Large Shareholder Entrenchment and Performance: Empirical Evidence from Canada

Abstract:  Recent empirical evidence indicates that the largest publicly traded companies throughout the world have concentrated ownership. This is the case in Canada where voting rights are often concentrated in the hands of large shareholders, mostly wealthy families. Such concentrated ownership structures can generate specific agency problems, such as large shareholders expropriating wealth from minority shareholders. These costs are aggravated when large shareholders don't bear the full costs of their decisions because of the presence of mechanisms (dual class voting shares, pyramids) which lead to voting rights being greater than the cash flow rights (separation). We assess the impact of separation on various performance metrics while controlling for situations when the large shareholder has (1) the opportunity to expropriate (high free cash flows in the firm) and (2) the incentive to expropriate (low cash flow rights). We also control for when the large shareholder has the power to expropriate (high voting rights, outright control and insider management) and for the presence of family ownership. The results support our hypotheses and indicate that firm performance is lower when large shareholders have both the incentives and the opportunity to expropriate minority shareholders.     

Stock Repurchase and Agency Problems: New Evidence in Taiwan's Stock Market

This paper explores stock repurchase and agency issues in an emerging market with special regulations. Using match samples, agency-related variables are investigated for pre- and postannouncement periods. Our empirical evidence demonstrates that stock repurchase is related to agency cost mitigation. Agency problems are also significantly related to the preannouncement undervaluation of stock repurchase, after controlling for the effects of growth opportunity and asymmetric information. Finally, a company with a higher ratio of expected repurchase or higher agency costs normally enjoys better market response upon announcement.     

完善我国累积投票权制度立法的构想

我国大股东对中小股东侵害行为非常普遍,究其根源,上市公司中的一股独大、<公司法>对表决权的规定简单、现有表决权存在缺陷、中小股东法律意识淡漠是主要原因.目前当务之急是要在<公司法>上明确赋予小股东一定的权利,参考发达国家的经验做法,在法律上推行强制性累积投票权制度.     

现金股利、控制权结构与股价崩溃风险

本文研究了上市公司在具有不同实际控股股东控制权结构下,现金股利与股价崩溃风险的关系。结果表明,过度支付现金股利会显著增加上市公司的股价崩溃风险;实际控制股东控制权与现金流权的分离程度会加剧现金股利与股价崩溃风险之间的正向关系。我们认为这一现象是现金股利中所蕴含的股东治理效应在资本市场上的体现。其现实意义在于,政策监管要着力于治“本”,通过提升公司治理水平以使股利分配真正立足于保护全体股东的利益。     

中小股东仅能“搭便车”么?——来自深交所社会公众股东网络投票的经验证据

本文利用深交所的社会公众股东网络投票数据,研究了中小股东参与网络投票与公司决策的影响因素和经济后果。结果表明,大股东代理问题严重、机构投资者持股比例较高的公司,中小股东的网络投票参与率较高;中小股东的网络投票参与率与公司股票异常回报正相关,并且这种关系随着大股东代理问题的严重程度而增强。与小股东利益更为相关的股权分置改革提案中,中小股东投票参与率更高,并且这种更高的投票参与率在股权分置改革提案中能为中小股东增进财富。     

Does tunneling explain the sensitivity of executive compensation to other member firms’ performance?

This study examines how executive compensation is set when a firm is a business group member. Using Korea's unique setting of family-controlled business groups, we find that a member firm's executive cash compensation is positively linked to the stock performance of other member firms as well as its own. Further analyses reveal that this positive link is consistent with the hypothesis that corporate managers are rewarded for their decision to benefit the controlling family at the expense of the firm they manage. Specifically, we find that the sensitivity of executive pay to other member firms’ performance exists only in respect to firms in which the cash flow rights of the controlling family exceed those of the subject firm. We also find that this sensitivity is strengthened if the controlling family's control–ownership disparity in the subject firm is above the sample median.     

决定现金持有量：技术还是制度

本文以2003—2008年上海证劵交易所501家上市公司的数据为样本,从技术（企业成长性）和制度（公司治理机制）两个角度出发,实证研究其对企业现金持有量的影响。实证结果表明：企业成长性与现金持有量正相关;股权集中度与现金持有量负相关;股权制衡度与现金持有量正相关。     

Dual class shares – is India ready for it?

Market evidence suggest that a class of common stock with superior voting rights trades at systematically higher prices than an identical class of stock with inferior voting rights, as control over the firm grants the promoters some opportunity to receive a higher payoff. Differential voting rights class of shares may attract a certain class of investors who are only interested in the economic benefits of a company. It assists management in deterring potential rivals from winning a control and allows raising fresh capital for growth without giving up control. The value of controlling a firm derives from the fact that you believe that you or someone else would operate the firm differently from the way it is being run currently. Differential voting rights shares in different countries have indicated that voting rights are generally worth between 10% and 20% of the value of common stock. This article intends to create awareness about differential voting rights shares, to study the international as well as domestic experience and tries to examine the various factors that affect differential voting rights share prices.