Finance and Financial Management Commons^™

The Importance Of Default Options For Retirement Savings Outcomes: Evidence From The United States, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

This paper summarizes the empirical evidence on how defaults impact retirement savings outcomes. After outlining the salient features of the various sources of retirement income in the U.S., the paper presents the empirical evidence on how defaults impact retirement savings outcomes at all stages of the savings lifecycle, including savings plan participation, savings rates, asset allocation, and post-retirement savings distributions. The paper then discusses why defaults have such a tremendous impact on savings outcomes. The paper concludes with a discussion of the role of public policy towards retirement saving when defaults matter.

How Are Preferences Revealed?, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

Revealed preferences are tastes that rationalize an economic agent's observed actions. Normative preferences represent the agent's actual interests. It sometimes makes sense to assume that revealed preferences are identical to normative preferences. But there are many cases where this assumption is violated. We identify five factors that increase the likelihood of a disparity between revealed preferences and normative preferences: passive choice, complexity, limited personal experience, third-party marketing, and intertemporal choice. We then discuss six approaches that jointly contribute to the identification of normative preferences: structural estimation, active decisions, asymptotic choice, aggregated revealed preferences, reported preferences, and informed preferences. Each …

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 …

The Importance Of Default Options For Retirement Saving Outcomes: Evidence From The United States, John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson, Brigitte C. Madrian

Faculty Publications

If transaction costs are small, standard economic theory would suggest that defaults should have little impact on economic outcomes. Agents with well-defined preferences will opt out of any default that does not maximize their utility, regardless of the nature of the default. In practice, however, defaults can have quite sizeable effects on economic outcomes. Recent research has highlighted the important role that defaults play in a wide range of settings: organ donation decisions (Johnson and Goldstein 2003; Abadie and Gay 2004), car insurance plan choices (Johnson et al. 1993), car option purchases (Park, Jun, and McInnis 2000), and consent to …

Determinants Of Financial Health Of Us General Aviation Airports, Vitaly S. Guzhva, Massoud Bazargan, David A. Byers

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

This survey-based study investigates the current financial environment of US general aviation airports. Due to a dearth of data and research on the financial performance of general aviation airports, the paper provides vital information regarding the critical needs and major revenue sources of such airports.The findings suggest that general aviation airports can be self-sustaining regardless of their location, runway length and other airport-specific characteristics.The attitudes of the airport manager towards the importance of financial self-sustainability, positive relationships with local communities, and utilisation of non-traditional and non-aviation revenue sources are found to be critical for the financial health of general aviation …

Security Design That Addresses Agency Conflicts And Information Asymmetry, Manish Tewari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the role of structured derivative securities to meet diverse corporate financing objectives in the light of agency theory and asymmetric information. The focus is on the nonconvertible callable-puttable fixed-coupon bonds. The primary objective is to discern the marginal role of the put and put-deferred features in addressing the agency issues and asymmetric information. A sample of (159) securities issued over the period (1977-2005) are examined using Merton's (1974) structural contingent claims valuation model. The put option as well as the deferred put option incorporated in these securities is found to mitigate the asset substitution issue. It …

What Role Should Subsidies Play For Microfinance Institutions, Emily Anne Cormaney

Honors Program Theses

Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh were awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below" [Sengupta and Aubuchon 2008, 9]. The so-called "microfinance revolution" has come a long way since the establishment of the Grameen Bank in 1983. At present, it is estimated that there are between 1,000 and 2,500 microfinance institutions (MFIs) serving 67.6 million clients [Sengupta and Aubuchon 2008, 10].

MFIs provide financial services, such as loans, savings, and insurance, to the poor. The hope is that the services MFis provide will allow the poor to escape …

The Relationship Between Corportate Social Responsibility And Shareholder Value: An Empirical Test Of The Risk Management Hypothesis, Paul C. Godfrey, Craig B. Merrill, Jared M. Hansen

Faculty Publications

Do shareholders gain when managers disperse corporate resources through activities classified as corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Strategy scholars have recently developed a theoretical model that links such activities to shareholder value when a firm suffers a negative event; we test key portions of this theory of the ‘insurance-like’ property of CSR activity. We posit that such activity leads to positive attributions from stakeholders, who then temper their negative judgments and sanctions toward firms because of this goodwill. We extend the risk management model by theorizing that some types of CSR activities will be more likely to create goodwill and offer …

Tugba Basaran On Savings Services For The Poor: An Operational Guide Edited By Madeline Hirschland. Bloomfield, Ct: Kumarian Press, 2005. 380pp., Tugba Basaran

Human Rights & Human Welfare

A review of:

Savings Services for the Poor: An Operational Guide edited by Madeline Hirschland. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press, 2005. 380pp.

Cost Structures In Defined Contribution Systems: The Case Of Singapore's Central Provident Fund, Benedict S. K. Koh, Olivia S. Mitchell, Joelle H. Y. Fong

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Retirement systems are increasingly asked to do an ever-better job of enhancing the performance of pension investments. The Singaporean Central Provident Fund permits pension system participants to keep their money in a government-run investment pool, or if they wish, they may select professionally managed unit trusts for their retirement accumulations. Opting for investment choice also exposes members to additional investment costs not charged by the government-managed account. This paper explores the charges levied by the private fund managers and we show that foreign ownership, active style of management and equity/balanced funds tend to be most expensive. We conclude with a …

Project Options Valuation With Net Present Value And Decision Tree Analysis, Bert De Reyck, Zeger Degraeve, Roger Vandenborre

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Real options analysis (ROA) has been developed to correctly value projects with inherent flexibility, including the possibility to abandon, defer, expand, contract or switch to a different project. ROA allows computing the correct discount rate using the replicating portfolio technique or risk-neutral probability method. We propose an alternative approach for valuing Real Options based on the certainty-equivalent version of the net present value formula, which eliminates the need to identify market-priced twin securities. In addition, our approach can be extended to the case of multinomial trees, a useful tool for modeling uncertainty in projects. We introduce within decision tree analysis …

An Efficient Method For Maximum Likelihood Estimation Of A Stochastic Volatility Model, Junying, Shirley Huang, Jun Yu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In this paper an efficient, simulation-based, maximumlikelihood (ML) method is proposed for estimating Taylor’sstochastic volatility (SV) model. The new method isbased on the second order Taylor approximation to the integrand.The approximation enables us to transfer the numericalproblem in the Laplace approximation and that inimportance sampling into the problem of inverting two highdimensional symmetric tri-diagonal matrices. A result recentlydeveloped in the linear algebra literature shows thatsuch an inversion has an analytic form, greatly facilitatingthe computations of the likelihood function of the SVmodel. In addition to provide parameter estimation, the newmethod offers an efficient way to filter, smooth, and forecastlatent log-volatility. The …

The Effect Of Rivals When Firms Emerge From Bankruptcy, Gary L. Caton, Jeffrey Donaldson, Jeremy Goh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Studies on the announcement effects of bankruptcy filings have found that when a firm files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection its shareholders suffer significant losses. A recent paper extends these findings by investigating the announcement effect on rival companies, while another examines the equity performance of firms emerging from bankruptcy. We combine these two lines of inquiry by examining the effect on rivals when a firm emerges from the protection of Chapter 11. We find both significant negative stock market returns and significant negative revisions in analysts’ earnings forecasts for rivals of successfully reorganized companies.

Firm Diversification And Earnings Management: Evidence From Seasoned Equity Offerings, Chee Yeow Lim, Tiong Yang Thong, David K. Ding

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Popular press suggests that diversified firms are more aggressive in managing earnings than non-diversified firms. We examine this claim in the seasoned equity offering (SEO) setting, where firms have been shown to have the incentive to manage earnings upwards. Using the cross-sectional modified Jones [(1991) J Accounting Res 29:193–228] model to measure discretionary current accruals, we find that discretionary current accruals are higher among diversified firms than in non-diversified ones. Our evidence is consistent with the view that the extent of firm diversification is directly related to the degree of earnings management. We further show that diversified issuers with high …

Spirituality And Organizational Culture: Cultivating The Abcs Of An Inspiring Workplace, Stanley E. Fawcett, James C. Brau, Gary K. Rhoads, David Whitlark, Amydee M. Fawcett

Faculty Publications

Perhaps the greatest source of unique advantage is an organization’s workforce. Unfortunately, while many managers talk about the importance or their people, they often fail to cultivate a organizational spirit that leverages their people’s creativity, insight and passion. A senior executive at a Fortune 500 company commented on this reality, saying, “People are either the bridge or the barrier.” One of today’s primary leadership challenges is to overcome practices that limit workers’ involvement. The goal is to create a workplace that inspires creativity and contribution. The question becomes, “What practices cultivate a culture that can transform an organization’s workforce into …

Investability And Firm Value, Todd Mitton, Thomas O’Connor

Faculty Publications

We study how investability, or openness to foreign equity investors, affects firm value in a sample of over 1,400 firms from 26 emerging markets. We find that, on average, investability is associated with a 9% valuation premium (as measured by Tobin’s q). However, in firm-fixed effects regressions this valuation premium disappears, suggesting that investability does not have a causal effect on firm value. Analysis of the components of Tobin’s q shows that firms that become investable experience significant increases in both market values and physical investment. These effects are strongest for firms that face country-level or firm-level financial constraints prior …

On Nonlinearities In Kse 100 Index Stock Return, Khurshid M. Kiani

Business Review

This research investigates possible existence of asymmetries in business cycle fluctuations in Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) 100 index over money market rates. I model the relationship between excess stock return in KSE 100 index using a number of nonlinear time series models for constructing linearity tests for testing linearity in KSE 100 excess returns. These tests include Keenan test, Ramsay RESET test, and its improved versions i.e. RESET1 and RESET2 tests. The results based on Keenan test show statistically significant evidence of nonlinearities in KSE 100 excess returns. Likewise the results from Ramsay RESET test confirm this behavior. However, the …

From Odious Debt To Odious Finance: Avoiding The Externalities Of A Functional Odious Debt Doctrine, Christiana Ochoa

Articles by Maurer Faculty

This Article looks at the generally agreed upon characteristics of the odious debt doctrine and considers the unintended consequences and externalities that would ensue if this doctrine were ever made regularly operative. The enlivened scholarly debate surrounding the odious debt doctrine assumes that debt is the sole finance vehicle for despotic governments. This is simply not the case.

Debt is not the sole finance vehicle; despots are able to raise funds through a wide variety of other methods. These include the pillaging of the nation's natural resources, property, and other valuable asset as well as the exploitation of the nation's …

Implied Measures Of Relative Fund Performance, Steve Hogan, Mitch Warachka

Business Faculty Articles and Research

We evaluate the relative performance of funds by conditioning their returns on the cross-section of portfolio characteristics across fund managers. Our implied procedure circumvents the need to specify benchmark returns or peer funds. Instead, fund-specific benchmarks for measuring selection and market timing ability are constructed. This technique is robust to herding as well as window dressing and mitigates survivorship bias. Empirically, the conditional information contained in portfolio weights defined by industry sectors, assets, and geographical regions is important to the assessment of fund management. For each set of portfolio characteristics, we identify funds with success at either selecting securities or …

The Archway Investment Fund Semi Annual Report, December 2007, Bryant University, Archway Investment Fund

Archway Investment Fund

No abstract provided.

Value Discount Of Business Groups Surrounding The Asian Financial Crisis: Evidence From Korean Chaebols, James Jinho Chang, Young Jun Cho, Won Kang, Hyun-Han Shin

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We examine the effect of business group membership on firm value in each pre-and postcrisis Korea. Consistent with prior studies, results show that group affiliated chaebol firms suffer value discount relative to non-chaebol firms in the precrisis period. However, we also find that chaebol firms experience an improvement in firm value relative to non-chaebol firms after the financial crisis. These findings imply that the value discount of business groups reported in prior studies is not an inevitable consequence of diversification, but can be alleviated or overcome by structural reforms in business practices or economic conditions.

Lessons From The Sub-Prime Crisis, Melvyn Teo

Research Collection BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre

We show that there is significant variation in performance across hedge funds during the subprime crisis. Hedge funds that (i) invested in Asia, (ii) had equity exposure, (iii) adopted directional strategies, or (iv) allowed for frequent redemptions, underperformed other funds. Moreover, leveraged funds did not fare significantly worse than their non-leveraged counterparts. Our results suggest that credit market illiquidity was not directly responsible for the bloodshed amongst hedge funds. Rather, funds were hurt by an increase in global risk aversion and by fire sales conducted in anticipation of redemptions.

Is Direct Method Cash Flow Reporting Better At Predicting Future Performance?, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

“Cash is king” goes the saying. Even companies enjoying brisk business have been known to fail because of unhealthy cash flows. The accounting profession is split over the benefits of the direct method (DM) versus the indirect method (IM) of preparing cash flow reports. In a study of over 100 US-based companies which used direct cash flow statements, Singapore Management University accounting professor Yoonseok Zang shows conclusively that the direct method does better at predicting future performance and earnings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Complementary And Alternative Medicine: Opportunities And Challenges, William Martin, Hugh Long

College of Business Faculty and Staff Works

Health care finance is complex in all sectors of the health care industry. This article highlights both the challenges and opportunities of financing and reimbursing care with a focus on CAM providers and CAM provider organizations.

The Change In Corporate Transparency Of Korean Firms After The Asian Financial Crisis: An Analysis Using Analysts' Forecast Data, Jinho Chang, Young Jun Cho, Hyun-Han Shin

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Using analysts' forecast error and forecast dispersion of firms covered by the I/B/E/S database, this study examines the change in information asymmetry of Korean firms around the financial crisis of 1997. Results show that the information asymmetry of Korean firms is lower after the financial crisis than before, implying that corporate transparency did, in effect, improve with the change in business environment. In addition, this study finds that chaebol firms have higher information asymmetry than non-chaebol firm, and also that the corporate transparency improvement of chaebol firms is not higher than that of non-chaebol firms in the post-crisis period despite …

Information Opacity, Credit Risk, And The Design Of Loan Contracts For Private Firms, Lucy Ackert, Rongbing Huang, Gabriel G. Ramirez

Faculty Articles

This paper examines the structure and cost of a large sample of bank loans to private firms. Compared to public firms, private firms are more informationally opaque and riskier. The results suggest that the design of a loan to a private firm is significantly different from that to a public firm. Bank loans to private firms are more likely to be by a sole lender, collateralized, and have sweep covenants than loans to public firms. The cost of borrowing is higher for a private firm than for a public firm, even after holding constant firm and loan characteristics.

The Association Between Corporate Governance And Audit Fees, Cindy K. Harris

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) established not only corporate governance reform but also legislated significant changes to the practice of auditing publicly held corporations. Rules implemented by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) further reinforced stronger corporate governance standards. The effect of these reforms on the cost of public audits is indisputable: the initial rise in audit fees was dramatic as corporations complied with the new provisions. This paper examines the relationship between corporate governance characteristics and audit fees for a random sample of 100 publicly traded corporations drawn from the 2005 Fortune 500 list. The data is obtained …