Management demography and corporate performance: Evidence from China

Drawing on upper echelons theory, the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) and managerial networking theory, we hypothesize that management demography of chairpersons is important and reflects valuable resources of the firm. Our empirical examination of Chinese firms supports this hypothesis by showing that various management demographic characteristics (education level, titles, age and tenure) of chairpersons exert significant influences on corporate performance. These findings suggest that personal attributes of the chairperson are appropriate proxies of critical human resources and managerial networking competencies to conduct business, and are consequently related to superior corporate performance. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.