IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/iuiwop/1419.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Impact of Founders on Information Asymmetry vis-à-vis Outside Investors: Evidence from Caribbean Offshore Tax Havens

Author

Listed:
  • Hearn, Bruce

    (University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom)

  • Oxelheim, Lars

    (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN))

  • Randøy, Trond

    (Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen, Denmark and)

Abstract

Ceding ownership to outside investors provides a control dilemma for founders. In less developed capital markets with weaker formal institutions, we argue that retained founder director ownership can lower the transaction costs of external capital. Our argument rests on incomplete contracting and institutional theory, particularly highlighting the elevated status of the founding entrepreneur. Based on a longitudinal study of 179 listed Caribbean firms, we find that retained founder ownership reduces information asymmetry vis-à-vis outside minority investors. The reduced information asymmetry is even stronger for firms with a related party/subsidiary within a tax haven, and for firms with strong shareholder rights.

Suggested Citation

  • Hearn, Bruce & Oxelheim, Lars & Randøy, Trond, 2021. "The Impact of Founders on Information Asymmetry vis-à-vis Outside Investors: Evidence from Caribbean Offshore Tax Havens," Working Paper Series 1419, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:1419
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.ifn.se/wfiles/wp/wp1419.pdf
    File Function: Full text
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. James R. Hines, 2010. "Treasure Islands," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 24(4), pages 103-126, Fall.
    2. Ms. Esther C Suss & Mr. Oral Williams & Mr. Chandima Mendis, 2002. "Caribbean offshore Financial Centers: Past, Present, and Possibilities for the Future," IMF Working Papers 2002/088, International Monetary Fund.
    3. repec:bla:jfinan:v:43:y:1988:i:3:p:567-91 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. 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.
    5. Tarun Khanna & Krishna Palepu, 2000. "Is Group Affiliation Profitable in Emerging Markets? An Analysis of Diversified Indian Business Groups," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(2), pages 867-891, April.
    6. Kathy Fogel, 2006. "Oligarchic family control, social economic outcomes, and the quality of government," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(5), pages 603-622, September.
    7. Morck, Randall & Deniz Yavuz, M. & Yeung, Bernard, 2011. "Banking system control, capital allocation, and economy performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(2), pages 264-283, May.
    8. Karen Schnatterly & Kenneth W. Shaw & William W. Jennings, 2008. "Information advantages of large institutional owners," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 219-227, February.
    9. Harris, Lawrence E, 1994. "Minimum Price Variations, Discrete Bid-Ask Spreads, and Quotation Sizes," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 7(1), pages 149-178.
    10. Doidge, Craig & Andrew Karolyi, G. & Stulz, Rene M., 2007. "Why do countries matter so much for corporate governance?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 1-39, October.
    11. Paul Gompers & Joy Ishii & Andrew Metrick, 2003. "Corporate Governance and Equity Prices," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(1), pages 107-156.
    12. Jannick Damgaard & Thomas Elkjaer & Niels Johannesen, 2019. "What Is Real and What Is Not in the Global FDI Network?," IMF Working Papers 2019/274, International Monetary Fund.
    13. Atanasov, Vladimir & Black, Bernard & Ciccotello, Conrad & Gyoshev, Stanley, 2010. "How does law affect finance? An examination of equity tunneling in Bulgaria," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 155-173, April.
    14. Jones, Chris & Temouri, Yama, 2016. "The determinants of tax haven FDI," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 237-250.
    15. Philippe Aghion & Patrick Bolton, 1992. "An Incomplete Contracts Approach to Financial Contracting," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 59(3), pages 473-494.
    16. Susanna Khavul & Garry D. Bruton & Eric Wood, 2009. "Informal Family Business in Africa," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 33(6), pages 1219-1238, November.
    17. Tarun Khanna & Yishay Yafeh, 2007. "Business Groups in Emerging Markets: Paragons or Parasites?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 45(2), pages 331-372, June.
    18. Alon Brav & Paul A. Gompers, 2003. "The Role of Lockups in Initial Public Offerings," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 16(1), pages 1-29.
    19. Jain, Bharat A. & Tabak, Filiz, 2008. "Factors influencing the choice between founder versus non-founder CEOs for IPO firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 21-45, January.
    20. 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.
    21. Stoll, Hans R, 1978. "The Pricing of Security Dealer Services: An Empirical Study of NASDAQ Stocks," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 33(4), pages 1153-1172, September.
    22. Heitor V. Almeida & Daniel Wolfenzon, 2006. "A Theory of Pyramidal Ownership and Family Business Groups," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(6), pages 2637-2680, December.
    23. Preller, Rebecca & Patzelt, Holger & Breugst, Nicola, 2020. "Entrepreneurial visions in founding teams: Conceptualization, emergence, and effects on opportunity development," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 35(2).
    24. Jacob Moscona & Nathan Nunn & James A. Robinson, 2017. "Keeping It in the Family: Lineage Organization and the Scope of Trust in Sub-Saharan Africa," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(5), pages 565-571, May.
    25. Chernykh, Lucy, 2008. "Ultimate ownership and control in Russia," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 169-192, April.
    26. Jan Fichtner, 2016. "The anatomy of the Cayman Islands offshore financial center: Anglo-America, Japan, and the role of hedge funds," Review of International Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(6), pages 1034-1063, November.
    27. Christie, William G & Schultz, Paul H, 1994. "Why Do NASDAQ Market Makers Avoid Odd-Eighth Quotes?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 49(5), pages 1813-1840, December.
    28. North, Douglass C., 1994. "The historical evolution of polities," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(4), pages 381-391, December.
    29. Berger, Ron & Silbiger, Avi & Herstein, Ram & Barnes, Bradley R., 2015. "Analyzing business-to-business relationships in an Arab context," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 454-464.
    30. Evans, David S & Jovanovic, Boyan, 1989. "An Estimated Model of Entrepreneurial Choice under Liquidity Constraints," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 97(4), pages 808-827, August.
    31. Barnett, Andy & Yandle, Bruce & Naufal, George, 2013. "Regulation, trust, and cronyism in Middle Eastern societies: The simple economics of “wasta”," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 41-46.
    32. 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.
    33. Jean-Luc Arregle & Michael A. Hitt & Isabelle Mari, 2019. "A missing link in family firms’ internationalization research: Family structures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(5), pages 809-825, July.
    34. James S. Ang & Rebel A. Cole & James Wuh Lin, 2000. "Agency Costs and Ownership Structure," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(1), pages 81-106, February.
    35. Jean-Luc Arregle & Michael Hitt & Isabelle Mari, 2019. "A missing link in family firms’ internationalization research : Family structures," Post-Print hal-02312288, HAL.
    36. Criaco, Giuseppe & van Oosterhout, J. (Hans) & Nordqvist, Mattias, 2021. "Is blood always thicker than water? Family firm parents, kinship ties, and the survival of spawns," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(6).
    37. Noam Wasserman, 2017. "The throne vs. the kingdom: Founder control and value creation in startups," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 255-277, February.
    38. Jane N. O. Khayesi & Gerard George & John Antonakis, 2014. "Kinship in Entrepreneur Networks: Performance Effects of Resource Assembly in Africa," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(6), pages 1323-1342, November.
    39. Chernykh, Lucy & Mityakov, Sergey, 2017. "Offshore schemes and tax evasion: The role of banks," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(3), pages 516-542.
    40. Hearn, Bruce & Filatotchev, Igor, 2019. "Founder retention as CEO at IPO in emerging economies: The role of private equity owners and national institutions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 418-438.
    41. Casson, Mark & Yeung, Bernard & Basu, Anuradha & Wadeson, Nigel (ed.), 2008. "The Oxford Handbook of Entrepreneurship," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199546992.
    42. Noam Wasserman, 2003. "Founder-CEO Succession and the Paradox of Entrepreneurial Success," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(2), pages 149-172, April.
    43. Constance E. Helfat, 1997. "Know‐how and asset complementarity and dynamic capability accumulation: the case of r&d," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(5), pages 339-360, May.
    44. Bollen, Nicolas P. B. & Smith, Tom & Whaley, Robert E., 2004. "Modeling the bid/ask spread: measuring the inventory-holding premium," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(1), pages 97-141, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Hearn, Bruce, 2021. "Institutional determinants of bid–ask spreads in Caribbean offshore stock exchanges," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    2. Hearn, Bruce & Oxelheim, Lars & Randøy, Trond, 2020. "The Impact of Indigenous Culture and Business Group Affiliation on Corporate Governance of African Firms," Working Paper Series 1360, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    3. Hearn, Bruce & Filatotchev, Igor, 2019. "Founder retention as CEO at IPO in emerging economies: The role of private equity owners and national institutions," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 418-438.
    4. Hearn, Bruce & Oxelheim, Lars & Randøy, Trond, 2023. "The influence of business groups on board composition in offshore financial multinational enterprises," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(3).
    5. Luis Alfonso Dau & Randall Morck & Bernard Yin Yeung, 2021. "Business groups and the study of international business: A Coasean synthesis and extension," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(2), pages 161-211, March.
    6. Amess, Kevin & Banerji, Sanjay & Lampousis, Athanasios, 2015. "Corporate cash holdings: Causes and consequences," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 421-433.
    7. Hearn, Bruce & Strange, Roger & Piesse, Jenifer, 2017. "Social elites on the board and executive pay in developing countries: Evidence from Africa," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 230-243.
    8. Gur Aminadav & Elias Papaioannou, 2020. "Corporate Control around the World," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 75(3), pages 1191-1246, June.
    9. Hearn, Bruce, 2022. "The Determinants of Foreign Multinational Enterprise Firms' Board Governance in Caribbean Offshore Island Economies," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4).
    10. Morck, Randall & Deniz Yavuz, M. & Yeung, Bernard, 2011. "Banking system control, capital allocation, and economy performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(2), pages 264-283, May.
    11. Randall Morck, 2009. "The Riddle of the Great Pyramids," NBER Working Papers 14858, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Vikas Mehrotra & Randall Morck, 2017. "Governance and Stakeholders," NBER Working Papers 23460, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Jongmoo Jay Choi & Hoje Jo & Jimi Kim & Moo Sung Kim, 2018. "Business Groups and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(4), pages 931-954, December.
    14. Randall Morck, 2011. "Finance and Governance in Developing Economies," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 3(1), pages 375-406, December.
    15. Naeem Tabassum & Satwinder Singh, 2020. "Corporate Governance and Organisational Performance," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-030-48527-6, July.
    16. Faccio, Mara & Morck, Randall & Deniz Yavuz, M., 2021. "Business groups and the incorporation of firm-specific shocks into stock prices," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 139(3), pages 852-871.
    17. Claessens, Stijn & Yurtoglu, B. Burcin, 2013. "Corporate governance in emerging markets: A survey," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(C), pages 1-33.
    18. Joseph P. H. Fan & Li Jin & Guojian Zheng, 2016. "Revisiting the Bright and Dark Sides of Capital Flows in Business Groups," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(4), pages 509-528, April.
    19. Byun, Hae-Young & Choi, Sunhwa & Hwang, Lee-Seok & Kim, Robert G., 2013. "Business group affiliation, ownership structure, and the cost of debt," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 311-331.
    20. Ann Terlaak & Seonghoon Kim & Taewoo Roh, 2018. "Not Good, Not Bad: The Effect of Family Control on Environmental Performance Disclosure by Business Group Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(4), pages 977-996, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Founders; Ownership; Bid Ask Spreads; Institutions; Caribbean;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D53 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Financial Markets
    • F23 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Multinational Firms; International Business
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:hhs:iuiwop:1419. 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: Elisabeth Gustafsson (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iuiiise.html .

    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.