Consideration in non-tradable shares reform: the compensation for benefit expropriation

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the main determinants of consideration in China's non-tradable shares reform. The primary objective is to dig into the institutional factors that affect consideration in China's non-tradable shares reform. Design/methodology/approach - – The authors examine a sample of 846 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) that have finished the non-tradable shares reform during 2005-2009. Using the multiple liner regression, the authors discuss the important factors which affect consideration. Findings - – The authors find that ownership reconstruction form and capital occupation are very important determinants of consideration. The main factor which affects controlling shareholders’ capital occupation is the form of ownership reconstruction. Capital occupation of incompletely ownership reconstructed companies is more serious than those of complete ownership reconstructed companies. Furthermore, companies of incomplete ownership reconstruction and higher capital occupation paid higher consideration as a compensation for the expropriation of tradable shareholders’ benefit during the shares split period. Originality/value - – This study provides not only a deeper understanding of the reform of non-tradable shares but also an important empirical reference for reform of SOEs in China.