THE EFFECT OF CEO POWER ON FIRM VALUE: THE MODERATING ROLE OF FIRM SIZE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29080/jai.v11i02.2066Keywords:
CEO Power, Firm Value, Agency Theory, State Owned EnterprisesAbstract
This study provides new empirical evidence on how CEO power—proxied by insider status, tenure, and financial expertise affects firm value within Indonesian state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and how firm size moderates this relationship. Unlike prior studies focusing mainly on private firms or developed markets, this research highlights the unique governance dynamics of SOEs that operate under dual mandates of profitability and social responsibility. Using 135 firm-year observations from 2019–2023 and panel regression with interaction terms, the findings reveal that CEO insider status and financial expertise significantly reduce firm value, whereas CEO tenure has no direct effect. Importantly, firm size mitigates the negative influence of CEO insider and financial expertise, suggesting that larger SOEs possess stronger governance mechanisms capable of constraining excessive managerial power. These results extend agency theory by demonstrating that the governance effectiveness of CEO power depends on organizational scale and ownership context. This study contributes to the corporate governance literature by offering context-specific evidence from emerging markets and providing practical implications for policymakers to strengthen oversight in smaller SOEs to preserve firm value.
Downloads
References
Abdi, Y., Li, X., & Càmara-Turull, X. (2022). Exploring the impact of sustainability (ESG) disclosure on firm value and financial performance (FP) in airline industry: the moderating role of size and age. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 24(4), 5052–5079. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01649-w
Ahsan, T., Al-Gamrh, B., & Mirza, S. S. (2022). Corporate social responsibility and firm-value: the role of sensitive industries and CEOs power in China. Applied Economics, 54(16), 1844–1863. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2021.1983136
Bebchuk, & Fried. (2003). Executive Compensation as an Agency Problem. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 17, 71–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.364220
Bruton, G. D., Peng, M. W., Ahlstrom, D., Stan, C., & Xu, K. (2015). State-owned enterprises around the world as hybrid organizations. Academy of Management Perspectives, 29(1), 92–114. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2013.0069
Chintrakarn, P., Jiraporn, P., & Singh, M. (2014). Powerful CEOs and capital structure decisions: Evidence from the CEO pay slice (CPS). Applied Economics Letters, 21(8), 564–568. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2013.875102
Chiu, J., Chen, C. H., Cheng, C. C., & Hung, S. C. (2021). Knowledge capital, CEO power, and firm value: Evidence from the IT industry. North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.najef.2019.101012
Chiu, J., Li, Y. H., & Kao, T. H. (2022). Does organization capital matter? An analysis of the performance implications of CEO power. North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.najef.2021.101382
Choi, J. H., Kim, S., & Lee, A. (2020). CEO tenure, corporate social performance, and corporate governance: A Korean study. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU12010099
Eisenberg, T., Sundgren, S., & Wells, M. T. (1998). Larger board size and decreasing firm value in small firms. In Journal of Financial Economics (Vol. 48).
Finkelstein, S. (1992). Power in Top Management Teams: Dimensions, Measurement, and Validation. In Source: The Academy of Management Journal (Vol. 35, Issue 3). https://about.jstor.org/terms
Gounopoulos, D., & Pham, H. (2018a). Financial Expert CEOs and Earnings Management Around Initial Public Offerings. International Journal of Accounting, 53(2), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intacc.2018.04.002
Gounopoulos, D., & Pham, H. (2018b). Financial Expert CEOs and Earnings Management Around Initial Public Offerings. International Journal of Accounting, 53(2), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intacc.2018.04.002
Graham, J. R., Kim, H., & Leary, M. (2020). CEO-board dynamics. Journal of Financial Economics, 137(3), 612–636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2020.04.007
Hill, & Jones. (1992). Stakeholder-Agency Theory. Journal of Management Studies, 29(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.1992.tb00657.x
Hill, M. S., Lopez, T. J., & Reitenga, A. L. (2016). CEO excess compensation: The impact of firm size and managerial power. Advances in Accounting, 33, 35–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adiac.2016.04.007
Huang, H. H., Kerstein, J., & Wang, C. (2018). The impact of climate risk on firm performance and financing choices: An international comparison. Journal of International Business Studies, 49(5), 633–656. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-
-0125-5
Huybrechts, J., Voordeckers, W., & Lybaert, N. (2013). Entrepreneurial Risk Taking of Private Family Firms: The Influence of a Nonfamily CEO and the Moderating Effect of CEO Tenure. Family Business Review, 26(2), 161–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894486512469252
Ibhagui, O. W., & Olokoyo, F. O. (2018). Leverage and firm performance: New evidence on the role of firm size. North American Journal of Economics and Finance, 45, 57–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.najef.2018.02.002
Jiang, F., Zhu, B., & Huang, J. (2013). CEO’s financial experience and earnings management. Journal of Multinational Financial Management, 23(3), 134–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mulfin.2013.03.005
Jin, Z., Navare, J., & Lynch, R. (2018). The relationship between innovation culture and innovation outcomes: exploring the effects of sustainability orientation and firm size. R&D Management, 49(4).
Le, H. T. M., Kweh, Q. L., Ting, I. W. K., & Nourani, M. (2022). CEO power and earnings management: Dual roles of foreign shareholders in Vietnamese listed companies. International Journal of Finance and Economics, 27(1), 1240–1256. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.2211
Lee, J., Park, J., & Park, S. (2015). Revisiting CEO power and firm value. Applied Economics Letters, 22(8), 597–602. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2014.962216
Lei, Q., Lu, R., & Ren, L. (2019). Non-CEO top managers’ monitoring power and CEO pay-performance sensitivity in state-owned enterprises: Evidence from Chinese state-owned listed firms. China Journal of Accounting Research, 12(4), 411–430. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjar.2019.10.001
Moeller, S. B., Schlingemann, F. P., & Stulz, R. M. (2004). Firm size and the gains from acquisitions. Journal of Financial Economics, 73(2), 201–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2003.07.002
Musa, A., Abdul Latif, R., & Abdul Majid, J. (2023). CEO attributes, board independence, and real earnings management: Evidence from Nigeria. Cogent Business and Management, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2194464
Shaikh, I. A., O’Brien, J. P., & Peters, L. (2018). Inside directors and the underinvestment of financial slack towards R&D-intensity in high-technology firms. Journal of Business Research, 82, 192–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.09.014
Shaikh, I. A., Wang, Z. H., & Drira, M. (2023). How retaining different inside directors on the board influences R&D-intensity: An extension of agency-theory applied to the high-tech sectors. Journal of High Technology Management Research, 34(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hitech.2023.100479
Sheikh, S. (2018). CEO power, product market competition and firm value. Research in International Business and Finance, 46, 373–386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2018.04.009
Sheikh, S. (2019). CEO power and corporate risk: The impact of market competition and corporate governance. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 27(5), 358–377. https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12285
Tanikawa, T., & Jung, Y. (2019a). CEO Power and Top Management Team Tenure Diversity: Implications for Firm Performance. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 26(2), 256–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051818789371
Tanikawa, T., & Jung, Y. (2019b). CEO Power and Top Management Team Tenure Diversity: Implications for Firm Performance. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 26(2), 256–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051818789371
Tuwey, J. K., & Tarus, D. K. (2016). Does CEO power moderate the relationship between board leadership and strategy involvement in private firms? Evidence from Kenya. Corporate Governance (Bingley), 16(5), 906–922. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-01-2016-0010
Veprauskaite, E., & Adams, M. (2013). Do powerful chief executives influence the financial performance of UK firms? British Accounting Review, 45(3), 229–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2013.06.004
Walters, B. A., Kroll, M. J., & Wright, P. (2007a). CEO tenure, boards of directors, and acquisition performance. Journal of Business Research, 60(4), 331–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.12.001
Walters, B. A., Kroll, M. J., & Wright, P. (2007b). CEO tenure, boards of directors, and acquisition performance. Journal of Business Research, 60(4), 331–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2006.12.001
Wang, J. X., & Zhao, M. Z. (2020). Economic impacts of ISO 14001 certification in China and the moderating role of firm size and age. Journal of Cleaner Production, 274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123059
Yang, X., & Wang, J. (2023). The relationship between sustainable supply chain management and enterprise economic performance: does firm size matter? Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 38(3), 553–567. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-04-2021-0193
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Andika Nur Dzaky Wibowo, Anna Retnawati

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.