Is the Concept of Corporate Governance a Strategic Plan for Firms’ Optimum Capital Structure? Evidence from Manufacturing Companies

The aim of the article is to examine the relationship as well as measure the impact of corporate governance as a strategic plan on capital structure decision of top Bombay Stock Exchange-listed manufacturing firms in India. Panel regression analysis is employed to estimate the relationship and measure the impact of corporate governance, namely, size, meetings, independent director, women director and audit committee meetings, on the capital structure mix (debt–equity ratio) of the sample corporate, during a 10-year period of 2008–2017. The results of study reveal that the components of corporate governance, namely, size, board meetings, independent director, and audit committee meetings have a positive association with the capital structure variable (debt–equity ratio) of the sample manufacturing companies. However, there is a negative relationship between the control variables (ROCE and NWTA) and the dependent variable of the sample corporate. Overall, as per the study results, a statistically significant impact prevails on the capital structure, of corporate governance variables, taken as a whole. This article adds on to the existing study by highlighting a new prospect of relation and influence of corporate governance on capital structure decisions. The statistical findings of the study provide evidence to the corporate sector in deciding the optimum capital structure, affecting its costs and performance, and to the regulatory authorities in framing and implementing corporate governance mechanisms more effectively and efficiently for improving the economy of the country.