Mobility Restrictions and Risk-Related Agency Conflicts

Mobility Restrictions and Risk-Related Agency Conflicts

Emdad Islam, Ronald Masulis, Lubna Rahman

Series number :

Serial Number: 
665/2020

Date posted :

March 05 2020

Last revised :

September 17 2020
SSRN Share

Keywords

  • Career Concerns • 
  • Risk-Related Agency Conflicts • 
  • leverage • 
  • acquisitions

Stricter enforcement of post-employment restrictions that strengthens trade secrets protection also limits CEOs’ alternative employment opportunities.

We find that such mobility restrictions, which heightened CEO career concerns can dampen their risk-taking incentives and distort corporate financing decisions, particularly in firms whose CEOs value outside employment opportunities relatively highly. Stock market reactions to acquisition announcements suggest that intensified CEO career concerns from mobility restrictions compromise the quality of investment decisions. More generally, managerial career concerns adversely affect shareholder value by exacerbating risk-related agency conflicts. Thus, our evidence suggests that shareholders can benefit from more unconstrained labor markets that promote managerial risk-taking

Authors

Real name:
Emdad Islam
Real name:
Lubna Rahman