IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jmgtgv/v23y2019i1d10.1007_s10997-017-9398-0.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

CEO career horizons and when to go public: the relationship between risk-taking, speed and CEO power

Author

Listed:
  • Mauro Romano

    (University of Foggia)

  • Alessandro Cirillo

    (University of Foggia)

  • Donata Mussolino

    (University of Napoli “Federico II”)

  • Luca Pennacchio

    (Parthenope University of Naples)

Abstract

Initial public offerings make a noteworthy contribution to both the growth of equity markets and the promotion of entrepreneurial activities. As a strategic issue, the decision on when to go public depends on the firm’s leader, and the personal characteristics of chief executives (CEOs) have been found to affect the results of the initial public offering. This paper investigates whether the speed with which firms go public depends on the CEO’s time to retirement, the so-called career horizon. Hypothesising that CEOs with short career horizons will be more risk-averse and aim to preserve their legacy, we found that CEO career horizon is negatively related to the time the firm takes to start the initial public offering. CEOs with longer career horizons make faster, more risky decisions, such as to go public, because of their risk-taking preferences. We also examined how the extent of CEO power affects this relationship. Our results show that a low level of power is linked to more risky decisions, so that powerful CEOs tend to be associated with taking longer to reach the point of initial public offering.

Suggested Citation

  • Mauro Romano & Alessandro Cirillo & Donata Mussolino & Luca Pennacchio, 2019. "CEO career horizons and when to go public: the relationship between risk-taking, speed and CEO power," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 23(1), pages 139-163, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jmgtgv:v:23:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s10997-017-9398-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10997-017-9398-0
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10997-017-9398-0
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10997-017-9398-0?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 search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Naveen, Lalitha, 2006. "Organizational Complexity and Succession Planning," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 41(3), pages 661-683, September.
    2. Moren Lévesque & Maria Minniti & Dean Shepherd, 2009. "Entrepreneurs’ Decisions on Timing of Entry: Learning from Participation and from the Experiences of Others," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 33(2), pages 547-570, March.
    3. Dirk Jenter & Katharina Lewellen, 2015. "CEO Preferences and Acquisitions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 70(6), pages 2813-2852, December.
    4. Dechow, Patricia M. & Sloan, Richard G., 1991. "Executive incentives and the horizon problem : An empirical investigation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(1), pages 51-89, March.
    5. Zona, Fabio, 2014. "Board leadership structure and diversity over CEO time in office: A test of the evolutionary perspective on Italian firms," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 672-681.
    6. Chang, Sea Jin, 2004. "Venture capital financing, strategic alliances, and the initial public offerings of Internet startups," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 721-741, September.
    7. Karen A. Bantel & Susan E. Jackson, 1989. "Top management and innovations in banking: Does the composition of the top team make a difference?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(S1), pages 107-124, June.
    8. Fama, Eugene F. & French, Kenneth R., 2004. "New lists: Fundamentals and survival rates," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(2), pages 229-269, August.
    9. Luigi Zingales, 1995. "Insider Ownership and the Decision to Go Public," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(3), pages 425-448.
    10. Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, 2013. "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Leonard C MacLean & William T Ziemba (ed.), HANDBOOK OF THE FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING Part I, chapter 6, pages 99-127, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    11. Ettore Croci & Alfonso Giudice & Håkan Jankensgård, 2017. "CEO Age, Risk Incentives, and Hedging Strategy," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 46(3), pages 687-716, September.
    12. Erik Lehmann, 2006. "Does Venture Capital Syndication Spur Employment Growth and Shareholder Value? Evidence from German IPO Data," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 26(5), pages 455-464, June.
    13. Ting-Kai Chou & Jia-Chi Cheng & Chin-Chen Chien, 2013. "How useful is venture capital prestige? Evidence from IPO survivability," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 843-863, May.
    14. Yim, Soojin, 2013. "The acquisitiveness of youth: CEO age and acquisition behavior," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(1), pages 250-273.
    15. Vincent L. Barker , III & George C. Mueller, 2002. "CEO Characteristics and Firm R&D Spending," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(6), pages 782-801, June.
    16. Cirillo, Alessandro & Romano, Mauro & Pennacchio, Luca, 2015. "All the power in two hands: The role of CEOs in family IPOs," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 392-406.
    17. Cattaneo, Mattia & Meoli, Michele & Vismara, Silvio, 2015. "Financial regulation and IPOs: Evidence from the history of the Italian stock market," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 116-131.
    18. William Q. Judge & Helen W. Hu & Jonas Gabrielsson & Till Talaulicar & Michael A. Witt & Alessandro Zattoni & Félix López-Iturriaga & Jean Jingham Chen & Dhirendra Shukla & Majdi Quttainah & Emmanuel , 2015. "Configurations of Capacity for Change in Entrepreneurial Threshold Firms: Imprinting and Strategic Choice Perspectives," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 506-530, June.
    19. Ritter, Jay R, 1984. "The "Hot Issue" Market of 1980," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(2), pages 215-240, April.
    20. Alessandro Zattoni & Francesca Cuomo, 2008. "Why Adopt Codes of Good Governance? A Comparison of Institutional and Efficiency Perspectives," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, January.
    21. Teresa Nelson, 2003. "The persistence of founder influence: management, ownership, and performance effects at initial public offering," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(8), pages 707-724, August.
    22. Walters, Bruce A. & Kroll, Mark J. & Wright, Peter, 2007. "CEO tenure, boards of directors, and acquisition performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 60(4), pages 331-338, April.
    23. Vanessa M. Strike & Pascual Berrone & Stephen G. Sapp & Lorenzo Congiu, 2015. "A Socioemotional Wealth Approach to CEO Career Horizons in Family Firms," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 555-583, June.
    24. Ravasi, Davide & Marchisio, Gaia, 2003. "Going Public and the Enrichment of a Supportive Network," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 381-395, December.
    25. Bruce Burton & Christine Helliar & David Power, 2004. "The Role of Corporate Governance in the IPO Process: a note," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(3), pages 353-360, July.
    26. Bharat A. Jain & Omesh Kini, 1999. "The Life Cycle of Initial Public Offering Firms," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(9‐10), pages 1281-1307, November.
    27. Ayse Karaevli, 2007. "Performance consequences of new CEO ‘Outsiderness’: Moderating effects of pre‐ and post‐succession contexts," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(7), pages 681-706, July.
    28. Elie Matta & Paul W. Beamish, 2008. "The accentuated CEO career horizon problem: evidence from international acquisitions," Post-Print hal-00486653, HAL.
    29. Serfling, Matthew A., 2014. "CEO age and the riskiness of corporate policies," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 251-273.
    30. Cirillo, Alessandro & Mussolino, Donata & Romano, Mauro & Viganò, Riccardo, 2017. "A complicated relationship: Family involvement in the top management team and post-IPO survival," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 42-56.
    31. Levesque, Moren & Minniti, Maria, 2006. "The effect of aging on entrepreneurial behavior," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 21(2), pages 177-194, March.
    32. Bharat A. Jain & Omesh Kini, 1999. "The Life Cycle of Initial Public Offering Firms," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(9-10), pages 1281-1307.
    33. Anna, Petrenko, 2016. "Мaркування готової продукції як складова частина інформаційного забезпечення маркетингової діяльності підприємств овочепродуктового підкомплексу," Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, Agricultural and Resource Economics: International Scientific E-Journal, vol. 2(1), March.
    34. Jain, Bharat A. & Jayaraman, Narayanan & Kini, Omesh, 2008. "The path-to-profitability of Internet IPO firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 165-194, March.
    35. Salim Chahine & Igor Filatotchev & Shaker A. Zahra, 2011. "Building Perceived Quality of Founder–Involved IPO Firms: Founders’ Effects on Board Selection and Stock Market Performance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 35(2), pages 319-335, March.
    36. Jovanovic, Boyan, 1982. "Selection and the Evolution of Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(3), pages 649-670, May.
    37. James G. Combs & David J. Ketchen & Alexa A. Perryman & Maura S. Donahue, 2007. "The Moderating Effect of CEO Power on the Board Composition–Firm Performance Relationship," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(8), pages 1299-1323, December.
    38. Laura Casares Field & Jonathan M. Karpoff, 2002. "Takeover Defenses of IPO Firms," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(5), pages 1857-1889, October.
    39. Cosimo Abbate & Alessandro Sapio, 2016. "Gazelles and muppets in the City: Stock market listing, risk sharing, and firm growth quantiles," LEM Papers Series 2016/33, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    40. Busaba, Walid Y., 2006. "Bookbuilding, the option to withdraw, and the timing of IPOs," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 159-186, January.
    41. Antia, Murad & Pantzalis, Christos & Park, Jung Chul, 2010. "CEO decision horizon and firm performance: An empirical investigation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 288-301, June.
    42. Liu, Yixin & Jiraporn, Pornsit, 2010. "The effect of CEO power on bond ratings and yields," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 744-762, September.
    43. Zacharakis, Andrew L. & Shepherd, Dean A., 2001. "The nature of information and overconfidence on venture capitalists' decision making," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 311-332, July.
    44. Chahine, Salim, 2007. "Investor interest, trading volume, and the choice of IPO mechanism in France," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 116-135.
    45. Daniel P. Forbes, 2005. "Managerial determinants of decision speed in new ventures," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 355-366, April.
    46. Yoon-Jun Lee & Jeong-Dong Lee, 2008. "Strategy of start-ups for IPO timing across high technology industries," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(11), pages 869-877.
    47. Igor Filatotchev & Jenifer Piesse, 2009. "R&D, internationalization and growth of newly listed firms: European evidence," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 40(8), pages 1260-1276, October.
    48. Elie Matta & Paul W. Beamish, 2008. "The accentuated CEO career horizon problem: evidence from international acquisitions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(7), pages 683-700, July.
    49. Marco Pagano & Fabio Panetta & and Luigi Zingales, 1998. "Why Do Companies Go Public? An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 53(1), pages 27-64, February.
    50. Jeffrey Krug, 2003. "Executive Turnover in Acquired Firms: An Analysis of Resource-Based Theory and the Upper Echelons Perspective," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 7(2), pages 117-143, June.
    51. Daniela P. Blettner & Fernando R. Chaddad & Richard A. Bettis, 2012. "The CEO Performance Effect: Statistical Issues and a Complex Fit Perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 986-999, August.
    52. Ernst Maug, 2001. "Ownership Structure and the Life-Cycle of the Firm: A Theory of the Decision to Go Public," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 5(3), pages 167-200.
    53. Paul C. Nutt, 2002. "Making Strategic Choices," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 67-96, January.
    54. Wang, Changyun, 2005. "Ownership and operating performance of Chinese IPOs," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(7), pages 1835-1856, July.
    55. Musteen, Martina & Barker III, Vincent L. & Baeten, Virginia L., 2006. "CEO attributes associated with attitude toward change: The direct and moderating effects of CEO tenure," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 59(5), pages 604-612, May.
    56. Roosenboom, Peter & Schramade, Willem, 2006. "The price of power: Valuing the controlling position of owner-managers in French IPO firms," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 270-295, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Xi Zhao & Meiling Tang, 2023. "CEO age and entry timing within industry merger waves: Evidence from China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 517-552, June.

    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. Cirillo, Alessandro & Mussolino, Donata & Romano, Mauro & Viganò, Riccardo, 2017. "A complicated relationship: Family involvement in the top management team and post-IPO survival," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 42-56.
    2. Alessandro Cirillo & Donata Mussolino & Sara Saggese & Fabrizia Sarto, 2018. "Looking at the IPO from the “top floor”: a literature review," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(3), pages 661-688, September.
    3. HONJO Yuji & KURIHARA Koki, 2021. "Graduation of Initial Public Offering Firms from Junior Stock Markets: Evidence from the Tokyo Stock Exchange," Discussion papers 21049, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    4. Jeong, Nara & Kim, Nari & Arthurs, Jonathan D., 2021. "The CEO’s tenure life cycle, corporate social responsibility and the moderating role of the CEO’s political orientation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 464-474.
    5. Cirillo, Alessandro & Romano, Mauro & Pennacchio, Luca, 2015. "All the power in two hands: The role of CEOs in family IPOs," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 392-406.
    6. Siew-Boey Yeoh & Chee-Wooi Hooy, 2022. "CEO age and risk-taking of family business in Malaysia: The inverse S-curve relationship," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 273-293, March.
    7. Liu, Jia & Lister, Roger & Pang, Dong, 2013. "Corporate evolution following initial public offerings in China: A life-course approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 1-20.
    8. Yuji Honjo & Koki Kurihara, 2023. "Graduation of initial public offering firms from junior stock markets: evidence from the Tokyo Stock Exchange," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 813-841, February.
    9. Kabir, Rezaul & Li, Hao & Veld-Merkoulova, Yulia, 2018. "Do managers act opportunistically towards the end of their career?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 218-232.
    10. Hou, Wanrong & Li, Sali & Priem, Richard L., 2013. "How do CEOs matter? The moderating effects of CEO compensation and tenure on equity ownership in international joint ventures," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 138-151.
    11. Trabert, Sebastian, 2023. "Do younger CEOs really increase firm risk? Evidence from sudden CEO deaths," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    12. Pascal Nguyen & Nahid Rahman & Ruoyun Zhao, 2018. "CEO characteristics and firm valuation: a quantile regression analysis," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(1), pages 133-151, March.
    13. Chari, Murali D.R. & David, Parthiban & Duru, Augustine & Zhao, Yijiang, 2019. "Bowman's risk-return paradox: An agency theory perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 357-375.
    14. Yaoqin Li & Xixiong Xu & Yushu Zhu & Mamiza Haq, 2021. "CEO decision horizon and corporate R&D investments: an explanation based on managerial myopia and risk aversion," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(4), pages 5141-5175, December.
    15. Kosmidou, Vasiliki & Holt, Daniel T., 2022. "The relationship between family management and performance: A configurational approach in exploring the role of socioemotional wealth and generational stage," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4).
    16. Bendig, David, 2022. "Chief operating officer characteristics and how they relate to exploration via patenting versus venturing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 297-309.
    17. Xin Liu, 2023. "Fear to lose? An analysis of CEO successors’ decision-making regarding R&D intensity based on behavioral agency theory," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 403-430, February.
    18. Hui Liang James, 2020. "CEO age and tax planning," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 38(2), pages 275-299, April.
    19. Xi Zhao & Meiling Tang, 2023. "CEO age and entry timing within industry merger waves: Evidence from China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(2), pages 517-552, June.
    20. Dr. Sonia MOUSSA & Dr. Houssem RACHDI & Aymen AMMERI, 2013. "Governance, Managers’ Entrenchment and Performance: Evidence in French Firms Listed in SBF 120," International Journal of Business and Social Research, LAR Center Press, vol. 3(2), pages 35-48, February.

    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:kap:jmgtgv:v:23:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s10997-017-9398-0. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.