Do companies influenced by smart cities pay more attention to green governance?Mechanism and optimal spatial correlation

Smart cities are a way for China to construct an innovative and environmentally conscious nation.The paper examines the impact of smart cities on corporate green governance and provides a theoretical foundation for formulating and executing smart city policy in China.Based on panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2008 to 2020,this study constructs a multiperiod double-difference model to examine the influence of smart cities on corporate green governance.Additionally,it uses a spatial double-difference model to investigate the spatial spillover effect of smart cities on neighboring areas.The findings indicate that smart cities effectively enhance corporate green governance.Analyzing the influencing mechanisms reveals that resource allocation efficiency,technological innovation,management environmental awareness,and regional environmental enforcement efforts act as mediators.Furthermore,the study reveals that the impact of smart cities on promoting corporate green governance is more pronounced in regions with lower levels of marketization and resource-based cities.Moreover,the research explores the spatial spillover effects of smart cities,with an effective radius of approximately 350 km.The optimal spatial correlation zone for green governance of businesses in neighboring areas in relation to smart cities is within a range of 250-350 km.This is manifested by the significant promotion of green governance in neighboring area businesses facilitated by smart cities.

The Impact of Corporate Governance and Fair Value Accounting on Debt Contracts

This paper investigates the theoretical relationship between corporate governance,fair value accounting,and debt contracts.It primarily examines the individual impacts of corporate governance and fair value accounting on debt contracts,while also exploring the influence of corporate governance on fair value accounting.The study emphasizes the importance of considering the interests and legal status of creditors in the context of debt contracts.The findings indicate that strong corporate governance can reduce the likelihood of debt default and that the company’s restructuring costs in the event of a default determine whether improved corporate governance will increase or decrease debt costs.Additionally,the study reveals that the strength of corporate governance affects the value relevance of fair value accounting.However,the impact of fair value accounting on debt contracts is not inherently positive or negative;for instance,companies may use fair value adjustments with manipulative intent to enhance performance.Ultimately,the research highlights that discussions about corporate governance should not prioritize shareholder interests exclusively but also consider the legitimate position of creditors.

Research on the Impact of Equity Pledge on Company Value

This article aims to provide a literature review on the impact of equity pledges on corporate value,and to explore in depth the application of equity pledges as a financial tool in corporate governance and capital operation,as well as its multidimensional impact on corporate value.By reviewing and analyzing relevant literature both domestically and internationally,this article first defines the basic concept of equity pledges and then elaborates on the impact mechanism of equity pledges on company value from both positive and negative perspectives.In terms of positive impact,this article explores how equity pledges can promote corporate financing,optimize capital structure,and enhance the control of major shareholders over the company.In terms of negative impacts,the possible control risk,market risk,and potential damage to the interests of small and medium-sized shareholders brought about by equity pledges were analyzed.Furthermore,this article also discusses the differences in the impact of equity pledges on company value in different scenarios and proposes corresponding policy recommendations and research prospects.

Research on the Influence of Equity Structure on Corporate Performance

Equity structure constitutes a crucial component of corporate internal governance.A scientifically and reasonably structured equity system aids in enhancing the level and efficiency of corporate governance.Through empirical analysis of data spanning from 2013 to 2022,the study aims to verify the influence mechanism of equity structure on corporate performance.The results indicate that enhancing equity concentration and balance positively impacts corporate performance,with this effect persisting over time.Consequently,optimizing the degree of equity concentration,shareholder types,and the board of directors’structure can assist enterprises in maximizing long-term value.

Corporate Governance, Ownership and Financial Distress of Publicly Listed Companies in China

This paper examines the effects of internal control mechanisms on the financial distress of publicly listed companies in China. Using t-test and Logistic regression analysis, we investigated the following aspects: ownership by top managers and the CEO, the number of directors, the percentage of inside directors, CEO duality, and ownership concentration. The empirical tests indicate a lower probability of financial distress when ownership by top managers and that by the CEO are higher. The evidence also shows that a combination of two parts, the CEO and the chairman of the board, may influence the internal control system of a publicly listed companies.

Cash holdings,corporate governance,and acquirer returns

Background:The wealth effect of limiting shareholder rights via anti-takeover provisions(ATPs)is a contentious issue.By taking the differential effect hypothesis perspective,our study aims to provide additional evidence about the relation between ATPs and acquisition performance.Methods:We examine the interaction of antitakeover provisions(ATPs)with firm characteristics and governance environment in explaining the cross-section of bidder announcement returns.Using a sample of 3,340 completed acquisitions by 1,217 firms during 1996–2006,we test the association between ATPs,firm characteristics,and governance environments with bidder returns.Results:We find that ATPs hurt acquisition performance only when acquirers hold a high level of excess cash.Similarly,ATPs are associated with lower bidder returns only when industry competition is weak and public pension fund ownership is low as well.By contrast,when industry competition is intense and/or public pension fund ownership is high,ATPs do not hurt bidder returns.Conclusions:The complementarity among ATPs,excess cash,industry competition,and public pension fund ownership suggests that ATPs per se do not necessarily result in value-destroying acquisitions for all firms.We address the endogeneity issue of unknown variables by using a proxy for firm prestige and draw the same conclusions.

Corporate governance in generating companies of the Russian electric power industry in the context of ESG agenda

To address the issues of investment appeal in the Russian electric power industry,this study analyzes the dynamics of corporate governance,including permanent redistribution of property and compliance with the Russian Corporate Governance Code,in wholesale and territorial-generating companies.The increasing concentration of property in the hands of the state and its implications for investors are also noted.This study reveals the violations of essential principles,and the substantial differences in corporate governance practices,in the best-and worst-performing companies.Additional standards for better corporate governance practices to benefit the investors in the context of the current Environmental,Social,and corporate Governance(ESG)agenda are proposed.This study provides a new insight at the development of corporate governance in Russian power generating companies through property redistribution and compliance with corporate governance principles.

Corporate Governance, Sustainable Development and Value Creation Some Evidences From Italian Listed Companies

Modern corporate situations, characterized by the globalisation of the markets and of the information, highlight the need to link the potential of a not transient growth to the adequate reconciliation of all the expectations converging around the entrepreneurial formula and not only of those attributable to shareholders. In such a defined context, corporate governance tends to evolve from a situation of primary care for the expectations of shareholders （shareholder＇s view） and for the correlated financial responsibility, to a wide consideration of all the stakeholders （stakeholder＇s view） and related responsibilities （financial, environmental, social, administrative）. The correct carrying out of governance processes requires, therefore, a clear focus on sustainable development and on the related assumption of a concept of global responsibility. The decisions made by the governing bodies must be driven by the purpose to create value in the long term according to conditions of fairness and sustainable development. To sum up, this research aims to deepen the existing connections between corporate governance, sustainable development and value creation on the basis of the empirical analysis of a limited number of listed Italian companies afferent to the public utilities sector. The paper, based on a deductive approach, is composed of two distinct but strictly connected parts： the first theoretical and the second empirical. The empirical research consists of a content analysis of the most recent documents （sustainability reports and annual reports） worked out by the selected companies. The results obtained about the degree respect of sustainable development conditions by each company are linked to the related value dimension （social, economic, competitive and environmental performance） aimed at verifying if the assumption of a corporate governance approach inspired by sustainability is susceptible of favouring the company development in a medium long term. From the delivered research it emerges how public utilities that promote behaviours in line with the sustainability conditions are marked out by stable growth paths. Conversely, the companies that assume a vision mainly addressed to the economic dimension, neglecting the other areas are generally compromised in the performance realized.

Corporate governance mechanisms and firm valuation in Malaysian listed firms： A panel data analysis

Corporate governance mechanisms emerge to tackle agency problems in ensuring that shareholders＇ funds are not expropriated or wasted on unprofitable activities. The issue arises as to whether these improvements have been effective in reducing agency costs, and therefore enhancing firm value. The objectives of this paper is to examine the effects of governance mechanisms of dividend, types of ownership structure, and board governance on firm value. This paper utilises a panel data analysis of 403 firms listed on the Bursa Malaysia over a four-year period from years 2002 to 2005. A hierarchical regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses and the data is analysed using the generalized least square （GLS） estimation technique. Overall, the results highlight the importance of moderating role played by board governance variables with types of ownership structure to influence firm value. However, the benefits of better corporate governance through enhanced board governance are not the same across all firms since their incentives vary with respect to dividend and different types of ownership structure mechanisms.

Corporate governance and financing decisions by Saudi companies

This paper aims to contribute to the corporate governance literature in emerging economies by examining the effect of some corporate governance mechanisms on financing decisions in Saudi Arabian listed companies. A multiple regression model is used to examine the association between financing decisions and corporate governance mechanisms for a sample of 37 listed Saudi companies. In particular, we examine the effect of board size, ownership concentration and corporate governance reporting on the debt-to-equity ratio. Corporate governance reporting is measured by the content analysis approach. After controlling for companies＇ profitability and their growth opportunities, we found that both board size and ownership concentration are positively associated with debt-to-equity ratio. We limit our analysis to a small sample of firms that use the internet to communicate corporate governance information between October 2005 and January 2006. The findings suggest that managers are likely to choose higher financial leverage when they have stronger corporate governance （large number of directors on the board and higher ownership concentration）. However, we did not find any statistical association between corporate governance disclosure and debt-to-equity ratio. This suggests that firm＇s asymmetric information is not an important driver of the financing decision of Saudi Arabian companies. This might be due to the nature of the Saudi business environment. We strongly believe that this paper provides a novel contribution to the existing literature as we are the first to examine this issue in Saudi Arabia.

Corporate Governance Mechanisms： Evidence From Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises （SMEs）

This paper aims to investigate the extent to which Malaysian small- and medium-sized enterprises （SMEs） adopted corporate governance （CG） principles and their effects on firm performance. The principles examined included： establishing clear roles and responsibilities; strengthening composition; and reinforcing independence. The paper is based on a questionnaire survey study among 113 SMEs that consisted of 35% （39） of manufacturing and related services and 65% （74） from services including information and communication technology （ICT）, primary agriculture, construction, mining, and quarrying. The analysis of the data indicates that 32% of the respondents said that the primary reason why they have their own business is to have control over their own working life. This fmding appears to confirm the f＇mancing theory that SMEs owners have other goals than profitability. In addition, 30% of SMEs perceived that the most important role played by the board is risk management; hence, these boards have a greater control over financial risks that may lead to better financial performance. The analysis also shows that 81% of the respondents＇ board consisted of internal board members only. These enterprises need to see the important role of external board members as a source of advice providers and experts to them. For policies relating to clear roles and responsibilities of board, only 28% of the respondents established clear functions reserved for the board and those delegated to management; substantial respondents did not draw up policies relating to reinforce board independency （between 75% and 79%） and to strengthen board composition （46%）. Besides, 68% of the respondents have the position of chairman and CEO held by same individuals and 81% of the chairman is an executive member of the board. These findings suggest that SMEs cannot see the importance of strengthening board and having independent board members. Regression analysis also indicates that board independence has a significant and positive impact on firm performance. Hence, SMEs need to appreciate networking advantages, competency, and strategic knowledge that the right board can offer. The governmental ministries and agencies in Malaysia need to take active measures to encourage SMEs to strengthen their board governance, because SMEs are the important economic powers for stimulating national economic growth. This paper contributes to the empirical literatures on the adoption of CG principles and their effects on SMEs＇ firm performance in emerging markets.

The Mediating Effect of Corporate Governance on the Relationship Between Accounting Information and Stock Market Return of Listed Entities in Ghana

The study examined the mediating effect of corporate governance on the relationship between accounting information and stock market returns of listed entities on the Ghana Stock Exchange.The population of the study was forty(40)listed entities from 2007-2019 with 520 firm-year observations.The study applied a panel regression model that takes unobserved individual heterogeneity and distributional heterogeneity into consideration.In addition,the study employed cross-section dependence test,Levin-Lin-Chu,ImPesaran,Pesaran,Kao,and Larsson cointegration test,fully modified ordinary least square(FMOLS),and dynamic ordinary least square(DOLS).The results of unit root test showed that all the variables are integrated at first difference.Moreover,the results of cointegration test revealed that accounting information variables were cointegrated in the long run.The result of FMOLS and DOLS further revealed that all the accounting information variables with the exception of OCFPS and NTA have a direct insignificant relationship with the stock market return.The study revealed that corporate governance which was proxied by board size also strengthens the relationship between TAT and stock market return and NTA and stock market return at 5%significant level under FMOLS and DOLS respectively.

Corporate Governance,Government Regulation and Bank Stability

By using the data collected from the years 2006 to 2012 of16 listed banks as samples,an empirical test was set up to analyze the impacts of corporate governance and government regulation towards bank stability. The results show that the nature and percentage of ownership of the largest shareholder,as well as the top10 shareholders, have no significant impact on bank stability.Supervision of board of directors increases bank stability, while independent directors could not play the role of supervision. Higher executive compensation increases bank stability,while shareholding of executives does not show much incentive function. Franchise value has self-regulatory effects. Capital regulation also improves bank stability. Implicit insurance covers the entire banking system.Improving corporate governance and government regulation to increase bank stability are put forward.

Corporate Governance Intelligence： Minority Shareholder＇s Aspects （Evidence From Ukraine）

The paper is devoted to the corporate governance intelligence system investigation as the part of the complex stakeholder-related approach to the corporate strategic intelligence system （CSIS）. The special attention is given to the minority shareholders activism in the system of corporate governance. Some existing methods of abusing minority shareholders rights, made by joint-stock companies executives, are generalized. The recommendations for minority shareholder＇s rights protection are given. The necessity for the implementation of the stakeholders-oriented approach for the CSIS creation on the base of companies＇ security principles is substantiated.

The Impact of Corporate Governance on Banks Performance and Loan Quality： Evidence From Italian Cooperative Banks

In the banking system, a context characterized by growing instability and by the speed of evolution of business dynamics, the system of corporate governance plays a key role, both for large banks and for banks with a smaller size. The paper aims to investigate the influence of corporate governance of the banks that operate in the cooperative credit system on performance and quality of loans, over the years 2010-2011-2012. In order to achieve this aim, the following research hypotheses have been formulated： There is a statistically significant relationship between the size and the structure of the board and banks Performance operating in the cooperative credit system; there is a statistically significant relationship between the size and structure of the board and the credit quality of banks operating in the cooperative credit system. The analysis is conducted on a sample composed of 48 Italian banks, divided into 24 cooperative banks and 24 popular banks. The sample is made up of banks from all over Italy and very different in terms of dimension. For the sample construction, data relative to governance of banks were collected from the balance sheets in the period from June to August 2014. Financial-economic data were collected from the Financial Statements and from Bankscope database. The methodology of analysis is based on multivariate OLS （ordinary least squares） regression models. The main results refer to the presence of significant relationships between board dimension and the quality of loans and among the number of committees and performance and the quality of loans. The presence of a significant and negative relationship between the board dimension and the ratio of impaired loans to gross loans indicates the possibility that enlargement of board dimension allows a better quality of loans. The presence of a positive relationship between the number of committees and the ratio of impaired loans to gross loans signals the possibility that a greater number of committees can produce a worse quality of loans. The presence of a negative relationship between the number of committees and bank performance suggests to limit and manage the complexity of governance in banks operating in the cooperative credit system.

Positional statement of companies＇ corporate governance rating reports： Evidence from Turkey

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development （OECD） defines corporate governance as, ＂the way in which boards oversee the running of a company by its managers, and how board members are in turn accountable to shareholders and the company.＂ In recent years the issue of corporate governance and committees related to it and their impacts on corporate performance have continued to gain widespread prominence in the capital market economy. Corporate Governance Rating is meant to indicate the relative level to which an organisation accepts and follows the codes and guidelines of corporate governance practices. The purpose of the paper is to examine the rating reports of 27 companies which have obtained the corporate governance rating by rating agencies. The study highlights that the ＂stakeholders＂ sections of the reports are the most powerful part of the reports whereas the ＂board of directors＂ sections are the weakest. Potential areas for improvements are also identified.

The effects of corporate governance compliance on market valuation in Malaysia

This study investigates the effects of corporate governance compliance on market valuation in Malaysia using a sample of 164 companies listed on the Main Board in Bursa Malaysia from 5 different industries （consumer, trading ＆ services, industrial, constructions and properties） within 2001 to 2005. Throughout, this study will use correlation and regression analysis in the SPSS software to determine the effects of corporate governance practices on Market Valuation. In analyzing firms＇ market valuation, we will use the Tobin＇s Q formula and for the corporate governance compliance, we will look at 4 criteria to compare with market valuation, which are （1） Board of Director＇s composition, （2） Board of Director＇s remuneration （salaries）, （3） Board of Director＇s training and development, （4） Board of Director＇s meeting. In order to determine the effects between the corporate governance compliance and market valuation, we will use regression analysis. Based on the correlation analysis, the first null hypothesis must be rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted, in which dependent variable and independent variables are significantly correlated with BOD remuneration and BOD training availability. Overall, there is a significant relationship between Tobin＇s Q and independent variables （BOD remuneration and BOD training）. This study also recommends that for the company who did not comply with the code, they should follow the best practice because it will be a pivotal weapon in facing with the fierce competition in era globalization.

Embedding Economic Excellence： A Transformational Definition of ＂Corporate Governance＂ for Malaysia

The Malaysian government has carefully crafted policies to ensure that the nation achieves its aspirational goal to become a developed nation by 2020. Crucial for which is the success of the Securities Commission＇s ＂Corporate Governance Blueprint 2011＂ and ＂Capital Market Master Plan 2＂ designed to provide a business environment which attracts investment and talent. Somewhat overlooked in these otherwise robust policy shifts has been a critical critique of the definition, nature, and purpose of corporate governance itself. Recognizing this oversight, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Malaysia＇s Deputy Prime Minister, has directed that the definition of corporate governance be rejuvenated for the 21st century. This paper looks to answer that challenge by recommending the following transformational definition for corporate governance： ＂the proactive implementation of accountable ethical processes, procedures, and policies that inspires innovative aspirational economic activity to produce sustainable wealth and prosperity for shareholders, stakeholders, and society＂.

Corporate innovation behavior and internal governance mechanism

Innovation is a process results in new products, methods of production and forms of business organization. Innovation can vastly improve the welfare of consumers, investors, firms and the economy. However, there is relatively limited evidence of how corporate governance affects corporate innovation. In this study, the author theoretically demonstrates how internal governance mechanisms interact to affect innovation, such as internal control, monitoring and compensation contracts. Governance mechanisms are determined by firm characteristics. The ＂best＂ governance structures that can be adopted universally do not exist. However, innovative firms often share similar characteristics, and they adopt similar governance mechanisms to facilitate innovation. The ultimate purpose of such internal governance mechanism that facilitates innovation is to prevent managers＇ myopia, and this paper concludes 5 different roles in internal governance mechanism that facilitate corporate innovation behavior.

The Current Situationand Future Tendency of Corporate Governance Reform in China

The state-owned enterprises（SOEs） reform in China has plunged into the most urgent stage, and more than 20 years＇ market-oriented reform of SOEs in China seems to have no enough economic efficiency. This paper discusses some issues concerning corporate governance reform of SOEs in China. In section A, we first analyze the current situation and major issues in corporate governance reform of SOEs in China. In Section B, we discuss how to further reform SOEs＇ corporate governance in China. Final section discusses the possible model of China＇s corporate governance.