The effect of CEO incentives on deviations from institutional norms in foreign market expansion decisions: Behavioral agency and cross-border acquisitions

Mirko H. Benischke, Geoffrey P. Martin, Luis R. Gomez-Mejia, Grigorij Ljubownikow

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

CEO incentives have been the subject of great interest for human resource scholars. We explore the institutional context within which the CEO makes sense of their incentives. Our theory suggests that CEO equity incentives interact with institutional norms to influence foreign market entry choices. Specifically, we argue that CEOs will weigh the risk bearing created by equity incentives, along with the consequences of legitimacy loss, when deciding whether to deviate from institutional norms when internationalizing. In doing so, we advance human resource literature by demonstrating that CEO responses to incentives are influenced by institutional norms and that CEOs' decisions to deviate from institutional norms are shaped by their incentives. We find support for our framework in the analysis of the stake taken by acquirers in 4,184 cross-border acquisitions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)463-482
Number of pages20
JournalHuman Resource Management
Volume59
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2020

Keywords

  • CEO compensation
  • agency theory
  • compensation and benefits
  • institutional theory

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Applied Psychology
  • Strategy and Management
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
  • Management of Technology and Innovation

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