This paper examines how the coordination of venture capital (VC) investors in their syndicates, as measured by their geographic concentration, affects firm performance and ex ante contractual terms. Using the introduction of new airline routes between the locations of VC investors as a shock to...

We examine the impact of geographic concentration of institutional investors on corporate governance and firm value. We find that firms whose large institutions are closely located to each other experience higher forced CEO turnover-performance sensitivity, more frequent proxy voting against...

Using unique data on board meeting types of Chinese firms, we examine the effect of remote board meetings on board monitoring effectiveness. We find that compared to face-to-face meetings, remote meetings are associated with better meeting attendance behavior of directors, higher likelihood of...

Using a large sample of Chinese firms, we examine performance differences between firms with female and male chairs and the channels through which such differences arise. After controlling for the presence of female CEOs and non-chair female directors, we find that chairwoman firms perform...

We find that firms appointing first-time independent directors experience an increase in firm value, especially among firms with well-functioning boards, firms with less powerful CEOs, and non-complex firms. Unlike seasoned independent directors, first-time directors are associated with higher...

We investigate how a shock to corporate demand for experienced directors (i.e., U.S. Congress’ grant of Permanent Normal Trade Relations status to China in 2000) affects U.S. firms’ board structure and board advisory role. We find that firms appoint more outside directors with China-related...

We examine how private placements of equity (PPEs) affect debtholder wealth. We find that banks charge higher loan spreads, require more collateral, and impose stricter covenants for firms conducting PPEs. The results are more pronounced for firms without a value-enhancing PPE feature,...

We examine whether board demographic diversity enhances cognitive diversity (measured as director dissent in the boardroom) and monitoring. At the director level, we find that individual directors who are dissimilar relative to other board members in terms of tenure and experience are more...