Are CFOs professional responsibilities overloaded in Chinese listed firms: A grounded theory application

The professional responsibilities of CFOs in Chinese listed firms have been growing dramatically, as supervision rules improve and market competition gets fierce. In this context few academic studies on CFOs roles drive this paper to adopt grounded theory approach to explore this topic. By grounded theory guidance, an analytical framework is established, based on the survey and interview data. The two types of CFOs overloaded responsibilities are identified, involved with management and governance perspectives. The less control right of decision making in listed companies results in that CFOs cannot play the role to supervise top management effectively. Increasingly complex management activities also let CFOs drop into tough balance between the traditional and strategic management tasks. The factors in institutional setting are defined as antecedents. The analysis of these variables produces important implication.