本論文分為兩部分，第一部份是探討全球航空產業的油料避險會不會對公司價值有所影響，以及油料避險的誘因。第二部份則是檢視全球航空公司的風險曝露會不會影響分析師的預測誤差，尤其是燃油價格變動的風險曝露。 / In the first essay, we examine whether jet fuel hedging increases the market value of airline companies around the world. Using a sample of 70 airline companies from 32 countries over the period 1995 to 2005, we find that jet fuel hedging is not significantly positively related to their firm value in the global airlines, but this positive relationship holds in the various sub-samples and is significant for US and non-alliance firms. Moreover, our results show that the risk-taking behavior of executives and the tendency to avoid financial distress are important determinants for the jet fuel hedging activities of non-US airline companies. Alleviating the problem of underinvestment is also an important factor to explain the jet fuel hedging activities of US and non-alliance firms. Our results add support to the growing body of literature which finds that hedging increases firm value for global airline companies. In the second essay, we examine the extent analysts revise their earnings forecasts in response to oil price, interest rate and foreign exchange rate shocks they have observed during the year, and whether these revisions contain additional information about how current and past price shocks affect reported earnings, using the sample of the global airline industry. Empirical results indicate that jet fuel hedging can increase analysts’ forecast revisions in the total sample, and in the sub-sample of the volatile fuel price period. These results can also be seen in US and non-US airlines, and airlines with both strong and weak governance. Overall, our results show that oil price shocks play an important role in investor and analyst information uncertainty with regard to the global airline industry. Consequently, corporate risk disclosures only provide limited information about firms’ financial risk exposures. Two essays are comprised in this dussertation to examine whether jet fuel hedging has effects on firm value and analysts’ forecast accuracy in the global airline industry. Using global data allows us to cmpare the differences of jet fuel hedging behavior and incentives for hedging across different sub-samples. Furthermore, we also examine how jet fuel hedging affects analysts’ forecast erros across different sub-samples and its implications for firm disclosures about their risk exposures in the financial reports. In the first essay, we examine whether jet fuel hedging increases the market value of airline companies around the world. Using a sample of 70 airline companies from 32 countries over the period 1995 to 2005, we find that jet fuel hedging is not significantly positively related to their firm value in the global airlines, but this positive relationship holds in the various sub-samples and is significant for US and non-alliance firms. Moreover, our results show that the risk-taking behavior of executives and the tendency to avoid financial distress are important determinants for the jet fuel hedging activities of non-US airline companies. Alleviating the problem of underinvestment is also an important factor to explain the jet fuel hedging activities of US and non-alliance firms. Our results add support to the growing body of literature which finds that hedging increases firm value for global airline companies. In the second essay, we examine the extent analysts revise their earnings forecasts in response to oil price, interest rate and foreign exchange rate shocks they have observed during the year, and whether these revisions contain additional information about how current and past price shocks affect reported earnings, using the sample of the global airline industry. Empirical results indicate that jet fuel hedging can increase analysts’ forecast revisions in the total sample, and in the sub-sample of the volatile fuel price period. These results can also be seen in US and non-US airlines, and airlines with both strong and weak governance. Overall, our results show that oil price shocks play an important role in investor and analyst information uncertainty with regard to the global airline industry. Consequently, corporate risk disclosures only provide limited information about firms’ financial risk exposures.

本篇論文從不同公司策略，以月資料來探討台灣532家上市公司在1999~2004年之公司對匯率風險曝露的敏感度，並以六十個月各上市公司股價報酬率為依變數，與台灣最大十五個貿易夥伴的匯率資料為自變數橫斷面資料，進行匯率風險對股價報酬關係之檢定。與之前實證研究不同之處是，本研究是利用多種貨幣模型來解釋各股價報酬，非只有一個貨幣當作唯一的指標。實證結果發現尚未加進大盤指數為控制變數時，只有0.93%受匯率風險暴露，反之，加進大盤指數之後，受到匯率風險的公司增加到88.2%。以公司策略及產業角度來看，結果顯示當公司外銷比例越大，此公司承受的經濟風險會越高。 / The purpose of this empirical study is to investigate sensitivity of company values to fluctuation in foreign exchange rates. Distinguishing from the previous research, this study employs a multiple currency proxy model to estimate firm’s exposures instead of using a single currency model. The research sample includes all Taiwan listed firms’ data for the period from 1999 to 2004. The empirical evidence from Taiwan listed firms indicates that 85.3 to 88.2 percent of firms are exposed to foreign exchange rate movements when market return control variable is included in the regression. A small percentage of firms are exposed to the foreign exchange rate movements with exclusion of the control variable. Results from ordinary least square analyses reveal that export intensity increases economic exposure to fluctuation of foreign exchange rate.