1 Introduction...........................................................................................................1
1.1 Relevance of the topic......................................................................................1
1.2 Objectives of the dissertation and research questions......................................2
1.3 Structure...........................................................................................................3
2 Stakeholder Theory...............................................................................................5
2.1 Historical roots of stakeholder theory..............................................................5
2.2 Stakeholder definitions ....................................................................................6
2.3 Classifications of stakeholder theory...............................................................7
2.3.1 The classification by Donaldson and Preston (1995)...............................7
2.3.2 The classification by Roberts and Mahoney (2004).................................9
2.3.3 Concluding remarks................................................................................10
3 The Theory of the Firm.......................................................................................13
3.1 The firm in neoclassical economic theory.....................................................13
3.2 The firm within the framework of new institutional economic theory..........14
3.2.1 Positive agency theory............................................................................14
3.2.2 Transaction cost theory...........................................................................16
3.2.2.1 Characteristics of transactions.........................................................17
3.2.2.2 Holdup and moral hazard................................................................19
3.2.2.3 The firm as a governance mechanism.............................................19
3.2.3 Property rights theory.............................................................................20
3.2.3.1 Traditional property rights theory...................................................20
3.2.3.2 Property rights theory of Grossmann, Hart and Moore...................22
3.2.4 The modern firm as a nexus of specific investments .............................24
3.3 The resource-based view of the firm..............................................................25
3.3.1 General....................................................................................................25
3.3.2 Comparing the resource-based view to alternative theories of the firm.27
3.4 A stakeholder-centered concept of the modern firm......................................29
3.4.1 Value creation in the modern firm..........................................................29
3.4.2 Conceptualizing firm value through Net Organizational Capital...........30
4 The Theory of Corporate Risk Management....................................................33
4.1 The foundations of modern finance...............................................................33
4.1.1 The Modigliani Miller-framework in the context of corporate
risk management.....................................................................................33
4.1.2 Capital market theory in the context of corporate risk management......34
4.1.2.1 A critical appraisal of the Capital Asset Pricing Model..................38
4.1.2.1.1 Challenges from a financial economics' perspective...................38
4.1.2.1.2 Challenges from a strategic management's perspective...............39
4.2 The financial theory of corporate risk management......................................41
4.2.1 The managerial utility maximization hypothesis of corporate
risk management.....................................................................................43
4.2.2
The shareholder value maximization hypothesis of corporate
risk management.....................................................................................44
4.2.2.1 Large undiversified shareholders....................................................44
4.2.2.2 Taxes...............................................................................................44
4.2.2.3 Underinvestment and asset substitution problems..........................45
4.2.2.4 Investment policy and capital market imperfections......................47
4.2.2.5 Direct costs of bankruptcy and financial distress............................48
4.3 A stakeholder rationale for risk management................................................49
4.3.1 Non-financial stakeholders as risk bearers.............................................49
4.3.1.1 Contractual incompleteness and opportunistic firm behavior.........49
4.3.1.2 Costs of financial distress and the firm's financial standing...........51
4.3.1.2.1 Sources of indirect costs of financial distress..............................51
4.3.1.2.2 Probability of default...................................................................53
4.3.2 Implications of a stakeholder reasoning for risk management...............53
4.3.2.1 Widening the scope of corporate risk management........................53
4.3.2.2 The role of corporate financial policy.............................................55
4.3.2.2.1 Signaling through financial policy...............................................55
4.3.2.2.2 Increasing management's flexibility............................................56
4.3.2.3 The performance effect...................................................................58
4.3.3 Empirical evidence.................................................................................60
4.3.3.1 Evidence from financial economics literature.................................61
4.3.3.1.1 Evidence on capital structure choice............................................61
4.3.3.1.2 Evidence on dividend policy........................................................63
4.3.3.1.3 Evidence on cash holdings...........................................................63
4.3.3.1.4 Evidence on corporate hedging....................................................64
4.3.3.2 Evidence from strategic management literature..............................64
4.3.3.3 Evidence from accounting literature...............................................65
4.3.4 Concluding remarks................................................................................66
5 Theories of Corporate Finance Decisions.........................................................69
5.1 Capital structure.............................................................................................69
5.1.1 Theoretical evidence...............................................................................69
5.1.1.1 Neoclassical theories of capital structure........................................69
5.1.1.2 Neo-institutional theories of capital structure.................................71
5.1.1.2.1 Agency cost models of capital structure......................................72
5.1.1.2.2 Asymmetric information models of capital structure..................74
5.1.1.2.3 Capital structure models based on product/input
market interactions.......................................................................76
5.1.1.2.4 Transaction cost arguments for capital structure.........................80
5.1.1.3 Stakeholder theory of capital structure ...........................................81
5.1.1.4 Capital structure and corporate strategy..........................................81
5.1.2 Empirical evidence.................................................................................83
5.1.2.1 General............................................................................................83
5.1.2.2 Studies considering strategic aspects of the capital structure
choice...............................................................................................85
5.1.2.2.1 Barton and Gordon (1988)...........................................................85
5.1.2.2.2 Barton et al. (1989)......................................................................85