Ownership and Control of German Corporations
Posted: 29 Feb 2008
London Business School; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
University of Oxford - Said Business School; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI); University of Oxford - Said Business School
There are 4 versions of this paper
Date Written: October 2001
Abstract
In a study of the ownership of German corporations, we find a strong relation between board turnover and corporate performance, little association of concentrations of ownership with managerial disciplining, and only limited evidence that pyramid structures can be used for control purposes. The static relationship of ownership to control in Germany is therefore similar to the United Kingdom and the United States. However, there are marked differences in dynamic relations involving transfers of ownership. There is an active market in share blocks giving rise to changes in control, but the gains are limited and accrue solely to the holders of large blocks, not to minority investors. We provide evidence of low overall benefits to control changes and the exploitation of private benefits of control.
Suggested Citation:
Suggested Citation
Franks, Julian R. and Mayer, Colin, Ownership and Control of German Corporations (October 2001). Review of Financial Studies, Vol. 14, Issue 4, pp. 943-977, 2001. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=900656
