The Impact of Brand Quality on Shareholder Wealth

Journal of Marketing, Forthcoming

43 Pages Posted: 17 May 2011

See all articles by Sundar G. Bharadwaj

Sundar G. Bharadwaj

University of Georgia--Terry School of Business; University of Georgia - C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business

Kapil R. Tuli

Singapore Management University - Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Andre Bonfrer

Australian National University (ANU); Deakin University

Date Written: May 16, 2011

Abstract

This study examines the impact of changes in brand quality that are unanticipated by investors on three components of shareholder wealth: stock returns, systematic risk and idiosyncratic risk. The study finds that such changes in brand quality enhance shareholder wealth by being positively associated with stock returns and negatively related to changes in idiosyncratic risk. However, unanticipated changes in brand quality can also erode shareholder wealth as they have a positive association with changes in systematic risk. The study introduces a contingency theory view to the research in the marketing-finance interface by analyzing the moderating role of two factors that are widely followed by investors. The results show that when firms do not trade off increases in current period earnings for changes in brand quality, firms are rewarded with enhanced stock returns and lowered systematic risk. Similarly, brand quality is valuable for firms, since the positive impact of unanticipated increases in brand quality on stock returns is larger when facing increasing competition. The results are robust to endogeneity concerns and across alternative models. The authors conclude by discussing the nuanced implications of their findings for shareholder wealth, reporting brand quality to investors and its use in employee evaluation.

Keywords: Brand Quality, Stock Returns, Idiosyncratic Risk, Systematic Risk, Earnings, Industry Concentration, Marketing-Finance Interface

Suggested Citation

Bharadwaj, Sundar G. and tuli, kapil r and Bonfrer, Andre and Bonfrer, Andre, The Impact of Brand Quality on Shareholder Wealth (May 16, 2011). Journal of Marketing, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1843503 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1843503

Sundar G. Bharadwaj (Contact Author)

University of Georgia--Terry School of Business ( email )

105 Brooks Hall
Athens, GA 30602
United States

University of Georgia - C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry College of Business ( email )

329C Benson
Athens, GA 30602-6254
United States

Kapil r Tuli

Singapore Management University - Lee Kong Chian School of Business ( email )

469 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 912409
Singapore

Andre Bonfrer

Australian National University (ANU) ( email )

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601
Australia

Deakin University ( email )

Australia

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
404
Abstract Views
2,470
Rank
126,126
PlumX Metrics