Les effets du gel d'une caisse de retraite sur la performance et le risque des entreprises

This study considers the effect of freezing defined benefit pension funds on shareholder risk and returns. The conditional models used in this study directly assess the effects of a pension fund freeze on returns and on systematic and residual risk. While pension fund freezes do not significantly affect performance or systematic risk, they do significantly reduce short‐term residual risk. Pension fund freezes therefore do not generally present significant financial advantages to shareholders. Only shareholders of funds in crisis would benefit from significant systematic risk reductions. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation of the default risk of publicly traded companies: evidence from Canadian data

Through Canadian publicly traded companies, this study assessed how combining firms' continuous valuations by the market (structural model) with the value given in their financial statements (accounting model) could enhance prediction of a company's probability of default. The hybrid model outperformed other models. Specifically, estimated structural probabilities of default (PDs) contributed significantly to predicting default probabilities when they were included alongside accounting and macroeconomic variables in our hybrid model. These results were obtained with two versions of the structural model: the Merton model (Merton, 1973, 1974) and the default barrier model (Brockman & Turtle, 2003). Both models were estimated with the maximum likelihood method. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The link between product diversification and performance among Spanish manufacturing firms: Analyzing the role of firm size

This study sheds additional light on the product diversification‐performance relationship for firms in a country having recently attained an advanced economy status in our period of analysis. We assume there will be an inverted U‐shaped relationship and use a sample of small, medium, and large Spanish manufacturing firms between 1994 and 2008. Our findings provide solid support for this assumption, and are identical when the sample consists of small, medium, and large firms and of large firms alone. Our results also suggest that the larger the firm, the higher the optimal level of diversification. Panel data models are used to control for unobservable heterogeneity and potential endogeneity problems. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Disentangling CEO compensation: A simultaneous examination of time,industry, and firm‐level effects

Despite decades of research, how CEO compensation is determined remains an enigma. Drawing on agency, managerial hegemony, and institutional theoretical perspectives, we use hierarchical linear modelling—a multilevel analytic technique—to examine how firm‐, industry‐, and time‐level effects drive CEO compensation in US corporations. Results show that while cash salary is mostly driven by firm‐specific factors, equity‐based compensation responds to time‐level effects with firm‐ and industry‐level effects playing a marginal role. We argue that such evidence is consistent with the institutionalization of the CEO compensation determination process through the widespread adoption of benchmark peer‐group comparisons. Such practices underlie economy‐wide changes in CEO compensation that are increasingly disconnected from other fundamental firm‐ or industry‐specific factors. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fuzzy evaluation of risk management profiles disclosed in corporate annual reports

The most common measures of risk have traditionally been based on quantitative financial and accounting information. However, new information on risk management disclosed in companies' annual reports is generally qualitative or linguistic. As such, exploitation by decision makers becomes difficult. In this study, a fuzzy analysis approach is applied to risk information disclosed by 217 firms listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The results provide some evidence that these fuzzy measures are reasonable proxies for traditional financial and accounting measures. They also show that fuzzy measures can predict a significant amount of systematic risk. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of industry sector on corporate diversification and firm performance: Evidence from Indian business groups

Prior business group (BG) studies implicitly assume that corporate diversification‐firm performance relationships are uniform across industry sectors. This generalization may lead to research implications that are not equally true for BG‐affiliated manufacturing and service firms. Drawing on strategy and marketing literature, this research addresses this scholarly gap. Our empirical analysis of a large sample of BG‐affiliated Indian firms over a five‐year period (2004‐2008) indicates that the influence of corporate diversification on firm performance is greater for affiliated service firms than affiliated manufacturing firms. Results also indicate that the influence of BG size and diversity on diversification‐firm performance relationship varies significantly depending on whether the focal firm belongs to the manufacturing or service sector. Firm's share ownership does not generate similar influence. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Target Costing,Business Model Innovation,and Firm Performance: An Empirical Analysis of Chinese Firms

Market orientation theory was used to relate the implementation of target costing systems and business model innovation to firm performance using a sample of 189 electronics and information industry manufacturers in China. As expected, the implementation of target costing was positively associated with both business model innovations and firm performance. Further, the diversity of product development teams was also crucial. It positively moderated the association between target costing and business model innovation. Finally, the business model innovation was positively related to firm performance. Copyright © 2012 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Direct and Indirect Effects of Self‐Efficacy on Salespeople's Emotional Exhaustion and Work‐Family Conflict: A Study Using the Job Demands‐Resources Model

This study integrates Social Cognitive Theory with the Job Demands‐Resources Model to examine self‐efficacy in relation to emotional exhaustion and work‐family conflict (WFC) in a sample of 192 employees. The results obtained through structural equation analysis show: a negative association between self‐efficacy and both work overload and emotional exhaustion; a positive relationship between work overload and both emotional exhaustion and WFC; that work overload mediates the relation between self‐efficacy and both emotional exhaustion and WFC; that role ambiguity moderates the relation of self‐efficacy with work overload; and that tenure in the sales territory moderates the relation of work overload with WFC. Copyright © 2018 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparison of the legislated employment equity program,federal contractors program,and financial post 500 firms

We investigated the impact of employment equity legislation, compliance regulations, and the absence of these requirements on the diversity practices of Canadian firms. A field survey involving CEOs and Human Resource Executives of 286 firms covered under the Legislated Employment Equity Program (LEEP), Federal Contractors Program (FCP), and Financial Post 500 (FP 500) companies was conducted. Results indicate that CEOs of LEEP firms reported a greater commitment to managing diversity. LEEP firms, and to some extent FCP firms, also had adopted more practices (e.g., policies, recruiting, training, and accountability) supportive of employment equity than FP 500 firms. It appears that employment equity remains the most effective tool for promoting equity and diversity in Canadian organizations. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exploring the relationships between innovation and internationalization of small and medium‐sized enterprises: A nonrecursive structural equation model

This article seeks to provide more insights on the two‐way link between internationalization and innovation by considering total, direct, and reciprocal effects using a nonrecursive structural model. Innovation is defined through product and process development, while internationalization is defined through inward and outward internationalization in both closer and farther markets. The results suggest that these two major sources of growth are linked by different sets of relations, from the investment in product and process innovation to outward internationalization in a closer market, or from inward and outward internationalization in farther markets to the investment in product innovation. Copyright © 2013 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A multilevel perspective on the relationship between interpersonal justice and negative feedback‐seeking behaviour

Drawing on social information processing theory, this study uses a multilevel design to integrate the literature on organizational justice with the literature on feedback‐seeking behaviour. Results from a laboratory study with data involving 690 employees showed that individual‐level interpersonal justice was related to employee negative feedback‐seeking behaviour (NFSB) via the mediation of trust in the supervisor. Multilevel analysis of the follow‐up field study with data involving 390 employees from 46 teams confirmed the findings of the laboratory study and indicated that team‐level interpersonal justice was associated with NFSB through a supportive climate. Also, team‐level supervisor support climate was positively related to individual‐level trust in the supervisor. The paper discusses managerial implications of these findings and suggests directions for future research. Copyright © 2014 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of error orientation,motivation to learn,and social support on training transfer intentions: A moderated mediation model

This study aims to assess whether trainees’ errors orientation can influence their motivation to learn and their intention to transfer training. Data were collected from 275 trainees participating in a corporate training program offered by a Canadian government agency. Results show that the concept of learning by error positively influences trainees’ levels of motivation and their intention to transfer learning. Results also confirm the mediating role of motivation between the concept of learning by error and the intention of transferring learning. Finally, results confirm the moderating role of social support on the relationship between motivation to learn and the intention to transfer learning. Practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed. Copyright © 2017 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ownership concentration and corporate governance practices: substitution or expropriation effects?

The objective of this study is to analyze the relation between ownership concentration and corporate governance practices of a group of Canadian companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. We rely on the corporate governance index developed by the Report on Business (ROB) in 2002. Our empirical results are consistent with the expropriation effect argument that predicts a negative relation between deviation from the one share‐one vote rule and corporate governance best practices. In this context, the dominant shareholder has incentives to maintain weak internal controls in order to facilitate expropriation. In addition, consistent with prior research, our results give partial support to the substitution effect argument by showing a negative impact of ownership concentration on the board composition subindex. Copyright © 2007 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.