It has been noted in prior papers that schemes of arrangements, in the last decade, are being used more as a device for achieving control, as a genuine alternative to a formal takeover bid. This is generally attributed to schemes being a more flexible transactional model. This article reviews...

In March 2008, the Australian Government announced its intention to introduce a national Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), now expected to start in 2015. This impending development provides an ideal setting to investigate the impact an ETS in Australia will have on the market valuation of...

We seek to statistically inform the debate over whether the Australian Takeovers Panel's bright line policy toward break fees is appropriate. The sample data we employ consist of 313 takeover bids from the period January 2002 through June 2006 where the target was an ASX listed public company....

The extensive literature on target characteristics predominantly focuses on takeover likelihood; or, given the event of a bid, the likelihood of the success of a bid. This study endeavours to shed light on the role of the CEO around takeover activity, and the influences on the target board's...

This study investigates the characteristics and attributes that private equity investors prefer when selecting target acquisitions. These characteristics are examined against a matched sample of firms subject to corporate acquisitions via tender/merger offer during 2000–2009, across seven...

This paper examines the relation between gender diversity on the board of directors and the likelihood that a company receives an emphasis of matter going concern audit opinion. Gender diversity on the board and the audit committee is examined. We find that, after controlling for the strength of...

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate the role including the formal and informal activities of company secretaries on contemporary Australian boards, which has expanded with the increased liability of company secretaries. Design/methodology/approach - This study utilizes eleven...

A key part of the auditor independence reforms in Australia, as represented by Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (Audit Reform and Corporate Disclosure) Act 2004 (Cth) (CLERP 9), mandates audit partner rotation. The change was criticised predominantly due to the costs imposed on both the...

This study investigates the governance attributes of firms that have been subject to securities class actions (SCAs). There has been a recent sizable increase in the number of firms subject to SCAs in Australia. We examine a sample of firms that have been subject to SCAs due to disclosure...

In this paper, we assess the existing archival research on audit partners and provide recommendations for future research. Our empirical analyses suggest that the audit partner characteristics with the biggest impact are industry specialization and client importance. We demonstrate that audit...