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Do Hierarchical Jumps in CEO Succession Invigorate Innovation? Evidence from Chinese Economy

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  • Muddassar Sarfraz

    (Department of Management and HR, Business School, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China)

  • Wang Qun

    (Department of Management and HR, Business School, Hohai University, Nanjing 211100, China
    Provincial Collaborative Center of World Water Valley and Water Ecological Civilization, Nanjing 211100, China)

  • Syed Ghulam Meran Shah

    (School of Business Administration, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 61130, China)

  • Zeeshan Fareed

    (School of Finance, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze Chief executive officer (CEO) succession via hierarchical jumps in Chinese listed firms which orientate towards innovative activity. Good corporate governance is a vehicle to attain the competitive advantage which ultimately makes the organizational sustainability undeterred. The current study will test not only low hierarchical jumps but also medium hierarchical jumps in CEO succession. The study will identify the relationship between specific attributes like education, age and the duality of CEO successors via hierarchical jumps with innovation. We have analysed the data of Chinese listed firms on Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges for the years 2012–2016. Significantly, it has been observed that CEO successors via hierarchical jumps orientate towards innovative activity amongst Chinese listed firms. Conclusively, empirical results have unveiled that hierarchical CEO succession escalates the firms’ innovation. It has also been contemplated that not only the low hierarchical jumps but also medium hierarchical jumps in CEO succession invigorate the organizational innovation. Mature firms with a substantial return on assets or earning per share and having less loan burden concentrate on innovative activity decisively. It has been demonstrated that specific attributes like education, age and the duality of hierarchical CEO successors have no relationship with innovation. The study results are robust via confirmation of 2SLS instrumental regression.

Suggested Citation

  • Muddassar Sarfraz & Wang Qun & Syed Ghulam Meran Shah & Zeeshan Fareed, 2019. "Do Hierarchical Jumps in CEO Succession Invigorate Innovation? Evidence from Chinese Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:7:p:2017-:d:220093
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    2. Guiyu Bai & Wenjuan Wang & Xinxin Wang, 2022. "Research on the Influence of Technological Innovation Enthusiasm on Innovation Performance from the Perspective of Nonlinearity—Empirical Evidence from Chinese Listed Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-14, August.
    3. Muddassar Sarfraz & Syed G. M. Shah & Zeeshan Fareed & Farrukh Shahzad, 2020. "Demonstrating the interconnection of hierarchical order disturbances in CEO succession with corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2956-2971, November.
    4. Mavis Agyemang Opoku & Suk Bong Choi & Seung-Wan Kang, 2019. "Servant Leadership and Innovative Behaviour: An Empirical Analysis of Ghana’s Manufacturing Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-18, November.
    5. Nai-Chun Wang & Deng-Kui Si & Chun-Feng Dong, 2022. "Social Insurance Burden and Corporate Environmental Performance: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-22, September.
    6. Sha, Yezhou & Shah, Syed Ghulam Meran & Sarfraz, Muddassar, 2023. "Short selling and SME irregular CEO succession: Witnessing the moderating role of earnings management," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 163-173.
    7. Syed Ghulam Meran Shah & Muddassar Sarfraz & Larisa Ivascu, 2021. "Assessing the interrelationship corporate environmental responsibility, innovative strategies, cognitive and hierarchical CEO: A stakeholder theory perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 457-473, January.
    8. Fareed, Zeeshan & Rehman, Mubeen Abdur & Adebayo, Tomiwa Sunday & Wang, Yihan & Ahmad, Munir & Shahzad, Farrukh, 2022. "Financial inclusion and the environmental deterioration in Eurozone: The moderating role of innovation activity," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    9. Yingkai Tang & Aswad Akram & Lucian‐Ionel Cioca & Syed Ghulam Meran Shah & Muhammad Asim Ali Qureshi, 2021. "Whether an innovation act as a catalytic moderator between corporate social responsibility performance and stated owned and non‐state owned enterprises' performance or not? An evidence from Pakistani ," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(3), pages 1127-1141, May.
    10. Muddassar Sarfraz & Syed Ghulam Meran Shah & Larisa Ivascu & Muhammad Asim Ali Qureshi, 2022. "Explicating the impact of hierarchical CEO succession on small‐medium enterprises' performance and cash holdings," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(2), pages 2600-2614, April.

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