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Does Firing a CEO Pay Off?

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  • George Alexandridis
  • John A. Doukas
  • Christos P. Mavis

Abstract

We examine whether involuntary chief executive officer (CEO) replacements pay off by improving firm prospects. We find CEO successors’ acquisition investments to be associated with significantly higher shareholder gains relative to their predecessors and the average CEO. This improvement in postturnover acquisition performance appears to be a function of board independence, hedge fund ownership, and the new CEO's relative experience. CEO successors also create sizable shareholder value by reversing prior investments through asset disposals and discontinuing operations and by employing more efficient investment strategies. Our evidence suggests that firing a CEO pays off.

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  • George Alexandridis & John A. Doukas & Christos P. Mavis, 2019. "Does Firing a CEO Pay Off?," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 48(1), pages 3-43, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:finmgt:v:48:y:2019:i:1:p:3-43
    DOI: 10.1111/fima.12228
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    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Xiaoyan & Zhao, Rui & Guo, Mengmeng, 2023. "CEO turnover, political connections, and firm performance: Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    2. Yankuo Qiao, 2022. "Internal governance and corporate acquisition activities," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 12(2), pages 373-408, June.
    3. Doukas, John A. & Zhang, Rongyao, 2020. "Corporate managerial ability, earnings smoothing, and acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).

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