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The role of social proximity in professional CEO appointments: Evidence from caste/religion‐based hiring of CEOs in India

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  • Naga Lakshmi Damaraju
  • Anil K. Makhija

Abstract

Research Summary: The role of homophily in CEO appointments at the largest corporations is an important subject in corporate governance. This subject is particularly important in a country like India where a multitude of religions, castes, and communities form its social fabric. We test for the role of homophily in professional CEO appointments in India by empirically examining the preference for same caste/religion CEOs by the largest firms. Using a unique dataset, assembled by detailed identification of castes/religions from family names and counterfactuals obtained through the Coarsened Exact Matching technique, we find that caste/religion plays a crucial role in CEO selection as a source of information (positive discrimination). The evidence is not consistent with its use to pursue taste‐based preferences (negative discrimination). Managerial Summary: We test for the role of homophily in the appointments of CEOs in India by empirically examining the preference for same caste/religion CEOs by the largest firms. We find that caste/religion plays an important role in CEO selection, i.e., as a form of information or “positive discrimination.” The evidence is not consistent with its use to pursue taste‐based preferences or “negative discrimination.”

Suggested Citation

  • Naga Lakshmi Damaraju & Anil K. Makhija, 2018. "The role of social proximity in professional CEO appointments: Evidence from caste/religion‐based hiring of CEOs in India," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(7), pages 2051-2074, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:stratm:v:39:y:2018:i:7:p:2051-2074
    DOI: 10.1002/smj.2787
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    Cited by:

    1. Bibek Bhattacharya & Ipsu Khadka & Dalhia Mani, 2022. "Shaking Up (and Keeping Intact) the Old Boys’ Network: The Impact of the Mandatory Gender Quota on the Board of Directors in India," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(4), pages 763-778, May.
    2. Bhagavatula, Suresh & Bhalla, Manaswini & Goel, Manisha & Vissa, Balagopal, 2023. "Social diversity in corporate boards and firm outcomes," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    3. Kim Claes & Balagopal Vissa, 2020. "Does Social Similarity Pay Off? Homophily and Venture Capitalists’ Deal Valuation, Downside Risk Protection, and Financial Returns in India," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(3), pages 576-603, May.
    4. Hongjin Zhu & Yue Pan & Jiaping Qiu & Jinli Xiao, 2022. "Hometown Ties and Favoritism in Chinese Corporations: Evidence from CEO Dismissals and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 176(2), pages 283-310, March.
    5. Popli, Manish & Raithatha, Mehul & Fuad, Mohammad, 2021. "Impact of institutional imprinting on the persistence of superior profits: A study of regulatory punctuation in India," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 223-235.
    6. Lina Mao & Chongluan Lu & Guangfan Sun & Chunyan Zhang & Changwei Guo, 2024. "Regional culture and corporate finance: a literature review," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Stefan Schmid & Simon Mitterreiter, 2020. "International Top Managers on Corporate Boards: Dissimilarity and Tenure," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(5), pages 787-825, October.
    8. Waldkirch, Matthias, 2020. "Non-family CEOs in family firms: Spotting gaps and challenging assumptions for a future research agenda," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 11(1).
    9. Fabian Ernst & David Bendig & Lea Puechel, 2024. "Religion in Family Firms: A Socioemotional Wealth Perspective on Top-Level Executives with Perceived Religiosity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 194(3), pages 707-730, October.
    10. Tim Heubeck, 2024. "Untangling the Paradoxical Relationship Between Religion and Business: A Systematic Literature Review of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Religiosity Research," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 195(1), pages 191-214, November.
    11. Anil Nair & Mehdi Sharifi Khobdeh & Aydin Oksoy & Orhun Guldiken & Chris H. Willis, 2023. "A review of strategic management research on India," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 1341-1392, December.

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