Business Commons^™

Market Efficiency At The Derby: A Real Horse Race, Steven D. Dolvin, Mark K. Pyles

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Using race data from each Kentucky Derby from 1920 to 2005, we examine whether the horse wagering market is efficient. Most prior studies in this arena test potential betting strategies that rely on posted odds, generally finding that it is extremely difficult to devise and implement any consistently successful wager (i.e., market efficiency). We extend these studies by examining underlying determinants of posted race odds, specifically focusing on the experience of auxiliary members (e.g., jockey, breeder and trainer) associated with each entrant. We find that past Derby experience is an important determinant of posted odds and that the odds-making system …

The Effect Of Intellectual Property Protection On Economic Growth, Andrew Jonathan Mahurin

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

This paper tests whether stronger intellectual property protection is good for a country. It focuses on the overall effect of intellectual property protection on per capita economic growth. To measure the strength of intellectual property protection, I use the Ginarte-Park index. An education and an investment variable are also included in the models.

The models are based on simple linear regressions involving a cross-section of countries. The models consistently showed a negative correlation between intellectual property protection and per capita economic growth. Moreover, I tested to see if the effect is different in some countries than in others, based on …

Economic Development: The City Of West Carrollton's Pathway To Growth, Christian J. Hansen

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

This report is an overview of an economic development internship with the City of West Carrollton, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio. The first section explores the City’s administrative roles and structure. The second section contains a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (S.W.O.T.) analysis, which evaluates the City’s current economic factors. Next, the Location Quotient (L.Q.) method quantifies the area’s industry makeup. Summarized is the SWOT analysis and Location Quotient in a listing of industry recommendations based on economic growth trends. The third section is a discussion of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) as an economic development instrument. A cost versus …

Has Vietnam Dumped Its Shrimp In The United States?, Huyen Khanh Nguyen

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

This paper examines the shrimp anti-dumping case between the United States and six target countries in 2004. It focuses on the final announcement by the U.S. Department of Commerce that Vietnam, one of the six targets, dumped shrimp in the U.S. and suffered anti-dumping tariffs. The paper provides specific evidence about the shrimp market in the U.S. and Vietnam as well as broad analysis about the methods applied in the U.S. anti-dumping investigation. The final conclusion is that irrationalities still exist in the treatment by the U.S. with its different trade partners, without which Vietnam should not have been blamed …

An Analysis Of The Influence Of Ceo Characteristics On Research And Development Expenditures In Large American Corporations (2005 Data), Sun Gu Lee

Masters Culminating Experiences (1993-2011)

This study analyzes the influence exerted by CEO characteristics (specifically, CEO stockholding percentages and CEO age) on research and development (R&D) expenditures in large American corporations over the twenty year period from 1986 to 2005. Using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) to measure market share concentrations, and making specific reference to two Schumpeterian hypotheses on the correlation between R&D and increases in firm size, this study establishes a positive linear relationship between the dependent variable, R&D expenditure, and the independent variables of CEO stockholding, CEO age, firm size, and market share. This study next describes the corporate and market conditions which …

The State Of New England: Economic Slowdown And Recovery After The Dotcom Bust, Arindam Bandopadhyaya, College Of Management, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Financial Services Forum Publications

What follows is an analysis of the key macroeconomic trends in the six New England states. Using data publicly available in 2007, we examine trends in GDP growth, population, personal income and unemployment rate in each state. We provide a breakdown of each state by GDP category and provide an overall weighting by super sectors.

Institutions Matter: Why The Herder Problem Is Not A Prisoner's Dilemma, Daniel H. C., Peter Z. Grossman

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

In the game theory literature, Garrett Hardin’s famous allegory of the “tragedy of the commons” has been modeled as a variant of the Prisoner’s Dilemma, labeled the Herder Problem (or, sometimes, the Commons Dilemma). This brief paper argues that important differences in the institutional structures of the standard Prisoner’s Dilemma and Herder Problem render the two games different in kind. Specifically, institutional impediments to communication and cooperation that ensure a dominant strategy of defection in the classic Prisoner’s Dilemma are absent in the Herder Problem. Their absence does not ensure that players will achieve a welfare-enhancing, cooperative solution to the …

Assessing Competition Policy Performance Metrics: Concerns About Cross-Country Generalisability, Lesley Denardis, A. E. Rodriguez

Political Science & Global Affairs Faculty Publications

Recent interest in competition policy performance has typically relied on subjective performance metrics that have undergone little direct scrutiny by users. We examine the quality of the popular World Economic Forum's antitrust performance metric and assess whether it is immune from perception-bias. A bias-free metric is required to ensure cross-country consistency in its intended performance assessment.

We note various instances where the WEF's competition policy performance survey was completed but where there existed neither competition legislation nor an associated enforcement agency at the time. This seeming inconsistency is neither amenable to traditional econometric heterogeneity treatment nor instrumentable; importantly, it is …

Institutional Issues Impeding Progress Of The Free Trade Area Of The Americas Agreement (Ftaa), Sivakumar Venkataramany, Balbir B. Bhasin

WCBT Faculty Publications

For any bilateral or multilateral trade agreement to be effective, it is imperative that all participants derive maximum benefit. This paper examines the institutional issues facing the partners of the Free Trade of the Area of the Americas (FTAA), analyzes some of the current areas of conflict and suggests action to reduce tensions and promote harmony, cooperation and accommodation which is a necessity when multiple countries attempt to foster such an agreement.

Dr.Ishrat Husain Speech At Bma Funds Investor Forum, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Talks, Speeches, & Discourse

Bismillah. Thank you very much for inviting me here to share my thoughts with you. It's nice to see such a large gathering of investors and this is a very good opportunity for me to put a different spin on the air of despondency and almost a state of depression which I came across the entire country and I think we have to put this whole thing in perspective. Let me start by saying the economic conditions of any country are determined not by one single set of variables, it is an interplay of a number of complex inter-related variables …

Textbook Bundling : Is It Really Worth The Sum Of Its Parts, Kati Simmons

Honors Theses

Studies have been conducted examining the impact of commodity bundling on company profits and the premium prices charged for these bundles. With recent news of the skyrocketing costs of higher education, it is critical to highlight the specific effects of commodity bundling on the prices of textbooks. A study performed by the Government Accountability Office in 2005 cited that a main cause of increasing textbook prices is the recent inclusion of textbook supplements such as software and workbooks. This paper investigates the impact that different types of supplements have on the overall price paid for the bundle. Aggregate sales data …

Test For Infinite Variance In Stock Returns, Xian Ning Yan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The existence of second order moment or the finite variance is a commonly used assumption in financial time series analysis. We examine the validation of this condition for main stock index return series by applying the extreme value theory. We compare the performances of the adaptive Hill's estimator and the Smith's estimator for the tail index using Monte Carlo simulations for both i.i.d data and dependent data. The simulation results show that the Hill's estimator with adaptive data-based truncation number performs better in both cases. It has not only smaller bias but also smaller MSE when the true tail index …

Customer Satisfaction And Service Quality In High-Contact Service Firm, Emilina R. Sarreal

DLSU Business & Economics Review

By taking attribute-based measures of service quality, this study establishes clear linkages between customer satisfaction (students) and quality (perception of their experience in the practicum program of the university). The results of this study clearly indicate that student satisfaction is more directly related to functional quality or process of service delivery. The delivery of service through implementation of clear policies and procedures contributed significantly to student satisfaction. The study recommends appropriate internal measures of efficiency and employee compensation as a means to ensure quality and customer satisfaction, and, as a whole, recommends a service marketing system for a high-contact type …

Application Of Accrual And Cash Accounting: Implications For Small And Medium Enterprises In Metro Manila, Cynthia P. Cudia

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study aims to determine which between the two methods of accounting, accrual or cash method, is more applicable to SMEs in Metro Manila. Accordingly, this study aims to determine the factors that influence SMEs in Metro Manila to apply the chosen accounting method. Some implications of using accrual and cash accounting are specified. This includes implications on qualitative characteristics of financial information, on income statements and balance sheet, on SMEs’ liquidity and profitability positions, and implications of using cash/modified-cash basis converted to accrual basis at year-end. The results of the study provide insights on the applicability of the Exposure …

Income Statement Disclosures: An International Financial Reporting Standard Compliance Report Of Ten Selected Publicly Listed Corporations In The Manufacturing Industry, Rodiel C. Ferrer

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study focuses on compliance audit of ten selected publicly listed corporations in the manufacturing industry. It seeks to ensure that the submitted financial statements of a business entity are in accordance with applicable laws and regulations set forth in the Philippine Accounting Standards. The review’s aim is to establish a recommendatory measure that may support the SEC and other bodies interested in promoting a more unified, synchronized financial report that may be easily understood; to facilitate evaluation; and to provide a uniform basis of financial reporting. As a supplement, it may be used as a tool to identify loopholes, …

Impairment Practices Of Selected Publicly-Listed Companies In The Philippine Mining Industry, Florenz C. Tugas

DLSU Business & Economics Review

As evidenced by new accounting standards, the advent of harmonization of accounting standards has caused a shift from historical basis accounting to fair value accounting. A bigger impact of this shift is manifested through revaluations and impairment. But recent events that concern complexities associated with the practical application of this standard have surfaced causing many companies to not full comply with its provisions. This study, therefore, attempts to investigate the compliance of ten selected companies belonging to the mining industry with provisions of PAS 36; and to determine existing impairment practices in the mining industry. Results reveal that selected companies …

Make Haste Or Waste: A Case Study On Predicting Bankruptcy Of Weyst Oyl Corporation Using Altman's Z-Score Model, Joy S. Rabo

DLSU Business & Economics Review

The motivation for research in corporate bankruptcy prediction is clear: the early detection of financial distress and the use of corrective measures are preferable to filing for protection under the bankruptcy law. This study analyzes if the application of Altman’s Z-score model will send a danger signal to the company management and contribute to the improvement of Weyst Oyl Corporation’s financial status. A used oil treating company established in 1978, Weyst Oyl Corporation, which has consistently been operating profitably for 17 years since its formation, decided in 1996 to acquire machinery which would increase plant capacity. It did so without …

Estimating The Dynamics Of Mutual Fund Alphas And Betas, Harry Mamaysky, Matthew Spiegel, Hong Zhang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This article develops a Kalman filter model to track dynamic mutual fund factor loadings. It then uses the estimates to analyze whether managers with market-timing ability can be identified ex ante. The primary findings are as follows: (i) Ordinary least squares (OLS) timing models produce false positives (nonzero alphas) at too high a rate with either daily or monthly data. In contrast, the Kalman filter model produces them at approximately the correct rate with monthly data; (ii) In monthly data, though the OLS models fail to detect any timing among fund managers, the Kalman filter does; (iii) The alpha and …

Teaching Business Calculus: Methodologies, Techniques, Issues, And Prospects, Frederick A. Halcon

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Calculus, as a subject matter, is an area in mathematics that deals with limits, rates of change, derivatives and integrals. University education often incorporates calculus in the curriculum with emphasis given to its applications in real-life situations. It is a common notion that calculus, as a course or subject, is intricate and complex. However, treating business calculus in the most elementary manner and making abstract concepts more concrete can prove to be effective teaching strategies inside the classroom. This study attempts to review certain literature so as to equip instructors of business calculus with the necessary teaching pedagogy intended to …

Balance Sheet Disclosures: An Ifrs/Pfrs Compliance Report Of Ten Publicly Listed Companies In The Food Industry, Heminigilda E. Salendrez

DLSU Business & Economics Review

From the beginning of January 2005, publicly traded companies in the Philippines have had to comply with the Philippine Accounting Standards (PAS) and the Philippine Financial Reporting Standards (PFRS) for their consolidated financial statements. It has been suggested that the new accounting standards will facilitate the process of international harmonization of financial statements. This study shows the outcome of the examination of ten publicly listed companies in the food industry’s financial reporting practices as regards their compliance with the financial reporting requirement embodied in PAS/PFRS and Securities Regulation code Rule 68 and 68.1.

A Framework For Analysis Of Ambidexterity And Performance In Small-To-Medium-Sized Firms, Edgardo N. Bolinao

DLSU Business & Economics Review

Ambidextrous organizations provide a practical model for forward-looking executives seeking to pioneer disruptive innovations while pursuing incremental gains. The relationships described in this study are based on the organizational-context literature, in particular Ghoshal and Bartlett’s (1994) framework for organizational effectiveness, suggesting that contextual ambidexterity emerges when owner-managers in a business unit develop a supportive organization context. This perspective suggests that superior business-unit performance is not achieved primarily though charismatic leadership nor through some formal organizational structure, nor strong company culture; but rather through building a rational set of systems and processes that collectively define a context that allows the transcending …

Do Analysts Influence Corporate Financing And Investment?, John A. Doukas, Chansog (Francis) Kim, Christos Pantzalis

Finance Faculty Publications

We examine whether abnormal analyst coverage influences the external financing and investment decisions of the firm. Controlling for self-selection bias in analysts' excessive coverage, we find that firms with high (low) analyst coverage consistently engage in higher (lower) external financing than do their industry peers of similar size. Our evidence also demonstrates that firms with excessive analyst coverage overinvest and realize lower future returns than do firms with low analyst coverage. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that analysts favor the coverage of firms that have the potential to engage in profitable investment-banking business.

Montana Tourism Outlook: 2009, Norma P. Nickerson, Melissa Bruns-Dubois, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Outlooks for 2009 and Review of 2008.

Travel And Recreation: Outlooks And Trends, Norma P. Nickerson

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Outlooks and Trends in 2009, a Review of 2008.

Montana Travel Research: 2008, Norma P. Nickerson, Melissa Bruns-Dubois

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

Outlook for 2008 and Review of 2007.

Central Bank Of Nigeria Annual Report And Statement Of Accounts For The Year Ended 31st December 2007, Central Bank Of Nigeria

CBN Annual Report

In 2007, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) faced significant challenges in monetary management due to statutory allocations to government tiers, autonomous foreign exchange inflows, and pre-election spending. These challenges were addressed through Open Market Operations (OMO), issuance of treasury securities, standing facilities, and foreign exchange swaps. The introduction of the monetary policy rate (MPR) in December 2006 moderated inter-bank rates, encouraged trading, and improved the transmission of monetary policy actions. The Bank intensified its non-regular management activities to ensure the Policy Support Instrument (PSI) target was met. The financial system at end-2007 comprised the CBN, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance …

American Index Put Options Early Exercise Premium Estimation, Ako Doffou

WCBT Faculty Publications

"This paper examines empirically the value of early exercise by testing the ability of two American put valuation models to predict the early exercise premium for the S&P 100 American put options. An accuracy test and a quality test are performed on (1) the MacMillan (1986) & Barone-Adesi and Whaley (1987) model, and (2) the Carr, Jarrow and Myneni(1992) model. The test results show that early exercise premium is significant regardless of moneyness. Moreover, consistent with the theory, the value of early exercise is significantly negatively related to moneyness and interest rates and significantly positively related to time to maturity …

Risk And Recovery, John Austin, Chris Decker, Tom Doering, Ernie Goss, Bruce Johnson, Lisa Johnson, Ken Lemke, Franz Schwarz, Scott Strain, Eric Thompson, Keith Turner

Economics Faculty Publications

The crisis in the housing and financial sectors has led to a dramatic slowdown in U.S. economic growth. Fourth quarter GDP growth and job growth are expected to be anemic and the economy may fall into recession in 2008. Indeed, several of the dozen members of the Nebraska Business Forecast Council do believe that the U.S. economy will likely slip into recession during 2008. However, the overall consensus of the Council is that the U.S. economy will avoid a recession. Economic growth will be slow in the first three quarters of 2008 before recovering in late 2008 and 2009.

Base Realignment And Closure Impact On Industry In El Paso, Tx And Doña Ana, Nm: Workforce Growth, Training Needs And Access To Federal Government Contracts, Carlos Olmedo, Dennis L. Soden, Daniel J. Quiñones, Elizabeth K. Gibson, Dannette De Leon, Michael F. Vargas

IPED Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

On The Total Duration Of Negative Surplus Of A Risk Process With Two-Step Premium Function, Pavlina Jordanova

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

We consider a risk reserve process whose premium rate reduces from c_d to c_u when the reserve comes above some critical value v. In the model of Cramer-Lundberg with initial capital u ≥ 0, we obtain the probability that ruin does not occur before the first up-crossing of level v. When u < v, following H. Gerber and E. Shiu (1997), we derive the probability that starting with initial capital u ruin occurs and the severity of ruin is not bigger than v. Further we express the probability of ruin in the two step premium function model - ψ (u,v), by the last two probabilities. Our assumptions imply that the surplus process will go to infinity almost surely. This entails that the process will stay below zero only temporarily. We derive the distribution of the total duration of negative surplus and obtain its Laplace transform and mean value. As a consequence of these results, under certain conditions in the Model of Cramer-Lundberg we obtain the expected value of the severity of ruin. In the end of the paper we give examples with exponential claim sizes.