Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Ted C. Schroeder / This study focuses on the effects of food safety recalls on a firm’s shareholder value. In this study, the effects of six recalls are studied using the event study method. Three models were used involving the daily stock returns for each recall, the daily prices from the S&P 500 and the S&P 500-Packaged Foods and Meats prices. Each of these models was used to determine the abnormal returns for the individual recalls during a determined event window. The four companies responsible for the recalls are all large, highly-diversified food production companies. Overall, the results from this study show there is short-term effect on shareholder values for the companies included in this study. This is an important topic that was widely studied in the late 1990’s and early part of the 2000’s. There have not been any notable studies in this area in the past decade which is why this study is useful. Results of this study are comparable to those mentioned in the literature review section.

In essay one, my primary objective is to see the sensitivity of foreign exchange rate risk on firm performance in US manufacturing industry and examine if the hedging help reduce the foreign exchange rate risk. I am particularly interested in manufacturing industry because of the nature of business operation of manufacturing firms. Manufacturing firms in US are not only exposed to foreign exchange fluctuation from sales and revenue but also are exposed to foreign exchange rate risk for procurement, placement and investment. I find that the firms with extreme foreign exchange rate risk exposure exhibit lower daily return and firms with very low foreign exchange rate risk exhibit higher daily return using the portfolio approach. I also find that the firms that hedge has lower foreign exchange rate exposure compared to firms that don’t hedge. The coefficient for hedge is negative and statistically significant. In essay two, I investigate the effect of executive compensation on exchange rate risk in US manufacturing industry. There is a large theoretical and empirical interest on executive compensation using agency framework that investigates the conflict of interest between shareholders and corporate executives. That interest has been largely aligned with the use of managerial performance dependent on observable measures of firm performance. Since US manufacturing firm is largely exposed to foreign exchange transactions by design, I investigate if the value of in-the-money unexercised vested executive stock option has any impact on foreign exchange rate exposure. I investigate if the value of in-the-money unexercised unvested executive stock option has any impact on executive stock option. Using pooled OLS, fixed effect panel data and random effect panel data, I find that in all 3 model value of in-the-money unexercised vested executive stock option has negative coefficient and is statistically significant. At the same time in all 3 models the value of in-the-money unexercised unvested executive stock option is positive and is statistically significant.

We examine the phenomenon of firms that distribute dividends in excess of reported earnings, that is, 'unsustainable dividend-payers' in the Swedish market. Our hypothesis is that these firms will experience lower abnormal returns compared to their counterparts in both short and long term. With a dataset of 2061 observations from Nasdaq Stockholm and Nordic Growth Market during the period 1999-2017, we find that the abnormal returns are higher for unsustainable dividend-payers in the short term, while in the long run the result is on the opposite. Moreover, we find that the larger the difference between dividends paid and reported earnings, the higher the short-run abnormal returns but the lower the long-run abnormal returns to shareholders. Our results are robust to controlling for influences of other events on announcement dates and alternative measurement for model parameter, though not unambiguous. This study contributes to broadening the area of unsustainable dividends, which is perceived as a hot topic. It may be of interest to both individuals and institutions, who often have a longer-term perspective on their investments.

M. Tech. (Tourism and Hospitality Management, Faculty of Human Sciences)|, Vaal University of Technology. / Tourism is regarded as a modern-day engine of growth and one of the largest industries globally. In 2012, the G20 heads of state recognised tourism as a driver of growth and development as well as an industry that has the potential to spur global economic recovery. South Africa is currently receiving a higher number of first time visitors with the number of return visitors for leisure purposes very low. It is thus the aim of the study to identify the predictors of tourist’s intention to return to South Africa. Specifically, this study will focus on demographic characteristics, travel behaviour, travel motivations and satisfaction intention to return. This information can contribute to adjusting marketing and product strategies to enhance visitors’ intention to return. A quantitative survey was done at Aerial Cable Way (Table Mountain National Park) where 800 respondents were requested to participate in the study. The Cable Way attracts a high number of international visitors who was the population for this study. The questionnaire was distributed by fieldworkers who returned 720 completed questionnaires. The data was captured, analysed and interpreted to identify the predictors of visitor’s intention to return to South Africa as a tourism destination. The respondents were on average 40 years of age, mostly male, from the USA and UK respectively and married. They hold either a degree or a diploma and serve in professional or management occupations. When visiting South Africa these respondents stay on average 16 days, travel in groups of 3.71 and they prefer hotels and lodges. It was evident in this research that respondents were mainly first-time visitors, emphasizing the problem that this research assess. These respondents travel to enjoy Relaxation and Novelty, Social motivations, Cultural motivations, Personal Motivations and Product motivations of which Relaxation and Novelty and Cultural motivations were rated as the most important. These travel motivations were influenced by gender, occupation and accommodation preferences. Core to this study and addressing the main aim of the study was the finding that Communication, Experience, Safety and the Tourism offering contributes to willingness to return of which the Experience and Safety were the most important aspects. These willingness were also influenced by gender and occupation. Ultimately it is about the experience in South Africa. The relationship between willingness to return and travel motivations were also evident highlighting the inter- dependence of these variables. It was evident that marketing campaigns should be adjusted and more value-added products should be provided to increase intention to return. Continuous communication is needed with people that visited this country and showing new products, discount offers and unique products. Clearly the importance of intention to revisit is evident an aspect that needs attention in South Africa.

Thesis (M.M. (Finance & Investment))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2013. / The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is widely used in estimating cost of equity capital. CAPM relies on historical data to estimate beta which is subsequently used to calculate ex-ante returns. Several authors have highlighted anomalies with CAPM and have proposed various models that capture these anomalies. This study investigates the Market Derived Capital Asset Pricing Model (MCPM), an ex-ante model that uses traded option premium prices and implied volatility to determine ex-ante equity risk premium used in estimating cost of equity capital. The implied volatility captures future market risk expectation of a firm. This is of importance to corporate managers who need to establish appropriate hurdle rates when making capital budgeting decisions. Additionally, investors need to determine expected returns based on future risk outlook of an investment. Using data from the South African Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed firms’, a comparison of cost of equity capital estimates was done using CAPM, Fama and French Three-Factor Model and MCPM. The results show MCPM’s yields higher estimates compared to CAPM and Three-Factor Model.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Management Finance and Investments / There is plenty of research examining the relationship between surprise macroeconomic data and financial returns, however, in a South African context, such research is scarce. This paper adds to the event study body of knowledge by studying the effects of South African macroeconomic announcements on South African financial returns and juxtaposing that with the relationship of surprise macroeconomic announcements released in the United States with the same local financial instrument returns. In this study, the review period is 10 years starting the beginning of 2006 and ending at the end of 2015. Two strands of economic news are studied, monetary news and real activity news against an equity futures index as a proxy for the South African Stock market; the R186 government bond as a proxy for the South African bond market and the spot US dollar to South African rand exchange rate. The monetary announcements studied are the interest rate adjustments of the South African and United States Central Banks and the consumer price index. The real activity data studied are the unemployment rate; the retail sales and the gross domestic product releases. Many of the findings in this paper were in line with much of the literature where evidence shows that monetary policy has a significant effect on fixed income and forex rates. Stocks were also to be shown to be sensitive to both types of data. The regression specification used in this study shows that local equities are more sensitive to both types of news, although mainly to South African news. Only monetary surprises are shown to be sensitive to the bond market and surprises from both countries. Evidence is that the rand is only sensitive to the interest rate announcements released in the United States. / MT2017

Student Number : 0302103D - MA research report - School of Social Sciences - Faculty of Humanities / Against the background of theories of culture, this research questions the motives and experiences of expatriates that return to South Africa, their country of origin. In re-telling their personal stories the research aims to shed light on the decisionmaking processes that repatriates go through and explores the experiences associated with such migration so as to better comprehend what social reintegration and re-adaptation means for the individual returnee. The research uses a range of interview-focused methodologies and concentrates on the interrelated topics of migration, home, identity and social experience as the primary thematic loci. In total, fourteen returnees were interviewed. The Life Histories of two of them are examined in greater detail and their fuller stories anchor the findings and research results. All interviewees stated that special emotional bonds with South Africa had brought them back “home”: they either wanted to ‘reconnect’ with their families or the country itself; they wanted to expose their children to it or they wanted to be part of the new South Africa and help bring about change. As a consequence of their migrant journeys the interviewees gained a much stronger awareness for the cultural (i.e., geographical and lifestyle) sources of their personal identities. By exposing themselves to different surroundings and cultures they developed hybrid identities, thereby layering international associations onto their established cultural traditions and senses of self. Existing models on repatriation do not adequately account for the importance culture plays in people’s experiences of repatriation; yet clearly social as well as cultural issues play an important role. The main factors relating to ease of re-integration and re-adaptation (identified by the literature as economic, logistical, financial and social support) seem to hold true - but again the current literature tends to overlook the role that culture plays in these processes. The majority of these repatriates have established strong residential ties to overseas, whether it be through multiple citizenship or a foreign spouse, and several would consider leaving again should circumstances deteriorate locally. The research was fundamentally qualitative and therefore narrowly focused in nature. A so-called ‘snow-ball’ system was used to identify possible interviewees. This resulted in findings that may have limited statistical validity in the strict sense. Nonetheless, the data generated valuable insights that might be considered applicable for later analytical incorporation and/or policy applications in regards to the continuing ‘brain drain’ out of South Africa and other countries of the Developing World.

Segundo o artigo ?Effects of Financial Globalization on Developing Countries: Some Empirical Evidence?, publicado pelo Fundo Monetário Internacional em 17 de março de 2003, a globalização financeira, definida como o aumento dos fluxos de capitais e investimentos entre países, contribuiu para o desenvolvimento do mercado de títulos de renda fixa internacional. A grande necessidade de recursos financeiros para o pagamento de dívidas e investimentos em diversos setores produtivos faz com que os governos utilizem-se de captações externas. Neste contexto, investidores interessados na obtenção de retornos superiores, compram esses títulos, diversificam suas carteiras de investimento e usufruem dos rendimentos que estes possibilitam, sejam sob a forma de cupom e/ou ganhos de capital.O trabalho de Harry Markowitz (1952), ?Portfolio Selection?, cuja principal contribuição é a distinção entre a variabilidade do retorno de um ativo financeiro e seu impacto no risco de uma carteira de investimento, possibilita que, desde que se disponha de um conjunto de dados, constitua-se carteiras que forneçam o menor nível de risco para um determinado nível de retorno de investimento. Este estudo propõe investigar se o trabalho desenvolvido por Harry Markowitz em 1952 é aplicável entre o período de janeiro de 2004 e dezembro de 2005 na composição de carteiras diversificadas de investimento. Para este propósito, todos os títulos de dívida emitidos pelos governos americano, brasileiro, argentino, mexicano e venezuelano no exterior, em dólares americanos, com datas de emissão até dezembro de 2003 e vencimento superior a dezembro de 2005 foram extraídos do Euroclear Bank (?Clearing House?). Cotações e dados complementares foram obtidos do sistema de informações financeiras Bloomberg, auxiliando na filtragem dos dados. A aplicação de vários testes permitiu concluir que, em média, ao adicionar ativos de países considerados emergentes da América Latina, os portfolios apresentam retornos superiores. Testes sobre distribuição dos retornos históricos dos títulos de dívida emitidos pelo governo brasileiro foram realizados, encontrando-se que seguem uma distribuição normal. Alguns questionamentos surgiram durante o trabalho, como a influência do aumento da taxa básica de juros americana ?Fed Fund? sobre o retorno dos portfolios, a influência de legislações entre diferentes jurisdições, sendo objeto de estudos futuros. / According to the article ?Effects of Financial Globalization on Developing Countries: Some Empirical Evidence?, published by the International Monetary Fund on March 17, 2003, the financial globalization, defined as na increase in the capital and investment flows between countries, contributed to the development of the fixed income international market. Financial resources to the payment of debts and investments in several productive sectors conducted Governments to use externals funding. In this context, investors interested to obtain better returns, buy securities, diversify their portfolios and they can reach gains under the coupons they received and/or capital gain. The Markowitz?s job in 1952, entitled ?Portfolio Selection?, about the relation between risk and return was the great contribution to the Modern Finance Theory. The contribution laid down on the distinction between the variability of an asset return and the impact in the portfolio risk. Markowitz? articles showed how to reach a portfolio which provides the best relation between risk and return. This present study aim to investigate whether the Markowitz?s article is applicable between January 2004 and December 2005. For this purpose, all fixed income securities issued by the American, Brazilian, Argentinean, Mexican and Venezuelan, in US Dollars, issuance date up to December 2003 and maturity date higher than December 2005 were extracted from Euroclear Bank (?Clearing House?). Quotations and additional data were obtained from Bloomberg Financial Markets. Tests were conducted to assess the portfolios and, on average, when you add securities from emerging countries at Latin America, the portfolio has a better return at the same level of risk. Distribution tests on historical returns showed normality. Some questions could not be answered, in special on the influence of raising Fed Fund rates on portfolio returns and the influence of legislations in different jurisdictions, being subject for future articles.

Neste trabalho apresentam-se modelos de erro de rastreamento que sao estrategias utilizadas pelos administradores de carteiras de investimento que visam montar portfolios para seguir algum ndice de referencia (benchmark). Denomina-se nesses casos de erro de rastreamento a diferenca entre o retorno da carteira que se deseja montar e o retorno da carteira de referencia. Propoe-se um modelo de minimizacao da variancia do erro de rastreamento para um excesso de retorno esperado xado para carteiras de investimento com ativos que tenham alta liquidez, alem de apresentar os modelos de media variancia de Markowitz ([16]) e de erro de rastreamento de Roll ([1], [19]). O trabalho e concluido com a analise graca dos modelos, onde observa-se que o modelo com restricao de liquidez nos ativos apresenta bons resultados. / This work shows the tracking error models that are strategies used by portfolios investment managers in order to build (construct) portfolios to follow (track) some benchmark. It is denominated in those cases the tracking error to the dierence between the return in the portfolio wanted and the benchmark return. It is proposed a minimization model of the tracking error variance for some excess of the expected return xed to investment portfolios with assets that have high liquidity, besides to show the Markowitz mean variance models [17] and the Roll tracking error models [1, 19]. The work ends with a graphical analysis of the models, where it is observed that the model with liquidity constraints in assets shows good results.

In Essay 1, I investigate the impact of corporate life cycle dynamics on the observed negative association between asset growth and stock returns in the crosssection. I find that the asset growth effect on average exists across some life cycle stages measured using cohorts. However, controlling for certain variables associated with the theoretical explanations, I find there is no relation between asset growth and returns. I argue this evidence is consistent with an agency-based explanation of the asset growth effect. Furthermore, a decomposition of the drivers of the effect shows that different components of assets (i.e. working capital and financing) drive asset growth effect at different life cycle stages. From a decomposition analyses, results show that in the youngest firms (cohort 1), asset growth effect is mostly driven by both operating liability and stock financing on one side (financing) and noncash current assets, PPE, and growth in other assets (for working capital) while cohort 3’s drivers appear to be stock issuances, together with noncash current assets, which I conclude offer further support for agency issues. In Essay 2, I examine how firms’ life cycle affect insider trading behavior, profits surrounding trades, price informativeness, and financing constraints. I argue that if firms’ policies and characteristics change over time as shown in lifecycle literature, then from firm characteristics that motivate insider-trading behavior, one should observe some differences across varying life cycle stages measured using age cohorts. I find that insiders are net sellers at all life cycle stages of a firm. Furthermore, insiders tend to trade more in younger firms than in older firms even though they have fewer numbers of insiders trading. Trading characteristics are generally statistically significant across cohorts. Overall, insiders appear to predict the correct direction for positive wealth generation when trading. Specifically, at all lifecycle stages, they appear to sell before negative CARs, and buy during periods associated with negative CARs that lead to positive CARs days after insider transactions. The findings on price informativeness suggest that in general insider purchases enhance price informativeness for firms at different lifecycle stages, however, this finding holds only for cohort 4 (oldest firms) in the case of insider sales. The implication of this finding is that regulation should be more lax towards purchases as compared to sales for firms, except for sales in firms that are older. Lastly, insider trades are linked with positive investment-cash flow sensitivities for both insider purchases and insider sales, which generally increase monotonically across cohorts. This finding is robust to using GMM approach. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection