This paper assesses whether reducing ‘readability' is an effective obfuscation strategy for influencing the level of shareholder say-on-pay voting dissent in firms with excessive CEO pay. Based on a sample of UK-listed firms, our results indicate that in cases of excessive CEO pay, a less...

This study examines the relationship between the degree of external social and environmental regulatory pressures and firms’ integration of corporate social responsibility (CSR) criteria into executive compensation contracts. Building on the notion that firms operate in settings in which...

Starting in October 2013, auditors of premium-listed firms in the United Kingdom are mandated to prepare an expanded auditor’s report that provides details on audit procedures, risks of material misstatement (RMMs), and materiality thresholds. This regulatory change is important to study,...

This article examines the overall acceptance of the best practice provisions contained in the Dutch corporate governance code and identifies those that receive comparably less agreement among 150 Dutch listed companies in 2004. The findings indicate a high level of compliance with the Code....

The comply-or-explain principle is a common feature of corporate governance codes. While prior studies investigated compliance with corporate governance codes as well as the effects of compliance on firm behaviour and performance, explanations for deviations from a corporate governance code...

Previous studies suggest that letters to the shareholders are widely used in investors' decision-making processes. Letters to the shareholders, however, are unaudited and usually not subject to regulation. Hence, CEOs may use them strategically to manage the impressions shareholders have of the...