1 Introduction
A very similar story played out for Steve Wynn, the CEO-founder of Wynn Resorts and Casinos, with shareholders again alleging that the company failed to disclose that the company was at “grave risk” of losing its leader to scandal.8 In fact, after the initial revelation of the #MeToo movement, over 200 male executives were dismissed or demoted following allegations of sexual misconduct, with many of these men being replaced by women (Bach, 2018; Carlsen et al., 2018).Plaintiffs allege that Moonves and other managers and officers sexually harassed and threatened female employees behind the scenes for years, fostering a crude and hostile workplace culture. This behavior and culture created a risk that CBS would lose Moonves, its star executive, should his dirty laundry come to light. Plaintiffs’ securities fraud theory is that, with the advent of the #MeToo movement, the risk of losing Moonves to sexual scandal increased, and yet Defendants failed to disclose the risk even as they touted CBS’s ethical culture and Moonves’s importance to the Company’s financial performance. [See page 11 of Opinion and Order filed on January 15, 2020 re: Civil Action Docket No. 1:18-cv-07796, emphasis added.]
2 Background and firm culture
2.1 Sexual harassment: Explicit and implicit implications to the firm
2.2 Firm culture: Inclusive vs. exclusive cultures
2.3 Using board composition to measure an inclusive vs. exclusive corporate culture
3 Data and sample selection
3.1 #MeToo timeline of event dates
3.2 Sample selection and descriptive statistics
Number of firms | |
---|---|
Compustat CRSP Merged Database in 2016 | 5385 |
Less: Non-U.S. incorporated firms | −884 |
Less: Observations with missing returns data | −1097 |
Less: Observations with missing BoardEx coverage | −525 |
Less: Observations with inconsistent BoardEx dataa | −20 |
Less: Observations with missing control variables | −256 |
Less: Firms that do not exist in every year between 2012 and 2016 | −578 |
Firms included in cross-sectional tests | 2025 |
Panel A: Full sample (n = 2025) | ||||||
Mean | Med. | Min | Max | Std. | ||
SIZE ($ Million) | 10,868 | 1491 | 11 | 240,000 | 32,261 | |
SALES ($ Million) | 4475 | 764 | 0.70 | 79,902 | 11,666 | |
ASSET GROWTH | 0.08 | 0.04 | −0.79 | 10.32 | 0.41 | |
SALES GROWTH | 0.04 | 0.03 | −0.64 | 2.20 | 0.27 | |
BOOK-TO-MARKET | 0.51 | 0.45 | −0.46 | 2.24 | 0.41 | |
LEVERAGE | 0.60 | 0.60 | 0.07 | 1.25 | 0.26 | |
ROA | 0.06 | 0.08 | −0.79 | 0.42 | 0.17 | |
CAPEX | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.00 | 0.28 | 0.04 | |
RETURN VOLATILITY | 0.11 | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.40 | 0.07 | |
# of DIRECTORS | 8.86 | 9.00 | 2.00 | 22.00 | 2.55 | |
% INDEP DIR | 0.79 | 0.82 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 0.12 | |
% WOMEN DIRECTORS | 0.14 | 0.14 | 0.00 | 0.63 | 0.11 | |
Panel B: Industry distribution | ||||||
EXCLUSIVE (n = 481) | INCLUSIVE (n = 122) | |||||
Freq. | % | Freq. | % | |||
Consumer Nondurables | 13 | 2.70 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
Consumer Durables | 15 | 3.10 | 12 | 9.80 | ||
Manufacturing | 52 | 10.80 | 1 | 0.80 | ||
Oil, Gas, and Coal Extraction and Products | 36 | 7.50 | 9 | 7.40 | ||
Chemicals and Allied Products | 6 | 1.30 | 5 | 4.10 | ||
Business Equipment | 103 | 21.40 | 8 | 6.60 | ||
Telephone and Television Transmission | 10 | 2.10 | 5 | 4.10 | ||
Utilities | 2 | 0.40 | 12 | 9.80 | ||
Wholesale, Retail, and Some Services | 35 | 7.30 | 16 | 13.10 | ||
Healthcare, Medical Equipment, and Drug | 54 | 11.20 | 4 | 3.30 | ||
Finance | 93 | 19.30 | 38 | 31.20 | ||
Other | 62 | 12.90 | 12 | 9.80 | ||
Total | 481 | 100.00 | 122 | 100.00 | ||
Panel C: EXCLUSIVE versus INCLUSIVE subsamples | ||||||
EXCLUSIVE (n = 481) | INCLUSIVE (n = 122) | Tests of Differences: EXCLUSIVE vs. INCLUSIVE | ||||
Mean | Med. | Mean | Med. | Mean Diff. | Med. Diff. | |
SIZE ($ Million) | 1460 | 391 | 39,865 | 7706 | 38,404*** | 7315*** |
SALES ($ Million) | 723 | 168 | 15,568 | 3218 | 14,845*** | 3051*** |
ASSET GROWTH | 0.07 | 0.02 | 0.05 | 0.04 | −0.02 | 0.02 |
SALES GROWTH | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.00 |
BOOK-TO-MARKET | 0.63 | 0.56 | 0.42 | 0.40 | −0.21*** | −0.16*** |
LEVERAGE | 0.50 | 0.46 | 0.74 | 0.78 | 0.24*** | 0.32*** |
ROA | 0.02 | 0.06 | 0.12 | 0.11 | 0.10*** | 0.05*** |
CAPEX | 0.03 | 0.02 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
RETURN VOLATILITY | 0.13 | 0.11 | 0.08 | 0.07 | −0.05*** | −0.04*** |
# of DIRECTORS | 6.85 | 7.00 | 11.77 | 11.00 | 4.92*** | 4.00*** |
% INDEP DIR | 0.73 | 0.75 | 0.85 | 0.89 | 0.12*** | 0.14*** |
% WOMEN DIRECTORS | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.32 | 0.30 | 0.32*** | 0.30*** |
4 Findings
4.1 Does gender representation on the board of directors provide a signal about firm culture?
Panel A: The Presence of Women in the C-Suite | |||||||
Full Sample (n = 1173)a | EXCLUSIVE (n = 160) | INCLUSIVE (n = 98) | Tests of Differences: EXCLUSIVE vs. INCLUSIVE | ||||
Mean | Mean | Mean | Diff. | ||||
# of WOMEN EXECUTIVES (2016) | 0.55 | 0.26 | 0.95 | 0.69*** | |||
% WOMEN EXECUTIVES (2016) | 10% | 5% | 16% | 11%*** | |||
WOMEN CEO (2016) | 6% | 0% | 18% | 18%*** | |||
NO WOMEN EXECS (2016) | 58% | 76% | 41% | −35%*** | |||
NO WOMEN EXECS (2012–2016) | 45% | 67% | 31% | −36%*** | |||
WOMEN LEGAL OFFICER (2016) | 10% | 7% | 12% | 5% | |||
WOMEN HR OFFICER (2016) | 5% | 1% | 5% | 4%** | |||
Panel B: Firm Culture | |||||||
Full Sample | EXCLUSIVE | INCLUSIVE | Tests of Differences: EXCLUSIVE vs. INCLUSIVE | ||||
n | Mean | n | Mean | n | Mean | Diff. | |
GLASSDOOR LIST (any year in 2012–2016) | 2025 | 3.56% | 481 | 0.21% | 122 | 9.84% | 9.63%*** |
FORTUNE LIST (any year in 2012–2016) | 2025 | 1.23% | 481 | 0.21% | 122 | 1.64% | 1.43%*** |
TRUVALUE D&I INSIGHT SCORE 10/1/17 | 1139 | 60.52 | 146 | 58.48 | 98 | 62.58 | 4.10* |
TRUVALUE D&I INSIGHT SCORE 12/31/16 | 1091 | 60.74 | 134 | 58.83 | 96 | 62.16 | 3.33* |
TRUVALUE D&I PULSE SCORE 10/1/17 | 1189 | 60.57 | 159 | 57.53 | 101 | 62.35 | 4.83** |
TRUVALUE D&I PULSE SCORE 12/31/16 | 1142 | 62.05 | 148 | 58.95 | 99 | 64.21 | 5.27** |
ARABESQUE DIVERSITY SCORE 2017Q3 | 625 | 57.82 | 26 | 43.87 | 71 | 66.55 | 22.67*** |
ARABESQUE DIVERSITY SCORE 2016Q4 | 612 | 56.31 | 24 | 36.05 | 70 | 65.64 | 29.59*** |
4.2 Do investors respond to the #MeToo movement?
Full Sample (n = 2025) | EXCLUSIVE (n = 481) | INCLUSIVE (n = 122) | Tests of Differences: EXCLUSIVE vs. INCLUSIVE | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CAR | t | CAR | t | CAR | t | Mean Diff. | t | |
FF5 | −0.60% | −1.53 | −3.25%*** | −3.17 | 2.33%*** | 2.62 | 5.58%*** | 2.66 |
FFC4 | −0.76%** | −1.96 | −3.76%*** | −3.71 | 2.56%** | 2.43 | 6.32%*** | 3.07 |
FF3 | −0.48% | −1.25 | −3.60%*** | −3.55 | 3.37%*** | 3.19 | 6.96%*** | 3.34 |
CAPM_EW | −1.98%*** | −5.11 | −5.53%*** | −5.44 | 2.53%*** | 2.57 | 8.06%*** | 3.87 |
CAPM_VW | −1.77%*** | −4.55 | −5.34%*** | −5.25 | 2.73%** | 2.30 | 8.07%*** | 3.87 |
DGTW_EW | −0.44% | −1.33 | −2.22%*** | −2.60 | 2.08%** | 2.24 | 4.30%** | 2.45 |
DGTW_VW | −0.32% | −0.97 | −2.06%** | −2.39 | 2.52%*** | 2.64 | 4.58%** | 2.58 |
4.3 Does the market reaction to the #MeToo movement vary depending on firm culture?
Dependent Variable = CAR (#MeToo Event Dates) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FF5 | FFC4 | FF3 | CAPM_EW | CAPM_VW | DGTW_EW | DGTW_VW | |
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7] | |
EXCLUSIVE | −3.25*** | −2.95** | −3.21*** | −3.19*** | −3.22*** | −2.82** | −2.84** |
[−2.65] | [−2.39] | [−2.62] | [−2.60] | [−2.62] | [−2.57] | [−2.57] | |
INCLUSIVE | 2.19* | 2.08* | 2.54** | 2.42** | 2.39** | 2.54** | 2.85*** |
[1.91] | [1.83] | [2.17] | [2.09] | [2.06] | [2.50] | [2.73] | |
Ln (BOARD SIZE) | −0.08 | 0.13 | 0.03 | 0.50 | 0.57 | −3.60** | −4.07** |
[−0.04] | [0.07] | [0.02] | [0.26] | [0.29] | [−2.20] | [−2.42] | |
LEVERAGE | 6.18*** | 5.63** | 6.75*** | 7.32*** | 7.35*** | 4.70** | 4.40** |
[2.61] | [2.39] | [2.85] | [3.12] | [3.13] | [2.35] | [2.15] | |
ROA | 0.36 | 2.06 | 2.65 | 3.33 | 3.39 | 0.92 | −0.11 |
[0.06] | [0.35] | [0.45] | [0.56] | [0.57] | [0.18] | [−0.02] | |
% INDEP DIR | 1.04 | 2.17 | 1.41 | 0.99 | 1.05 | 0.90 | 1.01 |
[0.31] | [0.64] | [0.42] | [0.29] | [0.31] | [0.28] | [0.32] | |
RETURN VOLATILITY | −4.33 | −11.07 | −6.61 | −15.37 | −15.08 | −6.29 | −2.62 |
[−0.33] | [−0.83] | [−0.52] | [−1.14] | [−1.12] | [−0.44] | [−0.18] | |
SIZE | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
[−0.78] | [−0.93] | [−1.14] | [0.59] | [0.63] | [−1.19] | [0.15] | |
n | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 |
F-test: Pr[EXCL = INCL] | 0.001 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.000 |
Adjusted R2 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
4.4 Does the same cross-sectional variation emerge using pseudo-event dates?
Dependent Variable = CAR (PSEUDO Event Dates) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FF5 | FFC4 | FF3 | CAPM_EW | CAPM_VW | DGTW_EW | DGTW_VW | |
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7] | |
EXCLUSIVE | 1.08 | 0.82 | 1.08 | 1.08 | 1.11 | 0.56 | 0.39 |
[0.84] | [0.64] | [0.83] | [0.84] | [0.86] | [0.48] | [0.39] | |
INCLUSIVE | 0.00 | 0.47 | 0.04 | 0.15 | 0.16 | 1.14 | 0.81 |
[0.00] | [0.22] | [0.02] | [0.06] | [0.07] | [0.61] | [0.43] | |
CONTROLS? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
n | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 |
F-test: Pr[EXCL = INCL] | 0.233 | 0.225 | 0.208 | 0.226 | 0.233 | 0.664 | 0.616 |
Adjusted R2 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.03 |
4.5 Does the reaction differ depending on the presence of a critical mass as opposed to a token presence?
FF5 | FF5 | FF5 | |
---|---|---|---|
[1] | [2] | [3] | |
EXCLUSIVE | −3.25*** | −3.24*** | −3.53** |
[−2.65] | [−2.63] | [−2.45] | |
INCLUSIVE | 2.19* | ||
[1.91] | |||
TOKENISM? (At least 2 WOMEN: 2012–2016 inclusive) | 0.01 | ||
[0.02] | |||
TOKENISM? (At least 1 WOMAN: 2012–2016 inclusive) | −0.50 | ||
[−0.46] | |||
CONTROLS? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
n | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 |
Adjusted R2 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 |
4.6 Does the same cross-sectional variation emerge using alternative approaches to measuring culture?
Dependent Variable = FF5 CAR (#MeToo Event Dates) | Dependent Variable = FF5 CAR (PSEUDO Event Dates) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Identify Firm Culture Using: | BOARD CHARACTERISTICS | BOARD and/or EXECUTIVE CHARACTERISTICS | BOARD CHARACTERISTICS | BOARD and/or EXECUTIVE CHARACTERISTICS | ||||
Exclusive Indicator: | =1 if 0 women on board since 2012 (n = 481) | =1 if 0 women on board at the end of 2016 (n = 555) | =1 if 0 women on board & 0 women execs since 2012 (n = 122) | =1 if 0 women execs since 2012 (n = 669) | =1 if 0 women on board since 2012 (n = 481) | =1 if 0 women on board at the end of 2016 (n = 555) | =1 if 0 women on board & 0 women execs since 2012 (n = 122) | =1 if 0 women execs since 2012 (n = 669) |
Inclusive Indicator: | =1 if > = 30% women on board since 2012 (n = 40) | =1 if > = 3 women on board at the end of 2016 (n = 316) | =1 if > = 1 women on board & > =1 women execs since 2012 (n = 200) | =1 if > = 1 women execs since 2012 (n = 247) | =1 if > = 30% women on board since 2012 (n = 40) | =1 if > = 3 women on board at the end of 2016 (n = 316) | =1 if > = 1 women on board & > =1 women execs since 2012 (n = 200) | =1 if > = 1 women execs since 2012 (n = 247) |
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7] | [8] | |
EXCLUSIVE | −3.19*** | −2.56*** | −1.16 | −1.24 | 0.19 | 0.22 | −1.06 | 0.01 |
[−2.61] | [−2.64] | [−0.77] | [−1.14] | [0.17] | [0.21] | [−0.76] | [0.01] | |
INCLUSIVE | 3.60** | 0.44 | −0.87 | −1.64 | 5.95 | 0.78 | −0.04 | 0.23 |
[2.06] | [0.60] | [−0.87] | [−1.31] | [0.97] | [0.65] | [−0.04] | [0.19] | |
CONTROLS? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
n | 2025 | 2025 | 1173 | 1173 | 2025 | 2025 | 1173 | 1173 |
F-test: Pr[EXCL = INCL] | 0.001 | 0.006 | 0.865 | 0.671 | 0.365 | 0.727 | 0.509 | 0.794 |
Adjusted R2 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.06 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.05 | 0.05 |
4.7 How does the market respond to the appointment of a woman to an EXCLUSIVE board?
Cumulative Abnormal Returns Surrounding the Appointment Dates | |||
---|---|---|---|
Panel A: Appointment dates obtained from press releases | |||
Window | [0] | [0,1] | [−1,1] |
CAR | 0.15% | 0.30% | 0.20% |
t-value | 0.66 | 1.02 | 0.60 |
p > |t| | 0.50 | 0.31 | 0.55 |
n | 163 | 163 | 163 |
Panel B: Effective dates obtained from BoardEx | |||
Window | [0] | [0,1] | [−1,1] |
CAR | −0.05% | 0.14% | 0.32% |
t-value | −0.25 | 0.49 | 1.00 |
p > |t| | 0.80 | 0.62 | 0.32 |
n | 194 | 194 | 194 |
4.8 Robustness
Panel A: Alternative Approaches to Constructing Matched Samples | ||||||||
Dependent Variable = FF5 CAR (#MeToo Event Dates) | Dependent Variable = FF5 CAR (PSEUDO Event Dates) | |||||||
Propensity Matching a | Entropy Balancing | Propensity Matching a | Entropy Balancing | |||||
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | |||||
EXCLUSIVE | −3.78*** | −3.55*** | −0.73 | 1.42 | ||||
[−3.42] | [−2.69] | [−0.43] | [0.72] | |||||
n | 1990 | 2025 | 1990 | 2025 | ||||
INCLUSIVE | 1.54 | 2.47*** | 0.23 | 1.06 | ||||
[1.10] | [2.82] | [0.89] | [0.54] | |||||
n | 1983 | 2025 | 1983 | 2025 | ||||
Panel B: Additional Robustness Addressing Confounding Events and Firm Traits | ||||||||
Dependent Variable = FF5 CAR (#MeToo Event Dates) | Dependent Variable = FF5 CAR (PSEUDO Event Dates) | |||||||
Excluding firms with earnings announced on any of the 37 event dates b | Excluding firms with scandal revelations | Controlling for the ln of SIZE and SALES GROWTH | Excluding firms with board size of less than 6 directors | Excluding firms with earnings announced on any of the 37 event dates b | Excluding firms with scandal revelations | Controlling for the ln of SIZE and SALES GROWTH | Excluding firms with board size of less than 6 directors | |
Confounding Events | Firm Traits | Confounding Events | Firm Traits | |||||
[1] | [2] | [3] | [4] | [5] | [6] | [7] | [8] | |
EXCLUSIVE | −4.69*** | −3.23*** | −2.28** | −3.02** | 0.69 | 0.13 | 0.27 | −0.18 |
[−3.03] | [−2.63] | [−2.23] | [−2.30] | [0.48] | [0.11] | [0.25] | [−0.17] | |
INCLUSIVE | 2.16 | 2.07* | 2.14** | 2.60** | 1.54 | 1.61 | 0.70 | 1.20 |
[1.45] | [1.73] | [2.17] | [2.32] | [0.42] | [0.64] | [0.31] | [0.49] | |
CONTROLS? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
n | 1168 | 2007 | 2025 | 1848 | 1168 | 2007 | 2025 | 1848 |
F-test: Pr[EXCL = INCL] | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.902 | 0.616 | 0.868 | 0.635 |
Adjusted R2 | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.04 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.04 |