Shattering the glass ceiling: Female leadership and acquisitiveness in family and nonfamily firms

This research investigates the impact of female CEOs on mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in family and nonfamily firms. With a sample of 165 Italian listed companies engaged in M&As from 2011 to 2016, the study explores whether CEO gender impacts on firm's acquisitiveness in family and nonfamily firms. Findings indicate that having a female CEO is associated with lower acquisitiveness overall. However, this trend is not consistently observed in family firms, challenging conventional assumptions. This research contributes to understanding the nuanced dynamics of female leadership and M&As, shedding light on the role of CEO gender in distinct ownership contexts

Financial statements frauds: does their intensity have a connection with earnings management?

This study investigates the relationship between earnings management and financial statements frauds. We examine how earnings management practices; done in the two years before the fraud, impact the likelihood of fraud occurrence. Moreover, we introduce a new measure for the fraud intensity. Using a sample of 70 fraud and 70 no-fraud firms, we find that firms committing fraud of higher intensity have managed earnings in the two years before the fraud occurrence. This paper contributes to the literature about fraud antecedents because it is the first study measuring the relationship between earnings management and the intensity of the fraud, and it can be also useful for practitioners, because using the analysis of earnings management practices, analysts can foresee and prevent financial statements frauds