Executive/Board medical background and corporate resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic

The study investigates the impact of the CEO/board medical background on stock return reactions to COVID-19. CEOs/boards having a medical background possess a knowledge advantage, which enables them to identify risks earlier, take faster action and better prepare for business operations in response...

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Main Authors: Huang, J., Cao, June, Zhao, J.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Elsevier 2023
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/92917
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author Huang, J.
Cao, June
Zhao, J.
author_facet Huang, J.
Cao, June
Zhao, J.
author_sort Huang, J.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The study investigates the impact of the CEO/board medical background on stock return reactions to COVID-19. CEOs/boards having a medical background possess a knowledge advantage, which enables them to identify risks earlier, take faster action and better prepare for business operations in response to pandemic shocks. Using data from China between January 1st and March 31st, 2020, we find that firms with CEOs or board members having medical background experienced a less severe pandemic-related decline in stock returns. This effect is more evident for firms having a powerful CEO, with more medical directors and located in cities with fewer medical resources. Better operating performance and more investment activities are underlying mechanisms that result in the outperformance of firms with medical expertise. Overall, our findings highlight the critical role of the expertise and experiences of senior executives in shaping the responses to adverse events.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2023
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-929172023-08-23T02:33:45Z Executive/Board medical background and corporate resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic Huang, J. Cao, June Zhao, J. The study investigates the impact of the CEO/board medical background on stock return reactions to COVID-19. CEOs/boards having a medical background possess a knowledge advantage, which enables them to identify risks earlier, take faster action and better prepare for business operations in response to pandemic shocks. Using data from China between January 1st and March 31st, 2020, we find that firms with CEOs or board members having medical background experienced a less severe pandemic-related decline in stock returns. This effect is more evident for firms having a powerful CEO, with more medical directors and located in cities with fewer medical resources. Better operating performance and more investment activities are underlying mechanisms that result in the outperformance of firms with medical expertise. Overall, our findings highlight the critical role of the expertise and experiences of senior executives in shaping the responses to adverse events. 2023 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/92917 10.1016/j.econmod.2023.106469 Elsevier restricted
spellingShingle Huang, J.
Cao, June
Zhao, J.
Executive/Board medical background and corporate resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
title Executive/Board medical background and corporate resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full Executive/Board medical background and corporate resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_fullStr Executive/Board medical background and corporate resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full_unstemmed Executive/Board medical background and corporate resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_short Executive/Board medical background and corporate resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_sort executive/board medical background and corporate resilience during the covid-19 pandemic
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/92917