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Board interlocking and firm performance: the role of foreign ownership in Saudi Arabia

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  • Allam Hamdan

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate what effect, if any, foreign ownership has on the relationship between board interlocking and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach - Data on 131 firms from various sectors listed in the Saudi Financial Market during the period of 2016 were collected. Board interlocking was measured using two indicators (number of interlocks and number of interlocks per member) and then it was divided into three levels (1-6/7-14/15 or more). As for the performance of firms, it was measured using two indicators: one operational (return on assets and the other financial (return on equity)). Foreign ownership was considered as a moderator variable. In addition to firm and board characteristics, a set of control variables related to ownership structure was used. Findings - Results provide some support for the “busyness hypothesis” which postulates deterioration in the effectiveness of directors, in terms of their monitoring role, when increasing the number of interlocks per director. Results also manifest a positive effect exerted by foreign ownership in terms of turning around the otherwise negative relationship between board interlocking and firm performance in the second level of interlocking (7-14) Code Article 12’s limit on the number of interlocking per director to a maximum of five directorships. However, there is limited compliance to this code among Saudi firms. The study indicates the need to comply with the governance code in order to enhance governance which undercut performance. Originality/value - Highlighting the role of foreign ownership in enhancing corporate governance in a conservative business environment characterized by relational networks with gaps in corporate governance.

Suggested Citation

  • Allam Hamdan, 2018. "Board interlocking and firm performance: the role of foreign ownership in Saudi Arabia," International Journal of Managerial Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(3), pages 266-281, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:ijmfpp:ijmf-09-2017-0192
    DOI: 10.1108/IJMF-09-2017-0192
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Francisco Bravo & Nuria Reguera‐Alvarado, 2019. "Sustainable development disclosure: Environmental, social, and governance reporting and gender diversity in the audit committee," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 418-429, February.
    2. Laila Maswadi & Azlan Amran, 2023. "Does board capital enhance corporate social responsibility disclosure quality? The role of CEO power," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 209-225, January.
    3. Ramit Anand & Balwinder Singh, 2019. "Do Firm- and Board-specific Characteristics Corroborate Underpricing? A Study on the Indian IPOs," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 44(1), pages 86-102, February.
    4. Yasaman Sarabi & Matthew Smith & Heather McGregor & Dimitris Christopoulos, 2021. "Gendered brokerage and firm performance – An interlock analysis of the UK," International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 72(2), pages 306-330, June.
    5. Ying Teng & Eli Gimmon & Wentong Lu, 2021. "Do Interlocks Lead to the Convergence of Interfirm Innovation Performance? Evidence From China," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, April.
    6. Allam Hamdan & Reem Khamis & Mohammed Anasweh & Mukhtar Al-Hashimi & Anjum Razzaque, 2019. "IT Governance and Firm Performance: Empirical Study From Saudi Arabia," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(2), pages 21582440198, April.
    7. Al-Faryan, Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh, 2021. "The Effect of Board Composition and Managerial Pay on Saudi Firm Performance," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue Online fi.
    8. Helmi A. Boshnak, 2024. "Ownership concentration, managerial ownership, and firm performance in Saudi listed firms," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(3), pages 462-475, September.
    9. Yaseen Al-Janadi, 2021. "Ownership Structure and Firm Performance in the Middle East: A Meta-Analysis," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-23, December.
    10. Sharif Mohammad Aqabna & Mehmet Aga & Huthayfa Nabeel Jabari, 2023. "Firm Performance, Corporate Social Responsibility and the Impact of Earnings Management during COVID-19: Evidence from MENA Region," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-20, January.
    11. Ramit Anand & Balwinder Singh, 2019. "Effect of Composition of Board and Promoter Group Retained Ownership on Underpricing of Indian IPO firms: An Empirical Study," Indian Journal of Corporate Governance, , vol. 12(1), pages 21-38, June.

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