The goal of the Thesis was to perform a research about the Private Equity industry and Leveraged Buyout type of deal. Within practical part of the Thesis, was goal to create financial model and use it to analyse real case LBO transaction. Due to lack of Czech literature about the topic and secrecy of the industry, foreign studies and literature were primary source of information but also an interviews with Czech investment professionals and advisors. In practical part of the Thesis was created general LBO model with Microsoft Excel, with functions able to perform different LBO transactions. This financial model, was later used to perform LBO acquisition analysis of company Severomoraské vodovody a kanalizace Ostrava a.s.

This thesis explores if Scandinavian publicly listed firms’ financial leverage was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst theory suggests that financial leverage is positively affected by uncertainty and reduced profitability, previous empirical research finds weak evidence of listed firms reducing financial leverage during crises. We follow the work by Demirgüç-Kunt, Martinez Peria and Tressel (2020) and D’Amato (2020) and run fixed effect panel data regression analyses. Our results are in line with the previous empirical studies regarding the financial crisis as we do not find significant change in means in financial leverage between the pre-pandemic period and the pandemic for listed firms. For our complete sample, we find that the pandemic had no significant impact on total debt to total assets but a significant impact on long-term debt to total assets. However, the results are varying amongst the countries. Therefore, further research is advised. We also find that, increases in growth opportunities, and profitability affect financial leverage negatively, whilst asset structure and firm size have positive effects on financial leverage. The results for liquidity are mixed. Overall, the findings are in line with previous research.

Abstract in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / This study is aimed at investigating the capital structures of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed South African IT firms and compare these to the capital structures of NASDAQ listed US IT firms in order to better understand the capital structures that JSE listed South African firms employ. The study made use of secondary data in the form of ratio analysis from public sources, as well as the published annual financial statements of the firms. The Generalised Method of Moments regression analysis technique was used in order to test the data for relationships between certain ratios. The study found positive relationships between the firm’s capital structure and its return on equity; meaning that firms should make use of their capital structures to maximise their return on equity and as a result, returns for its shareholders. / Hierdie studie is daarop gerig om die kapitaalstrukture van Suid-Afrikaanse IT-ondernemings wat op die Johannesburgse Aandelebeurs (JSE) genoteer is te ondersoek, en dit te vergelyk met die kapitaalstrukture van NASDAQ-genoteerde Amerikaanse IT-ondernemings ten einde die kapitaalstrukture wat JSE-genoteerde Suid-Afrikaanse ondernemings gebruik, beter te verstaan. Die studie het sekondêre data in die vorm van verhoudingsontleding uit openbare bronne, asook die gepubliseerde finansiële jaarstate van die ondernemings gebruik. Die Veralgemeende Metode van Momente-regressieanalisetegniek is gebruik ten einde die data vir verwantskappe tussen bepaalde verhoudings te toets. Die studie het positiewe verwantskappe tussen die ondernemings se kapitaalstruktuur en opbrengs op ekwiteit gevind; dit beteken dat ondernemings hul kapitaalstrukture behoort te gebruik om hul opbrengs op ekwiteit en gevolglik ook opbrengste vir hul aandeelhouers te maksimeer. / Lolu cwaningo kuhloswe ngalo ukuhlola izinhlaka ezifaka imali ezinkampanini zobuchwephese bamakhompuyutha ezisohlwini lwe-Johannesburg Stock Exchange (i-JSE), nokuziqhathanisa nezinhlaka ezifaka imali ezinkampanini zase-US zobuchwepheshe bekhompuyutha ezisohlwini lwe-NASDAQ ukuze kuqondakale kangcono izinhlaka ezifaka imali ezinkampanini zaseNingizimu Afrika ezisohlwini lwe-JSE. Lolu cwaningo lusebenzise imininingwane eqoqwe kweminye emayelana nokucwaningwa kwezinombolo etholakala emithonjeni evulelekile emalungwini omphakathi kanye nakwizitatimende zezezimali zonyaka zezinkampani. Kusetshenziswe indlela yokucwaninga ehlawumbiselayo ngokuqhathanisa ubudlelwano neyaziwa ngokuthi yi-Generalised Method of Moments, ukuze kuhlolwe imininingwane eveza ubudlelwano phakathi kwezinombolo ezithile. Ucwaningo luthole ubudlelwano obubonakalayo phakathi kwezinhlaka ezifaka imali enkampanini kanye nenzuzo yayo yamanani amasheya; okusho ukuthi izinkampani kumele zisebenzise izinhlaka zazo ezizifakela imali ukwandisa amathuba enzuzo yamanani amasheya okuyinto ezodala ukuba kuhlomule abanini-bamasheya. / Finance, Risk Management and Banking / M. Com. (Finance)

本研究旨在探討公司系統性風險與會計變數之關聯性。影響公司系統性風險之因素應包括公司內部因素與公司外部總體經濟因素，但過去文獻並未完全涵蓋到，致使其模式解釋力皆不高。為彌補過去文獻之不足，本研究先以理論推導方式將公司內部與外部因素納入系統性風險模式中，再以實證資料驗證之。 　　模型推導結果顯示，影響系統性風險之因素包括公司盈餘、營運槓桿度、財務槓桿度、帳面價值、股利、市場組合報酬率、無風險報酬率，以及其他總體經濟因素等。理論推導結果產生三大主要命題： 　　1. 在公司前期盈餘為正及當期銷貨成長率為正，以及公司當期之每股盈餘、每股帳面價值及每股現金股利對股價具有正向影響時，公司當期總槓桿程度（營運槓桿度與財務槓桿度之乘積）對系統性風險具有正向影響。 　　2. 在公司前期盈餘為正，以及公司當期之每股盈餘、每股帳面價值及每股現金股利對股價具有正向影響時，公司當期每股現金股利對系統性風險具有正向影響。 　　3. 當公司當期銷貨成長率為正時，營運槓桿度與財務槓桿度為正向相關；但當公司當期銷貨成長率為負時，營運槓桿度與財務槓桿度具有抵換關係。 　　根據上述命題，本研究設立三項假說。第一，公司總槓桿程度對系統性風險具有正向影響，而營運槓桿度與財務槓桿度對系統性風險之影響皆為正向（或負向）。第二，公司發放現金股利對系統性風險具有正向影響。第三，在系統性風險與盈餘皆不變的額外前提下，當銷貨成長率為負時，營運槓桿度與財務槓桿度具有抵換關係;當銷貨成長率為正時，營運槓桿度與財務槓桿度為正相關。 　　實證結果部分支持上述三項假說。首先，公司總槓桿程度、財務槓桿度及現金股利皆對系統性風險具有顯著正向影響。因此，公司可利用降低總槓桿程度、財務槓桿度及減少現金股利之策略來減低系統性風險。其次，市場組合報酬、通貨膨脹率及國民生產毛額成長率等總體經濟因素，對系統性風險皆具有負向顯著影響。此結果說明導致公司系統性風險上升之因素應該包括公司內部與外部因素。因此，公司欲降低風險時，除了利用總槓桿程度、財務槓桿度與股利政策外，尚須考慮其他總體經濟變化。最後，實證結果亦顯示，當公司正處於銷貨成長時期，以追求成長為目標，可能同時面臨高營運風險與高財務風險。然而，在銷貨衰退時，公司卻不必然會以風險控管為目標。因此，營運槓桿度與財務槓桿度並不存在抵換關係。 / This thesis examines the relationship between firm systematic risk and accounting variables. Potential determinants of firm systematic risk theoretically include accounting and macroeconomic variables, but prior research only explored part of them and most models yielded low explanatory power. This research analytically derives and empirically verifies a model of firm systematic risk. 　　The analytical results suggest that determinants of systematic risk at least include earnings, the degree of operating leverage, the degree of financial leverage, book value, dividend, market-portfolio return, risk-free return and other macroeconomic variables. Three main propositions are therefore derived as follows. 　　1. When a firm's prior year earnings and current year sales growth are both positive, if its current book value, cash dividend, and earnings all have a positive effect on its stock price, then its degree of total leverage, defined as the product of degree of operating leverage and degree of financial leverage, has a positive effect on its systematic risk. 　　2. When a firm's prior year earnings is positive, if its current book value, cash dividend, and earnings all have a positive effect on its stock price, then its current cash dividend has a positive effect on its systematic risk. 　　3. When a firm's current year sales growth is positive (negative), its degree of operating leverage is positively (negatively) related with its degree of financial leverage. 　　Three hypotheses are then tested empirically. First, a firm's degree of total leverage has a positive effect on its systematic risk; and its degree of operating leverage and degree of financial leverage both have a positive (or both negative) effect on its systematic risk. Second, a firm's cash dividend has a positive effect on its systematic risk. Third, if a firm's sales growth is positive (negative) without any change in its systematic risk or earnings, then its degree of operating leverage is positively (negatively) related with its degree of financial leverage. 　　The empirical results provide partial support for the above hypotheses. First, the degree of total leverage, degree of financial leverage, and cash dividend each has a positive effect on the systematic risk. Therefore, a firm can reduce its systematic risk by lowering its degree of total leverage, degree of financial leverage and the cash dividend. Second, macroeconomic factors such as the market-portfolio return, inflation and GNP growth have a negative effect on the systematic risk. Hence, a firm attempting to control its systematic risk should consider the changes of macroeconomics besides the leverage and dividend policy. Finally, a firm with growing sales takes a high degree of operating leverage and financial leverage, but a firm does not necessarily take a high (low) degree of operating leverage and a low (high) degree of financial leverage as target when its sales are declining. In other words, these two leverages have no offset relationship.

Submitted by Marcela de Carvalho Ponce Kawauti (marcelacponce@hotmail.com) on 2014-02-28T02:11:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DoddFrank_MK_270214.pdf: 3147203 bytes, checksum: 3ff834fb3d62bc255730fa98e23ba293 (MD5) / Rejected by Suzinei Teles Garcia Garcia (suzinei.garcia@fgv.br), reason: Prezada Marcela, Falta a contra capa: Fundação antes da escola, numeração das paginas não estão de acordo com a ABNT. Modelos de dissertações/teses na biblioteca digital. Att. Suzi 3799-7876 on 2014-02-28T14:43:25Z (GMT) / Submitted by Marcela de Carvalho Ponce Kawauti (marcelacponce@hotmail.com) on 2014-02-28T23:31:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DoddFrank_MK_FINAL.pdf: 3155751 bytes, checksum: 5cbd278a6017fe7bff89ba5d061ec66d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzinei Teles Garcia Garcia (suzinei.garcia@fgv.br) on 2014-03-06T14:41:41Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DoddFrank_MK_FINAL.pdf: 3155751 bytes, checksum: 5cbd278a6017fe7bff89ba5d061ec66d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-03-06T14:44:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DoddFrank_MK_FINAL.pdf: 3155751 bytes, checksum: 5cbd278a6017fe7bff89ba5d061ec66d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-08 / The systemic financial crisis that started in 2008 in the United States had some severe effects in the economic activity and required the bailout of financial institutions with the use of taxpayer’s money. It also originated claims for stronger regulatory framework in order to avoid another threat in the financial market. The Dodd Frank Act was proposed and approved in the United States in the aftermath of the crisis and brought, among many other features, the creation of the Financial Stability Oversight Council and the tougher inspection of financial institutions with asset above 50 billion dollars. The objective of this work is to study the causal effect of the Dodd Frank Act on the behavior of the treatment group subject to monitoring by the Financial Stability Oversight Council (financial institutions with assets above 50 billion dollars) regarding capital and compensation structure in comparison to the group that was not treated. We use data from Compustat and our empirical strategy is the Regression Discontinuity Design, not usually applied to the banking literature, but very useful for the present work since it allows us to compare the treatment group and the non-treatment group in the year of the enactment of the law (2010). No change of behavior was observed for the Capital Structure. In the Compensation Schemes, however, a decrease was found in the item other compensation for CEOs and CFOs. We also performed a robustness check by running a placebo test on the variables in the year before the law was enacted. No significance was found, which supports the conclusion that our main results were caused by the enactment of the DFA. / A crise financeira com características sistêmicas que começou em 2008 nos Estados Unidos teve efeitos severos na atividade econômica e demandou o salvamento de algumas instituições financeiras com o uso do dinheiro dos impostos. Também gerou clamores por uma regulação mais estrita de forma a evitar uma nova ameaça no mercado financeiro. O Dodd Frank Act foi proposto e aprovado nos Estados Unidos após a crise e trouxe, além de outras características, a criação do Financial Stability Oversight Council e a maior fiscalização das instituições financeiras com ativos acima de 50 bilhões de dólares. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar o efeito causal do Dodd Frank Act no comportamento do grupo de tratamento sujeito ao monitoramento do Financial Stability Oversight Council (instituições financeiras com ativos acima de 50 bilhões de dólares) com relação à estrutura de capital e de remuneração em comparação com o grupo que não recebeu o tratamento. Usamos dados do Compustat e nossa estratégia empírica é o Regression Discontinuity Design, que não é usual na literatura que analisa bancos, mas que nos permite comparar o grupo de tratamento e o grupo não tratado no ano em que a lei entrou em vigor (2010). Nenhuma mudança de comportamento foi observada na estrutura de capital. Com relação à remuneração. No entanto, encontramos uma queda no item Other Compensation para CEOs e CFOs. Também rodamos um cheque de robustez com um teste placebo nas variáveis no ano anterior à entrada em vigor da lei. Nenhuma significância foi encontrada, o que sustenta a nossa conclusão de que os resultados principais foram de fato causados pela nova legislação

The master’s thesis evaluates the financial situation of the RACOM, Ltd. company. There are used some selected methods of financial analysis during the period 2004-2008. Theoretical and methodological basis of financial analysis are outlined in the first part of thesis. Selected instruments are applied on this company in the next part. Results from the financial analysis and some suggestions which could lead to better economic performance of the RACOM, Ltd. company are in the final part of this thesis.

The master‘s thesis deals with analysis of the financial situation of the company Znovín Znojmo, a.s. in years 2005 – 2008 by means of selected methods of the financial analysis. At the basis of identified problematic areas proposal of measures for an improvement of the present status of the company are formulated.

The aim of this thesis is to assess the level of financial management, joint-stock company Autic and formulation of proposals to improve the financial situation in problem areas. During its processing particularly the methods of financial analysis have found application. Data of the firm over the period of 2006 – 2008 are used for the financial analysis.

[pt] Considerando a importância da estrutura de capital para as finanças empresariais, e apesar de não ainda existir consenso sobre a existência de uma estrutura ótima de capital, buscamos neste trabalho investigar à luz da Teoria da Hierarquização das Fontes de Financiamento, desenvolvida por Myers (1984), como a estrutura de capital das empresas brasileiras de capital aberto, no período de 1998 a 2002, estaria associada a uma dada hierarquia de preferência por fontes de financiamento, dentro da lógica proposta pelo autor, onde as empresas utilizariam primeiramente o autofinanciamento, em seguida recorreriam ao uso de dívidas, e como última opção optariam por emitir ações. Desta forma, este trabalho não visa discutir a problemática da existência ou não de uma estrutura ótima de capitais, mas sim analisar empiricamente a importância e validade dos diversos fatores apontados na literatura como determinantes da Estrutura de Capital das Empresas: Dimensão ou Tamanho, Oportunidades de Crescimento, Composição do Ativo, Lucratividade, Risco, propondo e verificando, inclusive, a significância de novas variáveis independentes como o Controle Acionário, Impacto Cambial, da Inflação e da Taxa de Juros. / [en] In view of the importance of the capital structure to corporate finance, and inspite of not existing consensus about the existence of the optimal capital structure yet, we seek in this work to research how the Capital Structure of Open Capital Brazilian Companies, from 1998 untill 2002, would be associated to a specific Pecking Order, inside the logical proposed by Myers (1984). In this way, this work does not try to discuss the existence or not of one optimal capital structure, but analyses empirically the importance and the validity of the many factors pointed in the literature as determinants of the Companies Capital Structure: Dimension, Growth Oportunity, Asset Composition, Profitability, Risk, also proposing and verifying the significance of new independent variables like the type of capital control, the impact of currency devaluation, inflation and the interest levels.

本論文包含兩篇獨立但主旨相關的文章， 目的均在探討融資契約與廠商投資的關聯，以分析融資契約的實質效果。第一篇文章「股價資訊外部性與新投資之採行」研究權益證券(股票)集訊、揭訊功能的實質效益，我們由股價資訊公開所產生的外部效果，分析股價資訊效率性與廠商投資效率之間的關聯。在1.眾多異質廠商，2.投資具實質選擇權(real options)特性的假設下，內生化廠商與股市交易者的資訊取得決策，發現1. 均衡時廠商的投資與資訊取得決策取決於廠商技術水準與股價效率性之高低：高股價效率性時，無廠商取得新資訊，皆根據股價判斷投資，低股價效率性時，僅較低技術廠商根據股價資訊投資。2. 股價有額外的資訊揭露效果：由於廠商僅能獲得新資訊的部份效益，且廠商利用資訊有機會成本，將投資證券化可提高新資訊被揭露的可能性，使得資訊可被充份利用，提昇投資效率。3. 股價資訊可提增投資效率，增加廠商期望報酬，但當體系平均技術水準落後，新資訊的實質效益低落時，股價資訊公開的外部淨效益亦趨薄弱，故經濟發展初期，股市資訊公開的外部效益相對不重要。 第二篇文章「抵押品、財務槓桿與廠商投資」研究借貸契約中，抵押品舒緩借貸限制的作用，及其可能產生的實質效果。我們採用Williamson(1986,1987)的狀態確認成本模型(costly state verification model)，在該訊息不對稱模型，廠商向外融資面臨借貸限制，僅較高自有資金廠商可獲融資。當借貸市場資金相當寬鬆，資金供給恆大於資金需求，資金成本(無風險利率)為一由模型外因素所決定的外生參數時，抵押融資不影響資金成本，此時抵押品具有舒緩借貸限制的作用，體系財務槓桿提高，期望查帳成本下降，投資的期望淨產出增加。若資金相對緊俏，無風險利率須由借貸市場均衡所內生決定時，長期而言，財務槓桿僅受體系資金寬鬆程度的影響，短期間抵押融資雖能提高財務槓桿，但隨槓桿之提高，資金需求增加，無風險利率上揚，在新的均衡，較低自有資金廠商投資的期望報酬下降，借貸利率上漲，反而增加其應負債務，資產狀況惡化，此即本文所欲突顯之抵押融資的潛在成本。 第一章 緒論 3 第一節 研究動機 3 第二節 研究內容與架構 5 第二章 文獻回顧 7 第一節 融資契約的功能 7 第二節 金融結構與實質經濟活動 13 第三節 股價資訊與廠商投資 18 第四節 抵押品與廠商投資 22 第三章 股價資訊外部性與新投資之採行 27 第一節 前言 27 第二節 基本模型 29 第三節 期中股市均衡與股價效率性 35 第四節 股價資訊外部效益 41 第五節 小結 46 附 錄 47 第四章 抵押品、財務槓桿與廠商投資 53 第一節 前言 53 第二節 基本模型 55 第三節 抵押融資模型-資金寬鬆時的抵押品效果 62 第四節 抵押融資模型-資金緊俏時的抵押品效果 66 第五節 小結 70 第五章 結論 72 第一節 研究限制 72 第二節 未來研究方向 77 參考文獻 79 / This dissertation collects two separate but related papers, both study the channel through which financing contracts can affect firms' investment decisions and the corresponding real effects. The first paper " Informational Externality of Stock Prices and Firms' New Investment Decisions" analyzes what real benefits the information acquisition and signaling function of stocks can produce. From the viewpoint of informational externality, stock prices may disclose some valuable information beneficial to firms' investment decisions. Under the assumptions of " heterogeneous technology" and "new investment as a real option", this paper finds 1. Firms' investment and information acquisition decisions are determined both by their own technology level and stock prices efficiency. With high price efficiency, no firms acquire information directly, all make investment decisions based on stock prices. With low price efficiency, most firms acquire information directly, only few low-tech firms make decisions according to stock prices. 2. Stock prices have additional signaling effect. Firms can ony get half benefits of new information, besides they have opportunity costs in using information. As a result, stock prices can enhance the possibility of information disclosure, improving investment efficiency. 3. When the economy is underdeveloped and the real benefit of new information is small, the net benefit produced by informational externality will be tiny. The stock prices externality effect is thus comparatively unimportant at the beginning stage of economy. The second paper " Collateral, Financial Leverage and Firms' Investment"analyzes the constraints-smoothing function of collateral and its real effects. By adopting Williamson's costly state verification model(1986,1987), I find that with this specific asymmetric information structure, there are financing constraints in capital markets, only firms whose own capital inputs are higher above some level can get borrowed capital. The question is " Can offering collateral smooth this kind of financing constraints?" In markets with abundant capital where capital supply always exceeds demand, capital cost(riskless interest rate)will be an exdogenously-determined parameter which won't be affected by collateral financing. In this scenario, collateral can smooth financing constraints, increase financial leverage and improve the net expected return of investment. On the contrary, if capital is not so abnudant that the capital cost should be determined endogenously by capital market equilibrium, then in the long run this economy's financial leverage depends only on the relative abundance of capital. Though collateral financing can increase financial leverage in the short run, as capital demand increases, capital cost will also increase. This will offset the initial smoothing effect of collateral. After full adjustment of capital cost, at the new equilibrium the financial leverage remains unchanged. However, the expected return of firms with lower own capital inputs become smaller, and their borrowing rates become higher which mean they have heavier debt burden and less net worth at the new equilibrium.