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Journal of Corporate Finance Vol. 47 2017

Career concerns and the busy life of the young CEO

Xiaoyang Li1,2; Angie Low3; Anil K. Makhija4,5

1 Shanghai Advanced Research Institute · 2 Shanghai Jiao Tong University · 3 Nanyang Technological University · 4 The Ohio State University · 5 Fisher College

open access

Abstract

We examine how real investment decisions of firms are affected by their CEOs' career concerns. Relative to their older counterparts, younger CEOs are more likely to enter new lines of businesses and exit from existing ones. Younger CEOs undertake bolder expansions and divestments, which lead to significant increases and decreases in firm size, respectively. Younger CEOs also prefer to grow through acquisitions than de novo investments. However, such busier investment style of the younger CEOs appears not to hurt firm efficiency. Additional results also shed light on how CEO favoritism distorts capital allocation within firms.

DOI
10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2017.09.006
Volume
47
Pages
88-109
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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