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Firm performance during the Covid-19 crisis: Does managerial ability matter?

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  • Kumar, Sonal
  • Zbib, Leila

Abstract

Challenged by the Covid-19 crisis, CEOs must rethink about how to operate and exist in the new working environment. We examine if managerial ability of the CEO impacts firm performance during the crisis period. We find a positive and significant association between the CEO managerial ability and both the cumulative raw and abnormal returns. We also find that firms with better CEO managerial ability are more resilient and have higher ROE than their counterparts. We find that the CEOs with higher managerial ability have higher pre-pandemic liquidity which in part explains the better performance amid the Covid-19 crisis.

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  • Kumar, Sonal & Zbib, Leila, 2022. "Firm performance during the Covid-19 crisis: Does managerial ability matter?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:47:y:2022:i:pb:s1544612322000459
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2022.102720
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    Cited by:

    1. Dominika Gajdosikova & Katarina Valaskova & Tomas Kliestik & Veronika Machova, 2022. "COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Challenges in the Construction Sector: A Case Study of Slovak Enterprises," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(17), pages 1-20, September.
    2. Nguyen, Hung T. & Pham, Mia Hang & Truong, Cameron, 2023. "Leadership in a pandemic: Do more able managers keep firms out of trouble?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    3. Issah, Wunnam Basit & Anwar, Muhammad & Clauss, Thomas & Kraus, Sascha, 2023. "Managerial capabilities and strategic renewal in family firms in crisis situations: The moderating role of the founding generation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    4. Chundakkadan, Radeef & Sasidharan, Subash, 2023. "The role of government support on E-commerce and firm innovation during pandemic crisis," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 904-913.
    5. Fasano, Francesco & Javier Sánchez-Vidal, F. & La Rocca, Maurizio, 2022. "The role of government policies for Italian firms during the COVID-19 crisis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    6. TSURUTA Daisuke, 2024. "Determinants and Consequences of Bank Borrowings of Small Businesses: Is the COVID-19 crisis special?," Discussion papers 24007, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    7. Greta Falavigna & Roberto Ippoliti, 2022. "Relief Policy and the Sustainability of COVID-19 Pandemic: Empirical Evidence from the Italian Manufacturing Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-12, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    CEO Managerial Ability; Covid-19; Firm Performance; Firm Liquidity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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