• family firms
• corporate finance
• ceo compensation
• mergers

This thesis is about CEO compensation, M&A activity and family firms.
In particular, the literature on M&A has enquired CEO incentives to undertake mergers and the relationship between M&A decisions and CEO compensation and turnover. The literature on family firms, on the other hand, has enquired their performance, also for M&A activity, and their CEO compensation. However, whether it exists, between family and non-family firms, a difference in the M&A-CEO compensation relation has received little attention. Considered the many other differences highlighted in recent years between family and non-family firms, as well as the importance of M&A decisions and the consequent relevance of the incentives for CEOs to undertake them, the topic appears worth a closer enquire.