Does corporate governance differ by sector? An analysis under good practice criteria. The case of Spain

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyse how the factors remuneration, supervision and board structure influence the good corporate governance of companies in the Spanish Continuous Market. This paper develops, for the first time, an index based on the recommendations defined in the Good Governance Code of Listed Companies. This paper measures remuneration, monitoring and governance structure and employs a multiple linear regression model modelling corporate governance as a latent factor. Based on this model, this research presents empirical evidence of the relationship between corporate governance and the defined variables, considering Spanish Continuous Market firms disaggregated by sector. To date, there are no studies that have taken into account the analysis for all sectors in the same country. Among the conclusions, the research finds that the larger a company is, the better the mechanisms for providing an optimal degree of governance, as is the case in the oil, energy and technology sectors. In another sense, the higher the number of proprietary directors the lower the levels of good governance, mainly in basic materials, industrial, construction and consumer goods and services companies. The empirical results also justify the inclusion of Corporate Governance-related factors in governance regulation.