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1 – 10 of over 2000Fawad Ahmad, Michael Eric Bradbury and Ahsan Habib
This paper examines the influence of different types of political connections and political uncertainty on earnings credibility in Pakistan. Based on discernible differences…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the influence of different types of political connections and political uncertainty on earnings credibility in Pakistan. Based on discernible differences, connected firms are grouped into civil connected and military connected firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors provide evidence concerning the earnings credibility incentives of groups of political connected firms and report that their incentives are significantly different. The findings remain robust to alternate methods of earnings credibility.
Findings
The findings evidence that civil (military) connected firms report less (more) credible earnings than the control group. High political uncertainty reduces the credibility of earnings. Results for the interaction of political connections and political uncertainty variables are not significant.
Research limitations/implications
The paper investigates just one aspect of Pakistan's political economy, i.e. credibility of earnings; thus, it requires to be cautious on part of readers and policymakers. To reach a clearer conclusion, earnings credibility should be ex amined in the larger context, i.e. in conjunction with rent extractions, etc. A possible extension of the paper can be to investigate the channels of rent extractions used by the two types of connected firms.
Practical implications
The paper has contribution for policymakers as well as users of general purpose financial reports. The findings indicate that the users of general purpose financial reports should be more careful in the use of financial information during political uncertain periods and also of politically connected firms. Furthermore, policymakers should keep the larger context at the forefront while attempting to strengthen the enforcemnet regime.
Originality/value
This paper adds to extant political connections literature by identifying two types of politically connected firms and report that both groups have divergent financial reporting incentives. Furthermore, political uncertainty reduces the credibility of earnings.
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Mushahid Hussain Baig, Xu Jin and Rizwan Ali
This study examines whether real earnings management (REM) choices are connected with the ownership structure of politically connected businesses (PCBs). The authors also discuss…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines whether real earnings management (REM) choices are connected with the ownership structure of politically connected businesses (PCBs). The authors also discuss the moderating role of audit quality (AQ) and family control (FC) on the relationship between PCBs and REM.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors' study sample comprises firms registered on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSE). The sample examines the financial data of the firms that remained listed for the last eight years, i.e. from 2011 to 2018, excluding nonfinance companies and firms with incomplete data. The authors test the hypothesis using feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) regression methods.
Findings
The authors find that PCBs show a high level of involvement in income-decreasing REM compared to nonPCBs due to lower litigation risk in REM. However, the authors' results also show that two monitoring mechanisms, AQ and FC, curb the opportunistic behavior of PCBs and reduce the intensity of REM in PCBs.
Practical implications
The findings of the study are beneficial in decision-making for both internal and external stakeholders, such as creditors, shareholders and competitors. In countries like Pakistan, which fall in the category of emerging economies, PCBs show involvement in income-decreasing REM to change the accurate picture of financial information to attain personal goals, and investors in such countries have a low level of knowledge about earnings management strategies; thus, this study offers detailed knowledge and information to investors and shareholders about political connections and REM. This plays a crucial role for regulators in stiffening the rules and regulations to further assist in more secure financial reporting.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by providing a nuanced understanding of the interplay between political connections, REM, FC and AQ in the business context. Second, family-controlled businesses often exhibit distinct characteristics and governance structures compared to nonfamily-controlled firms. Exploring the moderating role of FC in the following relationship could provide valuable insights into how family dynamics influence the financial reporting practices of PCBs. Third, AQ is a critical factor in ensuring financial reporting transparency. However, the interaction between AQ, political connections, and REM remains relatively unexplored. This study explains how audit oversight affects the earnings management behavior of PCBs.
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Adnan Ullah Khan and Athar Iqbal
This study aims to investigate the effect of political turmoil on the firm financial performance, particularly in presence of politically affiliated board of directors.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effect of political turmoil on the firm financial performance, particularly in presence of politically affiliated board of directors.
Design/methodology/approach
The study applied panel regression analyses on a data set of Pakistan’s listed companies ranged over 14 years, spanning from 2007 to 2021. Political turmoil was first gauged through three determinants, i.e. political protest, government election and constitutional reform, and thereafter, economic uncertainty index was used as a proxy for political turmoil. For the purpose of political connection, the study used political affiliation of the board of directors.
Findings
The study finds that political turmoil has deleterious effect on the return on assets and Tobin’s Q. The study further unveils that politically affiliated firms are relatively insulated from the volatility posed by the political uncertainty and exhibit significantly better financial outcomes.
Practical implications
Findings of the study suggest that appropriate composition of the board is imperative in offsetting the risk posed by the political turmoil. Hence, the results are useful for investors, policymakers and regulators to ensure financial soundness of firms in the wake of political turmoil.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the moderating impact of political connection on the performance of companies in presence of political turmoil.
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Wided Bouaine, Karima Alaya and Chokri Slim
The objective of this paper is to study the impact of political connection and governance on credit rating and whether there is a substitution or complementary relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to study the impact of political connection and governance on credit rating and whether there is a substitution or complementary relationship between them.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to achieve the objective, a succession of eight ordered probit regressions has been carried out. Moderating variables between the political connection and governance characteristics were introduced. The whole population is taken as a sample, i.e., 27 Tunisian companies that are evaluated by FITSH NORTH AFRICA agencies over a period of 10 years (2009–2018).
Findings
The outcomes are mixed. They show that the political connection does not always influence credit rating; the size and board independence always improves credit rating; the duality between the functions affects credit rating; whereas the majorities’ proportion does not influence credit rating; and a substitution between the political connection and the governance characteristics is validated.
Research limitations/implications
Like any other research, our results are factors of our measures and variable choice and depends heavily on the how these variables were conceived. Also, although our number of observations responds to the statistical result generalization requirements, our sample remains relatively narrow with 27 companies only.
Practical implications
In practice, the research will allow investors to have a better vision upon the future of their investments based on whether to develop their governance system or promote political networking. It will also prompt lenders to look beyond ratings and consider factors such as political connections to make a rational judgment on their future placements.
Social implications
This study leads us to find various solutions: the establishment of credit agencies that take into consideration all the data of all the operators taken as a whole (bank, leasing company, and factoring). It encourages the reorganization of the Tunisian banking sector through mergers for example.
Originality/value
This study is a pioneer in the credit rating field in Tunisia, where the source of debt financing is the most used by all enterprises across all sectors. This study extends the literature of political connection effectiveness, independent directors, board size, in improving corporate performance and credit rating.
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This paper investigates the influence of political connections on sustainability disclosure in the context of China's Regulation 18.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates the influence of political connections on sustainability disclosure in the context of China's Regulation 18.
Design/methodology/approach
The study employs a quasi-experimental approach, utilizing difference-in-difference (DiD) analysis, dynamic DiD and propensity score matching to analyze the effects of politically connected independent directors on sustainability disclosure following the implementation of Regulation 18.
Findings
Companies with politically connected independent directors show an improvement in sustainability disclosures after Regulation 18. This effect is stronger for firms facing high political pressure or lacking alternative political power. Additionally, the increase in value from sustainability disclosures compensates for the loss of politically connected independent directors, indicating a positive value impact of sustainability disclosures.
Originality/value
This study provides novel insights into the corporate disclosure policy in China by investigating the impact of politically connected directors on sustainability disclosure. Additionally, it sheds light on the limitations of political power and its substitution effects within companies.
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Husam Ananzeh, Malek Hamed Alshirah, Ahmad Farhan Alshira'h and Huthaifa Al-Hazaima
A key goal of this research is to examine empirically whether politically connected board members are likely to impact corporate philanthropy. A further goal of this study is to…
Abstract
Purpose
A key goal of this research is to examine empirically whether politically connected board members are likely to impact corporate philanthropy. A further goal of this study is to contribute to the existing literature by examining the moderating role of political connections on the relationship between family ownership and corporate donations.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the content analysis approach, the authors determined the level of cash and in-kind donations made by a group of 94 non-financial Jordanian companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange. This study examined 658 annual reports spanning over seven years from 2010 to 2016. Ordinary least squares regression (OLS) is used to test the study hypotheses. In addition, this study used the probit regression to validate those results reported by the OLS regression.
Findings
Compared to unconnected companies, politically connected companies in Jordan are more likely to donate to philanthropic causes. Moreover, the results revealed that the presence of significant family ownership shareholding in a firm can weaken the firm tendency to donate. Despite this, the regression analysis results indicate that family-controlled firms with political connections are more likely to engage in charitable giving activities compared to those without political nexuses.
Research limitations/implications
The study contributes to the conversation surrounding corporate giving and sheds light on the role political connections and ownership structure (particularly family-owned firms) play in affecting donations by firms.
Practical implications
Managers of Jordanian firms listed on the stock exchange can use the study's findings to make better decisions about their donations and other philanthropic activities.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine the relationship between firm donations and political connections in Jordan, and how political nexuses can moderate the relationship between family ownership and corporate donations. Hence, it extends prior research significantly.
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Tasneem Mustun and Effiezal Aswadi Abdul Wahab
The paper aims to investigate the impact of political connections and board ethnicity on the value relevance of earnings and book value in Mauritius.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to investigate the impact of political connections and board ethnicity on the value relevance of earnings and book value in Mauritius.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on a sample of 541 Mauritian-listed firm-year observations for 2001–2016. Financial and board diversity data have been collected using the listed firms’ annual reports and from reports published by the Stock Exchange of Mauritius. Political connection data was derived from the directory of Chief of State and Cabinet members. The research hypotheses were empirically tested using a modified Ohlson (1995) price model.
Findings
This study shows that political connections negatively impact the value relevance of earnings and book value. The authors find that firms with Franco-Mauritian directors will constrain political connections’ negative impact. The authors find contrasting results for Indo-Mauritian directors since they form an integral part of the government in Mauritius.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the scarce accounting literature in Mauritius. Firstly, no study has investigated the relationship between the value relevance of accounting information and political connections in Mauritius. Secondly, Mauritius’s capital market is dominated by a non-indigenous ethnic group, Franco-Mauritians, who remain the economic elite. Hence, Mauritius presents an opportunity to bring forth another important aspect in the capital market and corporate governance; diversity on the board of directors. Therefore, the study extends to the political connections and board diversity literature.
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This paper aims to examine the effects of political connections (PCs) on corporate financial performance (CFP) in an emerging economy. It also investigates the moderating…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the effects of political connections (PCs) on corporate financial performance (CFP) in an emerging economy. It also investigates the moderating influence of the directors’ financial expertise (DFE) on the relationship between politically connected firms and their financial performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The study sample includes 304 firm-year observations from non-financial Tunisian listed firms covered over 2012–2019. Financial data are from various sources: financial statements, annual reports, official bulletins of the Tunisian Stock Exchange (TSE) and the Financial Market Council. PCs and DFE data are manually collected from the TSE and companies’ websites. Multivariate regression analyses are used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that PCs negatively affect CFP and the DFE is a moderator variable that exacerbates this negative relationship. These results could be explained on the one hand by the fact that politicians often lack management, professionalism and know-how. On the other hand, political members on boards focus mainly on their political agendas and prioritize their interests rather than firm performance. Furthermore, board directors are more inclined towards the grabbing-hand approach to create personal linkages with these politicians and take personal benefits rather than protect the interests of minority shareholders and effectively use firm resources.
Research limitations/implications
The most important limitation of the study is the small number of non-financial TSE-listed firms. Indeed, the small sample size prevents us from considering industry specificities and working in a homogeneous environment.
Practical implications
This study recommends that external investors pay particular attention to politically connected firms as PCs tend to weaken corporate governance. Also, it helps policymakers better assess the need to harmonize and develop corporate governance standards and practices that account for the specific conditions in Tunisia to mitigate the lobbying of political parties and supervise their abuse of power. Furthermore, the negative relationship between PCs and CFP in a poorly regulated and governed country could be used by financial institutions in their credit scoring.
Social implications
The findings suggest that the nexus between politics and business draws attention to corruption post-revolution.
Originality/value
The originality and the relevance of this study consist in studying the moderating effect of the DFE on the association between PCs and CFP. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study pioneers assessing the role of the DFE as a moderating variable. It also supplements prior literature by examining the combined factors, such as PCs and DFE, on CFP in an emerging market.
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Alice Chin, Ooi Chin Lye and Khakan Najaf
One of the significant components of a firm's overall sustainability is establishing and nurturing governance. This study attempts to understand how politically connected firms…
Abstract
Purpose
One of the significant components of a firm's overall sustainability is establishing and nurturing governance. This study attempts to understand how politically connected firms maintain sustainability measures in terms of risk-taking strategies. This paper has two purposes. The first purpose is to provide empirical evidence on the politically connected (PC) firms' corporate risk-taking and performance. The second purpose is to investigate the moderating impact of PC firms' risk on corporate performance.
Design/methodology/approach
To conduct the analysis to test our hypothesis efficiently, data has been collected from Bloomberg and annual reports of all Malaysian PC and non-PC companies. The final sample comprises 561 firms over the investigation period 2010–2019. The methodology entails Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions of the impact of the PC firms on corporate risk-taking and performance. The authors also conduct t-tests of the equality of means of corporate risk-taking and performance between PC and non-PC companies.
Findings
The authors’ results show that politically connected firms undertake significant less corporate risk and relish higher financial performance than their counterparts. It implicatively insinuates that the presence of a politician on the board enables the management to mitigate the risk-taking, which makes the firms more profitable. The authors’ results corroborate network theory, suggesting that political ties alleviate the agency issue and safeguard the shareholders' interest.
Research limitations/implications
The study's results were important as they highlighted the sustainable development of PC and non-PC companies, offering insights to researchers, policymakers, regulators, financial report users, investors, environmental unions, employees, clients and society.
Originality/value
This paper is novel since it is unique in evaluating sustainable practice in PC and non-PC firms.
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Ly Thi Hai Tran, Thoa Thi Kim Tu and Bao Cong Nguyen To
This paper aims to investigate the relationship between uncertainty and corporate cash holdings with the moderating role of political connections.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the relationship between uncertainty and corporate cash holdings with the moderating role of political connections.
Design/methodology/approach
We employ fixed effects estimation on a panel dataset of 669 Vietnamese listed firms over the 2010–2020 period, with one- and two-way standard error clustering. We conduct various robustness tests, including two-stage least squares/instrumental variable and generalized method of moments regressions, alternative cash holding measure, and additional controls for macroeconomic conditions and ownership types.
Findings
The effect of uncertainty on cash holdings is weakened for firms with political connections relative to those without the connections. Although general firms depend on cash flows to adjust their cash holding behavior when uncertainty increases, our findings suggest that politically connected firms do not rely on internal cash flows to accumulate cash when confronted high uncertainty.
Practical implications
Our findings on the role of political connections in moderating the relationship between cash holding and economic policy uncertainty have practical implications for policymaking. Since political connections serve as a buffer for a firm’s liquidity, firms may want to seek those connections, which can, in turn, lead to increasing informal costs and unfair business environment.
Originality/value
This is the first study investigating the role of political connections to the nexus of cash, cash flow and uncertainty, providing novel evidence regarding the less dependence on internal cash flows to save cash by politically connected firms. Second, the paper enriches the literature on the motives of cash holdings by proposing a modified agency view in the context of weak investor protection. Therefore, our findings strengthen the explanation for the positive effect of uncertainty on firms’ cash holdings in emerging markets.
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