Firms' Stakeholders and the Costs of Transparency / Andres Almazan, Javier Suarez, Sheridan Titman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Almazan, Andres.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Suarez, Javier.

Titman, Sheridan.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w13647.

NBER working paper series no. w13647

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2007.

Summary:

We develop a model of a firm whose production process requires it to start and nurture a relationship with its stakeholders. Because there are spillover benefits associated with being associated with a "winner," the perceptions of stakeholders and potential stakeholders can affect firm value. Our analysis indicates that while transparency (i.e., generating information about a firm's quality) may improve the allocation of resources, a firm may have a higher ex ante value if information about its quality is not prematurely generated. The costs associated with transparency arise because of asymmetric information regarding the extent to which stakeholders benefit from having a relationship with a high quality firm. These costs are higher when firms can initiate non-contractible innovative investments that enhance the value of their stakeholder relationships. Stakeholder effects of transparency are especially important for younger firms with less established track records (e.g., start-ups).

Notes:

Print version record

November 2007.