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Purpose – This study aims to examine whether company characteristics determine the structure and composition of a company’s board. In particular, it investigates the three board-design choices that Australian-listed companies make in the context of Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) corporate governance principles (published in 2003) where they are allowed to depart from the recommended best-practice board structure if the departure better serves their unique board and governance requirements. Design/methodology/approach – A logistic regression is performed on a cross-section of data for 258 ASX-listed companies averaged over the years 2004 to 2007, using the company variables size, age, leverage, ownership concentration, profitability, liquidity, price-earnings ratio, market-to-book ratio and cross-listing. Findings – The study finds that size has a strong, statistically significant impact on all three principles. Ownership concentration, price-earnings ratio and age have statistically significant impacts on the likelihood of compliance with at least one principle but have no consistent influence over all. This finding supports the underlying philosophy of the ASX corporate governance principles that flexible guidelines serve companies better than inflexible rules. Originality/value – This study breaks new ground in empirically investigating the effect of company variables on compliance with the ASX’s Principles of 2003, which are new for Australia in requiring an “if not, why not” response from companies.

Friction models are used to examine the market reaction to the simultaneous disclosure of earnings and dividends in a thin-trading environment. Friction modelling, a procedure using maximum likelihood estimation, can be used to replace both the market model and restricted least-squares regression in event studies where there are two quantifiable variables and a number of possible interaction effects associated with the news that constitutes the study's event.The results indicate that the dividend signal can be separated from the earnings signal.

Purpose For firms listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange, which is a relatively thinly traded market, the purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of stock returns associated with a dividend omission announcement when computations specifically address thin trading, and whether specific firm characteristics affect the likelihood and nature of a dividend omission. Design/methodology/approach First, event study analysis is used to check if dividend omissions actually do impact share prices in terms of short-term abnormal returns and longer-term cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) in a thinly traded market. Second, binomial logistic regression analysis is used to determine what, if any, company characteristics are associated with the decision to omit a dividend. Third, multinomial logistic regression analysis is employed to determine what firm characteristics are associated with continuing (or ending) a phase of no dividends before a dividend resumption. Findings Dividend omissions generate immediate negative abnormal returns, and there is a longer-term persistence of negative CARs. The size and duration of these abnormal returns are smaller, but still significant, when thin-market-specific methodology is employed. With respect to firm characteristic, smaller firms, firms with decreased earnings, a higher level of extraordinary charges, greater leverage and firms with a higher book-to-market value are associated with a greater likelihood of making an omission. With respect to the length of time between an omission and resumption of dividend payments, earnings decreases, a higher book-to-market value, a higher level of extraordinary charges and a decrease in firm debt level become significant. Originality/value This paper adds value in two dimensions. First, it considers dividend omissions in three different, but inter-connected ways. Second, the use of multinomial logistic regression to examine an aspect of the non-payment hiatus breaks new ground.

Using a model based on Bhattacharyya (2007), we predict a positive (negative) relationship between the earnings retention ratio (dividend payout ratio) and managerial compensation. We use tobit regression to analyse data for New Zealand firms' dividend payouts over the period 1997-2015 and find results consistent with Bhattacharyya (2007). These results hold when the definition of payout is modified to incorporate both common dividends and common share repurchases. Our results indicate that corporate dividend policy among New Zealand firms is perhaps best understood by considering the dividend payout ratio, rather than the level of, or changes in, cash dividends alone.