Should Chairman and CEO Be Separated? Leadership Structure and Firm Performance in Switzerland
24 Pages Posted: 7 Apr 2005 Last revised: 15 Jun 2013
Date Written: April 1, 2008
Abstract
We investigate the valuation effects of leadership structure in Switzerland where, in contrast to the U.S., a separation of the CEO and chairman functions is common. Consistent with the majority of prior research focusing on the U.S., we find no evidence of a systematic and significant difference in valuation between firms with combined and firms with separated functions. We also investigate whether leadership structure is related to firm-level corporate governance characteristics and find a similar curvilinear relationship between leadership structure and managerial shareholdings as is observed between firm value and managerial shareholdings. A possible interpretation is that agency costs associated with a combined function are mitigated by a higher incentive alignment of the CEO/chairman through an adequate level of managerial shareholdings.
Keywords: Leadership structure, Firm valuation, Corporate governance, Managerial Shareholdings
JEL Classification: G32, G34, G38
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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