Managers ability and investment dynamics during the global financial crisis: an emerging market context

Purpose - Many scholars have developed several theories and empirics to study issues related to investment policy. However, there are still some unexplored issues in the field of finance that require further analysis and investigation, particularly in the corporate governance literature such as the role of managerial talent in the firms. This study investigated the impact of managerial ability on investment decisions of the firms. Design/methodology/approach - The study first uses firm efficiency and managerial ability by using data envelope analysis (DEA) proposed by Demerjian, Lev and McVay, 2012. Data is collected for the firms listed in Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchange for an emerging market of China during the crisis period with 1,640 number of observations. Findings - The study reveals that the presence of more managerial talent in a firm is significant for the strategic decisions of the firms. Findings follow a resource-based view and identify that more talented managers help the firms in the acquisition of resources specifically during financial distress. The study subdivides the firms based on: ownership structures and financial constraints. Results generated from propensity score matching imply that the role of high-talented managers is significantly different from that of low-talented managers. Originality/value - The study reveals managerial ability as a determinant of investment policy. To the researchers’ best knowledge, none of the previous studies have been conducted in emerging market literature during the crisis period.