We use the unique setting of Malaysian mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity to test the effect of market-wide investor inattention when managers are attentive. During Ramadan, mainly Muslim investors are likely to be distracted while mainly non-Muslim managers are likely to be attentive and...

We examine the role of cultural heritage in shaping U.S. CEOs' attitudes toward uncertainty, in the context of their corporate acquisition decisions. We find that CEOs with a more uncertainty-avoiding cultural heritage are less likely to engage in acquisitions. Conditional on making an...

We test the ability of boards of directors to eliminate the negative impact of CEO behavior on payout policy. We contribute to the literature by testing the ability of boards to influence CEO payout propensity. First, we show that if the compensation scheme of a CEO does not stimulate him or her...

The behavioral finance literature attributes failed M&As to CEO overconfidence. We investigate the source of CEO overconfidence that leads to failed M&As. Among various determinants of CEO overconfidence, we propose that power-led CEO overconfidence delivers undesirable consequences in corporate...

We study the role of facial appearance in corporate director (re-)elections by means of director photographs published in annual reports. We find that shareholders use inferences from facial appearance in corporate elections, as a better (higher rated) appearance measure of a director reduces...

This study examined Taiwanese listed company and OTC (Over-the-Counter) firms to explore empirically managerial overconfidence and compensation incentives induced risk-taking, and the impact on accrualbased earnings management (AEM) and real earnings management (REM). The study results show that...

We study the role of facial appearance in corporate director (re-)elections by means of director photographs published in annual reports. We find that shareholders use inferences from facial appearance in corporate elections, as a better (higher rated) appearance measure of a director reduces...

We explore the role of cultural heritage in explaining CEOs overconfidence and its impact on the propensity and performance of corporate acquisitions. CEOs are more prone to overconfidence if the culture in their ancestral country of origin is characterized by strong individualism, independence,...

In this paper we investigate cognitive biases as a potential reason for the varied results of M&A in emerging capital markets. We focus on two cognitive biases, CEO overconfidence and availability bias, which significantly influence CEO behavior, encouraging them to be irrational in M&A deals....

Using hand-collected data on CEOs’ personal assets, we find that CEOs prioritize corporate investment projects that increase the value of CEOs’ private assets. Such pet projects are implemented sooner, receive more capital, and are less likely to be dropped. This investment strategy delivers...