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Corporate ownership and managerial short-termism: Results from a Finnish study of management perceptions

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  • Liljeblom, Eva
  • Vaihekoski, Mika

Abstract

Increased media exposure to layoffs and corporate quarterly financial reporting have created arguable a common perception--especially favored by the media itself--that the companies have been forced to improve their financial performance from quarter to quarter. Academically, the relevant question is whether companies themselves feel that they are exposed to short-term pressure to perform even if it means that they have to compromise company's long-term future. This paper studies this issue using results from a survey conducted among the 500 largest companies in Finland. The results indicate that companies in general feel moderate short-term pressure, with reasonable dispersion across firms. There seems to be a link between the degree of pressure felt, and the firm's ownership structure, i.e. we find some support for the existence of potentially short-term versus long-term owners. We also find significant ownership related differences, in line with expectations, in how such short-term pressure is reflected in actual decision variables such as the investment criteria used.

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  • Liljeblom, Eva & Vaihekoski, Mika, 2009. "Corporate ownership and managerial short-termism: Results from a Finnish study of management perceptions," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(2), pages 427-438, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:proeco:v:117:y:2009:i:2:p:427-438
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    Cited by:

    1. Tor Brunzell & Eva Liljeblom & Mika Vaihekoski, 2013. "Determinants of capital budgeting methods and hurdle rates in Nordic firms," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 53(1), pages 85-110, March.
    2. Atkins, Ryan & Favreau, Charles, 2022. "The effects of layoffs and plant closings on manufacturers’ market value," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    3. Brunzell, Tor & Liljeblom, Eva & Löflund, Anders & Vaihekoski, Mika, 2014. "Dividend policy in Nordic listed firms," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 124-135.
    4. Kym Irving, 2009. "Overcoming Short-Termism: Mental Time Travel, Delayed Gratification and How Not to Discount the Future," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 19(4), pages 278-294, December.
    5. Robert Rieg, 2015. "Dynamics of value-based management: does shareholder value cause short-termism?," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 193-224, August.
    6. Koufteros, Xenophon & Babbar, Sunil & Kaighobadi, Mehdi, 2009. "A paradigm for examining second-order factor models employing structural equation modeling," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(2), pages 633-652, August.
    7. Heino, Noora & Tuominen, Pasi & Jussila, Iiro, 2020. "Listed Family Firm Stakeholder Orientations: The Critical Role of Value-creating Family Factors," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 11(4).

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