We report evidence on the determinants of whether the relationship between a firm and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is governed by an explicit (written) or an implicit agreement. We find that fewer than half of the CEOs of S&P 500 firms have comprehensive explicit employment agreements....

This paper develops and applies a new approach for disentangling the influence of analysts on each other's earnings forecasts from the effects of correlated information shocks. We estimate that, on average, each cent a new forecast by an analyst is above (below) another analyst's most recent...

This study uses corporate tax return data to examine the evolution of firms' financial structure and performance after leveraged buyouts (LBOs) for a comprehensive sample of 317 LBOs taking place between 1995 and 2007. We find little evidence of operating improvements subsequent to an LBO,...

We provide a model of governance in which a board arbitrates between an activist investor and a manager facing reputational concerns. The optimal level of internal board governance depends on both the severity of the agency conflict and the strength of external governance. Internal governance...

We find that D&O insurance premiums for Canadian firms cross-listed in the US are more than twice those of Canadian-only listed firms, and audit fees are approximately 50% higher. While this supports the view that both service-providers view the US as a more litigious environment, our findings...

The literature disagrees on the link between so-called busy boards (where many independent directors hold multiple board seats) and firm performance. Some argue that busyness certifies a director’s ability and that such directors are value enhancing. Others argue that “over-boarded”...

Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, commonly referred to as the shareholder-proposal rule, allows shareholders to submit proposals for inclusion in a company's proxy materials. If the rule's procedures are followed, the company's shareholders will be asked to vote on the proposal...