Do Multinational Companies Practice Good Corporate Governance? Empirical Evidence from Bangladesh

Abstract

Corporate Governance refers to the way an organization is directed, administrated or controlled. It includes the set of rules and regulations that affect the manager's decision and contribute to the way company is perceived by the current and potential stakeholders. The corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation such as; boards, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders and spells out the rules and procedures and also decision-making assistance on corporate affairs. Corporate governance practices in Bangladesh are gradually being introduced in most companies and organizations (Du, 2006). However, Bangladesh has fallen behind its neighboring countries and global economy in corporate governance (Gillibrand, 2004). Corporate governance structure is mainly considered ambiguous. Specific governance structures or practices will not necessarily fit all companies at all times. Firms with strong corporate governance mechanisms are generally associated with better financial performance, higher firm valuation and higher stock returns. Unfortunately, investors in Bangladesh have a little information about how these corporate values affect the performance of the Multinational Companies (MNCs). This study aims to provide a quantitative contribution to the literature by examining the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on financial performance from the perspective of MNCs. A panel data based Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) regression model was used to measure the quantitative significance of various corporate governance related variables on MNC performance, as identified through a detailed literature review.Keywords: corporate governance, multinational company (MNC), financial performance, Bangladesh Background of the StudyCorporate governance describes the structure of rights and responsibilities among the parties that have a stake in a firm (Aguilera & Jackson, 2003). A corporate governance system can be a set of processes and structures used to direct a corporation's business. A key objective of a corporate governance system should be the enhancement of shareholder wealth. Once implemented, an effective corporate governance system can help to ensure an appropriate division of power among shareholders, the board of directors, and management (Mcconomy & Bujaki, 2000). Firms with strong corporate governance mechanisms are generally associated with better financial performance, higher firm valuation and higher stock returns (Ammann, Oesch, & Schmid, 2011;Bebchuk, Cohen, & Ferrell, 2009;Brown & Caylor, 2006;Cremers & Ferrell, 2009;Gompers, Ishii, & Metrick, 2001;Johnson, Moorman, & Sorescu, 2009;Renders, Gaeremynck, & Sercu, 2010).Bangladesh is one of the emerging markets and most of the top companies are either family owned or controlled by corporate group or government. Corporate governance practices in Bangladesh are gradually being introduced in most companies and organizations. 66.7 percent of the companies have adop...