This paper examines the influence of dividend covenants in corporate bonds on investment and operating performance. Prior literature analytically demonstrates that by limiting dividend distribution to shareholders, dividend restrictions effectively place a minimum on investment expenditures...

We examine how labor-friendly institutional features, i.e., laborism, relate to corporate investment efficiency in labor in a sample that represents 33 countries during 1996 to 2012. We consider various dimensions of laborism such as the presence of left-leaning government, rigidity of employee...

The literature suggests that the presence of a labor union poses operational risk for firms by reducing operating flexibility. We posit that managers stockpile inventory in response to their heightened operational risk, such as potential strikes, so that managers maintain bargaining power in...

We examine whether accounting quality is associated with efficient investments in labor. Consistent with high quality accounting mitigating market frictions that lead to sub-optimal levels of investment, we find evidence that abnormal net hiring (measured as the absolute deviation from net...

We examine the role of financial reporting quality in facilitating corporate employment. Labor creates operating leverage due to wage rigidity and lacks collateral value, both of which increase credit risk and the importance of information in debt markets. We use firms' predetermined debt...

We examine whether and how accounting conservatism plays a disciplinary role in corporate layoffs. Analyzing 722 layoff announcements in Form 8-K over the period 2004 to 2012, we first document that the level of hiring on average falls short of the optimal level (i.e., under-hiring) even before...