Does the attendance of independent directors at shareholder meetings matter? The case of risk taking

Abstract

Information is the basis for independent directors to make correct decisions. The study found that the participation of independent directors in the shareholder meetings would help them to obtain more real information and curb the excessive risk taking phenomenon of firms caused by agency problems. The mechanism is that independent directors make more stable decisions after obtaining more real information, have higher probability and frequency of dissenting opinions, and reduce the risk tolerance of the board. The diligent behavior of the independent directors who actively participated in the shareholder meetings has been rewarded by the labor market, and they will get more allowances and directorships in the future. The research of this paper has reference significance for the regulators to broaden the access to information of independent directors and improve the performance of independent directors.