Perceptions of share price: long-term or short-term oriented?

Purpose – One stream of research has claimed share price to be long-term oriented, whereas, in contrast, another has found it to be short-term oriented. Through in-depth analysis, this study aims to reveal the grounds for each of these two claims by studying the time-related constructs of two parties: executives of a company and outsider commentators of that company. Design/methodology/approach – The study employs a social constructionist approach and incorporates the sociology of time in the analysis of case data focused on a publicly quoted company. Data drawn from outsider commentators provide additional focus. Findings – The executives studied in the publicly-quoted company construct share price as long-term oriented through three processes: linguistic, practice-oriented functional, and morality-related functional. However, these executives construct time through a present-based rationality, which means that effective and efficient present actions are assumed to form the basis for a successful future. Outsider commentators indicate two myopia-related risks in this rationality: current, present day pressing issues are not deliberated upon in a wider framework of long-term plans, and it is not possible to relinquish the present and focus only on the future, free from present concerns. The long-term orientation of share price is constructed by executives as instrumental through processes that are tied to the present-based rationality with its myopia-related risks. Research limitations/implications – By showing the long and short time orientations of share price, the paper provides grounds for a subsequent analysis of the origins of these orientations within the minds of actors. Practical implications – The study provides guidance on avoiding myopia when using share price-related compensation systems. Originality/value – The study contributes to the performance measurement and corporate governance literatures by analysing, for the first time, share price from the perspective of executives themselves. In addition, the views of outsider commentators are considered.