Using a new variable based on a model of dividend smoothing, we find dividend growth is highly predictable and cash flow news contributes importantly to return variability. Cash flow betas derived from this predictability are central to explaining the size effect in the cross section of returns....

How consequential is social reputation for a CEO's career? We find that the CEOs of those firms with greater strengths (controversies) on corporate social responsibilities (CSR) are more (less) likely to serve on external boards, and they hold more (fewer) outside directorships. CEOs lose board...

This paper empirically examines capital structure decisions in the presence of leverage dynamics and when corporate tax status and financial distress costs are allowed to be endogenous. We deal with the endogeneity of corporate tax by using a before-financing measure of the marginal corporate...

We analyze the dividend behavior of the aggregate stock market. We propose a model that assumes managers minimize the costs of adjustment associated with being away from their target dividend payout. The target is expressed as a function of lagged stock prices and permanent earnings,...

In an increasingly technology-driven economy, CEOs' innovation leadership forms an essential part of companies' human capital. We find CEOs with superior innovation leadership, measured by their proven on-the-job innovation performance, are more popular on the directorship market. Through the...

Many studies report that American option investors often exercise their positions suboptimally late. Yet, when that can happen in case of puts, there is an arbitrage opportunity in perfect markets, exploitable by longing the asset-and-riskfree-asset portfolio replicating the put and shorting the...

Recent research has examined asymmetries in firms' adjustments toward target leverage. Assuming firms mainly adjust their debt levels, Byoun (Journal of Finance, 2008) finds that firms adjusting most quickly possess two important characteristics: above-target debt and a financing surplus. Using...