According to agency theory, debt is a useful governance mechanism for curbing the tendency of managers to over-invest in firm growth. First, we extend this view by using the theory of rules versus discretion to explain why the ability of debt to constrain excessive growth is contingent upon...

In this article, we examine whether the option value of keeping an operation alive will deter firms from exiting an industry. We find that uncertainty dissuades firms from exiting an industry, but only when the sunk costs of entering and exiting that industry are sizeable. Moreover, we argue and...