and agency theory, we explore the tension between rent generation and agency costs and consider how a firm can design governance mechanisms to effectively leverage customer or supplier representation on the board of directors. The associated hypotheses are tested using a large panel dataset constructed from multiple archival sources, and our findings suggest that supplier and customer board members are a double‐edged sword: While they generate value in some instances, they can also be associated with lower performance depending on the levels of two key governance mechanisms—the number of inside directors on the board and the proportion of outcome‐based board member compensation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the link between the rule of law and equity returns in post-transitional economies over the period January 2010–December 2020 by using panel data regressions. By applying several rule-of-law proxies for national legal frameworks and justice system quality as proxies for the rule-of-law principle, the data sets from the capital markets of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia showed that country-level judicial system quality is an important driver of company market performance, and that post-transitional countries with lower rule-of-law measures exhibit higher returns on equity than those with better measures. Our results support the idea that since poor governance and country instability increase agency and transaction costs, in addition to decreasing growth prospects and profitable projects available to companies, the risk premium demanded by investors increases, leading to higher equity returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the moderating role of family ownership in the relationship between board diversity and financial performance. The study sampled data of 98 Saudi non-financial companies from 2012 to 2021. The data were analysed using fixed effect regression, while a generalised method of moments (GMM) was employed for a robustness test. The empirical evidence suggests that board gender may not have much relevance in enhancing the financial performance of Saudi firms. In contrast, the research findings emphasised that coupled with stringent monitoring from family ownership, foreign directorship, CEO tenure, and board financial expertise may serve as crucial control mechanisms that can minimise agency costs, leading to higher financial performance. This research modelled how the interaction between family ownership and board diversity attributes may determine financial performance. Hence, the study contributes to the body of knowledge by unveiling a more robust control governance mechanism, particularly in developing economies with ineffective markets for corporate controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between market concentration, agency cost and firm performance using an unbalanced panel of 1911 publicly listed manufacturing firms in India for the period 2001 to 2020. It classifies firms according to ownership types and evaluates the effects of agency cost and market concentration on performance of firms. The study considers agency costs that result from principal-agent (PA agency costs) as well as from principal-principal conflicts (PP agency cost). Additionally, it shows how the interaction between various concentration indices and agency costs (PP and PA agency prices) affects performance. Using a generalized methods of moments technique to estimate three dynamic models, the study finds that both types of agency costs have a strong negative impact on performance, market concentration has a negative impact but is limited to certain types of firms and the combined effects between concentration and agency cost are strong which shows that an increase in market concentration causes a decline in performance due to an increase in agency cost. Thus, our findings support the prediction that competition acts as a disciplining device to reduce agency costs which in turn helps to reduce managerial slack and improve firm performance. Our study has several policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is conducted to assess the impact of corporate governance on the firm performance and to study the mediating role of agency cost in the association between corporate governance and firm performance. 74 non-financial companies are selected as a sample for the study. The data from 2017 to 2022 is assessed in the study. Regression analysis is used to assess the direct impact of corporate governance on agency cost and firm performance. Mediation is assessed using Sobel Test. The finding of the study revealed that better corporate governance leads to better firm performance. Results also showed that stronger governance decreases agency cost which in turn leads to better firm performance. This study is unique in a way that it studied the mediating role of agency cost in the relationship between corporate governance and firm performance. The study will help the companies to recognize the importance of strong governance structure in order to increase financial performance. The study will also help to identify the role of agency cost on financial performance and to recognize that agency cost can be reduced via better corporate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is designed with the data of Interbrand for ranking top 100 global brands. In this study, the linkage between brand values and financial performance was estimated using different performance measures that include both stock market and operating performance using Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) technique. The study investigates the effect of brand value on profitability and shareholder. It is observed that the firms that have superior operating performance result in greater brand valuation. Performance of firms measured through profitability is found to be a significant factor in brand valuation. Brand valuation is also found to be significant determinant of profitability. Thus, higher brand quality improves the likelihood of repurchases and in turn improved cash flows. Firms with high agency conflicts tend to have lower brand value. Higher market valuation positively impacts brand valuation in the context of lower leverage and agency costs. The linkage of brand value to firm performance is the justification for marketer's investments toward branding initiatives as a mechanism that creates value. This study is the first of its kind to examine the impact of agency costs on brand value using fsQCA technique to understand valuation impact of brands. To measure the effect of branding and marketing initiatives of the firms on financial performance, this study integrated both econometric and financial modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since it first appeared, agency theory has argued that debt can decrease agency issues between agent and principal and enhance the value of firms. This paper explores the moderating effect of agency cost on the association between capital structure and firm performance. A panel econometric method, namely a fixed-effect regression model, was used to evaluate the above description. This investigation uses secondary data collected from published annual reports of manufacturing firms listed on Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) during 2011–2019. Empirical results show that capital structure is negatively related to firm performance. Agency cost also has a negative impact on corporate performance; however, in the case of ROA and EPS, the relationship is positive. Interestingly, the findings illustrate that increasing the level of debt can reduce agency costs and enhance firm performance. Moreover, robust correlations are revealing that agency cost significantly affects the relationship between capital structure and corporate performance. These findings provide proof to support the assumptions of agency theory, which explains the association between capital structure and performance of firms. This study provides new perspectives on the relationship between capital structure and firm performance by using data from listed manufacturing firms in Iran; hence, these new insights from a developing market improve the understanding of capital structure in Asian and Middle Eastern markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of capital structure on the performance of firms listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul). The study employs a panel of 350 firm-year observations for 70 Saudi non-financial listed firms over the period 2016 to 2020. A generalised method of moments (GMM) estimation is employed to estimate models to enable hypothesis testing, thereby addressing any autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity and endogeneity issues. The results indicate that short-term debt, long-term debt, total debt and debt-to-equity ratios all have a significant negative impact on firm operational performance (return on assets), while long-term debt, total debt and debt to equity have such an impact on firm financial performance (return on equity) and market performance (in terms of Tobin's Q). This suggests that firm agency issues that lead to a high-debt policy may result in diminished firm performance. The results also show that increases in sales growth, the degree of insider ownership, and firm size and age in general positively impact firm performance, while asset tangibility and liquidity have a more ambiguous impact. The findings of the study are limited to listed non-financial Saudi firms over the period 2016–2020; the key results may be relatable to other developing country settings. Future research may be extended to investigate the effect of capital structure on firm performance on the wider Tadawul and to other capital structure and performance measures. The findings have practical implications for firm managers, which will help them to identify the firm-specific factors affecting the capital structure and choose the values that enhance optimal capital structure. This study result suggests that as debt financing can have a significant adverse effect on firm profitability, managers should moderate leverage in order to maximise shareholder wealth. Indeed, as debt is more costly than equity, managers should keep debt levels lower and instead focus financing at the margin on internal sources such as retained earnings and new equity, using external funding only as a last resort. The study results should provide policymakers with a better understanding of the relationship between corporate capital structures and performance, thereby underpinning future policy formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of earnings management practices on firm performance and focuses on how economic policy uncertainty (EPU) moderates the association between earnings management and firm performance. The analysis is based on a sample of French listed companies on the CAC ALL tradable index for the period from 2010 to 2017. Our results show that earnings management is positively associated with firm performance. This finding suggests that accrual- based earnings management, real earnings management and classification shifting are beneficial when managers use accounting choices to reduce agency costs and create value for shareholders. We also find that high EPU triggers a credible signal of lower disclosure quality. It plays an important role in promoting the opportunistic use of earnings management, which harms firm performance. This study is interesting for potential investors, since it underlines the negative effect of managerial opportunistic behaviour on firm performance under policy uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid ownership—sharing partial business ownership with the state—is a new form of political connections that entrepreneurs in developing countries may employ to improve their access to key resources. This study investigates hybrid ownership as a strategic decision of entrepreneurs running small businesses in Vietnam—a transition economy. Utilising the resource dependence theory and legitimacy viewpoint, we propose and evidently show that increased state ownership in hybrid firms leads to improved performance. However, increasing state ownership beyond a minority share threshold harms firm performance due to the presence of agency costs. Also, the involvement of the state in firm governance reduces the benefits gained from having state ownership. Plain English Summary: Is the more the better? How much state ownership really matters for hybrid firms to enhance their performance? More state ownership means more access to resources and privileges; but too much state ownership may reduce firm efficiency due to its poor governance. Analysing more than one million observations of small businesses in Vietnam, this study offers three insightful implications. First, for academics, institutional conditions should be considered when investigating political connections, especially in an emerging market context. Second, for practitioners, political connections in the form of hybrid ownership when being held at an adequate level can boost firm performance. However, an exceeding level of state ownership in hybrid firms may become harmful. Third, for policymakers, we suggest that forming hybrid business ownership with the private sector helps firms make use of state-owned resources. This collaboration is a win-win solution as long as the state ownership remains at an adequate level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research foremost intention is to investigate the corporate governance structure effect on the firm's performance of the Indian-listed companies. The study was based on a six-year financial figure from FY 2014–2015 to FY 2019–2020 of Indian-listed companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). The study applied the panel data statics model such as pooled OLS, fixed effect and random effect model, Hausman test and the Sys-GMM models for testing the study hypotheses. The study findings indicate that higher board size has a positive significant impact with the ROA, Tobin's Q on the firm's performance, and this helps in strengthen the decision-making process. Besides, the study results show statistically insignificant correlation among the ROA, EPS and NPM with the board independence. The results also reflected the positively correlation among the board meetings and the performance indicators of Tobin's Q, and these scenarios lead to that enhancement of corporate governance practices. Besides, the results negatively revealed correlation amongst the ROE, NPM and corporate governance indicators of CEO duality. The results of the study suggested that companies likely implement proper corporate governance practices leading to sophisticated effectiveness in firm's performance and minimize agency cost. The study attempted corporate governance issues with the several different measures and firm's variables other than using a single-measure context. Additionally, various model descriptions and statistical techniques are applied for analyzing the corporate governance structure and firm-related performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to investigate the relationship between the presence of females in the board of directors (BOD) and agency cost as well as firm performance with the mediating role of agency costs. We employ STATA to test feasible general least squares and generalized method of moments (GMM) on Vietnamese listed firms' data over 2015–2019. The results demonstrate that the presence of female directors is positively related to firm performance. The percentage of females has a positive relationship with agency cost, which has a negative impact on firm performance. The mediating role of the agency cost variable only reduces the positive impact of gender diversity in the BOD on firm performance, but this relationship is not reversed. The main contribution is the examination of the moderating role of state ownership and the mediating role of agency costs. Our study provides evidence about women's roles in different legal contexts, which might foster the formation of future legal frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to analyse the monitoring adeptness of the financial system in China, particularly in controlling earnings management activities. First, this study identifies the reasons and motivations of managers for involvement in earnings management activities. Second, this study determines whether China's financial system has developed sufficiently to be capable of establishing a strong monitoring mechanism over firms. The study compares how an equity‐based financial structure develops an efficient monitoring system with that of a bank‐based one. A panel dataset of 2997 listed Chinese firms spanning the years 1998–2015 shows that the agency issue is the main reason that firms engage in earnings management activities. Management of financially constrained firms is found to be more prudent than management of other firms because they avoid masking firm performance. The study concludes that Chinese firms are restrained from indulging in managing earnings practices owing to the overwhelming development of the financial system. Moreover, firms in capital market‐based financial structures are more inclined to avoid earnings management compared with those in bank‐based structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Despite the growing importance of responsible behavior in the healthcare sector, research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in association with board structure is scarce. Hence, the objective of this study is twofold: (1) to test whether a board structure is associated with firm financial and CSR performance and (2) whether the CSR committee and CEO duality moderates this association in the healthcare sector. Examining the moderation of CSR committee is important to understand whether CSR committee strengthens or weakens the link between female directors and CSR performance. Moreover, CEO duality's moderation will highlight whether powerful CEOs are a barrier for female directors' monitoring role. The data for the study was derived from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database for the years between 2011–2018. Overall, the results suggest that while female directors contribute to firm performance, CEOs with dual roles and larger boards harm firm performance. Further, independent directors have a limited contribution to CSR performance whereas they have no contribution to financial performance. Moderation analysis shows that CSR committees and female directors are not the replacement of one another; they are both needed and beneficial to the corporate structure. Although CEOs with a dual role impair the performance of a firm, they do not exert considerable influence on the other directors. As one of the important functions of a board is monitoring, these findings assist healthcare firms to configure their boards to improve their monitoring functions. The results are therefore helpful in terms of alleviating agency costs and in appeasing stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing public concerns about sustainability and adopting environmentally responsible practices increase risks as well as opportunities for firms and banks. It is unclear whether being environmentally responsible matters for unlisted firms, which are significant contributors to the degradation of the environment but which are not under strict scrutiny like public listed firms. Using a sample of 3915 firms from developing economies, we investigate whether the superior environmental performance of unlisted firms leads them to better loan conditions. After controlling for endogeneity and sample selection bias, we find that firms with better environmental performance received approximately 6.4% higher loans (as a ratio of total sales) and that this effect is more prominent in small and medium firms. This finding supports an information asymmetry view of agency costs. Our results, however, show that environmental performance does not affect loan duration and collateral requirement, indicating no spillover economic effect of corporate environmental performance on loan conditions. This partially supports a new perspective of legitimacy theory in relation to the 'greenwash strategy'. Overall, our study shows that strategically engaged environmental activities that are integrated with core business objectives represent an important business strategy for firms to enhance credit access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the impact of CEO power on corporate performance in Sri Lanka, characterized by demarcated ethno-linguistic and religious boundaries and devastating ethnic conflicts with subsequent reconciliation. We focus on a CEO's social-dominance power, based on ethnicity, gender, and political connections. Social-dominance power (lack of ethno-religious-linguistic and gender diversity) augments agency conflicts and worsens corporate performance and financial stability in the post-civil-war era. Board inclusiveness (representing different ethnicities, religions, languages, and gender) at the top decision and monitoring levels of corporations positively affects performance. • Social dominance power of the CEO depends on membership of ethnic-religious-linguistic groups and gender. • Board inclusiveness positively affects corporate performance and decision making. • High social-dominance power boosts agency conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]