Eduardo Couto

Human capital, social capital and organizational performance

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to evaluate the human capital and social capital of managers and the influence of these attributes on the performance of small and medium-sized Portuguese companies. Design/methodology/approach – The structural modeling approach was applied to a sample of 199 small and medium-sized companies aged between 3 and 15 years, from five different sectors of activity. Findings – It was found that human capital affects social capital, and that experience and cognitive ability influence personal relations and complicity. Organizational performance is strongly influenced by human capital through the cognitive ability of the manager. Practical implications – Based on these findings managers can gain a better knowledge about how to improve the performance of their firms, for example through adjustments in communication methods or strategic decision capacities. Originality/value – This work is innovative in the sense that it confirms the influence of human capital on social capital, a...

Human capital and social capital in entrepreneurs and managers of small and medium enterprises

This paper uses factor analysis methods to identify structures associated with human and social capital in a small country with an open-economy, based on a survey of small- and medium-sized companies across different sectors. The purpose of this research is to investigate the influences of entrepreneurial and managerial behaviours on the relationship between human capital and social capital. The results indicate that the principal factor is highly correlated to the variables of experience, professional proficiency and cognitive ability, which are predominant characteristics of the entrepreneur, as well as status variables such as interlinking, family support, personal relations and social relations. The study also suggests that links between human capital and social capital are more salient in manufacturing and construction companies than in the wholesale trade, retail trade and services sectors.

Board of Directors’ Composition and Capital Structure

The present study empirically analyses the association between board of directors’ composition and capital structure. Particularly, the fraction of independent directors on the board, the fraction of female directors, the board size, and whether the chief executive officer (CEO) is also the chairman of the board are analyzed. Consistent with the pecking order theory of Myers (1984) and Myers and Majluf (1984) the results provide strong evidence that firms with a larger fraction of independent directors on the board have a capital structure composed with more external capital when compared with retained earnings; have more short term debt in relation with retained earnings; have more long term debt compared with short term debt; and have more external equity than long term debt. The results also provide some evidence that a more gender diversified board of directors and where the chairman is non-executive (i.e. the CEO is a different person from that of the chairman) can improve the board of directors’ independence and efficiency and therefore lead the firm to have a capital structure composed with more long term sources of financing.

EXECUTIVE PAY AND PERFORMANCE IN PORTUGUESE LISTED COMPANIES

This essay analyses the relationship between corporate governance practices and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) wages from a sample of Portuguese listed companies over the period from 2002-2011. The relationship between CEO total compensation and shareholders return, firm characteristics, CEO characteristics, board of directors and shareholders characteristics is analysed. It is found that firm specific factors accounts for the majority of the variance in total CEO pay, while firm performance accounts for less than 5%. It is also found that the CEO characteristics, board of directors’ structures, and shareholders features are related with the CEO pay. The policy implications of these results are then derived.