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Do Independent Expert Directors Matter?

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  • Masulis, Ronald
  • Ruzzier, Christian
  • Xiao, Sheng
  • Zhao, Shan

Abstract

The generally weak correlation between board independence and firm performance is a major empirical puzzle. One possible explanation is that director independence alone is not enough. To explore this possibility, we examine the full employment histories of independent directors at S&P 1500 companies. We define an independent expert director (IED) as an independent director who has worked in the same 2-digit SIC industry as the company where he/she serves as an independent director. We show that the proportion of IEDs on a board is positively and significantly correlated with firm performance. We find that when the proportion of IEDs is higher, there are fewer earnings restatements and larger cash holdings. Firms with IEDs have higher CEO pay-performance sensitivity, higher CEO turnover-performance sensitivity, and more patents with more citations. Stock market investors react positively to IED appointments. We also find the higher the CEO power, the less likely IEDs will be on board.

Suggested Citation

  • Masulis, Ronald & Ruzzier, Christian & Xiao, Sheng & Zhao, Shan, 2012. "Do Independent Expert Directors Matter?," MPRA Paper 68200, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:68200
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    2. Barraza, Santiago & Rossi, Martín A & Ruzzier, Christian A, 2022. "Sleeping with the enemy: The perils of having the government on(the)board," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 641-651.
    3. Changzheng Zhang & Jiao Zhang & Qian Guo, 2018. "Can Political Connections Of Independent Directors Improve Firm Perfomance? Evidence Of Chinese Listed Manufacturing Companies Over 2008 - 2013," Malaysian E Commerce Journal (MECJ), Zibeline International Publishing, vol. 2(2), pages 5-12, January.
    4. Muravyev, Alexander & Berezinets, Irina & Ilina, Yulia, 2014. "The structure of corporate boards and private benefits of control: Evidence from the Russian stock exchange," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 247-261.
    5. Jin Sug Yang & Anna Bedford & Martin Bugeja, 2023. "Director expertise and co‐option in industry superannuation funds?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(S1), pages 1249-1283, April.
    6. Bradley, Daniel & Gokkaya, Sinan & Liu, Xi & Xie, Fei, 2017. "Are all analysts created equal? Industry expertise and monitoring effectiveness of financial analysts," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 179-206.
    7. Nanda, Vikram & Onal, Bunyamin, 2016. "Incentive contracting when boards have related industry expertise," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1-22.
    8. Xu, Liang, 2021. "Stock price informativeness and managerial inefficiency," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 348-364.
    9. Adams, Renée B. & Akyol, Ali C. & Verwijmeren, Patrick, 2018. "Director skill sets," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(3), pages 641-662.
    10. Xiaojing Meng & Jie Joyce Tian, 2020. "Board Expertise and Executive Incentives," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 66(11), pages 5448-5464, November.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    corporate governance; independent directors; experience; restatement; cash holding; executive compensation; CEO turnover; innovation; CEO power;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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

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