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Competing with Superstars

Author

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  • Manuel Ammann

    (Swiss Institute of Banking and Finance, University of St. Gallen, CH-9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland)

  • Philipp Horsch

    (Swiss Institute of Banking and Finance, University of St. Gallen, CH-9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland)

  • David Oesch

    (Department of Business Administration, University of Zurich, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland)

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of superstar chief executive officers (CEOs) on their competitors. Exploiting shocks to CEO status due to prestigious media awards, we document a significant positive stock market performance of competitors of superstar CEOs subsequent to the award. The effect is more pronounced for competitors who have not received an award themselves, who are geographically close to an award winner, and who are not entrenched. We observe an increase in risk taking, operating performance, and innovation activity of superstars’ competitors as potential channels for this positive performance. Our results suggest a positive overall welfare impact of corporate superstar systems due to the incentivizing effect on superstars’ competitors. This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance .

Suggested Citation

  • Manuel Ammann & Philipp Horsch & David Oesch, 2016. "Competing with Superstars," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(10), pages 2842-2858, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:62:y:2016:i:10:p:2842-2858
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2015.2266
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    Cited by:

    1. Matthias Neuenkirch & Peter Tillmann, 2016. "Does A Good Central Banker Make A Difference?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 54(3), pages 1541-1560, July.
    2. Plaksina, Yulia & Gallagher, Liam & Dowling, Michael, 2019. "CEO social status and M&A decision making," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 282-300.
    3. Marco Caiffa & Vincenzo Farina & Lucrezia Fattobene, 2020. "All that glitters is not gold: CEOs' celebrity beyond media content," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(3), pages 444-460, July.
    4. Silu Cheng, 2023. "Are superstar directors effective in corporate social responsibility performance? An empirical analysis of sustainable development goals," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 487-503, March.
    5. Enzo Brox & Daniel Goller, 2024. "Tournaments, Contestant Heterogeneity and Performance," Papers 2401.05210, arXiv.org.
    6. Tu Nguyen & Jing Zhao, 2021. "Industry tournament incentives and corporate innovation," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(9-10), pages 1797-1845, October.
    7. Amore, Mario Daniele & Schwenen, Sebastian, 2020. "The Value of Luck in the Labor Market for CEOs," CEPR Discussion Papers 14839, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Brian L. Connelly & Qiang (John) Li & Wei Shi & Kang‐Bok Lee, 2020. "CEO dismissal: Consequences for the strategic risk taking of competitor CEOs," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(11), pages 2092-2125, November.
    9. Joon Mahn Lee & Jung Chul Park & Guoli Chen, 2023. "A cognitive perspective on real options investment: CEO overconfidence," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(4), pages 1084-1110, April.
    10. Christopher Kurzhals & Lorenz Graf‐Vlachy & Andreas König, 2020. "Strategic leadership and technological innovation: A comprehensive review and research agenda," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 437-464, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    competition; firm performance; risk taking; innovation; awards; CEO;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

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