Corporate diversification and crash risk: Evidence in East Asian firms

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15549/jeecar.v11i2.1603

Keywords:

Crash Risk, Corporate Diversification

Abstract

This study examines the impact of corporate diversification on crash risk in East Asian firms. We selected East Asian firms as the research sample due to unique features that might facilitate agency problems there, such as lower investor protection, more concentrated ownership among firms, and less developed institutional contexts in emerging economies. This study proposes two competing effects explaining the mechanisms of how diversification exacerbates or mitigates crash risk among East Asian firms: information complexity and diversification capacity effects. This study employs a pooled ordinary least-square (OLS) regression on a sample of publicly listed firms in six East Asian countries from 2014 to 2019. Consistent with the diversification capacity effect, our results show that diversification mitigates crash risk among East Asian firms.

Author Biographies

Edwin Hendra, Universitas Indonesia

Edwin Hendra is a doctoral student at the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Indonesia, majoring in Finance Management. His research interests are Capital Market and Corporate Finance.

Cynthia Afriani Utama, Universitas Indonesia

Dr. Cynthia Afriani Utama is a Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business at Universitas Indonesia. Her research interests are Capital Markets, Corporate Finance, and Corporate Governance.

Arief Wibisono Lubis, Universitas Indonesia

Arief Wibisono Lubis, Ph.D. is the Vice Dean of Academic, Research, and Students Affairs at the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Indonesia. His research interests are Finance and Human Development.

Sung Suk Kim

Dr. Sung Suk Kim is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business at Pelita Harapan University. His research interests are Corporate Governance, Behavioral Finance, Corporate Finance, and Asset Pricing.

References

Al Mamun, M., Balachandran, B., & Duong, H. N. (2020). Powerful CEOs and stock price crash risk. Journal of Corporate Finance, 62(1), 101582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101582 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101582

Andreou, P. C., Antoniou, C., Horton, J., & Louca, C. (2016). Corporate governance and firm-specific stock price crashes. European Financial Management, 22(5), 916–956. https://doi.org/10.1111/eufm.12084 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eufm.12084

Berger, P. G., & Ofek, E. (1995). Diversification's effect on firm value. Journal of Financial Economics, 37(1), 39–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(94)00798-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(94)00798-6

Berrill, J., Campa, D., & O'Hagan-Luff, M. (2021). Firm diversification and earnings management strategies: European evidence. International Review of Financial Analysis, 78(1), 101955. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2021.101955 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2021.101955

Burch, T. R., & Nanda, V. (2003). Divisional diversity and the conglomerate discount: Evidence from spinoffs. Journal of Financial Economics, 70(1), 69–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(03)00142-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(03)00142-9

Bushman, R., Chen, Q., Engel, E., & Smith, A. (2004). Financial accounting information, organizational complexity and corporate governance systems. In Journal of Accounting and Economics, 37(2), 167-201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2003.09.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2003.09.005

Chang, X., Chen, Y., & Zolotoy, L. (2017). Stock liquidity and stock price crash risk. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 52(4), 1605–1637. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022109017000473 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022109017000473

Chen, J., Hong, H., & Stein, J. C. (2001). Forecasting crashes: Trading volume, past returns, and conditional skewness in stock prices. Journal of Financial Economics, 61(3), 345–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(01)00066-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(01)00066-6

Chen, S., Ye, Y., & Jebran, K. (2022). Tax enforcement efforts and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China. Journal of International Financial Management and Accounting, 33(2), 193–218. https://doi.org/10.1111/jifm.12145 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jifm.12145

Choi, Y. M., & Park, K. (2022). Zero-leverage policy and stock price crash risk: Evidence from Korea. International Review of Financial Analysis, 81(1), 102102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102102

Claessens, S., Djankov, S. D., Lang, L. H. P., & Fan, J. P. H. (1998). Diversification and Efficiency of Investment of East Asian Corporations. In Policy Research Working Papers, World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-2033 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-2033

Claessens, S., Djankov, S., Fan, J., & Lang, L. H. P. (1999). Corporate diversification in East Asia: The role of ultimate ownership and group affiliation. In Policy Research Working Papers, World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-2089 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-2089

Claessens, S., Djankov, S., Fan, J. P. H., & Lang, L. H. P. (2002). Disentangling the incentive and entrenchment effects of large shareholdings. Journal of Finance, 57(6), 2741–2771. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6261.00511 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6261.00511

Claessens, S., Djankov, S., & Xu, L. C. (2000). The separation of ownership and control in East Asian Corporations. Journal of Financial Economics, 58(1), 81–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(00)00067-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(00)00067-2

Conrad, J., Dittmar, R. F., & Ghysels, E. (2013). Ex ante skewness and expected stock returns. The Journal of Finance, 68(1), 85–124. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2012.01795.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2012.01795.x

Da, Z., Gurun, U. G., & Warachka, M. (2014). Frog in the pan: Continuous information and momentum. Review of Financial Studies, 27(7), 2171–2218. https://doi.org/10.2469/dig.v45.n3.17 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhu003

Denis, D. J., Denis, D. K., & Sarin, A. (1997). Agency problems, equity ownership, and corporate diversification. Journal of Finance, 52(1), 135–160. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1997.tb03811.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1997.tb03811.x

Denis, D. J., Denis, D. K., & Yost, K. (2002). Global diversification, industrial diversification, and firm value. Journal of Finance, 57(5), 1951–1979. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-1082.00485 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-1082.00485

Dimson, E. (1979). Risk measurement when shares are subject to infrequent trading. Journal of Financial Economics, 7(2), 197–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(79)90013-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(79)90013-8

El Mehdi, I. K., & Seboui, S. (2011). Corporate diversification and earnings management. Review of Accounting and Finance, 10(2), 176–196. https://doi.org/10.1108/14757701111129634 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/14757701111129634

Fauver, L., Houston, J., & Naranjo, A. (2003). Capital market development, international integration, legal systems, and the value of corporate diversification: A cross-country analysis. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 38(1), 135–157. https://doi.org/10.2307/4126767 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/4126767

Franco, F., Urcan, O., & Vasvari, F. P. (2016). Corporate diversification and the cost of debt: The role of segment disclosures. Accounting Review, 91(4), 1139–1165. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-51325 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-51325

Fuente, G. de la, & Velasco, P. (2020). Capital structure and corporate diversification: Is debt a panacea for the diversification discount? Journal of Banking and Finance, 111(1), 105728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2019.105728 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2019.105728

Gertner, R. H., Scharfstein, D. S., & Stein, J. C. (1994). Internal versus external capital markets. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 109(4), 1211–1230. https://doi.org/10.2307/2118361 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2118361

Habib, A., Hasan, M. M., & Jiang, H. (2018). Stock price crash risk: review of the empirical literature. Accounting and Finance, 58(1), 211–251. https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.12278 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.12278

Harvey, C. R., & Siddique, A. (1999). Autoregressive conditional skewness. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 34(4), 465–487. https://doi.org/10.2307/2676230 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2676230

Hendricks, K. B., & Singhal, V. R. (1997). Delays in new product introductions and the market value of the firm: The consequences of being late to the market. Management Science, 43(4), 422–436. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.43.4.422 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.43.4.422

Hendricks, K. B., Singhal, V. R., & Zhang, R. (2009). The effect of operational slack, diversification, and vertical relatedness on the stock market reaction to supply chain disruptions. Journal of Operations Management, 27(3), 233–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2008.09.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jom.2008.09.001

Hoechle, D., Schmid, M. M., Walter, I., & Yermack, D. (2012). How much of the diversification discount can be explained by poor corporate governance? Journal of Financial Economics, 103(1), 41–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2011.03.025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2011.03.025

Hu, G., & Wang, Y. (2018). Political connections and stock price crash risk: The role of intermediary information disclosure. China Finance Review International, 8(2), 140–157. https://doi.org/10.1108/CFRI-06-2017-0079 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CFRI-06-2017-0079

Hutton, A. P., Marcus, A. J., & Tehranian, H. (2009). Opaque financial reports, R2, and crash risk. Journal of Financial Economics, 94(1), 67–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2008.10.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2008.10.003

Jebran, K., Chen, S., & Zhang, R. (2020). Board diversity and stock price crash risk. Research in International Business and Finance, 51(1), 101122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2019.101122 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2019.101122

Jebran, K., Chen, S., & Zhang, R. (2022). Board social capital and stock price crash risk. In Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 58(2), 499-540. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11156-021-01001-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11156-021-01001-3

Jebran, K., Chen, S., & Zhu, D. H. (2019). Board informal hierarchy and stock price crash risk: Theory and evidence from China. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 27(5), 341–357. https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12282 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12282

Jensen, M. C. (2004). The agency costs of overvalued equity and the current state of corporate finance. European Financial Management, 10(4), 549–565. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1354-7798.2004.00265.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1354-7798.2004.00265.x

Jensen, M. C. (2005). Agency costs of overvalued equity. Financial Management, 34(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-053X.2005.tb00090.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-053X.2005.tb00090.x

Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. H. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X

Jin, L., & Myers, S. C. (2006). R2 around the world: New theory and new tests. Journal of Financial Economics, 79(2), 257–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2004.11.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2004.11.003

Jiraporn, P., Kim, Y. S., & Mathur, I. (2008). Does corporate diversification exacerbate or mitigate earnings management?: An empirical analysis. International Review of Financial Analysis, 17(5), 1087–1109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2007.10.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2007.10.001

Johnson, S., Boone, P., Breach, A., & Friedman, E. (2000). Corporate governance in the Asian financial crisis. Journal of Financial Economics, 58(1–2), 141–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(00)00069-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(00)00069-6

Jouida, S. (2018). Diversification, capital structure and profitability: A panel VAR approach. Research in International Business and Finance, 45(1), 243–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2017.07.155 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2017.07.155

Khanna, T., & Palepu, K. (1997). Why focused strategies may be wrong for emerging markets. Harvard Business Review, 75(4), 41–48. https://hbr.org/1997/07/why-focused-strategies-may-be-wrong-for-emerging-markets

Khanna, T., & Palepu, K. (2000a). Is group affiliation profitable in emerging markets? An analysis of diversified Indian business groups. Journal of Finance, 55(2), 867–891. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-1082.00229 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-1082.00229

Khanna, T., & Palepu, K. (2000b). The future of business groups in emerging economies: Long run evidence from Chile. Academy of Management Journal, 43(3), 268–285. https://doi.org/10.2307/1556395 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/1556395

Kim, C., Pantzalis, C., & Park, J. C. (2014). Do Family Owners Use Firm Hedging Policy to Hedge Personal Undiversified Wealth Risk? Financial Management, 43(2), 415–444. https://doi.org/10.1111/fima.12021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/fima.12021

Krishnaswami, S., Spindt, P. A., & Subramaniam, V. (1999). Information asymmetry, monitoring, and the placement structure of corporate debt. Journal of Financial Economics, 51(3), 407–434. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(98)00059-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.120408

Krishnaswami, S., & Subramaniam, V. (1999). Information asymmetry, valuation, and the corporate spinoff decision. Journal of Financial Economics, 53(1), 73–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(99)00017-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(99)00017-3

Kuppuswamy, V., & Villalonga, B. (2016). Does diversification create value in the presence of external financing constraints? Evidence from the 2008–2009 financial crisis. Management Science, 62(4), 905–923. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2165 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2165

La Porta, R., Lopez-De-Silanes, F., & Shleifer, A. (2006). What works in securities laws? Journal of Finance, 61(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2006.00828.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2006.00828.x

La Porta, R., Lopez-de-Silanes, F., Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. W. (1998). Law and finance. Journal of Political Economy, 106(6), 1113–1155. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/250042 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/250042

Lang, L. H. P., & Stulz, R. M. (1994). Tobin's q, corporate diversification, and firm performance. Journal of Political Economy, 102(6), 1248–1280. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2138786 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/261970

Lee, K. T., Ooi, C. A., & Hooy, C. W. (2019). Corporate diversification, board diversity and stock-price crash risk: Evidence from publicly listed firms in Malaysia. International Journal of Economics and Management, 13(2), 273–289. https://doi.org/10.21315/aamjaf2022.18.1.4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21315/aamjaf2022.18.1.4

Leuz, C., Nanda, D., & Wysocki, P. D. (2003). Earnings management and investor protection: An international comparison. Journal of Financial Economics, 69(3), 505–527. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(03)00121-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(03)00121-1

Lewellen, W. G. (1971). A pure financial rationale for the conglomerate merger. Journal of Finance, 26(2), 521–537. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1971.tb00912.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1971.tb00912.x

Li, F., & Jiang, Y. (2022). Institutional investor networks and crash risk: Evidence from China. Finance Research Letters, 47(1), 102627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102627 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102627

Li, X., & Chan, K. C. (2016). Communist party control and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China. Economics Letters, 141(1), 5–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2016.01.018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2016.01.018

Li, Y., & Zeng, Y. (2019). The impact of top executive gender on asset prices: Evidence from stock price crash risk. Journal of Corporate Finance, 58(1), 528–550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2019.07.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2019.07.005

Lin, K. J., Lu, X., Zhang, J., & Zheng, Y. (2020). State-owned enterprises in China: A review of 40 years of research and practice. China Journal of Accounting Research, 13(1), 31–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjar.2019.12.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjar.2019.12.001

Lins, K. V., & Servaes, H. (2002). Is corporate diversification beneficial in emerging markets? Financial Management, 31(2), 5–31. https://doi.org/10.2307/3666220 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3666220

Luo, Y., & Zhang, C. (2020). Economic policy uncertainty and stock price crash risk. Research in International Business and Finance, 51(1), 101112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2019.101112 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2019.101112

Maksimovic, V., & Demirgüc-Kunt, A. (2002). Funding growth in bank-based and market-based financial systems: evidence from firm-level data. Journal of Financial Economics, 65(1), 337–363. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(02)00145-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(02)00145-9

Matsusaka, J. G., & Nanda, V. (2002). Internal capital markets and corporate refocusing. Journal of Financial Intermediation, 11(2), 176–211. https://doi.org/10.1006/jfin.2001.0333 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/jfin.2001.0333

Mazur, M., & Zhang, S. (2015). Diversification discount over the long run: New perspectives. Finance Research Letters, 15(1), 93–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2015.08.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2015.08.008

Merton, R. C. (1987). A simple model of capital market equilibrium with incomplete information. Journal of Finance, 42(3), 483–510. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1987.tb04565.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1987.tb04565.x

Morck, R., Yeung, B., & Yu, W. (2000). The information content of stock markets: Why do emerging markets have synchronous stock price movements? Journal of Financial Economics, 58(1–2), 215–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(00)00071-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(00)00071-4

Piotroski, J. D., Wong, T. J., & Zhang, T. (2015). Political incentives to suppress negative information: Evidence from Chinese listed firms. Journal of Accounting Research, 53(2), 405–459. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.12071 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.12071

Qi, J., & Diao, W. (2020). Diversification strategy and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China. International Journal of Business and Management, 15(3), 94–113. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v15n3p94 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v15n3p94

Rodríguez-Pérez, G., & van Hemmen, S. (2010). Debt, diversification and earnings management. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 29(2), 138–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2009.10.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2009.10.005

Ross, S. A. (1977). The determination of financial structure: The incentive of signalling approach. The Bell Journal of Economics, 8(1), 23–40. https://doi.org/0.2307/3003485 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3003485

Rudolph, C., & Schwetzler, B. (2013). Conglomerates on the rise again? A cross-regional study on the impact of the 2008-2009 financial crisis on the diversification discount. Journal of Corporate Finance, 22(1), 153–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2013.04.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2013.04.006

Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. W. (1986). Large shareholders and corporate control. Journal of Political Economy, 94(3), 461–488. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1833044 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/261385

Srinidhi, B., & Liao, Q. (2020). Family firms and crash risk: Alignment and entrenchment effects. Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, 16(2), 100204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcae.2020.100204 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcae.2020.100204

Thomas, S. (2002). Firm diversification and asymmetric information: Evidence from analysts' forecasts and earnings announcements. Journal of Financial Economics, 64(3), 373–396. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(02)00129-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(02)00129-0

Wang, Q., Shen, J., & Ngai, E. W. T. (2023). Does corporate diversification strategy affect stock price crash risk? International Journal of Production Economics, 258(1), 108794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2023.108794 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2023.108794

Wood, L. C., Wang, J. X., Olesen, K., & Reiners, T. (2017). The effect of slack, diversification, and time to recall on stock market reaction to toy recalls. International Journal of Production Economics, 193(1), 244–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2017.07.021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2017.07.021

Zhang, W. (2006). China's SOE reform: A corporate governance perspective. Corporate Ownership and Control, 3(4), 132–150. https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv3i4p14 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22495/cocv3i4p14

Zúñiga-Vicente, J. Á., Benito-Osorio, D., Guerras-Martín, L. Á., & Colino, A. (2019). The effects of international diversification on the link between product diversification and performance in a boom and bust cycle: Evidence from Spanish firms (1994–2014). Journal of International Management, 25(4), 100687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2019.100687 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2019.100687

Published

2024-04-06

How to Cite

Hendra, E., Utama, C. A., Lubis, A. W., & Kim, S. S. (2024). Corporate diversification and crash risk: Evidence in East Asian firms. Journal of Eastern European and Central Asian Research (JEECAR), 11(2), 303–319. https://doi.org/10.15549/jeecar.v11i2.1603