IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finana/v77y2021ics1057521921001770.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The dark side of marital leadership: Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Yao, Shouyu
  • Zhao, Weijia
  • Sensoy, Ahmet
  • Cheng, Feiyang
  • Goodell, John W.

Abstract

Using a unique dataset of Chinese private firms, we find that marital leadership is associated with higher propensity for financial fraud. We examine the potential economic mechanisms that lead to this result, finding that weak internal supervision and inefficient decision-making provide crucial linkages between marital leadership and financial fraud. However, well-functioning corporate governance mechanisms reduce the negative effects of marital leadership. Our findings provide important empirical evidence for the effect of family involvement in corporate governance and contribute to the literature on the determinants of financial fraud in listed firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Yao, Shouyu & Zhao, Weijia & Sensoy, Ahmet & Cheng, Feiyang & Goodell, John W., 2021. "The dark side of marital leadership: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:77:y:2021:i:c:s1057521921001770
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irfa.2021.101844
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057521921001770
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.irfa.2021.101844?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang Dong & Hongling Han & Yun Ke & Kam C. Chan, 2018. "Social Trust and Corporate Misconduct: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(2), pages 539-562, August.
    2. Stephen P. Ferris & Murali Jagannathan & A. C. Pritchard, 2003. "Too Busy to Mind the Business? Monitoring by Directors with Multiple Board Appointments," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(3), pages 1087-1111, June.
    3. Villalonga, Belen & Amit, Raphael, 2006. "How do family ownership, control and management affect firm value?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(2), pages 385-417, May.
    4. Amore, Mario Daniele & Miller, Danny & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Corbetta, Guido, 2017. "For love and money: Marital leadership in family firms," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 461-476.
    5. Michael H. Lubatkin & Yan Ling & William S. Schulze, 2007. "An Organizational Justice‐Based View of Self‐Control and Agency Costs in Family Firms," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(6), pages 955-971, September.
    6. Shouyu Yao & Zhuoqun Wang & Mengyue Sun & Jing Liao & Feiyang Cheng, 2020. "Top executives’ early‐life experience and financial disclosure quality: impact from the Great Chinese Famine," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(5), pages 4757-4793, December.
    7. Williamson, Oliver E, 1979. "Transaction-Cost Economics: The Governance of Contractural Relations," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 22(2), pages 233-261, October.
    8. Allen, Franklin & Qian, Jun & Qian, Meijun, 2005. "Law, finance, and economic growth in China," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 57-116, July.
    9. Harjoto, Maretno A. & Laksmana, Indrarini & Yang, Ya-wen, 2018. "Board diversity and corporate investment oversight," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 40-47.
    10. Strøm, Reidar Øystein & D’Espallier, Bert & Mersland, Roy, 2014. "Female leadership, performance, and governance in microfinance institutions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 60-75.
    11. repec:bla:jfinan:v:58:y:2003:i:3:p:1087-1112 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    13. Chen, Yunsen & Xie, Yuan & You, Hong & Zhang, Yanan, 2018. "Does crackdown on corruption reduce stock price crash risk? Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 125-141.
    14. Jaggi, Bikki & Leung, Sidney & Gul, Ferdinand, 2009. "Family control, board independence and earnings management: Evidence based on Hong Kong firms," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 281-300, July.
    15. Mitchell A. Petersen, 2009. "Estimating Standard Errors in Finance Panel Data Sets: Comparing Approaches," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(1), pages 435-480, January.
    16. Cheng, Feiyang & Chiao, Chaoshin & Fang, Zhenming & Wang, Chunfeng & Yao, Shouyu, 2020. "Raising short-term debt for long-term investment and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 33(C).
    17. Shuping Chen & Xia Chen & Qiang Cheng, 2008. "Do Family Firms Provide More or Less Voluntary Disclosure?," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 499-536, June.
    18. James R. Van Scotter & Karina De Déa Roglio, 2020. "CEO Bright and Dark Personality: Effects on Ethical Misconduct," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 451-475, July.
    19. Oliver Hart, 2017. "Incomplete Contracts and Control," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(7), pages 1731-1752, July.
    20. Aggarwal, Raj & Goodell, John W., 2011. "International variations in expected equity premia: Role of financial architecture and governance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 3090-3100, November.
    21. Hsu, Dan K. & Wiklund, Johan & Anderson, Stella E. & Coffey, Betty S., 2016. "Entrepreneurial exit intentions and the business-family interface," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 613-627.
    22. Raheja, Charu G., 2005. "Determinants of Board Size and Composition: A Theory of Corporate Boards," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 40(2), pages 283-306, June.
    23. Aggarwal, Raj & Goodell, John W., 2009. "Markets and institutions in financial intermediation: National characteristics as determinants," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1770-1780, October.
    24. Scott R. Baker & Nicholas Bloom & Steven J. Davis, 2016. "Measuring Economic Policy Uncertainty," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 131(4), pages 1593-1636.
    25. Patricia M. Dechow & Richard G. Sloan & Amy P. Sweeney, 1996. "Causes and Consequences of Earnings Manipulation: An Analysis of Firms Subject to Enforcement Actions by the SEC," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1), pages 1-36, March.
    26. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 1999. "Corporate Ownership Around the World," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(2), pages 471-517, April.
    27. Huynh, Toan Luu Duc & Wu, Junjie & Duong, An Trong, 2020. "Information Asymmetry and firm value: Is Vietnam different?," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).
    28. Claire E. Crutchley & Marlin R. H. Jensen & Beverly B. Marshall, 2007. "Climate for Scandal: Corporate Environments that Contribute to Accounting Fraud," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 42(1), pages 53-73, February.
    29. Claude Francoeur & Réal Labelle & Bernard Sinclair-Desgagné, 2008. "Gender Diversity in Corporate Governance and Top Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 81(1), pages 83-95, August.
    30. Aldrich, Howard E. & Cliff, Jennifer E., 2003. "The pervasive effects of family on entrepreneurship: toward a family embeddedness perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 573-596, September.
    31. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    32. Michael Lubatkin & William S. Schulze & N Dino Richard, 2003. "Toward a theory of agency and altruism in family firms," Post-Print hal-02311679, HAL.
    33. Chunxin Jia & Shujun Ding & Yuanshun Li & Zhenyu Wu, 2009. "Fraud, Enforcement Action, and the Role of Corporate Governance: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 90(4), pages 561-576, December.
    34. Feng, Xunan & Johansson, Anders C., 2018. "Living through the Great Chinese Famine: Early-life experiences and managerial decisions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 638-657.
    35. Douglas Cumming & Wenxuan Hou & Edward Lee, 2016. "Business Ethics and Finance in Greater China: Synthesis and Future Directions in Sustainability, CSR, and Fraud," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(4), pages 601-626, November.
    36. Fu, Yishu, 2020. "The impact of married couples on firm innovation: Evidence from Chinese family firms," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 33(C).
    37. John Conlisk, 1996. "Why Bounded Rationality?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 34(2), pages 669-700, June.
    38. Liu, Xiaoding, 2016. "Corruption culture and corporate misconduct," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(2), pages 307-327.
    39. Josip Kotlar & Alfredo De Massis, 2013. "Goal Setting in Family Firms: Goal Diversity, Social Interactions, and Collective Commitment to Family–Centered Goals," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 37(6), pages 1263-1288, November.
    40. Chen, Charles J.P. & Li, Zengquan & Su, Xijia & Sun, Zheng, 2011. "Rent-seeking incentives, corporate political connections, and the control structure of private firms: Chinese evidence," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 229-243, April.
    41. Michael Lubatkin & Yan Ling & William S. Schulze, 2007. "An organizational justice-based view of self-control and agency costs in family firms," Post-Print hal-02311795, HAL.
    42. Peijie Wang, 2020. "Economic Exposure and Accounting Exposure," Springer Texts in Business and Economics, in: The Economics of Foreign Exchange and Global Finance, edition 3, chapter 17, pages 401-414, Springer.
    43. Schulze, William S. & Lubatkin, Michael H. & Dino, Richard N., 2003. "Toward a theory of agency and altruism in family firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 473-490, July.
    44. Shujun Ding & Mingzhi Liu & Zhenyu Wu, 2016. "Financial Reporting Quality and External Debt Financing Constraints: The Case of Privately Held Firms," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 52(3), pages 351-373, September.
    45. Srinidhi, Bin & Liao, Qunfeng, 2020. "Family firms and crash risk: Alignment and entrenchment effects," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(2).
    46. Stephen Bear & Noushi Rahman & Corinne Post, 2010. "The Impact of Board Diversity and Gender Composition on Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Reputation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 97(2), pages 207-221, December.
    47. Miriam Bird & Thomas Zellweger, 2018. "Relational Embeddedness and Firm Growth: Comparing Spousal and Sibling Entrepreneurs," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(2), pages 264-283, April.
    48. William S. Schulze & Michael H. Lubatkin & Richard N. Dino & Ann K. Buchholtz, 2001. "Agency Relationships in Family Firms: Theory and Evidence," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 99-116, April.
    49. Rabi’u Abdullahi & Noorhayati Mansor, 2015. "Fraud Triangle Theory and Fraud Diamond Theory. Understanding the Convergent and Divergent For Future Research," International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, vol. 5(4), pages 38-45, October.
    50. Cheng, Feiyang & Wang, Chunfeng & Chiao, Chaoshin & Yao, Shouyu & Fang, Zhenming, 2021. "Retail attention, retail trades, and stock price crash risk," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    51. James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua & Reginald A. Litz, 2004. "Comparing the Agency Costs of Family and Non–Family Firms: Conceptual Issues and Exploratory Evidence," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 28(4), pages 335-354, July.
    52. Nikolai Roussanov & Pavel Savor, 2014. "Marriage and Managers' Attitudes to Risk," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(10), pages 2496-2508, October.
    53. Miller, Danny & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Lester, Richard H. & Cannella Jr., Albert A., 2007. "Are family firms really superior performers?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 829-858, December.
    54. Yuan, Rongli & Sun, Jian & Cao, Feng, 2016. "Directors' and officers' liability insurance and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 173-192.
    55. Bushman, Robert M. & Piotroski, Joseph D., 2006. "Financial reporting incentives for conservative accounting: The influence of legal and political institutions," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 107-148, October.
    56. Li, Xiaorong & Wang, Steven Shuye & Wang, Xue, 2017. "Trust and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 74-91.
    57. Firth, Michael & Fung, Peter M.Y. & Rui, Oliver M., 2007. "Ownership, two-tier board structure, and the informativeness of earnings - Evidence from China," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 463-496.
    58. Sharon Belenzon & Andrea Patacconi & Rebecca Zarutskie, 2016. "Married to the firm? A large‐scale investigation of the social context of ownership," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(13), pages 2611-2638, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hassan, M. Kabir & Houston, Reza & Karim, M. Sydul, 2021. "Courting innovation: The effects of litigation risk on corporate innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Cui, Xin & Wang, Chunfeng & Sensoy, Ahmet & Liao, Jing & Xie, Xiaochen, 2023. "Economic policy uncertainty and green innovation: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    3. Ziwei Wang & Chunfeng Wang & Zhenming Fang, 2023. "Common institutional ownership and corporate misconduct," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(1), pages 102-136, January.
    4. Bhaskar, Ratikant & Bansal, Shashank & Pandey, Dharen Kumar, 2024. "CEO duality and corporate social responsibility: A moderation effect of founder CEO," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhao, Weijia & Cui, Xin & Wang, Chunfeng & Wu, Ji (George) & He, Feng, 2022. "Couple-based leadership and default risk: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 439-463.
    2. Na Wu & Xinping Xia & Yuguo Li, 2023. "Leadership and firm value among couples in charge: Evidence from Chinese listed family firms," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 409-445, August.
    3. Shouyu Yao & Zhuoqun Wang & Mengyue Sun & Jing Liao & Feiyang Cheng, 2020. "Top executives’ early‐life experience and financial disclosure quality: impact from the Great Chinese Famine," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(5), pages 4757-4793, December.
    4. Mazzi, Chiara, 2011. "Family business and financial performance: Current state of knowledge and future research challenges," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 2(3), pages 166-181.
    5. Block, Joern H., 2012. "R&D investments in family and founder firms: An agency perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 248-265.
    6. Reddy, Krishna & Wellalage, Nirosha Hewa, 2023. "Effects of family ownership and family management on the performance of entrepreneurial firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    7. Audretsch, David B. & Hülsbeck, Marcel & Lehmann, Erik E., 2013. "Families as active monitors of firm performance," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 118-130.
    8. Weng, Tzu-Ching & Chi, Hsin-Yi, 2019. "Family succession and business diversification: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 56-81.
    9. Songini, Lucrezia & Gnan, Luca & Malmi, Teemu, 2013. "The role and impact of accounting in family business," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 71-83.
    10. Erbetta, Fabrizio & Menozzi, Anna & Corbetta, Guido & Fraquelli, Giovanni, 2013. "Assessing family firm performance using frontier analysis techniques: Evidence from Italian manufacturing industries," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 106-117.
    11. Ma, Liangbo & Ma, Shiguang & Tian, Gary, 2016. "Family control, accounting misstatements, and market reactions to restatements: Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 1-27.
    12. Ducassy, Isabelle & Prevot, Frédéric, 2010. "The effects of family dynamics on diversification strategy: Empirical evidence from French companies," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 1(4), pages 224-235, December.
    13. García-Ramos, Rebeca & García-Olalla, Myriam, 2011. "Board characteristics and firm performance in public founder- and nonfounder-led family businesses," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 2(4), pages 220-231.
    14. Bennedsen, Morten & Fan, Joseph P.H. & Jian, Ming & Yeh, Yin-Hua, 2015. "The family business map: Framework, selective survey, and evidence from Chinese family firm succession," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 212-226.
    15. Barontini, Roberto & Bozzi, Stefano, 2018. "Family firm heterogeneity and CEO compensation in Continental Europe," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 1-18.
    16. Cao, Feng & Li, Sifei & Dai, Ming & Li, Jing, 2023. "Your heart is where your treasure is: Family chairman and tax avoidance in family-controlled firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    17. Poletti-Hughes, Jannine & Briano-Turrent, Guadalupe C., 2019. "Gender diversity on the board of directors and corporate risk: A behavioural agency theory perspective," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 80-90.
    18. Cui, Xin & Sun, Mengyue & Sensoy, Ahmet & Wang, Panpan & Wang, Yaqi, 2022. "Top executives’ great famine experience and stock price crash risk," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    19. González-Cruz, Tomás F. & Cruz-Ros, Sonia, 2016. "When does family involvement produce superior performance in SME family business?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 1452-1457.
    20. Goel, Sanjay & He, Xiaogang & Karri, Ranjan, 2011. "Family involvement in a hierarchical culture: Effect of dispersion of family ownership control and family member tenure on firm performance in Chinese family owned firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 2(4), pages 199-206.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Marital leadership; Financial fraud; Corporate governance; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:77:y:2021:i:c:s1057521921001770. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620166 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.