Aggressive Boards and CEO Turnover
Journal of Accounting Research, Vol. 59, No. 2, 2021
81 Pages Posted: 3 Feb 2021 Last revised: 15 Jul 2021
There are 2 versions of this paper
Aggressive Boards and CEO Turnover
Aggressive Boards and CEO Turnover
Date Written: January 4, 2021
Abstract
This study investigates a communication game between a CEO and a board of directors where the CEO's career concerns can potentially impede value-increasing informative communication. By adopting a policy of aggressive boards (excessive replacement), shareholders can facilitate communication between the CEO and the board. The results are in contrast to the multitude of models which generally find that management-friendly boards improve communication, and help to explain empirical results concerning CEO turnover. The results also provide the following novel predictions concerning variation in CEO turnover: (i) there is greater CEO turnover in firms or industries where CEO performance is relatively more difficult to assess; (ii) the board is more aggressive in their replacement of the CEO in industries or firms where the board's advisory role is more salient; and (iii) there is comparatively less CEO turnover in firms or industries where the variance of CEO talent is high.
Keywords: Corporate Governance, Advising, CEO Replacement, Communication, CEO Turnover, Board Independence
JEL Classification: C72, D82, D83, G34, M41, M51
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation