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Are Debt and Incentive Compensation Substitutes in Controlling the Free Cash Flow Agency Problem?

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  • Yilei Zhang

Abstract

This paper investigates the governance implications of a firm's capital structure and managerial incentive compensation in controlling the free cash flow agency problem. The results suggest: debt and executive stock options act as substitutes in attenuating a firm's free cash flow problem; failure to incorporate the substitutability and endogeneity leads to underestimates of the magnitude and economic implication of the disciplinary role of both mechanisms; firm characteristics differ across the prevalence of debt usage versus option usage, suggesting the heterogeneity in the costs and benefits of the monitoring devices; and all the above effects are more pronounced in firms that tend to have more severe agency problem.

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  • Yilei Zhang, 2009. "Are Debt and Incentive Compensation Substitutes in Controlling the Free Cash Flow Agency Problem?," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 38(3), pages 507-541, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:finmgt:v:38:y:2009:i:3:p:507-541
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-053X.2009.01046.x
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ramzi Benkraiem, 2014. "Small business investment sensitivity of debt before and during the global crisis," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 34(2), pages 1185-1196.
    3. Maziar Ghasemi & Nazrul Hisyam Ab Razak* & Komeil Dehghani, 2018. "Determinants of Debt Structure in Ace Market Bursa Malaysia: A Panel Data Analysis," The Journal of Social Sciences Research, Academic Research Publishing Group, pages 390-395:6.
    4. Anton Miglo, 2020. "Zero-Debt Policy under Asymmetric Information, Flexibility and Free Cash Flow Considerations," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-25, November.
    5. Yusnidah Ibrahim & Md Mohan Uddin & Kamarun Nisham Taufil Mohd & Mohd Sobri Minai, 2013. "Agency Costs and the Long-Run Performance of Debt Issuers," Asian Academy of Management Journal of Accounting and Finance (AAMJAF), Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, vol. 9(1), pages 67-87.
    6. Muhammad Rizwan Kamran & Zheng Zhao & Haji Suleman Ali & Fiza Sabir, 2018. "Does earnings management mediate the impact of financial policies on market value of firms? A comparative study of China and Pakistan," International Journal of Financial Engineering (IJFE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 5(01), pages 1-22, March.
    7. Chen, Tsung-Kang & Liao, Hsien-Hsing & Chi, Cheng-Ming, 2014. "The economic consequences of regulatory changes in employee stock options on corporate bond holders: SFAS No.123R and structural credit model perspectives," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 381-394.
    8. Rama Iyer, Subramanian & Sankaran, Harikumar & Walsh, Steve T., 2020. "Influence of Director Expertise on Capital Structure and Cash Holdings in High-Tech Firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    9. Billett, Matthew T. & Garfinkel, Jon A. & Jiang, Yi, 2011. "The influence of governance on investment: Evidence from a hazard model," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(3), pages 643-670.
    10. Datta, Sudip & Doan, Trang & Toscano, Francesca, 2023. "Top executive gender, corporate culture, and the value of corporate cash holdings," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    11. Stephen Bryan & Robert Nash & Ajay Patel, 2010. "How the Legal System Affects the Equity Mix in Executive Compensation," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 39(1), pages 393-418, March.
    12. Fuente, Gabriel de la & Velasco, Pilar, 2020. "Capital structure and corporate diversification: Is debt a panacea for the diversification discount?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    13. Matthew T. Billett & David C. Mauer & Yilei Zhang, 2010. "Stockholder and Bondholder Wealth Effects of CEO Incentive Grants," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 39(2), pages 463-487, June.
    14. Eyup Kadioglu & Saim Kilic & Ender Aykut Yilmaz, 2017. "Testing the Relationship between Free Cash Flow and Company Performance in Borsa Istanbul," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(5), pages 148-158, May.

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