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Promotion Tournaments and Capital Rationing

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  • Han, Bing
  • Hirshleifer, David
  • Persons, John

Abstract

We analyze capital allocation in a conglomerate where divisional managers with uncertain abilities compete for promotion to CEO. A manager can sometimes gain by unobservably adding variance to divisional performance. Capital rationing can limit this distortion, increase productive efficiency, and allow the owner to make more accurate promotion decisions. Firms for which CEO talent is more important for firm performance are more likely to ration capital. A rationed manager is more likely to be promoted even though all managers are identical ex ante. When the tournament payoff is relatively small, offering an incentive wage can be more efficient than rationing capital; however, when tournament incentives are paramount, rationing is more efficient.

Suggested Citation

  • Han, Bing & Hirshleifer, David & Persons, John, 2007. "Promotion Tournaments and Capital Rationing," MPRA Paper 6496, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:6496
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    3. Shashwat Alok & Radhakrishnan Gopalan, 2018. "Managerial Compensation in Multidivision Firms," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(6), pages 2856-2874, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G39 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Other
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General

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