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Living with zombie companies: Do we know where the threat lies?

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  • Urionabarrenetxea, Sara
  • Garcia-Merino, Jose Domingo
  • San-Jose, Leire
  • Retolaza, Jose Luis

Abstract

This paper shows the existence of extreme types of zombie firm, i.e. companies with negative equity that continue to do business despite having lost their entire equity. We explain how these firms are measured and how the riskier ones are defined with different determinants. Using a Spanish sample from 2010 to 2014 an index called the EZIndex is developed that includes four dimensions of the extreme zombie problem: extension, contagion, recovery signs and immediacy. The paper contributes to zombie theory on the one hand by developing a method for ranking zombie firms based on risks and changes over time, and on the other hand by using a log-linear model to detect the riskiest corporate profiles out of all these risky firms. It demonstrates significant implications that need to be considered by the competent authorities not only in terms of their impact as a whole but also in regard to the particular profile of extreme zombie firms: they are less regulated, large and located in regions with large business fabrics.

Suggested Citation

  • Urionabarrenetxea, Sara & Garcia-Merino, Jose Domingo & San-Jose, Leire & Retolaza, Jose Luis, 2018. "Living with zombie companies: Do we know where the threat lies?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 408-420.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eurman:v:36:y:2018:i:3:p:408-420
    DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2017.05.005
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    Cited by:

    1. Shaozhen Han & Guoming Li & Michel Lubrano & Zhou Xun, 2020. "Lie of the Weak: Inconsistent Corporate Social Responsibility Activities of Chinese Zombie Firms," Working Papers halshs-02441264, HAL.
    2. Santi Novita, 2018. "Industry and Financial Crises in Fragile and Zombie Firms: Does Leverage Matter?," GATR Journals jber157, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
    3. Leire San-Jose & Sara Urionabarrenetxea & Jose-Domingo García-Merino, 2022. "Zombie firms and corporate governance: What room for maneuver do companies have to avoid becoming zombies?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 835-862, April.
    4. Mingarelli, Luca & Ravanetti, Beatrice & Shakir, Tamarah & Wendelborn, Jonas, 2022. "Dawn of the (half) dead: the twisted world of zombie identification," Working Paper Series 2743, European Central Bank.
    5. Stephen Anthony & Hamid Yahyaei, 2022. "Bringing Credibility Back to Macroeconomic Policy Frameworks," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 41(3), pages 276-295, September.
    6. Felicia Anikpe NAIMO & Sunday Oseiweh OGBEIDE, 2022. "Evidences and Determinants of Zombie Firms: Implication on Economic Growth," Management and Economics Review, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 7(2), pages 141-158, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Equity; Leverage; Risk; Corporate management; Responsibility; Decisions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies

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