Finance and Financial Management Commons^™

Keynote Address, Regulating Corporate Governance In The Public Interest: The Case Of Systemic Risk, Steven L. Schwarcz

Faculty Scholarship

There’s long been a debate whether corporate governance law should require some duty to the public. The accepted wisdom is not to require such a duty—that corporate profit maximization provides jobs and other public benefits that exceed any harm. This is especially true, the argument goes, because imposing specific regulatory requirements and making certain actions illegal or tortious can mitigate the harm without unduly impairing corporate wealth production. Whether that is true in other contexts, this paper—delivered as the keynote address at the June 2016 National Business Law Scholars Conference at The University of Chicago Law School—questions if it’s true …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Security Information Technology Enhancements And Computer Security Breaches And Incidents, Linda Betz

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Financial services institutions maintain large amounts of data that include both intellectual property and personally identifiable information for employees and customers. Due to the potential damage to individuals, government regulators hold institutions accountable for ensuring that personal data are protected and require reporting of data security breaches. No company wants a data breach, but finding a security incident or breach early in the attack cycle may decrease the damage or data loss a company experiences. In multiple high profile data breaches reported in major news stories over the past few years, there is a pattern of the adversary being inside …

Acquisitions Of Bankrupt And Distressed Firms, Elena Precourt, Henry Oppenheimer

Accounting Department Faculty Journal Articles

In this paper we focus on acquisitions of bankrupt firms and firms that recently emerged from Chapter 11 and compare these firms with acquired distressed firms to determine whether or not transaction timing plays a role in the outcomes of the mergers. We analyze deal premiums (or lack thereof) and evaluate post-merger operating cash flows to determine whether or not timing of the transactions impacts their effectiveness and success. We also evaluate targets and their acquirers’ stock price reactions to the announcements of acquisitions. We find that distressed targets sell their assets at a premium or at a discount smaller …

Should I Invest In Art?, Alexandra Eldridge

MA Projects

One of the more interesting ways to consider the perennial is art a good investment? question is by looking at the various ways that the art market does or does not behave like other markets. When comparing art as an asset class to more traditional assets, we first need to ask ourselves – are the two even comparable? This article explores the idiosyncrasies of the art world, compares the claims people make regarding art's investment potential to the available research studies, discusses some non-monetary motives for buying, and may even have an answer for the nagging art-as-investment question.

Comparative Efficiency Study Between Islamic And Traditional Banks, Mohamed Rashwan, Heba Ehab

Business Administration

Islamic banking caught attention due to its resilience to the significant shocks that hit the economy in late 2008. This research aims to evaluate the efficiency of a sample of 66 banks including both Islamic and traditional banks in various countries ranging from Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Emirates, Sudan, Turkey, Bahrain and Jordan throughout 2009-2014. This research aims at identifying which banking regime proves to be more efficient and its significance using Financial Ratio Analysis (FRA), composed of cost efficiency, revenue efficiency and profit efficiency ratios along with the One-way ANOVA test. The impact of efficiency …

Micro-Loans: A Socially Responsible Corporate Investment, Olivia D. Marshall

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to examine the socially responsible actions of corporations across America in the funding of micro-financing endeavors both of foreign and domestic intent as a means to alleviate poverty. Micro-loans are examined in light of the history of corporate social responsibility and the magnitude of impoverishment across the globe. The overarching purpose of this paper stands to prove that funding micro-loans is a sufficient means of acting socially responsible for corporations nationwide as a sustainable solution to poverty.

Corporate Social Responsibility And Financial Performance Of Banks In The United States, Waidi Alani Gbadamosi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Corporate social responsibility has evolved as a business strategy, but the business worth of voluntary social conduct has not been well understood. The contradictory research findings mean that social performance is not maximized, which constrains economic growth and sustainable development. Grounded by stakeholder theory, this correlational study was aimed at examining the effect of social responsibility factors on the market-based Fama-French cost of capital. Within a sample of 71 United States banks, the publicly available ethical ratings, financial data, and stock market data were analyzed using multiple regression models. Contrary to the positive effect of social conduct on financial performance …

Disciplining Corporate Boards And Debtholders Through Targeted Proxy Access, Michelle M. Harner

Indiana Law Journal

Corporate directors committed to a failed business strategy or unduly influenced by the company’s debtholders need a dissenting voice—they need shareholder nominees on the board. This Article examines the biases, conflicts, and external factors that impact board decisions, particularly when a company faces financial distress. It challenges the conventional wisdom that debt disciplines management, and it sug-gests that, in certain circumstances, the company would benefit from having the shareholders’ perspective more actively represented on the board. To that end, the Article proposes a bylaw that would give shareholders the ability to nominate direc-tors upon the occurrence of predefined events. Such …

The Islamic Banking And Economic Growth Nexus: A Panel Var Analysis For Organization Of Islamic Cooperation (Oic) Countries, Duygu Zirek, Fusun Celebi, M. Kabir Hassan

Department of Accounting and Finance Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In this paper, we investigate the impact of Islamic banking variables on economic growth in a panel setting for 14 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Countries during 1999-2011 period. We examine the short-run effects as well as long-run effects by employing the Panel VAR method. We find a positive and significant relationship between Islamic finance and economic growth. This relationship is robust with regard to several macroeconomic control variables such as capital stock, unemployment, inflation, and government expenditure. We show that an increase in the share of Islamic deposits, assets, and loans in total banking instruments results in …

The Use Of Catastrophe Bonds As A Means Of Economic Development In Emerging Economies, Lauren Mattucci

Honors Theses and Capstones

Catastrophe bonds offer a way for entities located in natural disaster prone regions to safely and efficiently transfer the risk of insuring property to the financial markets and subsequently, create a financially attractive environment for insurers and investors. The opportunity for investors to utilize modeled loss analytical platforms such as those created by AIR, Risk Management Solutions, and EQECAT, could be used to bridge the growing gap in emerging economies between economic losses created by natural disasters and insured losses. Bridging this insurance gap in emerging economies could have positive global implications for the insurance industry, global trade, foreign direct …

Cultural Influnces On Risk Tolerance And Portfolio Creation, Mark K. Pyles, Yongping Li, Shifang Wu, Steven D. Dolvin

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

We extend existing research that examines the impact of culture on risk tolerance. Using surveys completed by Chinese and American students, we find, consistent with previous studies, that Chinese students perceive themselves as more risk tolerant. However, we find that Chinese students are less consistent in matching their perceived tolerance levels with actual scores from a standard risk tolerance assessment. Further, we also examine mock portfolios created by the respondents and find no evidence that Chinese students create portfolios that are riskier than their American counterparts. Our findings suggest that differences in risk tolerance are at least partially a product …

Banco Solidario S.A.: The Recovery Strategy, 2000–2004, Karina Caballero, Mauricio A. Melgarejo, Enrique Ogliastri

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Five years passed since, in April, 2000, Kurt Koenigsfest took over as the Chief Executive Officer at Banco Solidario S.A. (BancoSol), in La Paz, Bolivia. BancoSol had become the top Latin American bank specializing in providing microbusiness services. Since its beginning in 1992, BancoSol achieved excellent results and became an international reference in the microcredit area. In mid-2000, external and internal factors caused its performance to deteriorate. Kurt and his management team set and implemented a strategy that led the bank to be rated as the best financial institution in the Bolivian financial system in 2004. The time had come …

Taca, Pedro Raventos, Mauricio A. Melgarejo

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

The airline industry is energy intensive, has high fixed costs and its demand is very sensitive to the economic cycle. After the industry worldwide undergoes deregulation, starting with the United States in 1978, two distinct business models develop. Traditional carriers operate hub and spoke networks, offer onboard service and engage in price discrimination, whereas low cost carriers operate point to point, charge for all services and have simple tariffs. TACA begins operations in Central America in 1931 and, by 1943, has a footprint that extends from the United States to Argentina. In 1998–2001 TACA faces increased competition and a significant …

The Value Of Connections In Turbulent Times: Evidence From The United States, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, Amir Kermani, James Kwak, Todd Mitton

Faculty Publications

The announcement of Timothy Geithner as nominee for Treasury Secretary in November 2008 produced a cumulative abnormal return for financial firms with which he had a prior connection. This return was about 6% after the first full day of trading and about 12% after ten trading days. There were subsequently abnormal negative returns for connected firms when news broke that Geithner’s confirmation might be derailed by tax issues. Personal connections to top executive branch officials can matter greatly even in a country with strong overall institutions, at least during a time of acute financial crisis and heightened policy discretion.

He Said , She Said: The Rcbc Money Laundering Scandal, Leveric T. Ng

Graduate School of Business Publications

The ongoing RCBC money laundering investigation has evidently become a topic of conversation from New York to Singapore…….That should come as no surprise given the magnitude of the crime, but unfortunately not many people here seem to have grasped yet just how damaging this is to the country. The sad reality is that the all-too-typical way this scandal is being addressed only serves to camouflage the relatively simple, broad facts of the case, and almost certainly won’t lead to the swift decisive solutions the country needs to implement to avoid becoming a financial pariah.” (Ben Kritz, Manila Times March 18, …

Automatically Defined Templates For Improved Prediction Of Non-Stationary, Nonlinear Time Series In Genetic Programming, David Moskowitz

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Soft methods of artificial intelligence are often used in the prediction of non-deterministic time series that cannot be modeled using standard econometric methods. These series, such as occur in finance, often undergo changes to their underlying data generation process resulting in inaccurate approximations or requiring additional human judgment and input in the process, hindering the potential for automated solutions.

Genetic programming (GP) is a class of nature-inspired algorithms that aims to evolve a population of computer programs to solve a target problem. GP has been applied to time series prediction in finance and other domains. However, most GP-based approaches to …

Event Risk : Three Essays Exploring Nonprofit Organizations' Finances After The September 11 Attacks, Santiago Guerrero

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The three essays of this dissertation explore the experience of nonprofit organizations after the September 11 attacks to gain a better understanding of one specific type of risk nonprofit organizations face— “event risk” — which I broadly define as the risk of a negative impact on the operations of a nonprofit organization as a result of unexpected events. Essay One finds that overall nonprofit sector revenues were not reduced after the September 11 attacks and identifies characteristics of the revenue mix that make nonprofit organizations less susceptible to event risk. Essay Two identifies characteristics of nonprofit organizations’ financial conditions that …

The Benefits Of Having A Comprehensive Financial Plan For The Average Consumer, And The Necessary Components Comprised To Make An Effective And Efficient Plan, Nicholas M. Lund

CMC Senior Theses

Socioeconomic changes in American society over the past few decades, as well as an overwhelming amount of uncertainty and misconceptions, have resulted in a majority of Americans to fall short of their financial goals in the short-term, the mid-term, and the long-term. Without proper preparation and financial planning, it is likely that these Americans, and many more, will be unable to reach these goals as well as retire comfortably. Many Americans are overwhelmed with the immense amount of financial information, tools and resources, and as a consequence are unable to plan their finances efficiently and effectively. Americans need a better …

Mutual Funds’ Soft Dollar Arrangements: Determinants, Impact On Shareholder Wealth, And Relation To Governance, Yaman Ö. Erzurumlu, Vladimir Kotomin

Faculty Publications – Finance, Insurance, and Law

Mutual fund advisers either expense the cost of research and other services or pay for them with soft dollars. This study is the first to use actual soft dollar and total brokerage commission figures for a large number of funds and to examine how soft dollars are linked to mutual fund governance. Employing a survivorship bias-free sample of actively managed US mutual funds, we find that higher soft dollar and total brokerage commissions are associated with higher advisory fees but not with higher risk-adjusted fund returns. These findings suggest that mutual fund shareholders, on average, do not benefit from the …

Sunlight Bylaws And Reciprocal Disclosures, Grace Lee Mead

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

Publicly-traded companies have the power to pass sunlight bylaws to address hedge fund activism. Sunlight bylaws would require activist hedge funds to publicly disclose any strategic proposals and their financial interests in companies earlier and at thresholds lower than current securities laws. Sunlight bylaws would also require disclosure of additional information, including: (1) the percentage of the fund’s portfolio invested in the company; (2) the fund manager’s compensation; (3) the fund manager’s investment in the fund; (4) the fund’s portfolio turnover; and (5) the fund’s prior holding periods after any announcements of an ownership interest and a strategic proposal. Academic …

The Effects Of Corporate Social Responsibility On Financial Performance, Marly Mentor

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Companies have taken the initiative to be socially responsible over the years. In the past, the focus for companies has been on maximizing wealth. With the growth of corporate social responsibility (CSR), there has been many debates regarding its benefits. More companies are beginning to realize the value of being socially responsible and how critical it is to business function. This paper researches past studies on the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance. This relationship is then tested using a reliable source of data on corporate social responsibility performance. This study uniquely looks at the accounting and market-based …

Determinants Of Industrial Property Rents In The Chicago Metropolitan Area, David E. Clark, Anthony Pennington-Cross

Finance Faculty Research and Publications

Urban economists have long understood the theoretical importance of transportation infrastructure and accessibility on the location choice of households and firms. We utilize a readily available data set of transaction rents in the Chicago metropolitan area to investigate the determinants of industrial property rents. Among the factors considered are proximity to transportation infrastructure, characteristics of the property, the term structure of lease agreements, and local attributes of the neighborhood. Empirical results suggest property, lease, and local demographics play important roles in determining rents. Despite the fact that industrial property tends to locate very close to rail lines and interstate highways, …

Crummer Suntrust Portfolio Recommendations: Crummer Investment Management [2016], David Daubert, Shawn Draheim, Jeremy Gerbauer, Brett Gourlay, Martin Kronberg, David Kumar, Devin Mccreary, Hugh Mcmillan V, Nathan Morgan, Jerry Schuster, Jordan Anduaga-Todd

Crummer Truist Portfolios

The most notable aspect of our strategy is an increase in bond holdings to 18% — the top of the range permitted by our investment policy statement. This defensive position assumes bonds will be low risk in a year of gently rising interest rates and because we see little upside in the stock market. For our tactical allocation, we added sector ETFs to each of our sectors to ensure diversification within sectors and limited the individual names to three per sector, allowing for more selectivity and in-depth research. We have tilted the portfolio towards consumer discretionary, consumer staples and telecommunications, …

Exploring Bank Managers' Strategies For Developing Millennials For Leadership Roles In Commercial Banks, Kenneth Morton

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding strategies to prepare Millennials for leadership roles in commercial banks is critical to ensure organizational stability and success and to avoid knowledge gaps and leadership deficiencies created by large numbers of retiring Baby Boomers. Guided by learning network theory and generational theory, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that 3 bank managers in North Carolina and South Carolina used to prepare Millennials for leadership. These 3 bank managers had a minimum of 2 years of experience leading teams of employees which included Millennials. The study included semistructured interviews to elicit detailed narratives from …

An Investigation Of The Role Of Finance In The Development Of Value Added Products, John O'Sullivan

Theses

Traditionally Ireland focused on commodity based food products. In recent years there has been a shift towards value added food products. There has however been little academic research undertaken investigating the role of finance in developing value added products. This study will examine the importance of the value added food sector in the Irish food industry and will also examine new product development (NPD) processes to highlight the role finance plays in developing value added food products. The researcher used semi-structured interviews of seven industry experts as the research technique.

Value added products have many benefits including higher margin and …

High Frequency Trading 101: Regulatory Impact In American And European Markets, Yasmine Elisabeth Allen

Honors Theses

High frequency trading has impacted the American and European financial markets through its advanced algorithms, rapid speed, and preferential treatment from purchasing information and co-location from exchanges. High frequency trading alone is not harmful, but without proper regulations it can hurt the financial markets. In this thesis, I researched implemented regulations, the consequences of those regulations, and pending new regulations. To gather information, I studied relevant research on the topic, including numerous academic articles and books to get a broader view of the issues. Through my research, I have found that previous regulations implemented by American and European regulatory agencies …

A Background And Chronological Take On High Frequency Trading, Quinn H. Murray

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze, in context of high frequency trading, potential market manipulation techniques (i.e. market making arbitrage, statistical arbitrage, market structure arbitrage, and directional strategies), and to review the subject from a chronological perspective from the 1960s onward, covering topics not limited to Regulation National Market System, the flash crash of May 6, 2010, and the August 24, 2015 market crash. To date, high frequency trading's effects on the United States market place have been well documented. This thesis will speculate about the true nature—whether adverse or beneficial-- of this fascinating, evolutionary, highly scrutinized topic.

The Price Is Book-Built: The Decision To Use Book-Building Pricing Mechanisms For Ipos In The Philippines, Gabriel A. Ayala

CMC Senior Theses

In 1998, the Philippines introduced book-building pricing mechanisms for Initial Public Offerings. Almost all capital raised through IPOs in the Philippines is done using a book-building pricing method, however a significant number of IPOs still occur using non-book-building methods. Understanding why book-building has become the dominant pricing mechanism but yet non-book-building methods still survive is the aim of this paper. I find that unlike other countries where the introduction of book-building leads to higher total issue costs for individual issuers and unlike theory which suggests the increased effort of book-building should come with increased costs, IPOs that use book-built pricing …

Agents Of Change: The Role Of Foreign Financial Institutions In China’S Financial Transformation Since The Early 1990s, Anton Malkin

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

What role have foreign financial institutions (FFIs) played in China’s financial evolution since the early 1990s? My research finds that FFIs, which include foreign commercial and investment banks, as well as private equity (PE) firms, have played a role in China’s financial evolution in three respects. First, US financial institutions have leveraged their influence in the US government, their ties to other business groups, and mobilized connections with the Chinese elite, to help China to join the World Trade Organization in 2001. This outcome created a relatively open formal, legal environment to foreign actors—helping in the cause of liberalizing China’s …

A Sustainability-Based Project Selection Algorithm: Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection (Steps) Algorithm, Bharathi Bhattu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Multi-dimensional aspects play a vital role in the task of project-decision making. Environmental effects are to be considered in addition to other technical and non-technical aspects in order to avoid undue environmental damage. This current work introduces a new decision-making algorithm (Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection or STEPS) that is demonstrated with the use of RCA (recycled concrete aggregate) as riprap for slope stabilization and erosion control which leaches chemical arsenic when in contact with water. Arsenic has long been recognized for its lethal properties. The main intention of introducing this new algorithm is to use sustainability concepts of social, technical, and …