Asked by: Rosauro Sancerni
business and finance real estate industry

What is the agency theory in finance?

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Agency theory is the branch of financial economics that looks at conflicts of interest between people with different interests in the same assets. This most importantly means the conflicts between: • shareholders and managers of companies • shareholders and bond holders.


In respect to this, what is the meaning of agency theory?

Agency theory is a principle that is used to explain and resolve issues in the relationship between business principals and their agents. Most commonly, that relationship is the one between shareholders, as principals, and company executives, as agents.

Furthermore, what is an agency relationship in finance? An agency relationship is a fiduciary relationship. This means the agent is obligated to act in the best interests of the principal because the agent's actions will create legal obligations for the principal.

Considering this, what is agency cost theory?

An agency cost is a type of internal company expense which comes from the actions of an agent acting on behalf of a principal. Agency costs typically arise in the wake of core inefficiencies, dissatisfactions and disruptions, such as conflicts of interest between shareholders and management.

What is positive agency theory?

Positive agency theory proposes that principals can mitigate agency costs by establishing appropriate incentive contracts and by incurring monitoring costs.

Related Question Answers

Rolf Radge

Professional

What are the types of agency problems?

Types of Agency Problem
  • Type—1: Principal–Agent Problem. The problem of agency between owners and managers in the organisations due to the separation of ownership from control was found since the birth of large corporations (Berle & Means, 1932).
  • Type—2: Principal–Principal Problem.
  • Type–3: Principal–Creditor Problem.

Bendaoud Fishman

Professional

What is the concept of agency?

In social science, agency is defined as the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. By contrast, structure is those factors of influence (such as social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, ability, customs, etc.) that determine or limit an agent and their decisions.

Lamara Carriedo

Professional

Why is agency theory important?

Agency theory is used to understand the relationships between agents and principals. This leads to the principal-agent problem. The principal-agent problem occurs when the interests of a principal and agent conflict. Companies should seek to minimize these situations through solid corporate policy.

Audie Batanete

Explainer

What is agency example?

Definition and examples. An agency is a business, firm, or organization that provides a specific service. Often, but not always, agencies work on behalf of another group, business, or person. As in 'Steep valleys carved by the agency of flowing water. '

Mohamadi Kistenpfenning

Explainer

Who is the founder of agency theory?

Barry M. Mitnick
Ross is responsible for the origin of the economic theory of agency, and Mitnick for the institutional theory of agency, though the basic concepts underlying these approaches are similar.

Franck Gerbrandt

Explainer

How can we solve agency problem?

Conflicts of interest can arise if the agent personally gains by not acting in the principal's best interest. You can overcome the agency problem in your business by requiring full transparency, placing restrictions on the agent's capabilities, and tying your compensation structure to the well-being of the principal.

Irinel Greben

Pundit

What is an example of an agency cost?

For example, agency costs are incurred when the senior management team, when traveling, unnecessarily books the most expensive hotel or orders unnecessary hotel upgrades. The cost of such actions increases the operating cost of the company while providing no added benefit or value to shareholders.

Dacil Muhlhausser

Pundit

What issues does agency theory examine?

Agency theory, then, examines the conflicts of interest that can arise between principals and agents. This is much more likely to be a problem in a public corporation than in a private one. The problem addressed in agency theory typically arises when stockholders hire managers to run their company.

Lenna Anglade

Pundit

What are the two types of agency costs?

There are three common types of agency costs: monitoring, bonding, and residual loss.

Namory Freijomil

Pundit

What is the purpose of agency?

Agency is a relationship between a principal and an agent in which the principal confers his or her rights on the agent to act on principal's behalf. Such a relationship is based on an agency contract. The rights and duties of the agent and principal are in accordance with the express or implied terms of the contract.

Orsolya Brisset

Pundit

What are types of agents?

The five types of agents include: general agent, special agent, subagent, agency coupled with an interest, and servant (or employee).

Iraides Oort

Teacher

How do you determine agency cost?

To measure agency costs of the firm, we use two alternative efficiency ratios that frequently appear in the accounting and financial economics literature: (i) the expense ratio, which is operating expense scaled by annual sales;4 and (ii) the asset utilization ratio, which is annual sales divided by total assets.

Eldridge Obermoller

Teacher

What is agency theory in strategic management?

Agency Theory. Agency theory is about goal incongruence between owners/principals/managers/shareholders and those they employ (agents). Contracts between parties operate best when they are efficient in sharing of risks and information and they recognize the variability of party's goals.

Mbarak Radzik

Teacher

What is transaction cost theory?

Transaction cost theory is part of corporate governance and agency theory. It is based on the principle that costs will arise when you get someone else to do something for you . e.g. directors to run the business you own.

Kerrie Rahtge

Teacher

Who is the agent?

An agent, in legal terminology, is a person who has been legally empowered to act on behalf of another person or an entity. An agent may be employed to represent a client in negotiations and other dealings with third parties.

Cheikhna Heathcote

Reviewer

What is the agency theory of corporate governance?

The agency theory of corporate governance is quite simple, at least on the surface. It states that corporate executives have a moral and financial duty to act in the best interests of the parties they serve, specifically the shareholders.

Manue Barrante

Reviewer

Which is the best theory of corporate governance?

Theories of Corporate Governance
  • Agency Theory.
  • Stewardship Theory.
  • Resource Dependency Theory.
  • Stakeholder Theory.
  • Transaction Cost Theory.
  • Political Theory.

Gabi Gottes

Reviewer

What is the agency problem in finance?

The agency problem is a conflict of interest inherent in any relationship where one party is expected to act in another's best interests. In corporate finance, the agency problem usually refers to a conflict of interest between a company's management and the company's stockholders.

Leovigilda Lancken

Reviewer

What are the main principles of agency?

Generally an agent owes the principal duties of loyalty, obedience, and reasonable care. Loyalty means the agent must act in the best interest of the principal, and avoiding secret profits and other conflicts of interest.

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EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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11th January, 2020

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