We analyze whether gender interactions at the top of the corporate hierarchy affect corporate performance. Using a comprehensive data set of family-controlled firms in Italy, we find that female directors significantly improve the operating profitability of female-led companies. To mitigate...

Extant research shows that entrepreneurs are typically overly optimistic about their ventures' prospects, and that such optimism hampers performance. We analyze how dispositional optimism affects the adjustments to entrepreneurs' expectations after they receive negative feedback on their task...

A vast literature in economics has focused on the role of culture in financial development and growth. Here, I review works which have adopted a cultural perspective to the study of family businesses. While family firms are ubiquitous, their prevalence displays wide spatial differences. Also,...

We study how ownership similarity between two firms affects the likelihood of an acquisition between them. Assortative matching arguments suggest that similarity between acquiring and target firms can encourage acquisition behavior since more similar partners can better understand one another...

Decision makers frequently have a spokesperson communicate their decisions. In this paper we address two questions. First, does it matter who communicates an unfair decision? Second, does it matter how the unfair decision is communicated? We conduct a modified dictator game experiment in which...

This study explores board tasks performance. Boards of directors fulfil two main tasks: (i) monitoring managers and firm performance, and (ii) providing advice and access to resources. A growing stream of research endeavours to understand what enhances (constrains) boards' engagement into...