IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0306363.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The role of executives’ social capital in improving merger and acquisition performance during corporate transformation and upgrading: Evidence from Chinese media enterprises

Author

Listed:
  • Wancheng Yang
  • Qi Zeng

Abstract

During the transformation and upgrading of enterprises, executives’ social capital provides useful access to resources through merger and acquisition (M&A) strategies. This study examines 145 M&A events of Chinese listed media enterprises undergoing transformation and upgrading as research samples. It empirically analyzed the impact of executives’ social capital on short-term and long-term M&A performance from three aspects: corporate social capital (CSC), political social capital (PSC), and financial social capital (FSC). It also confirmed the moderating effect of corporate ownership structure, exploring the mechanism of executives’ social capital during the period of transformation and upgrading. Based on the empirical results, we found that: (1) CSC significantly enhances short-term M&A performance but has no significant effect on long-term performance; (2) PSC positively influences both short-term and long-term M&A performance. State-owned media enterprises may gain relatively fewer benefits from PSC in the short term after M&A, but they can accrue more significant benefits in the long term post-M&A; (3) FSC does not affect short-term M&A performance but exerts a negative impact on long-term performance. The negative effect is even more pronounced in state-owned enterprises. This study complements existing research on executives’ social capital during the transformation and upgrading of enterprises. It provides a reference for media enterprises in China and other emerging economies to utilize executives’ social capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Wancheng Yang & Qi Zeng, 2024. "The role of executives’ social capital in improving merger and acquisition performance during corporate transformation and upgrading: Evidence from Chinese media enterprises," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(9), pages 1-24, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0306363
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0306363
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0306363
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0306363&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0306363?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gordon L Clark & Ashby H B Monk, 2013. "Financial Institutions, Information, and Investing-At-A-Distance," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 45(6), pages 1318-1336, June.
    2. Jingbo Luo & Weimin Wang, 2023. "Do managers' professional connections benefit their firms in mergers and acquisitions: Chinese evidence," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 679-713, February.
    3. Lou, Xu & Qian, Aimin & Zhang, Chenyu, 2021. "Do CEO's political promotion incentives influence the value of cash holdings: Evidence from state-owned enterprises in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Sophie Hennekam & Steve Mckenna & Julia Richardson & Subramaniam Ananthram, 2019. "Perceptions of Demotion Decisions: A Social Capital Perspective," Post-Print hal-03232774, HAL.
    5. Tao, Qizhi & Li, Haoyu & Wu, Qun & Zhang, Ting & Zhu, Yingjun, 2019. "The dark side of board network centrality: Evidence from merger performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 215-232.
    6. Diduc (Sniazhko), Sniazhana, 2022. "Integration team members' approaches to uncertainty management in M&A," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 917-931.
    7. Jianghua Zhou & Rui Wu & Jizhen Li, 2019. "More ties the merrier? Different social ties and firm innovation performance," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(2), pages 445-471, June.
    8. Scott Fung & Hoje Jo & Shih‐Chuan Tsai, 2009. "Agency problems in stock market‐driven acquisitions," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(4), pages 388-430, October.
    9. Siwei Wang & Xin Li & Zibiao Li & Yongwei Ye, 2023. "The effects of government support on enterprises' digital transformation: Evidence from China," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(5), pages 2520-2539, July.
    10. Shi, Ce Matthew & Li, Danhou, 2023. "The impact of broadband Internet on public media: Evidence from China," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    11. Klarin, Anton & Sharmelly, Rifat, 2024. "Inter-organizational networking in emerging markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    12. Matthew O. Jackson, 2020. "A typology of social capital and associated network measures," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 54(2), pages 311-336, March.
    13. Jian, Jianhui & Li, Huaqian & Meng, Leah & Zhao, Chunxiang, 2020. "Do policy burdens induce excessive managerial perks? Evidence from China’s stated-owned enterprises," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 54-65.
    14. Zhao, Li & Zhang, Ling & Sun, Jianxin & He, Pengfei, 2022. "Can public participation constraints promote green technological innovation of Chinese enterprises? The moderating role of government environmental regulatory enforcement," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    15. Zhiming Hu & Jie Xiong & Jie Yan & Zhe Yuan & Shubho Chakraborty, 2023. "The horizontal and vertical coordination of policy mixes for industrial upgrading in China: an ambidexterity perspective," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-04127187, HAL.
    16. Wu, Bao & Wang, Qi & Fang, Chevy-Hanqing & Tsai, Fu-Sheng & Xia, Yuanze, 2022. "Capital flight for family? Exploring the moderating effects of social connections on capital outflow of family business," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    17. El-Khatib, Rwan & Fogel, Kathy & Jandik, Tomas, 2015. "CEO network centrality and merger performance," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(2), pages 349-382.
    18. Cheng, Lei & Cheng, Hong & Zhuang, Ziyin, 2019. "Political connections, corporate innovation and entrepreneurship: Evidence from the China Employer-Employee Survey (CEES)," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 286-305.
    19. Yang, Junhong & Guariglia, Alessandra & Guo, Jie (Michael), 2019. "To what extent does corporate liquidity affect M&A decisions, method of payment and performance? Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 128-152.
    20. Apaydin, Marina & Thornberry, Jon & Sidani, Yusuf M., 2020. "Informal Social Networks as Intermediaries in Foreign Markets," Management and Organization Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(3), pages 629-656, July.
    21. Cesare Fracassi & Geoffrey Tate, 2012. "External Networking and Internal Firm Governance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(1), pages 153-194, February.
    22. Kim, Do Yuon & Kim, Hye-Young, 2021. "Trust me, trust me not: A nuanced view of influencer marketing on social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 223-232.
    23. Yin, Hongying & Jin, Xin & Quan, Xiaofeng & Yu, Junli, 2022. "Does social network improve corporate financing efficiency? Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    24. Scott Fung & Hoje Jo & Shih‐Chuan Tsai, 2009. "Agency problems in stock market‐driven acquisitions," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(4), pages 388-430, October.
    25. Arzu Hajiyeva, "undated". "The Impact Of Mergers And Acquisitions On The Operational Performance Of Companies In Emerging Capital Markets," Review of Socio - Economic Perspectives 202067, Reviewsep.
    26. Scott Fung & Hoje Jo & Shih‐Chuan Tsai, 2009. "Agency problems in stock market‐driven acquisitions," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(4), pages 388-430, October.
    27. Xin‐tu Lei & Qing‐yuan Xu & Cheng‐ze Jin, 2022. "Nature of property right and the motives for holding cash: Empirical evidence from Chinese listed companies," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(5), pages 1482-1500, July.
    28. Hennekam, Sophie & McKenna, Steve & Richardson, Julia & Ananthram, Subramaniam, 2019. "Perceptions of demotion decisions: A social capital perspective," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 730-741.
    29. Fuping Bai & Donghui Liu & Kaiyun Dong & Mengting Shang & Aiguo Yan, 2023. "Research on How Executive Connections Affect Enterprise Digital Transformation: Empirical Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-17, January.
    30. Irwin, Kris & Gilstrap, Collin & Drnevich, Paul & Sunny, Manoj, 2022. "The acquisition of capabilities: How firms use dynamic and ordinary capabilities to manage uncertainty," Journal of Management & Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 28(3), pages 564-586, May.
    31. Ameeta Jaiswal-Dale & Fanny Simon-Lee & Giovanna Zanotti & Peter Cincinelli, 2022. "The Role of Social Networking in Capital Sourcing," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 23(2), pages 247-258, April.
    32. Lee, Hanna & Ki-Hyun, Um & Hughes, Paul & Hughes, Mathew (Mat) & Shine, Eun-Kyu, 2023. "Understanding knowledge transfer in M&As: An integration of resource orchestration and social capital theories and evidence from UK acquiring firms," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 41(2), pages 199-211.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Alexandre Bohas & Pierre-Xavier Meschi, 2023. "In vino vanitas: Social dynamics and performance of Chinese château acquisitions in the Bordeaux vineyards," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(2), pages 306-331, March.
    2. Xing, Fei & Hai, Mengdie & Cai, Jiayao, 2023. "Network centrality and technology acquisitions: Evidence from China's listed business groups," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    3. Hasan, Iftekhar & Manfredonia, Stefano, 2022. "Productivity, managers’ social connections and the financial crisis," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    4. Tao, Qizhi & Li, Haoyu & Wu, Qun & Zhang, Ting & Zhu, Yingjun, 2019. "The dark side of board network centrality: Evidence from merger performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 215-232.
    5. Zhang, Yifan & Kong, Dongmin & Liu, Hening, 2024. "Internal governance and investment efficiency: The role of non-CEO executives," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).
    6. Chahine, Salim & Fang, Yiwei & Hasan, Iftekhar & Mazboudi, Mohamad, 2019. "Entrenchment through corporate social responsibility: Evidence from CEO network centrality," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    7. Wu, Qiang & Dbouk, Wassim & Hasan, Iftekhar & Kobeissi, Nada & Zheng, Li, 2021. "Does gender affect innovation? Evidence from female chief technology officers," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(9).
    8. Jing He, 2022. "Executive Network Centrality and Corporate Reporting," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(2), pages 1512-1536, February.
    9. Santiago Kopoboru & Gloria Cuevas-Rodríguez & Leticia Pérez-Calero, 2020. "Boards that Make a Difference in Firm’s Acquisitions: The Role of Interlocks and Former Politicians in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, January.
    10. Evans Opoku‐Mensah & Yuming Yin, 2023. "Controlling shareholders' influence on acquisition decisions and value creation: An empirical study from China," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(2), pages 1965-1980, April.
    11. Suman Lodh & Monomita Nandy & Jaskaran Kaur, 2023. "Influence of governance bundles and directors' social capital on cash holding in foreign cross‐listed firms," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 4271-4298, October.
    12. Renneboog, Luc & Vansteenkiste, Cara, 2019. "Failure and success in mergers and acquisitions," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 650-699.
    13. Ulrike Malmendier, 2018. "Behavioral Corporate Finance," NBER Working Papers 25162, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. El-Khatib, Rwan & Jandik, Dobrina & Jandik, Tomas, 2025. "Does social network connectedness affect acquirer merger performance around the world?," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    15. Jingbo Luo & Weimin Wang, 2023. "Do managers' professional connections benefit their firms in mergers and acquisitions: Chinese evidence," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 679-713, February.
    16. Griffin, Paul A. & Hong, Hyun A. & Liu, Yun & Ryou, Ji Woo, 2021. "The dark side of CEO social capital: Evidence from real earnings management and future operating performance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    17. Luong, Thanh Son & Qiu, Buhui & Wu, Yi (Ava), 2021. "Does it pay to be socially connected with wall street brokerages? Evidence from cost of equity," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    18. Nguyen, Thi Bao Ngoc & Ke, Dun-Yao & Su, Xuan-Qi, 2025. "Do CEOs with elite education matter? Evidence from shareholder value in mergers and acquisitions," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    19. Ferris, Stephen P. & Javakhadze, David & Liu, Yun, 2020. "The price of boardroom social capital: The effects of corporate demand for external connectivity," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    20. Zhong, Shihu & Guo, Fanyong & Zhang, Gexing & Fan, Youqing, 2024. "Role of potential power: The effect of part-time board secretary on merger decisions," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PB), pages 285-298.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:plo:pone00:0306363. 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: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    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.