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Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis Vol. 58 No. 2 2023

Technological Fit and the Market for Managerial Talent

Fred Bereskin1,2; Seong K. Byun3; Jong-Min Oh4

1 Missouri College · 2 University of Missouri · 3 Virginia Commonwealth University · 4 Sungkyunkwan University

open access

Abstract

We show that the similarity of a firm’s technological expertise with that of other firms affects managerial labor market outcomes. Using each firm’s patent portfolio to estimate its technological expertise, we find that its similarity in technological expertise with other firms is strongly related to the benchmark group used for CEO compensation and job transitions. Furthermore, we show that a firm’s CEO pay is positively associated with the CEO compensation levels of technologically similar firms. Our results thus demonstrate the crucial role of technological similarity in determining the value of outside options and the boundaries of the managerial labor market.

DOI
10.1017/s0022109022000229
Volume
58
Issue
2
Pages
837-874
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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