Financial Times
“Narcissist CEOs like risky insider trading and are bad at it: study”
The Financial Times covered research on CEO narcissism and opportunistic insider trading.
Read the articleResearch
People, power, and corporate decisions.
My research examines how executives, boards, incentives, and governance systems shape firm behavior. I study the people behind corporate decisions and the ways leadership traits, monitoring structures, and market discipline affect financial outcomes.
Research Themes
How managerial traits, incentives, and biases shape corporate decisions.
How CEOs and top executives influence firm strategy, governance, and financial policy.
How boards monitor, advise, discipline, and shape leadership outcomes.
Publications
Collateral Impact: How Rivalry Diffuses Shareholder Activism Threats
This study examines how shareholder activism directed at rival firms shapes the behavior of non-targeted companies. We show how financial and social activism create different competitive signals, influencing firms’ growth strategies and CSR actions even when they are not directly targeted. The study highlights how activism can diffuse across markets and affect corporate strategy beyond the original target firm.
CEO's Narcissism and Opportunistic Insider Trading
Featured in the Financial Times, this study examines the link between CEO narcissism and opportunistic insider trading. We show that narcissistic CEOs are more likely to trade in ways that appear timed around private information, suggesting that managerial personality can shape the boundary between corporate leadership and personal financial gain. The paper highlights how behavioral traits influence governance risk, insider incentives, and market integrity.
CEO Narcissism and the Agency Cost of Debt
This study examines whether CEO narcissism increases the agency cost of debt. We show that lenders appear to price managerial personality into debt contracts, demanding higher compensation when CEOs exhibit traits associated with greater discretion, risk-taking, and self-focus. The paper highlights how executive behavior shapes not only corporate decisions, but also the cost of financing those decisions.
Measuring CSR, ESG, and Sustainability
This chapter examines how CSR, ESG, and sustainability are measured, highlighting the challenges of defining responsible corporate behavior and evaluating firms’ social, environmental, and governance performance.
Working Papers
Chasing the Leader: Rank Pressure and Catch-Up in Real Estate Brokerage
COVID-19, Growth of Virtual Meeting Technology, and Sector REITs Performance
Female Leaders and Mergers and Acquisition Targets
CEO Speech Dominance and the Agency Cost of Debt
Management Liberalism and the Agency Cost of Debt
Works in Progress
CEO Speech Clarity and Misconduct
Contact
College of Charleston School of Business · Beatty 414 · 66 George Street · Charleston, SC 29424