In a country where individualism is emphasized less than in Western countries, we ask whether the CEO (shacho) of a Japanese corporation positively affects firm performance. To answer this question, we construct a shacho-firm matched panel data set in the period 1990 through 2002 of all listed...

In a country where individualism is not valued, we ask whether the CEO (shacho) of a Japanese corporation affects corporate behavior. To answer this question, we construct a shacho-firm matched panel data set in the period 1990 through 2002 of all listed 1,419 Japanese manufacturing firms and...

We survey and interview Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) of French firms in 2009 about the impact of the global financial crisis and their firms' financial flexibility levels before and during the crisis. Over two-thirds of CFOs report a strong impact of the crisis and cite liquidity problems,...

This study tests the relation between corporate tax avoidance and disclosure of geographic earnings for U.S. multinational companies. We find that after the adoption of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 131 in 1998, firms opting to discontinue disclosure of geographic earnings in...

We survey 78 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) from 12 European countries about the determinants of going public and exchange listing decisions. The CFOs identify enhanced visibility and prestige, and financing for growth as the most important benefits of an IPO. Their views on other motivations...

This paper investigates the valuation effects of corporate international diversification by examining cross-border mergers and acquisitions of U.S. acquirers over the period 1990-1999. We find that, on average, acquisitions of quot;fairly valuedquot; foreign business units do not lead to value...

We examine a primary outcome of corporate governance, the ability to identify and terminate poorly performing CEOs, to test the effectiveness of U.S. investor protections in improving the corporate governance of cross-listed firms. We find that firms from weak investor protection regimes that...

We provide empirical evidence on how cross-border acquisitions from the perspective of an U.S. acquirer differ from domestic transactions, based on stock and operating performance measures. The distinction between domestic and cross-border acquisitions is a function of the change in market...

We study if a CEO's equity-based compensation affects the expected value generation in takeovers. When the objectives of management and shareholders are more aligned, as proxied by the use of equity-based compensation, more value-maximizing acquisitions are expected. Whereas in widely-held firms...