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Do busy directors and CEOs shirk their responsibilities? Evidence from mergers and acquisitions

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  • Benson, Bradley W.
  • Davidson, Wallace N.
  • Davidson, Travis R.
  • Wang, Hongxia

Abstract

We examine the effects of busy directors on merger premiums and conclude that busy directors are not uniformly detrimental. We provide evidence that busy CEOs of acquirer firms are associated with lower premiums suggesting they do not shirk their responsibilities. Busy CEOs of target firms either accept lower premiums or do not play a significant role in determining the price, indicating they may either shirk or have hidden self-incentives. We find that when the majority of directors in target firms are busy, they negotiate better deals. The results show that busyness does not fully explain whether a CEO or director shirks responsibility. Additionally, our results confirm previous findings that the market reacts more negatively to high merger premiums.

Suggested Citation

  • Benson, Bradley W. & Davidson, Wallace N. & Davidson, Travis R. & Wang, Hongxia, 2015. "Do busy directors and CEOs shirk their responsibilities? Evidence from mergers and acquisitions," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 1-19.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:quaeco:v:55:y:2015:i:c:p:1-19
    DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2014.08.004
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    Cited by:

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    2. Sarfraz Khan & Elaine Mauldin, 2021. "Benefit or burden? A comparison of CFO and CEO outside directorships," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(7-8), pages 1175-1214, July.
    3. Hasan, Iftekhar & Jackowicz, Krzysztof & Kowalewski, Oskar & Kozłowski, Łukasz, 2023. "Cultural values of parent bank board members and lending by foreign subsidiaries: The moderating role of personal traits," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    4. James, Hui Liang & Wang, Hongxia & Xie, Yamin, 2018. "Busy directors and firm performance: Does firm location matter?," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 1-37.
    5. Ziwei Wang & Chunfeng Wang & Zhenming Fang, 2023. "Common institutional ownership and corporate misconduct," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(1), pages 102-136, January.
    6. Badar Alshabibi, 2021. "The Role of Institutional Investors in Improving Board of Director Attributes around the World," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-33, April.
    7. Bradley Benson & Travis Davidson & Hui James & Hongxia Wang, 2022. "Board busyness and corporate payout: are all busy directors the same?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(3), pages 3711-3759, September.
    8. James, Hui Liang & Ngo, Thanh & Wang, Hongxia, 2021. "Independent director tenure and corporate transparency," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    9. Ferris, Stephen P. & Jayaraman, Narayanan & Liao, Min-Yu (Stella), 2020. "Better directors or distracted directors? An international analysis of busy boards," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    10. Basuil, Dynah A. & Datta, Deepak K., 2017. "Value creation in cross-border acquisitions: The role of outside directors' human and social capital," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 35-44.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Multiple directorships; Merger and acquisition; Acquirer busy CEO; Target busy CEO;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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