Corporate Finance Commons^™

Teaching Federal Corporate Law, Verity Winship

Journal of Business & Technology Law

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Financial Data To Monitor Competing Models Of Firm Growth, Mohamed Rashwan, Tarek Ibrahim Eldomiaty

Business Administration

This paper examines three possible explanations for firm growth:

1 a firm grows according to the growth of sales revenues

2 a firm grows according to cost savings

3 a firms grows according to the two factors simultaneously

This paper introduces a new measure for firm growth based on sales-weighted growth of fixed assets. The estimation method uses the properties of the discriminant analysis to build three Z-score models, each of which discriminates low-growth firms from high-growth firms based on:

a sales ratios

b cost ratios

c sales and cost ratios together

The results show that the three discriminant models …

The Impact Of Sfas133 On Income Smoothing By Banks Through Loan Loss Provisions, Emre Kilic, Gerald J. Lobo, Tharindra Ranasinghe, K. Sivaramakrishnan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We examine the impact of SFAS 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, on the reporting behavior of commercial banks and the informativeness of their financial statements. We argue that because the stricter recognition and classification requirements of SFAS 133 reduced banks' ability to smooth income through derivatives, banks more affected by SFAS 133 will rely more on loan loss provisions to smooth income. We find evidence consistent with this argument. We also find that the increased reliance on loan loss provisions for smoothing income has impaired the informativeness of loan loss provisions.

Managerial Incentives And Management Forecast Precision, Qiang Cheng, Ting Luo, Heng Yue

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Managers have great discretion in determining management forecast characteristics, but little is known about how managerial incentives affect these characteristics. In this paper, we examine whether managers strategically choose the precision of their earnings forecasts for self-serving purposes. Building on prior research demonstrating that the market reaction to vague management forecasts is weaker than its reaction to precise forecasts, we find that for management forecasts disclosed before insider sales, more positive (negative) news forecasts are more (less) precise than other management forecasts. The opposite applies to management forecasts disclosed before insider purchases. These results are consistent with managers strategically choosing …

The Opportunistic Reporting Of Material Events And The Apparent Misconception Of Investors' Reaction, Dan Segal, Benjamin Segal

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using a comprehensive sample of non-earnings 8-K filings from 1996 to 2011, we examine whether firms engage in opportunistic reporting of mandatory and voluntary news. We find strong evidence of opportunistic reporting of negative news, especially among public firms. Public firms are more likely to delay disclosure of negative news, report negative news after trading hours, and report on the last day of the week. We also find evidence of opportunistic bundling of news. Our findings support the notion that managers engage in strategic disclosure by delaying or obfuscating negative news in order to mitigate the potential market reaction. Factors …

How Does Culture Influence Corporate Risk-Taking?, Kai Li, Dale Griffin, Heng Yue, Longkai Zhao

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We investigate the role of national culture in corporate risk-taking. We postulate that culture influencescorporate risk-taking both through its effect on managerial decision-making and through its effect on acountry’s formal institutions. Further, we postulate that the influence of culture is conditioned on theextent of managerial discretion as measured by earnings discretion and firm size. Using firm-level datafrom 35 countries and employing a hierarchical linear modeling approach to isolate the effects of firmleveland country-level variables, we show that individualism has a positive and significant association,whereas uncertainty avoidance and harmony have negative and significant associations, with corporaterisk-taking. Greater earnings discretion strengthens and …

Strengthening Financial Reporting: An Essay On Expanding The Auditor’S Opinion Letter, James D. Cox

Faculty Scholarship

Users of financial statements, foremost of which are investors, have a voracious appetite for information that better enables them to assess the financial position and performance of the reporting firm. Even though financial statements purport to address their needs, because the statements, which are prepared by the firm’s managers, conceal a range of managerial estimates, assumptions, judgments, and choices, investors are deprived of the most fundamental kernel of information they seek, namely the overall quality of the financial reports themselves. In this Article, the author sets forth several modest steps that would enhance the overall quality of financial reporting by …

The Impact Of Prior Performance On Leadership Appointment In A Merger Of Equals, David A. Hirsch

CMC Senior Theses

Leadership appointment during mergers has a logical and established precedent when there is a clear target and acquirer. However, in the extraordinary case of Merger Of Equals (MOEs) – where this is relative equal ownership, board representation, earnings contribution etc - this process is much less defined and can often have serious consequences on the merger, both in closing negotiations as well as post-merger performance. Intuition assumes the better performing CEO should and will be appointed. In practice, however, that is often not the case. It is arguable that performance can be defined through objective means (financially & operationally), yet …

Insider Trading Restrictions And Top Executive Compensation, David J. Denis, Jin Xu

Purdue CIBER Working Papers

The use of equity incentives is significantly greater in countries with stronger insider trading restrictions, and these higher incentives are associated with higher total pay. These findings are robust to alternative definitions of insider trading restrictions and enforcement, and to panel regressions with country fixed effects. We also find significant increases in top executive pay and the use of equity-based incentives in the period immediately following the initial enforcement of insider trading laws. We conclude that insider trading laws are one channel through which cross-country differences in pay practices can be explained.

Simulation Analysis Of The Blocking Effect Of Transaction Costs In China's Housing Market, Hong Zhang, Yue Wang, Yin Lin, Yang Zhang, Michael J. Seiler

Finance Faculty Publications

To examine the blocking effect of transaction costs on household mobility, we construct a housing consumption model including transaction costs and adopt an analog simulation methodology, analyzing how changes in household income and home prices influence household consumption, savings decisions and the transaction costs blocking effect. We find that changes in housing demand are the fundamental cause of the blocking effect of transaction costs. The more demand changes, the greater the blocking effect is. Besides, increased volatility in home prices worsens the household mobility problem with regards to the blocking effect of transaction costs, while a change in household income …

Teaching Note On The Treatment Of Noncontrolling Interests In Financial Analysis, Cost Of Capital And Valuation: A Case Study Of Verizon Communications, Bridget Lyons

WCBT Faculty Publications

A noncontrolling interest (NCI) arises when a firm fully consolidates subsidiaries that are not wholly owned by the parent. The existence of a noncontrolling interest complicates financial analysis and valuation. Failure to appropriately consider the NCI may lead to errors in equity valuation and share price since the NCI impacts equity value and implied share price of the parent firm. Return on equity calculations must be carefully constructed as there are several net income and equity values reported. Finally, the NCI can impact the weighted average cost of capital. Verizon Communications was selected as a case study based on the …

Corporate Revenue Miscalculations & The Impact On Stakeholders, Karen Cascini, Alan Delfavero, Ryan Bezner

WCBT Faculty Publications

Corporate earnings restatements are regarded as one of the most significant issues in accounting today. While there are various factors that can influence corporate earnings, revenue is the key contributor to a business’ net income. During the 2000s, a multitude of domestic and multinational corporations faced significant issues with their revenue recognition practices. Although the investing public might regard any revenue restatement as laden with possible fraud, this is not always the case. Multinational firms face dual accounting systems, such as U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Consequently, similarities and differences among accounting systems, …

Social Entrepreneurship And Wealth-Building Plans: Creative Strategies For Working Class Americans, Wayne R. Curtis

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study investigated how the elements of social entrepreneurship with wealth-building strategies can advance the creation of wealth and serve as a mechanism for social change. This research takes a modest first step toward demystifying social entrepreneurship, better understanding the phenomenon, and exploring the relevance of wealth-building in social entrepreneurial activity. Specifically, this exploratory study used a multiple case study design to understand how existing social entrepreneurial ventures include wealth-building strategies, such as employee stock ownership plans for working class Americans. The concept of social entrepreneurship is relatively new. There is general agreement that the concept combines a passion for …

Independent Directors And Shared Board Control In Venture Finance, Brian J. Broughman

Articles by Maurer Faculty

In most VC-backed firms neither the entrepreneurs nor the VC investors control the board. Instead control is typically shared with a mutually appointed independent director holding the tie-breaking seat. Contract theory, which treats control as an indivisible right held by one party, does not have a good explanation for this practice. Using a bargaining game similar to final offer arbitration, I show that an independent director as tie-breaker can reduce holdup by moderating each party’s ex post threat position, potentially expanding the range of firms which receive external financing. This project contributes to the literature on incomplete contracting and holdup, …

Understanding Causation In Private Securities Lawsuits: Building On Amgen, James D. Cox

Faculty Scholarship

With Amgen, the Supreme Court’s majority once again holds that inquiry into the alleged market impact of a misrepresentation is not required to invoke fraud on the market approach to causation so that the class can be certified. Rather than just leaving matters where they have been since the Supreme Court’s muddled encounter with causation in Basic Inc. v. Levinson, the Supreme Court’s most recent decision appears to relax some earlier-held tenets with respect to markets believed sufficiently efficient for fraud on the market to be invoked. This Article not only identifies the central flaw of Basic that has over …

2012 Q4 Market Pulse Report, John K. Paglia

Pepperdine Market Pulse Report

The quarterly IBBA and M&A Source Market Pulse Survey was created to gain an accurate understanding of the market conditions for businesses being sold in Main Street (values $0-$2MM) and the lower middle market (values $2MM -$50MM). The national survey was conducted with the intent of providing a valuable resource to business owners and their advisors. The IBBA and M&A Source present the Market Pulse Survey with the support of the Pepperdine Private Capital Markets Project and the Graziado School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University.

The Quality Of Corporate Governance And The Length It Takes To Remove Apoor Performing Ceo. Does Performance Of The Former Firm Affect A Ceo's Ability To Find An Identical With A Subsequent Firm?, Huong Nguyen

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract 1:

In this paper, we investigate the effects of internal corporate governance on the length it takes to remove a CEO after the initial sign of poor firm performance. We find that firms that have a better quality of internal corporate governance are quicker to remove poor-performing CEOs. This result persists after controlling for other factors that might influence the CEO removal decision.

Abstract 2:

Employing a sample of voluntary CEO turnovers selected from S&P 500 firms over the period 2004-2009, I investigate the impact prior firm performance on a CEO’s potential of being hired on an equivalent job …

Special Purpose Acquisition Companies

Fordham Business Student Research Journal

Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) are blank-check companies that raise funds from investors through a public offering of shares and warrants (known as a Unit IPO) for the purpose of buying a private firm. SPACs have no assets or business plan and their only intent is to acquire an operational business. Because of limited data (SPACs have only gained popularity in the past decade), there has been very little research into the nature of firms that are targeted for SPAC acquisitions, with most research focusing on short-term performance statistics. A SPAC transaction effectively takes an existing private business and makes …

Do Shareholders Penalize Bank Boards And Management For The Financial Crisis?

Fordham Business Student Research Journal

The 2007-2008 financial crisis was a pervasive shock that profoundly impacted the financial services industry. Often described as the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, this event provides a unique opportunity to examine the consequences experienced by members of boards of directors and top management at bank holding companies for what shareholders may perceive as failures in oversight and excessive risk-taking. This study examines whether shareholders penalized top management at banks and provides some new evidence of the crisis’s impact on management careers. Using the 36 largest American bank holding corporations by assets as a sample, we examine director …

Underwriting Syndicates In Bric Countries: Determinants Of Syndicate Size And Member Selection

Fordham Business Student Research Journal

The process of startup firms raising capital through equity markets by issuing shares to the public is a strong sign of financial growth and innovation. Going public requires the issuing firm to share information with potential investors and requires financial institutions to underwrite the effort, typically through a syndicate. The underwriting syndicate is a coalition of competing banks that serve as intermediaries between the firm and the investors. In emerging nations, this process is compounded by the differences in the maturity of the financial markets and the economic environment. The growth and significance of capital markets in the BRIC (Brazil, …