Regulatory Protection and Opportunistic Bankruptcy*

We document controlling shareholder (insider) opportunism in an insolvency regime that uses an accounting rule to determine bankruptcy eligibility. Our study sheds light on managerial incentives induced by weak investor protection laws. Using unique data on bankrupt firms from an emerging market, consistent with our prediction, we show insiders intentionally manage earnings downward to understate firm net worth so as to be able to file for bankruptcy. Downward pre-bankruptcy earnings management is associated with more payments to insiders and weaker performance, post-filing. A battery of tests suggests our results cannot be fully explained as an artifact of financial distress. Rather, they are consistent with insiders exploiting weak investor protection to extract private benefits at the expense of lenders and outside shareholders. Our study serves as a cautionary tale for all insolvency regimes that use a balance sheet test in an environment with weak creditor protection.     

“机会主义”还是“道德行为”?——履行社会责任公司的盈余管理行为研究

企业社会责任履行及信息披露,既可能是一种负责任的道德行为,也可能是一种掩饰包装的机会主义行为。一方面从企业履行社会责任的动机出发,考察履行社会责任公司的盈余管理程度;另一方面以企业社会责任为调节变量,考察企业履行社会责任在盈余管理对企业价值影响中的作用。实证研究发现,企业履行社会责任程度与盈余管理程度负相关,且企业履行社会责任能够正向调节真实盈余管理对企业价值的负面影响,说明我国企业履行社会责任是一种获得投资者认可的道德行为。     

政府竞争:行政区经济运行中的地方政府行为分析

从政府竞争的角度,为行政区经济形成构建了一个政府行为分析框架.通过对政府竞争和博弈三个层面的考察,揭示区域经济发展中的各层级政府间互动关系,对行政区经济形成的深层次原因提供较为系统的解释.     

关联交易问题研究

关联交易既可能有改进效率的动机,也有机会主义的动机。文章从理论和经验证据两方面回顾了关联交易两类动机的相关研究,最后讨论了当前关联交易研究的限制及未来研究的方向。     

“经济人”的行为困境

"经济人"的自利心是人类社会发展的内在动力,个人理性的追求其利益最大化的自由行为往往会无意识地、客观地增进公共利益。但是,由于"经济人"的自利心和有限理性,其行为往往会产生诸如机会主义、群体的无理性、X无效率、经济市场失灵和政治市场失灵等困境。要克服"经济人"的行为困境,必须发挥"看的见的手"的作用。     

董事高管责任保险与审计费用增加:监督、激励还是纵容?——基于中国A股经验数据的实证研究

董事高管责任保险的引入引起审计费用显著增加,既可能是监督、激励效应所致,也可能是机会主义行为所致,研究清楚到底是哪一种原因导致审计费用增加,对认识董事高管责任保险的治理职能、加强公司治理机制建设等均具有重要意义。基于沪深交易所上市公司2003—2017年的数据,实证检验了董事高管责任保险对审计费用的影响。研究发现,董事高管责任保险的引入将显著增加上市公司的审计费用支出,且审计费用支出的增加是因为保险人积极履行监督行为、追求更高的审计质量所引起的,而非是其引致的机会主义行为所导致的。进一步研究发现,董事高管责任保险与审计费用之间存在显著的正向交互效应,即在较差的外部治理环境中董事高管责任保险的监督激励效应更为显著。这一研究对董事高管责任保险与审计费用的关系有了全新的认识,也为董事高管责任保险的推广提供了经验支持。     

Governing local supplier opportunism in China: Moderating role of institutional forces

China provides a vast and prominent manufacturing base, so curtailing its local supplier opportunism represents a primary concern for local and foreign buyers. Drawing on institutional theory, this study examines how regulatory uncertainty and relationship structure moderate the role of contracts and trust in restricting local supplier opportunism in China. An analysis of 293 buyer–supplier dyads in China reveals that contracts are more effective in deterring supplier opportunism when regulatory uncertainty is high. In addition, contracts help curtail opportunism more in domestic, compared with international, buyer–supplier relationships, whereas trust is more effective in restricting supplier opportunism in international relationships than in domestic ones.     

企业风险承担与内部控制:从“灵丹妙药”到“机会主义”

企业风险承担水平受到多种因素影响,但从内部控制角度进行研究的文献尚不多见。本文运用迪博内控质量指数,研究了风险承担与上市公司内部控制质量之间的关系。研究结果显示,上市公司存在着仅满足内部控制监管需求而虚化内部控制效用的“机会主义”倾向,且这种倾向在国有企业和股权集中度高的企业中表现得更为显著。本文的结论为进一步加强内部控制建设、促进企业良好发展提供了政策启示。     

Determinants of the acquisition of listed versus unlisted firms in different legal and institutional environments

The aim of this article is to analyse the determinants of the decision to acquire unlisted rather than listed firms in different legal and institutional environments. We estimate a probit model considering the mergers and acquisitions (M&As) announced by European listed firms (19 countries) that acquires worldwide listed or unlisted firms (36 countries) in the period 2002–2007. Our results show that managerial opportunism is a determinant in the acquisition of listed firms, occurring with greater probability in acquiring countries with low shareholder and minority shareholder protection. Information asymmetry is another relevant determinant that promotes the acquisitions of unlisted firms. Furthermore, the less developed the capital market in the country of the acquired firm, the greater the probability of acquisitions of unlisted firms. This article contributes to the M&A literature by showing that in addition to managerial opportunism and information asymmetry, the legal and institutional environments in both the acquiring and the target countries are also relevant aspects explaining the decision of whether to acquire listed or unlisted firms.     

机会主义、价格诚信与制度安排

价格失信行为的根本原因在于人性中的机会主义倾向,而机会主义行为得以实施必需两个条件:第一,机会主义行为产生的前提是信息不对称.现实社会中,信息是不对称的,一般说,卖方比买方具有更多关于商品价格方面的信息,卖方就可能利用自己的信息优势欺骗买方;第二,机会主义行为产生的动机在失信收益大于失信成本.所以,通过相应的制度安排,消解机会主义产生的前提--信息不对称、抑制机会主义产生的动机--较高的收益预期,是减少和杜绝价格失信的关键.