Sustainable Board of Directors: Evidence from the Research Productivity of Professors Serving on Boards in the Korean Market

Daeheon Choi, Chune Young Chung, Changhyeon Park and Jason Young
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Daeheon Choi: College of Business Administration, Kookmin University, 77 Jeongneung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02707, Korea
Chune Young Chung: School of Business Administration, College of Business and Economics, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea
Changhyeon Park: School of Business Administration, College of Business and Economics, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea
Jason Young: College of Business, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: We examine the relationship between the expertise of outside directors from academia and firms’ financial performance using a unique dataset on the research publications of such directors. Specifically, we use research publication history in finance or an academic concentration in business or law as a proxy for expertise and measure the influence of this expertise on Korean financial firms’ short-term and long-term performance. We find a positive (negative) association between research intensity (a business or law concentration) and short-term corporate performance. Firms with greater information and agency problems appear to benefit more from research-intensive academic outside directors than other firms do. Thus, we propose that firms in emerging economies elect research-intensive academic outside directors to contribute to sustainable corporate governance and firm performance.

Keywords: sustainable board of directors; academic outside director; Chaebol; corporate governance; firm performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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