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Executive turnover in UK firms: the impact of Cadbury

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  • Elisabeth Dedman

Abstract

This study examines whether the Cadbury Committee recommendations regarding board structure have increased the power of boards to replace poorly performing CEOs. It also looks at whether institutional investors have become more proactive in this regard post-Cadbury. The study employs a comprehensive sample of UK listed firms between 1990 and 1995. Firm performance, CEO ownership and institutional ownership are found to be significantly related to the probability of non-routine top executive turnover. It appears that the managerial labour market is disciplining managers more quickly after Cadbury. However, there is no evidence that this is because boards have become more likely to remove CEOs following poor performance. Neither is any evidence found to support the assertions of institutional investors who claim to be more proactive since Cadbury. It is concluded that neither the Cadbury board structure reforms, nor the professed change in behaviour of institutional investors, has reduced the agency problem of managerial entrenchment in large UK firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Elisabeth Dedman, 2003. "Executive turnover in UK firms: the impact of Cadbury," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(1), pages 33-50.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acctbr:v:33:y:2003:i:1:p:33-50
    DOI: 10.1080/00014788.2003.9729630
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    2. Annita Florou, 2005. "Top Director Shake‐up: The Link between Chairman and CEO Dismissal in the UK," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1‐2), pages 97-128, January.
    3. Li, Zhe & Ling, Zixi & Xu, Si, 2023. "When firms talk, do they act? The impact of environmental strategies and actions on executive promotion in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    4. Reggy Hooghiemstra & Hans van Ees, 2011. "Uniformity as response to soft law: Evidence from compliance and non‐compliance with the Dutch corporate governance code," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 5(4), pages 480-498, December.
    5. Conyon, Martin J. & Florou, Annita, 2006. "The pattern of investment surrounding CEO retirements: UK evidence," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 299-319.
    6. Annita Florou, 2005. "Top Director Shake-up: The Link between Chairman and CEO Dismissal in the UK," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1-2), pages 97-128.
    7. Jiaying Fan & Kai Wang & Lidong Wu, 2023. "Monitoring the Type I Agency Problem or the Type II Agency Problem? Directors Appointed by Non-State Shareholders and the CEO Turnover–Performance Sensitivity," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(7), pages 2160-2189, May.
    8. Powers, Eric A., 2005. "Interpreting logit regressions with interaction terms: an application to the management turnover literature," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 504-522, June.
    9. Dedman, Elisabeth, 2016. "CEO succession in the UK: An analysis of the effect of censuring the CEO-to-chair move in the Combined Code on Corporate Governance 2003," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 359-378.

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