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The analysis of key corporate decisions is mostly restricted to publicly listed firms even though privately held firms constitute a substantial part of any economy. In this dissertation, my goal is to enhance our understanding of some of the important decisions of private firms, namely: cash holdings, investment and performance using unique and large cross-country samples. In the first chapter, I examine cash holdings of private, unlisted firms versus publicly traded firms in 33 European countries during 2002-2011. I find that the average cash-to-assets ratios are lower in the Eurozone than in non-Eurozone countries by 5.4% due to lower transaction demand under a single currency regime. Public firms have higher cash ratios than private firms. However, the difference in cash ratios between public and private firms is higher in the Eurozone than in non-Eurozone countries, reflecting that: (a) precautionary demand is higher in the Eurozone due to risks and pitfalls of policy coordination, and (b) economic adjustments and transfers in the Eurozone more directly affect publicly traded firms than private ones. Moreover, I show that, during the financial crisis, corporate cash ratios increased in the Eurozone, indicating that the increase in precautionary cash demand was greater than a decrease in transaction demand due to the adoption of the Euro. In the second chapter, I compare the operating performance and efficiency of publicly and privately held firms in the UK over the period 2003-2012. I find that privately held firms typically perform better than publicly traded firms. This finding is robust in various model settings, using industry and size as well as propensity scored matched samples, considering alternative definitions of operating performance, ownership structure and taking into account the endogeneity of firm's exchange listing choice. I also show that average operating profitability of public firms is even lower than that of private firms when both types of firms are financially constrained. Finally, I show that informational value of R&D is higher for private firms than it is for public firms. In the third chapter, I examine the relationship between time horizons and corporate investment, both on the firm and country levels, for private, unlisted firms and publicly traded firms using a unique dataset from 73 countries around the world during the time period of 2003-2012. I show that a longer time horizon (i.e. higher propensity to save and invest) on a cultural and country level also manifests itself as higher investment at the firm level. This is robust to using alternative proxies for the country-level time horizon. Investment behavior of private firms, not public firms, follows a country-level horizon pattern, which is reflective of close monitoring by fewer owners and the absence of stock market pressures in making investment decisions. When I consider time-horizon at the firm-level, we find that firms with a longer time horizon invest more, and this effect is more pronounced for public firms than for private firms, given the former's greater, easier, and cheaper access to capital in the public capital market. I also show that public firms invest more and are more responsive to investment opportunities than private firms. / Business Administration/Finance

The objective of this paper is to provide a review current literature on single family fixed rate mortgage prepayment estimation models and to determine a method to improve the estimation of mortgage prepayments for the purpose of projecting the cash flow from mortgage securities. Several prepayment methodologies and models were analyzed to find a method to enhance the forecasting of mortgage prepayments. It was determined that the mortgage prepayment model developed in this paper provides a better estimation of prepayments when homeowner's have a positive financial incentive to prepay their mortgage. / Master of Arts

This dissertation provides program evaluation and policy analysis evidence from USA and Iran. The first chapter studies the impact of paid leave legislation on women employment. We employ California’s first-in-the-nation Paid Family Leave program to draw inference using difference-in-differences and triple differences methods. The change in the employment outcomes for women before and after this program is compared to the change in similar outcomes for a set of control groups. We find that women’s employment increased in the intensive margin but not extensive margin. We also find that wages increased for married prime-age and decreased for highly educated young women. The second chapter provides evidence on the impact of a nation-wide unconditional cash transfer program in Iran on labor supply. As compensation for the removal of bread and energy subsidies in 2011, the government of Iran started monthly deposits of cash into individual family accounts amounting to 29% of the median household income. A popular outcry against the subsidy reform program has focused on the negative labor supply effects of the cash transfers on the poor. We use panel data to study the impact of these transfers on the labor supply of poor households and individuals during the first two years of the program, before inflation reduced their value. We use the exogenous variation in the value of the cash transfers relative to household income to estimate the impact of the transfers on labor supply of individuals using fixed effects method. We also use a difference-in-differences methodology using the variation in the time households first started receiving transfers. Although everyone was eligible to receive cash transfers starting January 2011, about 20 percent of the households who for one reason or another did not submit their application in time, started receiving it three months later. Neither set of results support the hypothesis that cash transfers reduced labor supply as measured by hours of work or probability of employment. The third chapter analyses what happens to the welfare of households and the budget of the government if it implements further price reforms in Iran. Five years into the reform, energy prices in Iran were still well below international levels. The impacts of a gradualist approach to price increase versus a one-off approach are simulated in this chapter. Under the gradualist approach government savings (reduction in foregone earnings) from selling subsidized items will increase by 20.2 trillion Rials or 0.18 percent of GDP in 2014. Half of these savings is needed as transfers to households to keep the poverty rate constant by paying each person 17,059 Rials per month. A one-off price increase would have a large effect on poverty and would require transfers equivalent to 203,775 Rials per person per month. Government savings after transfers would equal 96.4 trillion Rials or 0.87 percent of GDP. / Ph. D.

Ausgehend vom Bedarf an unternehmensinternen, relativ marktunabhängigen Maßnahmen zur Stärkung der Innenfinanzierungskraft von Unternehmen, kann die angestrebte Liquiditätssicherung und Ertragsstabilisierung aus einer effizienten Steuerung der Working-Capital-beeinflussenden Prozesse hervorgehen. Der vorliegende Beitrag fokussiert dabei die definitorische Abgrenzung des Working Capital und des Working Capital Management. Außerdem werden die finanziellen Wirkungen des WCM aufgezeigt. Eine detaillierte Betrachtung der das Working-Capital-beeinflussenden Prozesse verdeutlicht die Komplexität des Prozessgefüges und die Notwendigkeit eines ganzheitlichen Ansatzes zur Working-Capital-Steuerung.

This study uses concurrent verbal protocol analysis to examine the decision processes of lenders as they evaluate the financial information of a loan applicant. Of specific interest is the lenders' use of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Board No. 95 (FAS 95), Statement of Cash Flows, in that decision process.

The purpose of this thesis is to look at how the two widely used valuation approaches Free Cash Flow to Firm and Relative valuation can contribute to the explanation of market prices of shares. The study also aims to investigate if it is possible to find any significant differences between industries, while using the two valuation methods. There are a large number of models that are used to value assets and corporations, which have been used for a long time in the banking sector and similar contexts. It is widely known that a single valuation method or model which could predict a future stock price is hard to find or might even not exist. The study uses a quantitative method, in which we evaluated 36 Swedish companies, to be able to draw conclusions about the two valuation approaches. Our results suggest that the calculated prices obtained from the two methods correlate with the market price of the share, and that the result differ between different industries.

Background: In an inefficient market, the intrinsic value of an asset may not be equal to its true market value. Therefore, before engaging in a stock transaction, both the seller and the buyer would want to know the intrinsic value of the stock as neither would want to lose money during the process. An effective valuation model enabling investors to efficiently determine firm values is therefore considered to be a crucial factor. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the free cash flow to equity (FCFE) approach and the dividend discount model (DDM) on 30 Swedish companies. This to conclude if they are considered to be accurate valuation models and to determine if one of the methods gives a more accurate estimation of the companies’ share prices than the other. Additionally, the report will examine if one model is preferred for a specific sector and if a payout ratio exists where the DDM generates a particularly realistic valuation. Method: A database will be produced to estimate share prices for each company using both the FCFE approach and the DDM over five consecutive years. The accuracy of the models will be evaluated by dividing the projected share prices with their corresponding actual stock prices to calculate the percentage deviations. The smaller the percentage deviation, the more accurate is the estimated share price considered to be. Conclusion: It is evident from the findings of this thesis that the FCFE approach and the DDM produce accurate valuations for Swedish companies. It is difficult to determine that one is preferred over the other altogether, instead the FCFE approach is preferred in some cases and the DDM in others. This depends on the companies’ actual stock prices, which industry the companies operate in and the amount the companies are assumed to pay out as dividends.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:26:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hugo Garbe.pdf: 696698 bytes, checksum: 11502f18d4fcaf0231bbc818afc66dc5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-02 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The unusual keeper box is the tendency of companies to have greater liquidity. After the 2008 Subprime crisis, it was observed that some US companies retiam a greater amount of cash compared to pre-crisis period. This behavior was attributed , among several factors, the set of uncertainties in the economic and regulatory environment. The aim of this work is to incorporate research in the United States to the Brazilian reality , analyzing its grip on the national context. The population of interest in this study refers to non-financial companies listed on the São Paulo Stock Exchange . In this case we have 156 companies that comprise the initial sample . The study covers the years 2003 to 2013. Companies that were not traded during this period , were removed from the analysis. At this stage , the sample is 83 companies, which was reduced to 54 companies opened after a preliminary check of the data. The outbreak of the 2008 economic crisis , international markets found themselves in a situation of fragility , especially those who were not prepared in terms of financial regulation to address its effects. Economic crises encourage companies to have a higher level cash retention , since there is essentially a reduction in their levels of investment , reduction of credit in the financial market , and the effects of uncertainty about the future of the economy. The above authors analyzed the cash US companies during the crisis of 2001 and found that during the period there were cash retention, compared with previous periods. In this study, where the sample is comprised of companies with publicly traded on the São Paulo stock exchange , it was found in the data, that when comparing pre and post-crisis , there is a reduction of cash retention after 2008, which brings us to the conclusion that the economic crisis had a negative impact on companies surveyed. / A retenção não usual de caixa é a tendência das empresas de ter maior liquidez. Após a crise do Subprime de 2008, observou-se que algumas empresas americanas retiam um montante maior de caixa, comparativamente ao período pré-crise. Esse comportamento foi atribuído, entre diversos fatores, ao conjunto de incertezas no ambiente econômico e regulatório. O objetivo do presente trabalho é transpor pesquisas realizadas nos Estados Unidos para a realidade brasileira, analisando sua aderência no contexto nacional. A população de interesse do presente estudo refere-se às empresas não financeiras listadas na Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo. Neste caso, temos 156 empresas que compões a amostra inicial. O estudo abrange o ano de 2003 a 2013. Empresas que não tinham capital aberto durante este período, foram retiradas da análise. Neste estágio, a amostra é de 83 empresas, que foi reduzida a 54 empresas abertas após checagem preliminar dos dados obtidos. A deflagração da crise econômica de 2008, os mercados internacionais se viram em uma situação de fragilidade, principalmente aqueles que não estavam preparados em termos de regulação financeira para enfrentar os seus efeitos. As crises econômicas incentivam as companhias a ter um nível maior de retenção de caixa, uma vez que há essencialmente uma redução de seus níveis de investimentos, redução do crédito no mercado financeiro, e os efeitos da incerteza quanto ao futuro da economia. Os autores supracitados analisaram o caixa de empresas norte-americanas durante a crise de 2001 e verificaram que durante o período houve retenção de caixa, se comparado com períodos anteriores. Na presente pesquisa, onde a amostra é composta por empresas com capital aberto na bolsa de valores de São Paulo, verificou-se nos dados estatísticos, que na comparação pré e pós-crise, há uma redução da retenção de caixa após 2008, o que nos traz a conclusão de que a crise econômica teve um impacto negativo nas empresas pesquisadas.

<p><strong>Titel:</strong> Lagen om kassaregister – Konkurrens på samma villkor inom restaurangbranschen i Gävle?</p><p> </p><p><strong>Nivå:</strong> C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi</p><p> </p><p><strong>Författare:</strong> Therese Pedersen och Bilgen Soysüren</p><p> </p><p><strong>Handledare:</strong> Markku<strong> </strong>Penttinen</p><p> </p><p><strong>Datum:</strong> Juni 2010</p><p> </p><p><strong>Syfte:</strong> Syftet med vår uppsats är att få en djupare kunskap om lagen om kassaregister, eftersom det är en ny lag vill vi undersöka vad den kommer att ge för konsekvenser på företagsnivå just i restaurangbranschen. Vilka kostnader kommer det medföra med den nya lagen och kommer lagen att innebära att konkurrensen inom restaurangbranschen kommer att minska? Vi kartlägger även situationen med kassaregisterlagstiftningen internationellt. Detta genom att samla in åsikter från restaurangägare samt en representant från Skatteverket.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Metod:</strong> För att besvara uppsatsens syfte har vi använt oss av kvalitativ metod genom intervjuer med åtta restaurangägare i Gävle och en skatterevisor på Skatteverkets kontor i Gävle. Vi har även haft telefonintervjuer med några personer från Skatteverkets huvudkontor i Stockholm, detta har legat till grund för vår analys i uppsatsen. Den kvantitativa metoden har bestått av statistiskt material från bland annat Skatteverkets hemsida och föreskrifter, Sveriges Hotell & Restaurang företagare (SHR), Statistiska Centralbyrån (SCB) och Retriever.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Resultat och slutsats: </strong>Den slutsatsen vi kan dra utifrån vår empiriska undersökning är att samtliga av våra respondenter tror och hoppas på att lagen om kassaregister kommer att förhindra skattefusk, Skatteverket tror sig kunna förutspå att restaurangerna kommer att öka sin omsättning så stort att det kommer att genererar i 13-15 miljarder kronor i skatteintäkter och att lagen kommer att förhindra den illojal konkurrens i restaurangbranscherna. Det vi även kan se är att alla är i stort sett positivt inställda till den nya lagstiftningen, dock finns det vissa aspekter som de ställer sig tveksamma till. Såsom att den nya lagen har medfört stora kostnader för restaurangägarna och fortsättningsvis att torg- och marknadshandel är ett undantag i lagen tycker många respondenter är orättvist.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Förslag till fortsatt forskning:</strong> Det skulle vara intressant och se hur läget ser ut inom restaurangbranschen om ett par år för att se vilket resultat lagen medförde i form av konkurrensneutralitet, har denna lag bidragit till sanering av oseriösa i branschen? En annan aspekt kan vara att undersöka hur omsättningen och lönsamheten har förändrats inom restaurangbranschen och om det har lett till ökade skatteintäkter. Man skulle kunna utföra samma studie på någon annan kontantbransch och se vad man får för åsikter kring lagen samt se hur dem har drabbats.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Uppsatsens bidrag:</strong> Uppsatsen avser att bidra till att uppmärksamma hur restaurangägarna upplever förändringen i och med den nya lagen om kassaregister och hur effekterna har sett ut dem första månaderna efter införandet av lagen samt dem företagsekonomiska konsekvenser.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Nyckelord: </strong>Lagen om kassaregister, Kontantbranschen, Restaurangbranschen, Konkurrens</p> / <p><strong>Title: </strong>The law on cash registers - Competition in the same conditions in the restaurant business in Gävle?</p><p> </p><p><strong>Level:</strong> Final assignment for a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration</p><p> </p><p><strong>Authors:</strong> Therese Pedersen and Bilgen Soysüren</p><p> </p><p><strong>Supervisor:</strong> Markku Penttinen</p><p> </p><p><strong>Date:</strong> June 2010</p><p> </p><p><strong>Purpose:</strong> The purpose of our study is to gain a deeper understanding of the new law on cash registers. The study will focus on the impacts of the new law might have on the companies within the restaurant business. Further focus will be on the potential outcomes of the law such as costs another focal point is if the new law will contribute to a reduced competition within the restaurant business? This is by gathering views from restaurant owners and a representative from the Tax Office.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Method:</strong><strong> </strong>To answer the studies purpose, we used the qualitative approach by interviewing eight restaurant owners in Gävle and a tax accountant from the Tax office in Gävle. We have also had telephone interviews with some people from the Tax office in Stockholm, which has been the basis for our analysis in the paper. The quantitative method was statistically materials including The Swedish Hotel and Restaurant Association (SHR) and Statistics Sweden (SCB).</p><p> </p><p><strong>Results & Conclusions: </strong>The conclusion we draw from our empirical study is that all of our respondents believe and hope that the law on cash registers will prevent fraud and unfair competition in the restaurant business. Tax Office believe they can predict that the restaurants will increase its circulation so large that it will generate in the 13-15 billion in tax revenue and that the law will prevent the unfair competition in the restaurant industry. We came to the conclusion that everyone is basically in favor of the new legislation. However there are certain aspects they have reservations about mainly because the new law has caused serious losses to the restaurant owners. Another reason to this dissatisfaction can be that squares and markets continue to be an exception in the law which many respondents consider to be unfair.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Suggestions for further research: </strong>It would be interesting to study the situation in the restaurant business in a few years to see what result the law brought in forms of competitive neutrality, did the law contribute to the improvement of the rogue in the business? Another interesting area may be to study how sales have changed in the restaurant business and if it has led to increased tax revenues. You could duplicate the thesis in any other cash business and study their views on the law and see how they have been affected by the new law.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Contribution of the thesis:</strong> This thesis intends to contribute and give attention to the restaurant owner’s views on the changes they have experienced with the law on cash registers and also on the effects they have seen from the first months after introduction of the new law.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Key words:</strong> The law on cash registers, Cash industry, Restaurant industry, Competition</p>