IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jbrese/v199y2025ics0148296325003078.html

Which institutions impose more sanctions? Formal vs. informal CEO non-duality institutions and stock price crash risk of CEO duality firms

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Tingting
  • Kim, Incheol
  • Gracy Yang, Jingyu
  • Zhang, Zhengyi

Abstract

While prior research has emphasized the institutional alignment of firms, limited attention has been paid to the different penalties firms face when they deviate from legitimate governance practices prescribed by formal versus informal institutions. Drawing on institutional theory and agency theory, this study investigates the influence of CEO duality on firm-specific downside risk, measured by stock price crash risk, under formal versus informal institutional contexts that favor CEO non-duality. Analyzing 48,521 firm-year observations from 28 economies between 1999 and 2014, we find that firms with CEO duality experience significantly higher levels of stock price crash risk under formal institutional contexts than informal ones. We also find that CEO duality firms can reconcile efficiency and institutional logics by appointing more outside directors. This hybrid governance structure proves more effective in mitigating the firms’ stock price crash risk under formal institutional contexts than informal ones.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Tingting & Kim, Incheol & Gracy Yang, Jingyu & Zhang, Zhengyi, 2025. "Which institutions impose more sanctions? Formal vs. informal CEO non-duality institutions and stock price crash risk of CEO duality firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:199:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325003078
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115484
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296325003078
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115484?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jay Dahya & Laura Galguera Garcia & Jos Van Bommel, 2009. "One Man Two Hats: What's All the Commotion!," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 44(2), pages 179-212, May.
    2. Jin, Li & Myers, Stewart C., 2006. "R2 around the world: New theory and new tests," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(2), pages 257-292, February.
    3. Durand, Rodolphe & Thornton, Patricia, 2018. "Categorizing Institutional Logics, Institutionalizing Categories: A Review of Two Literatures," HEC Research Papers Series 1276, HEC Paris, revised 30 May 2018.
    4. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 2008. "Theory of the firm: managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 48(2), April.
    5. Kim, Jeong-Bon & Li, Yinghua & Zhang, Liandong, 2011. "CFOs versus CEOs: Equity incentives and crashes," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(3), pages 713-730, September.
    6. Hainmueller, Jens & Xu, Yiqing, 2013. "ebalance: A Stata Package for Entropy Balancing," Journal of Statistical Software, Foundation for Open Access Statistics, vol. 54(i07).
    7. Zheying Wu & Robert Salomon, 2016. "Does imitation reduce the liability of foreignness? Linking distance, isomorphism, and performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(12), pages 2441-2462, December.
    8. Kim, Jeong-Bon & Li, Leye & Lu, Louise Yi & Yu, Yangxin, 2016. "Financial statement comparability and expected crash risk," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(2), pages 294-312.
    9. Ahsan Habib & Mostafa Monzur Hasan & Haiyan Jiang, 2018. "Stock price crash risk: review of the empirical literature," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 58(S1), pages 211-251, November.
    10. Hu, Jinshuai & Li, Siqi & Taboada, Alvaro G. & Zhang, Feida, 2020. "Corporate board reforms around the world and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    11. Amon Chizema & Jootae Kim, 2010. "Outside Directors on Korean Boards: Governance and Institutions," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 109-129, January.
    12. Li, Yiwei & Zeng, Yeqin, 2019. "The impact of top executive gender on asset prices: Evidence from stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 528-550.
    13. Ilídio Barreto & Charles Baden‐Fuller, 2006. "To Conform or To Perform? Mimetic Behaviour, Legitimacy‐Based Groups and Performance Consequences," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(7), pages 1559-1581, November.
    14. Raheja, Charu G., 2005. "Determinants of Board Size and Composition: A Theory of Corporate Boards," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 40(2), pages 283-306, June.
    15. Wang, Cong & Xie, Fei & Zhu, Min, 2015. "Industry Expertise of Independent Directors and Board Monitoring," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 50(5), pages 929-962, October.
    16. Rodolphe Durand & Julien Jourdan, 2012. "Jules or Jim: Alternative conformity to minority logics," Post-Print hal-00772070, HAL.
    17. Mark Kroll & Bruce A. Walters & Peter Wright, 2008. "Board vigilance, director experience, and corporate outcomes," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 363-382, April.
    18. David L. Deephouse, 1999. "To be different, or to be the same? It’s a question (and theory) of strategic balance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 147-166, February.
    19. Christopher S. Tuggle & David G. Sirmon & Christopher R. Reutzel & Leonard Bierman, 2010. "Commanding board of director attention: investigating how organizational performance and CEO duality affect board members' attention to monitoring," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(9), pages 946-968, September.
    20. Luis Alfonso Dau & Aya S. Chacar & Marjorie A. Lyles & Jiatao Li, 2022. "Informal institutions and international business: Toward an integrative research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(6), pages 985-1010, August.
    21. Michael I. Reed, 1996. "Rediscovering Hegel: The ‘New Historicism’ In Organization And Management Studies," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(2), pages 139-158, March.
    22. Weisbach, Michael S., 1988. "Outside directors and CEO turnover," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1-2), pages 431-460, January.
    23. Doidge, Craig & Andrew Karolyi, G. & Stulz, Rene M., 2007. "Why do countries matter so much for corporate governance?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 1-39, October.
    24. Baghdadi, Ghasan A. & Safiullah, Md & Heyden, Mariano L.M., 2023. "Do gender diverse boards enhance managerial ability?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    25. Zhe An & Zhian Chen & Donghui Li & Lu Xing, 2018. "Individualism and stock price crash risk," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(9), pages 1208-1236, December.
    26. Lívia Markóczy & Sunny Li Sun & Mike W. Peng & Weilei (Stone) Shi & Bing Ren, 2013. "Social network contingency, symbolic management, and boundary stretching," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(11), pages 1367-1387, November.
    27. Dani Rodrik, 2008. "Second-Best Institutions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 98(2), pages 100-104, May.
    28. Min, Byung-Seong & Chen, Chien-Nan & Tien, Chengli, 2022. "Firms' responses to corporate governance reform in an emerging economy from the perspective of institutional logics," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 278-289.
    29. Kim, Jeong-Bon & Li, Yinghua & Zhang, Liandong, 2011. "Corporate tax avoidance and stock price crash risk: Firm-level analysis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(3), pages 639-662, June.
    30. Jia, Ning, 2018. "Corporate innovation strategy and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 155-173.
    31. Chen, Joseph & Hong, Harrison & Stein, Jeremy C., 2001. "Forecasting crashes: trading volume, past returns, and conditional skewness in stock prices," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(3), pages 345-381, September.
    32. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    33. Kenneth R. Ahern & Amy K. Dittmar, 2012. "The Changing of the Boards: The Impact on Firm Valuation of Mandated Female Board Representation," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 127(1), pages 137-197.
    34. William Ocasio & Nevena Radoynovska, 2016. "Strategy and commitments to institutional logics : Organizational heterogeneity in business models and governance," Post-Print hal-02312181, HAL.
    35. Hutton, Amy P. & Marcus, Alan J. & Tehranian, Hassan, 2009. "Opaque financial reports, R2, and crash risk," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1), pages 67-86, October.
    36. Xu, Nianhang & Jiang, Xuanyu & Chan, Kam C. & Yi, Zhihong, 2013. "Analyst coverage, optimism, and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 217-239.
    37. Jin, Hong-min & Su, Zhong-qin & Wang, Lu & Xiao, Zuoping, 2022. "Do academic independent directors matter? Evidence from stock price crash risk," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1129-1148.
    38. La Porta, Rafael & Lopez-de-Silanes, Florencio & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert, 2000. "Investor protection and corporate governance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1-2), pages 3-27.
    39. Mike W. Peng, 2004. "Outside directors and firm performance during institutional transitions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(5), pages 453-471, May.
    40. Si Li & Xintong Zhan, 2019. "Product Market Threats and Stock Crash Risk," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(9), pages 4011-4031, September.
    41. Jia, Ming & Zhang, Zhe, 2016. "How long does the influence of organizational deviance have on innocent firms?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2649-2663.
    42. Panayiotis C. Andreou & Christodoulos Louca & Andreas P. Petrou, 2017. "CEO Age and Stock Price Crash Risk," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 21(3), pages 1287-1325.
    43. Royston Greenwood & Amalia Magán Díaz & Stan Xiao Li & José Céspedes Lorente, 2010. "The Multiplicity of Institutional Logics and the Heterogeneity of Organizational Responses," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(2), pages 521-539, April.
    44. Jeffrey L. Callen & Xiaohua Fang, 2017. "Crash Risk and the Auditor–Client Relationship," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(3), pages 1715-1750, September.
    45. Panayiotis C. Andreou & Constantinos Antoniou & Joanne Horton & Christodoulos Louca, 2016. "Corporate Governance and Firm†specific Stock Price Crashes," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 22(5), pages 916-956, November.
    46. William F. Sharpe, 1964. "Capital Asset Prices: A Theory Of Market Equilibrium Under Conditions Of Risk," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 19(3), pages 425-442, September.
    47. Mulder, Laetitia B. & Kurz, Tim & Prosser, Annayah M.B. & Fonseca, Miguel A., 2024. "The presence of laws and mandates is associated with increased social norm enforcement," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    48. Erin M. Reid & Michael W. Toffel, 2009. "Responding to public and private politics: corporate disclosure of climate change strategies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(11), pages 1157-1178, November.
    49. Danny Miller & Isabelle Le Breton-Miller & Richard H. Lester, 2013. "Family Firm Governance, Strategic Conformity, and Performance: Institutional vs. Strategic Perspectives," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(1), pages 189-209, February.
    50. Jeong†Bon Kim & Liandong Zhang, 2014. "Financial Reporting Opacity and Expected Crash Risk: Evidence from Implied Volatility Smirks," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 851-875, September.
    51. Kenneth J. Rediker & Anju Seth, 1995. "Boards of directors and substitution effects of alternative governance mechanisms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(2), pages 85-99.
    52. James D. Westphal, 2023. "Systemic Symbolic Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Corporate Purpose: A Cautionary Tale," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 8(2), pages 221-232, June.
    53. Paula L. Rechner & Dan R. Dalton, 1991. "CEO duality and organizational performance: A longitudinal analysis," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(2), pages 155-160, February.
    54. Al Mamun, Md & Balachandran, Balasingham & Duong, Huu Nhan, 2020. "Powerful CEOs and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    55. Fama, Eugene F, 1980. "Agency Problems and the Theory of the Firm," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 88(2), pages 288-307, April.
    56. Edward J. Zajac & James D. Westphal, 1994. "The Costs and Benefits of Managerial Incentives and Monitoring in Large U.S. Corporations: When is More not Better?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(S1), pages 121-142, December.
    57. Giulia Cappellaro & Paul Tracey & Royston Greenwood, 2020. "From Logic Acceptance to Logic Rejection: The Process of Destabilization in Hybrid Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(2), pages 415-438, March.
    58. Callen, Jeffrey L. & Fang, Xiaohua, 2015. "Religion and Stock Price Crash Risk," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 50(1-2), pages 169-195, April.
    59. Hermalin, Benjamin E & Weisbach, Michael S, 1998. "Endogenously Chosen Boards of Directors and Their Monitoring of the CEO," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(1), pages 96-118, March.
    60. Ehrlich, Isaac, 1973. "Participation in Illegitimate Activities: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 81(3), pages 521-565, May-June.
    61. Chen, Yangyang & Fan, Qingliang & Yang, Xin & Zolotoy, Leon, 2021. "CEO early-life disaster experience and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. San, Ziyao & Wang, Shuai & Xiu, Zongfeng & Zhou, Ling & Zhou, Zejiang, 2025. "Political control, corporate governance and stock-price crash risk: Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    2. Richardson, Grant & Obaydin, Ivan & Liu, Chelsea, 2022. "The effect of accounting fraud on future stock price crash risk," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Dang, Viet Anh & Lee, Edward & Liu, Yangke & Zeng, Cheng, 2022. "Bank deregulation and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    4. Balachandran, Balasingham & Duong, Huu Nhan & Luong, Hoang & Nguyen, Lily, 2020. "Does takeover activity affect stock price crash risk? Evidence from international M&A laws," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    5. Zaman, Rashid & Atawnah, Nader & Haseeb, Muhammad & Nadeem, Muhammad & Irfan, Saadia, 2021. "Does corporate eco-innovation affect stock price crash risk?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(5).
    6. Jebran, Khalil & Chen, Shihua & Zhang, Ruibin, 2020. "Board diversity and stock price crash risk," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    7. Chen, Yangyang & Fan, Qingliang & Yang, Xin & Zolotoy, Leon, 2021. "CEO early-life disaster experience and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    8. Aiyang Yin & Liang Han & Yun Shen, 2025. "Unravelling the enigma: managerial bad news hoarding and financial analyst forecasts," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 1097-1134, October.
    9. Liao, Lin & Sharma, Divesh & Yang, Yitang (Jenny) & Zhao, Rui, 2023. "Adoption and content of key audit matters and stock price crash risk," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    10. Eugster, Nicolas & Wang, Qingxia, 2023. "Large blockholders and stock price crash risk: An international study," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    11. Hossain, Ashrafee T. & Masum, Abdullah-Al & Xu, Jian, 2023. "COVID-19, a blessing in disguise for the Tech sector: Evidence from stock price crash risk," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    12. Das, Kuntal K. & Yaghoubi, Mona, 2024. "Migration fear and stock price crash risk," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    13. Deng, Bofu & Peng, Zhenge & Chan, Kam C. & Chen, Hongce, 2025. "Top management team stability and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    14. Bing Wang & Kung‐Cheng Ho & Xinyu Liu & Yan Gu, 2022. "Industry cash flow volatility and stock price crash risk," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(2), pages 356-371, March.
    15. Kim, Jeong-Bon & Liao, Shushu & Liu, Yangke, 2021. "Married CEOs and Stock Price Crash Risk," QBS Working Paper Series 2021/09, Queen's University Belfast, Queen's Business School.
    16. Gu, Zhenjiang & Lu, Louise Yi & Yu, Yangxin, 2024. "CEO equity incentive duration and expected crash risk," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(6).
    17. Min Jung Kang & Y. Han (Andy) Kim & Qunfeng Liao, 2020. "Do bankers on the board reduce crash risk?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 26(3), pages 684-723, June.
    18. Dong, Wenyi & Gao, Xin & Li, Donghui & Yang, Shijie, 2024. "Information centralization and stock price crash risk: Cross-country evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    19. Cao, Feng & Zhang, Xueyan & Yuan, Rongli, 2022. "Do geographically nearby major customers mitigate suppliers’ stock price crash risk?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(6).
    20. Benkraiem, Ramzi & Galariotis, Emilios & Guizani, Assil & Lakhal, Faten, 2022. "Product market competition and stock price crash risk: Exploring the role of managerial ownership," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:199:y:2025:i:c:s0148296325003078. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jbusres .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.