Death on the Stock Exchange the Fate of the 1948 Population of Large UK Quoted Companies, 1948–2018

32 Pages Posted: 21 Jul 2019

See all articles by Geoff Meeks

Geoff Meeks

University of Cambridge - Judge Business School

Geoffrey Whittington

University of Cambridge

Date Written: March 21, 2019

Abstract

This paper provides a long-term demographic analysis of the principal members of the population of companies quoted on the UK stock exchanges in 1948. Motivated by theories of natural selection and of corporate governance, it traces the survival records of the 1948 population over the biblical “threescore years and ten” to 2018. As well as charting death rates over time, it explores the causes of death – takeover, failure, etc. And it analyses the relationship between survival and the characteristics of the firm and its environment.

Keywords: business longevity, firm survival, business failure, M&A, bankruptcy, corporate governance, stock exchange

JEL Classification: D22, G34, L11, L16, L25, L60, L80, M21, N24, N84

Suggested Citation

Meeks, Geoff and Whittington, Geoffrey, Death on the Stock Exchange the Fate of the 1948 Population of Large UK Quoted Companies, 1948–2018 (March 21, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423524 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3423524

Geoff Meeks (Contact Author)

University of Cambridge - Judge Business School ( email )

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Geoffrey Whittington

University of Cambridge ( email )

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