of my committee for their helpful suggestions and continued support. I would like to especially thank Dr. Arun J. Prakash for his valuable guidance and motivation that he provided throughout my doctoral study at FIU. I am also grateful to my family and my wife's family for their support. Without their support, motivation and consistent encouragement, this dissertation would not be possible. I would like to thank Dr. Golam Robbani, the Chair, Department of Finance and Economics at Alabama A&M

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... versity for referring FIU for my PhD and his kind guidance during my study. My special thanks go to my friend Dale DeJong for his help and support during my dissertation. Dr. Jianbin Zhu at the Statistical Consulting at UGS has always been a phenomenal help in untangling SAS codes, my appreciation for his kind help. Last but not least, my deep gratitude to my adviser, Dr. Suchismita Mishra for her endurance, patience and kindness. She treated me as more than a PhD student, she was always there for me whether it be for reading my dissertation, providing useful feedback, writing letters of recommendation, and the list goes on. Without her kind support, this dissertation would not be to the high standard that it is now. vi ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION CFO TURNOVER, FIRM'S DEBT-EQUITY CHOICE AND INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT by