Effect of Capital Structure on the Relationship Between Corporate Governance and Corporate Value of Companies Listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange

Abstract

The capital market authorities of different areas have from time to time issued regulations and guidelines for good corporate governance practices ensuring thorough and proper management of listed companies to align the interest of all stakeholders, ensure firm sustainability, and optimize corporate value. Despite these interventions, cases of corporate underperformance and failures attributed to financial distress and governance weakness continue to increase in magnitude and frequency. The main objective of the study was to determine the intervening effect of capital structure on the relationship between corporate governance and corporate value of companies listed at the Nairobi Security Exchange (NSE). The study tests hypothesis that there is no intervening effect on the capital structure on the relationship between corporate governance and corporate value for companies listed at the NSE. The key theories underpinning the study were agency theory as the main guiding theory and the trade-off theory. The data was acquired from past audited financial statements of companies listed at the NSE. The study used a census survey for sixty-four listed companies at the NSE. The analysis covered a period of five years between 2013 and 2017. Corporate Governance was measured by a composite of Board Independence, Board Size, Board Composition, and Corporate Gender Diversity. Capital structured was measured by leverage Different performance metrics have been used to evaluate corporate value worldwide by regulators and scholars. This study used Tobin - Q which has become an important tool for measuring corporate performance due to its incorporation of the market value of shares in its computation. The study adopts a positivism research philosophy and descriptive design. Descriptive statistics and diagnostic tests were conducted on the data thereafter inferential statistics namely correlations analysis and regression analysis were used to test the hypothesis. The panel data procedure was considered more appropriate as the sample data contained both cross-sectional and time-series data. The diagnostics tests were used to test for bias in the model and the regression used to test the strength and direction of the variables. Baron and Kenny (1986) approach was used to test the intervening effect of capital structure on the relationship between corporate governance and corporate value. The finding was that capital structure had no significant intervening effects on the relationship between corporate governance and corporate value. This research contributes to the line of literature that examines the desirability of corporate governance in enhancing corporate value. These insights in explaining corporate governance, capital structure, and corporate value relationships are useful for academic understanding and business and public policy formulations.

Keywords: Corporate governance, capital structure, agency theory, trade off theory, corporate value.

DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-17-10

Publication date:October 31^st 2020