Impact of Firm-specific Attributes on Shareholder Value Creation of Indian Companies: An Empirical Analysis

This exploratory study attempts to discover the impact of firm-specific characteristics on the shareholder value of the listed companies in India. Apart from this, it seeks to explore whether the significant firm attributes are common to both the dimensions of shareholder value, that is, accounting-based (economic value added (EVA)) as well as market-based dimensions (market value added (MVA) and Tobin’s Q). The data for this study consists of panel data of 100 companies in India covering the financial years from 1997–1998 to 2008–2009. Multiple regression analysis is employed to study the relationship. The study reveals that investors tend to reward the companies which have higher profitability, lower market risk, efficient resource management, high leverage, more liquidity, higher marketing expenditures and robust market capitalization. Evaluating shareholder value on the basis of accounting and market-based dimensions, the study identifies that the selected corporate attributes explain about 34 per cent of the variation in the accounting-based surrogate EVA, whereas they account for more than 55 per cent variation in the firm’s shareholder value when it is measured on the basis of market-based surrogates, MVA and Tobin’s Q. The primary limitations of this study are the size of its sample and non-inclusion of other variables (for example, market, environmental, regulatory, etc.) which may have an effect on the shareholder value. As maximizing shareholder value has become the widely accepted corporate objective the world over, its enhancement has become the key responsibility of corporate executives and managers.