Unlocking the Influence of Family Ownership on Performance: Moderating Impact of Board Efficacy
Unlocking the Influence of Family Ownership on Performance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63841/iue3261149Keywords:
Family ownership, Board of directors, Firm performance, Malaysia.Abstract
This study aims to determine whether the board of directors can influence the associations among family ownership, and firm performance. This study employs panel data from 300 firms registered on Bursa Malaysia from 2020-2024. This study employs an aggregate measure of four main characteristics of the effectiveness of the board of directors (BODEFF) which are (Board independence, Board Size, Board Meetings Frequency and CEO duality) as a moderating variable. To address the issues of endogeneity and heteroscedasticity, researchers have employed a dynamic system generalized method of moments (GMM) approach. The results revealed that Family ownership positively and significantly influences ROE but negatively influences Market-to-book ratio. In addition, empirical findings have shown that BODEFF, along with family ownership is likely to increase firm performance. The study results would be useful to directors and managers in developing new policies that will improve corporate governance mechanisms, particularly the effectiveness of boards of directors.
Downloads
References
M. F. Kao, L. Hodgkinson, and A. Jaafar, “Ownership structure, board of directors and firm performance: evidence from Taiwan,” Corp. Gov., vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 189–216, Feb. 2019, doi: 10.1108/CG-04-2018-0144.
G. K. Hooy, C. W. Hooy, and H. K. Chee, “Ultimate Ownership, Control Mechanism, and Firm Performance: Evidence from Malaysian Firms,” Emerg. Mark. Financ. Trade, vol. 56, no. 15, pp. 3805–3828, 2020, doi: 10.1080/1540496X.2019.1584101.
N. A. Mohd Ghazali, “Governance and ownership in Malaysia: their impacts on corporate performance,” Asian J. Account. Res., vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 285–298, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1108/AJAR-03-2020-0017.
O. K. Tam and M. G. S. Tan, “Ownership, governance and firm performance in Malaysia,” Corp. Gov. An Int. Rev., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 208–222, 2007, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8683.2007.00555.x.
R. La Porta, F. Lopez-de-Silanes, and A. Shleifer, “Corporate ownership around the world,” J. Finance, vol. 54, no. 2, pp. 471–517, 1999, doi: 10.1111/0022-1082.00115.
N. A. Amran and A. Che Ahmad, “Effects of Ownership Structure on Malaysian Companies Performance,” Asian J. Account. Gov., vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 51–60, 2013, doi: 10.17576/ajag-2013-4-5774.
N. Jensen and W. Meckling, “Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs, and capital structure,” J. financ. econ., pp. 305–360, 1976.
W. M. Al-Ahdal, H. A. Hashim, F. A. Almaqtari, and S. M. Saudagaran, “The moderating effect of an audit committee on the relationship between ownership structure and firm performance: Evidence from emerging markets,” Cogent Bus. Manag., vol. 10, no. 1, 2023, doi: 10.1080/23311975.2023.2194151.
N. A. Shafai, Hafizah Abd-Mutalib, and Saidatul Nurul Hidayah Jannatun Naim Nor-Ahmad, “Ownership Structures and Sustainability Reporting of Malaysian Listed Companies,” J. Pengur., vol. 70, no. 2, 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.17576/pengurusan-2024-70-2 Ownership.
S. Claessens, S. Djankov, and L. H. P. Lang, The separation of ownership and control in East Asian Corporations, vol. 58, no. 1–2. 2000.
S. Dow and J. McGuire, “Family Matters?: A Cross-National Analysis of the Performance Implications of Family Ownership,” Corp. Gov. An Int. Rev., vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 584–598, 2016, doi: 10.1111/corg.12155.
S. R. M. Musallam, H. Fauzi, and N. Nagu, “Family, institutional investors ownerships and corporate performance: the case of Indonesia,” Soc. Responsib. J., vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 1–10, 2019, doi: 10.1108/SRJ-08-2017-0155.
M. F. Kao, L. Hodgkinson, and A. Jaafar, “Ownership structure, board of directors and firm performance: evidence from Taiwan,” Corp. Gov., vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 189–216, 2019, doi: 10.1108/CG-04-2018-0144.
R. C. Anderson and D. M. Reeb, “American Finance Association Founding-Family Ownership and Firm Performance : Evidence from the S&P 500,” J. Finance, vol. 58, no. 3, pp. 1301–1328, 2003.
A. Ghalke, A. Haldar, and S. Kumar, “Family firm ownership and its impact on performance: evidence from an emerging market,” Rev. Manag. Sci., vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 493–512, 2023, doi: 10.1007/s11846-022-00527-7.
H. Muharam and N. L. Atyanta, “The Effect of Corporate Governance on Firm Performance,” Indic. J. Econ. Bus., vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 132–142, 2021, doi: 10.47729/indicators.v3i2.93.
A. A. Drakos and F. V. Bekiris, “Endogeneity and the relationship between board structure and firm performance: A simultaneous equation analysis for the Athens stock exchange,” Manag. Decis. Econ., vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 387–401, 2010, doi: 10.1002/mde.1492.
A. H. Abubakar, A. B. Ado, S. A. Bambale, and Amos Janada, “The effect of board characteristics on the financial performance of listed banks in Nigeria,” Niger. J. Account. Financ., vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 92–108, 2019.
D. S. Cho and J. Kim, “Outside directors, ownership structure and firm profitability in Korea,” Corp. Gov. An Int. Rev., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 239–250, 2007, doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8683.2007.00557.x.
C. Weir, D. Laing, and P. J. McKnight, “Internal and external governance mechanisms: Their impact on the performance of large UK public companies,” J. Bus. Financ. Account., vol. 29, no. 5&6, pp. 579–611, Jun. 2002, doi: 10.1111/1468-5957.00444.
R. B. Adams and H. Mehran, “Bank board structure and performance: Evidence for large bank holding companies,” J. Financ. Intermediation, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 243–267, 2012, doi: 10.1016/j.jfi.2011.09.002.
Q. Li, W. Luo, Y. Wang, and L. Wu, “Firm performance, corporate ownership, and corporate social responsibility disclosure in China,” Bus. Ethics, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 159–173, 2013, doi: 10.1111/beer.12013.
Z. Ahmed, M. R. A. Hussin, and K. Pirzada, “The Impact of Intellectual Capital and Ownership Structure on Firm Performance,” J. Risk Financ. Manag., vol. 15, no. 12, p. 553, Nov. 2022, doi: 10.3390/jrfm15120553.
H. A. Hamad, A. O. Mhammad, W. R. Mahmood, and H. H. Khzir, “The Effect of Board Characteristics on Financial Performance: Case of Erbil,” Qalaai Zanist Sci. J., vol. 6, no. 4, 2021, doi: 10.25212/lfu.qzj.6.4.39.
Z. N. Ahmed, “Intellectual Capital Efficiency and Profitability,” Qalaai Zanist Sci. J., vol. 10, no. 3, 2025, doi: 10.25212/lfu.qzj.10.3.37.
A. AlQadasi and S. Abidin, “The effectiveness of internal corporate governance and audit quality: the role of ownership concentration – Malaysian evidence,” Corp. Gov., vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 233–253, 2018, doi: 10.1108/CG-02-2017-0043.
H. A. Hashim and M. Amrah, “Corporate governance mechanisms and cost of debt: Evidence of family and non-family firms in Oman,” Manag. Audit. J., vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 314–336, 2016, doi: 10.1108/MAJ-12-2014-1139.
M. T. Khan, Q. M. Al‐Jabri, and N. Saif, “Dynamic relationship between corporate board structure and firm performance: Evidence from Malaysia,” Int. J. Financ. Econ., vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 644–661, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.1002/ijfe.1808.
M. Arellano and S. Bond, “Some tests of specification for panel carlo application to data : evidence and an employment equations,” Rev. Econ. Stud., vol. 58, no. 2, pp. 277–297, 1991.
M. C. Jensen and W. H. Meckling, “Theory of Firm:Managerial Behaviour, Agency cost, and Ownership Structure,” J. financ. econ., pp. 305–360, 1976.
Z. N. Ahmed and M. R. A. Hussin, “The Effect of Intellectual Capital Efficiency on Malaysian Firm Performance: A Dynamic Panel Estimation,” Manag. Account. Rev., vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 57–84, 2024, doi: 10.24191/mar.v23i01-03.
B. Maury, “Corporate performance, corporate governance and top executive turnover in Finland,” Eur. Financ. Manag., vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 221–248, 2006, doi: 10.1111/j.1354-7798.2006.00317.x.
R. Appuhami and M. Bhuyan, “Examining the influence of corporate governance on intellectual capital efficiency,” Manag. Audit. J., vol. 30, no. 4/5, pp. 347–372, May 2015, doi: 10.1108/MAJ-04-2014-1022.
R. K. Mishra and S. Kapil, “Effect of board characteristics on firm value: evidence from India,” South Asian J. Bus. Stud., vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 41–72, Mar. 2018, doi: 10.1108/SAJBS-08-2016-0073.
A. Puni and A. Anlesinya, “Corporate governance mechanisms and firm performance in a developing country,” Int. J. Law Manag., vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 147–169, 2020, doi: 10.1108/IJLMA-03-2019-0076.
D. Roodman, “A note on the theme of too many instruments,” Oxf. Bull. Econ. Stat., vol. 71, no. 1, pp. 135–158, Feb. 2009, doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0084.2008.00542.x.
N. Smriti and N. Das, “The impact of intellectual capital on firm performance: a study of Indian firms listed in COSPI,” J. Intellect. Cap., vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 935–964, Oct. 2018, doi: 10.1108/JIC-11-2017-0156.
H. Abdullah and T. Tursoy, “Capital structure and firm performance: evidence of Germany under IFRS adoption,” Rev. Manag. Sci., vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 379–398, Feb. 2019, doi: 10.1007/s11846-019-00344-5.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Academic Journal of International University of Erbil

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.









