The influence of the shareholder structure on dividend policy

The main objective of the thesis was to deal with the relationship between the shareholder structure and dividend policy. Since the dividend policy is an issue of importance to all capital market participants around the globe it is not sufficient to focus only on a single market development level or only on a single region. Therefore the thesis purpose was to examine whether there is a relationship between the shareholder structure and the dividend policies of companies in developed and emerging markets in both Asia–Pacific and European regions.With the results of each market development level in the respective region the study wanted to provide an extended view for all shareholders and add value in form of some recommendations—especially for small shareholders and their investment choices as they usually have limited access to information and knowledge of the capital markets around the globe.