Finance and Financial Management Commons^™

Essays On Migration Flows And Finance, Suin Lee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the first essay, I examine stock market implications of state-to-state migration flows that are known to provide the basis for social and business networks. I observe sizeable and robust excess return comovement between migration-flow receiving and sending states at both the individual stock and the state portfolio levels. Although I find that migration flows are associated with firms’ business activities, this comovement is not fully explained by economic fundamentals and decreases substantially when firms relocate to other states. In line with the view that migration networks form the basis for a common investor base for receiving and sending states …

Research Project In Finance: Kinder Morgan Inc. (Kmi), Christopher Holmes

Student Scholarship

KMI is a buy because the market is currently mispricing the company due to fears over their CO2 segment and their debt level.

First, it is currently being rumored that management is considering the sale of its CO2 business. This would be a positive because it would take away the concerns regarding CO2 and could help lead to a higher multiple. Additionally, the company’s backlog would become much more concentrated in higher growth areas if this segment is sold.

Second, the debt picture is misunderstood. The company currently has an investment grade rating from the rating agencies and currently has …

The Ursinus College Investment Management Company Newsletter, Spring 2019, Scott Deacle, Isaac Abrams, Paul Cottam, Elvi Sopiqoti, Wilbert Diaz, Johnny Myers

Investment Management Company Newsletter

Inside this Issue:

What's New?

Brief History of Ursinus

What Our Newest Students are Saying

What are "They" Saying?

Vanguard Field Trip

2019 Fund Performance

Looking Forward

Fundraising & Gallery

Clarity For Due Diligence In 401(K) Qualified Retirement Plans, Erin O'Reilly

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

My focus for this project is to educate myself and my peers on the process of analyzing a 401(k) plan, specifically the due diligence that should be performed when analyzing a retirement plan. Specific aspects of this project will involve: (1) explaining the different roles needed to administer a 401(k) plan; (2) discussing an advisor's role in a 401(k) plan; (3) analyzing fiduciary duty levels; (4) reviewing the appropriate types of investments to include in a 401(k) plan; (5) providing suggestions for financial wellness programs; and (6) discerning the appropriate level of fees for each service. I seek to provide …

Effects Of Terrorism On The U.S. Stock Market: Evidence From High Frequency Data, Kyla Scanlon

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This paper investigates the effects that terrorist attacks and mass shootings had on the U.S. stock market, using high frequency intraday data to identify stock price and variability reactions in the hours after the attack. The impact that terrorist attacks had on price level variability was examined using the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model. The market reaction to domestic versus foreign attacks was examined to measure a potential for contagion across financial markets. The potential for flight-to-safety/quality and capital reallocation in response to terrorist attacks were measured using ordinary least squares (OLS) model, measuring the respective betas of small …

Reputation Concerns Under At-Will Employment, Jian Sun, Dong Wei

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We study a continuous-time model of long-run employment relationship with fixed wage and at-will firing; that is, termination of the relationship is non-contractible. Depending on his type, the worker either always works hard, or can freely choose his effort level. The firm does not know the worker’s type and the monitoring is imperfect. We show that, in the unique Markov equilibrium, as the worker’s reputation worsens, his job becomes less secure and the strategic worker works harder. We further demonstrate that the relationship between average productivity and job insecurity is U shaped, which is consistent with typical findings in the …

Success Through Scripture: Redefining Success From A Biblical Perspective, Bobbi Jo Dallas

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to reveal how an intimate relationship with God can bring internal and external success. The research will demonstrate that success from a relativistic society does not always produce overall success. Through a secular approach, success is defined differently by each human being and formed by his or her own perception of the subject. However, through a biblical worldview approach, one can achieve internal and external success brought about by a relationship with God. First, the research will recognize a few of the many man-made theories of success and analyze the different components that are …

How Private Equity Firms Create Value – 3 Main Ways, David Gaines

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Order Flow Volatility And Equity Costs Of Capital, Tarun Chordia, Jianfeng Hu, Avanidhar Subrahmanyam, Qing Tong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We propose that the volatility of order flow is a proxy for costs of information asymmetry, as order flow volatility varies positively with parameters that also influence adverse selection costs of trading. Empirically, order flow volatility is significantly higher prior to earnings or merger announcements when information asymmetry is likely to be elevated. Levels of and shocks to order flow volatility are positively and significantly correlated with existing illiquidity proxies, and strongly predict stock returns in the cross section. The impact of order imbalance volatility shocks on stock prices is reflected within one month in large, visible stocks, but takes …

Exploring The Entrepreneurial And Innovation Orientation Of Central Luzon Entrepreneurs Using The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Data, Emilina R. Sarreal, Joan C. Reyes

DLSU Business & Economics Review

From the Global Innovation Index (GII), the Philippines was ranked at 73rd which was far behind the four countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states where Singapore placed fifth (5th), while Malaysia , Thailand, and Vietnam placed 35th, 44th and 45th, respectively.. The Philippines was ranked higher than Indonesia (85th) and Cambodia (98th). Based on the Survey of Innovation Activities in 2015 where innovative behavior was found to be contingent on the location and firm size, less than half of the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Luzon (except National Capital Region) are innovation active. …

Diaspora International Family Entrepreneurs: No Place Like Home, Maria Andrea L. Santiago

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Myanmar is one of the last frontiers in Asia and it provides an enormous investment opportunity, especially for diaspora Burmese who desire to re-establish their roots in their home country. This paper posits that returning diasporans who establish capital-intensive entrepreneur-led family firms in frontier economies would have a competitive advantage over non-family business owners, homegrown entrepreneurs, and foreign investors because they are endowed with a unique combination of social, human, financial, cultural, and informational capital. Even though the risks of investing in a frontier economy are high, the motivations to invest in the homeland go beyond the financial returns. This …

Unbundling The Influence Of Human Capital On The New Venture’S Performance, Ferran Giones, Brian Gozun, Francesc Miralles

DLSU Business & Economics Review

We use a longitudinal dataset on new ventures to assess the effects of human capital factors (education, work experience, and entrepreneurial experience) on new ventures’ performance. Our results show how the influence of human capital factors are dependent on the context (high vs. non-high technology industries) and illustrate the different effects of general and specific human capital factors. The findings help to clarify the existing debate on the influence of human capital where we introduce a longitudinal perspective that contributes to uncover the influence of factors such as prior experience, in particular if in the same industry, as a positive …

Creativity, Innovation, And Sustainability: Insights Of Entrepinays In The Handicrafts Industry, Divina M. Edralin, Maria Victoria P. Tibon, Paz Esperanza T. Poblador, Junius W. Yu

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study analyzed the insights of Filipina entrepreneurs in the handicrafts industry on creativity and sustainability as they relate to innovation. Specifically, the responses of the EntrePinays in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao pertaining to factors affecting their innovation activities; the degree of implementation of innovation activities; factors hampering innovation activities; and the effects/impact of innovation on sustainability and other outcomes were compared. The study utilized the conceptual framework on creativity and entrepreneurship by Matthews (2007) and the innovation measurement framework of the OECD/Eurostat (2005). Two hundred three Filipina entrepreneurs in the handicrafts industry from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were interviewed …

A Platform For Social Business Incubation In The Philippines: The Case Of Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm, Raymund B. Habaradas, Patrick Adriel H. Aure, Ian Benedict R. Mia

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Our study examined the business model of Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm (GKEF) and described how it creates, delivers, and captures value as a social business incubator. Using the case study research design, we saw that GKEF’s social business incubation program has adopted a multilever ecosystem approach by (1) harnessing the human and natural resources of its host community, (2) leveraging the compassion and entrepreneurial talent of its selected incubatees, (3) tapping the knowledge and skills of interns and volunteers, (4) leveraging the expertise and experiences of other more established social enterprises, and (5) taking advantage of its network of partners …

Alleviating Poverty In The Philippines Through Entrepreneurship, Cynthia P. Cudia, John Paolo R. Rivera, Tereso S. Tullao Jr.

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Poverty is a global phenomenon characterized by the lack of access by households to their basic necessities— those earning US$1.25 daily and possessing very low capital, thus trapping them in a cycle of poverty as capital diminishes from one generation to another. In line with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Philippine government has set as one of its overarching goals to significantly reduce poverty incidence. To address poverty, several interventions have been put in place such as the conditional cash transfer, foreign aid, and entrepreneurship. Using a repeated cross-section model, we look into entrepreneurship as an intervention to push economic …

Robust Measures Of Earnings Surprises, Chin-Han Chiang, Wei Dai, Jianqing Fan, Harrison Hong, Jun Tu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Event studies of market efficiency measure an earnings surprise with the consensuserror (CE), defined as earnings minus the average of professional forecasts. Even if asubset of forecasts can be biased, the ideal but difficult to estimate parameter-dependentalternative to CE is a nonlinear filter of individual errors that adjusts for bias. We showthat CE is a poor parameter-free approximation for this ideal measure. The fractionof misses on the same side (FOM), by discarding the magnitude of misses, offers a farbetterapproximation. FOM performs particularly well against CE in predicting thereturns of US stocks, where bias is potentially large, than that of international …

Intuit, Inc.'S Small Business And Self Employed Unit: A Strategic Analysis, Cat Nyberg

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Intuit, Inc. is a business and personal finance software company founded in 1983 by Scott Cook and Tom Proulx. It is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has offices around the United States and internationally. Intuit’s primary mission is to ‘power prosperity’, whether for small business owners, individuals, or accounting professionals.

Intuit has three major business units: Small Business and Self Employed, Consumer, and Strategic Partner. Each business unit offers one or more flagship software platforms, optimized for specific customer needs in business accounting, professional tax preparation, and individual tax filing. Intuit’s major software flagships are QuickBooks (business accounting and …

Estimating The Effect Of Government Programs On Youth Entrepreneurship In The Philippines, John Paolo R. Rivera, Brian C. Gozun

DLSU Business & Economics Review

For decades, the majority of the Philippines’ jobless sector is comprised of the youth. This creates the need to craft programs and policies that would enable entrepreneurship among Filipino youths. Using the Community Based Monitor System survey on Accelerated Poverty Profiling among member schools of De La Salle Philippines, we estimate the marginal effects of a multinomial logistic regression that underscore how participation in government-sponsored programs impacts a youth’s likelihood to be entrepreneurial. Results suggest a framework for improving program design and policy implementation to support youth entrepreneurial undertakings.

Three Essays On Ceo Characteristics And Corporate Decisions, Trung Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Recent studies have stressed the importance of managerial fixed effects on firm investment decisions. Following this stream of research, this dissertation empirically investigates the potential effects of two major Chief Executive Officer (CEO) characteristics, i.e. risk preferences and potential mobility, on corporate decisions such as merger and acquisition (M&A) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) investments.

Essay 1 examines whether the variation of M&A stock returns around the 2008 financial crisis is associated with shareholders’ increased loss aversion as a result of undergoing financial losses. The results show that acquisitions carried out by CEOs with risk-averse inducing compensation (inside debt) before …

The Impact Of Fintech Innovations And Financial Standards On Bank Performance: Evidence From Selected Commercial Banks In Asean, Kiyono Hasaka

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

In the rapidly evolving financial
technology (fintech) landscape, there has been an increase in the number of the
industry research papers and articles on fintech adoption and innovations. However,
there are relatively few empirical studies that provide a quantitative analysis
of the effects of fintech and financial standards on bank performance using
financial indicators. This dissertation attempts to fill this research gap by
identifying and analysing the impact of commercial banks’ adoption of mobile
banking technologies on bank financial performance in five countries that adopted
financial standards in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Using
the longitudinal panel data …