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Board structure, corporate governance and firm value: evidence from Hong Kong

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  • Adrian C. H. Lei
  • Frank M. Song

Abstract

This article investigates the effects of board structure and internal Corporate-Governance (CG) mechanisms on firm value in an emerging market with concentrated ownership and family involvement. Using a unique Hong Kong (HK) panel dataset from 2001 to 2009, we create a board-structure index that captures board independence, balance of power and conflicts of interest. We also construct other major CG mechanisms to correctly specify our model. We combine the 13 CG attributes, which consist of binary and continuous variables, with four CG mechanisms, using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). In contrast with prior evidence from developed markets, our results indicate that firms with independent board structure are associated with higher firm value and are both statistically and economically significant. The results also suggest that board structure is the most important among the major internal CG mechanisms.

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  • Adrian C. H. Lei & Frank M. Song, 2012. "Board structure, corporate governance and firm value: evidence from Hong Kong," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(15), pages 1289-1303, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:apfiec:v:22:y:2012:i:15:p:1289-1303
    DOI: 10.1080/09603107.2011.650329
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    2. S. Baccouche & M. Hadriche & A. Omri, 2014. "Multiple directorships and board meeting frequency: evidence from France," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(14), pages 983-992, July.
    3. Mukesh Nepal & Rajat Deb, 2022. "Board Characteristics and Firm Performance: Indian Textiles Sector Panorama," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 47(1), pages 74-96, February.
    4. de Carvalho, Antonio Gledson & Dal'Bó, Filipe & Sampaio, Joelson, 2021. "Determinants of corporate governance practices in Brazil," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    5. Rivo-López, Elena & Villanueva-Villar, Mónica & Lago-Peñas, Santiago, 2014. "Does the composition of the board matter? On the relationship between corporate governance and value creation," MPRA Paper 56597, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Santiago Lago-Peñas & Elena Rivo-López & Mónica Villanueva-Villar, 2016. "On the relationship between corporate governance and value creation in an economic crisis: Empirical evidence for the Spanish case," Working Papers. Collection C: Family business 1602, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    7. Ararat, Melsa & Black, Bernard S. & Yurtoglu, B. Burcin, 2017. "The effect of corporate governance on firm value and profitability: Time-series evidence from Turkey," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 113-132.
    8. Omar Farooque & Wonlop Buachoom & Nam Hoang, 2019. "Interactive effects of executive compensation, firm performance and corporate governance: Evidence from an Asian market," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(4), pages 1111-1164, December.
    9. T.R. Bishnoi & Sofia Devi Sh, 2015. "Corporate Governance and Performance of Foreign Firms in India," Indian Journal of Corporate Governance, , vol. 8(2), pages 137-152, December.

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