Bewertung von Personalabbauprogrammen aus Aktionärssicht – Eine Bestandsaufnahme der empirischen Ereignisstudien-Forschung –

This paper reviews evidence from 32 event studies on effects of an announcement of a large scale reduction in work force (RIF) program on the share price/equity value of stock-quoted corporations and on factors suited to explain RIF impact variations. All in all the empirical data indicate that on average (Anglosaxon) capital markets do not respond to RIF notifications with significantly positive abnormal returns. Rather, they tend to display negative abnormal share price consequences, i.e. RIF announcements – as typically shaped by corporations – are likely to destroy shareholder value. On the whole, extant work suggests that abnormal returns following RIF disclosures tend to be worse if (1) the stated RIF reason is declining demand, (2) the reduction to total staff ratio is high and (3) the reduction is based mainly on layoffs instead of voluntary separations. Further methodologically improved research is required to explore the extent to which the present review’s conclusions hold in German-speaking countries.