This paper examines open market stock repurchases in France. We find a positive average market reaction to the repurchase announcement. However, the magnitude of the price reaction is found to depend on a number of corporate governance structure measures. The positive aspects of the announcement...

We examine board structure in France, which since 1966 has allowed firms the freedom to choose between unitary and two-tier boards. We analyze how this choice relates to characteristics of the firm and its environment. Firms with severe asymmetric information tend to opt for unitary boards;...

We examine board structure in France, which since 1966 has allowed firms freedom to choose between unitary and two-tier boards. We analyze how this choice relates to characteristics of the firm and its environment. Firms with severe asymmetric information tend to opt for unitary boards; firms...

We analyse the reasons why companies issue units when they raise additional capital. In contrast to previous evidence, our results show that units are not offered to mitigate the agency conflicts or to signal security mispricing as they are predominantly issued during cold periods, in public...

Investors often fail to incorporate all relevant information when they make decisions. This is a consequence of both information overload and investors’ limited cognitive abilities. The first essay shows that firms take advantage of investors’ inattention by managing the advance notice...

In the spirit of Merton (1987) we find that targeted communication by firms raises investor attention. Continental European firms using English-language commercial press wires to disseminate corporate press releases exhibit less drift and more trading volume after their earnings announcements...

Les règles de bonne gouvernance tendent à imposer des consignes de plus en plus strictes sur l’égalité des actionnaires et à renforcer le caractère disciplinaire des conseils d’administration. Alors que ces dispositions visent à protéger les intérêts des investisseurs, les...