Interlocking directorates and profitability: A social network analysis of fortune 500 companies

Alton Y.K. Chua*, Radhika Shenoy Balkunje

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Given the conflicting results from past research, this paper uses social network analysis (SNA) to empirically determine the relationship between interlocking directorates and corporate profitability. Specifically, it seeks to address two research questions: (1) what relationship exists between the number of director interlocks and companies' profitability? (2) what relationship exists between power within the network of interlocking directorates and companies' profitability? The dataset was drawn from 2010 Fortune 500 companies. Regression models were developed to address the two research questions. To mitigate the effects of confounding factors, three control variables, namely, size, age and sector of the companies were used. Results suggest that both interlocks and power asserted a positive linear relationship with companies' profitability. However, the control variables did not seem to influence these relationships. Moreover, prediction of companies' profitability was found to be a complex undertaking. In conclusion, this paper acknowledges a few limitations and offers suggestions for future research.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 2012 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining, ASONAM 2012
Pages1105-1110
Number of pages6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes
Event2012 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining, ASONAM 2012 - Istanbul, Turkey
Duration: Aug 26 2012Aug 29 2012

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 2012 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining, ASONAM 2012

Conference

Conference2012 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining, ASONAM 2012
Country/TerritoryTurkey
CityIstanbul
Period8/26/128/29/12

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Software

Keywords

  • Director interlocks
  • Fortune 500 companies
  • Power
  • Profitability
  • Social network analysis

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