Class of 2011 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk and return of publicly traded health insurance companies from 1986 through 2010. METHODS: Risk and return was assessed on these companies by identifying them with SIC 6231 and 6234 (Accident and Health Insurance and Medical Service Plans) along with their presence on the CRSP database. Risk and return was analyzed via alpha and beta for SIC 632x, which were calculated utilizing the CAPM, Fama-French 3 Factor and Carhart 4 Factor econometric models. Risk and return was further assessed by calculating a Sharpe ratio along with determining annualized mean excess return and volatility for SIC 632x and the overall market. Lastly, cumulative price paths for both SIC 632x and the overall market were calculated and a Monte Carlo simulation analysis in Matlab and Microsoft Excel was run to simulate 6500 portfolios to compare risk to return ratios for SIC 632x over the time period of 1986-2010 versus the time period of 2006-2010. RESULTS: Overall, 110 companies were identified with SIC 6321 and 6234 and 7938 observations were made. The results were reported in a cross sectional format with five time periods of five years each (1986-1990, 1991-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2010 respectively). The descriptive statistics showed that SIC 632x had a higher rate of return than the overall market (1.21±14.15 compared to 0.88±4.49; however, they also had greater risk (0.89±14.15 vs 0.57±4.48). The CAPM model captured an overall alpha value of 0.44 while the 3 Factor model provided an overall alpha of -0.20 and the 4 Factor model provided an overall alpha of 0.31. The 4 Factor model had the highest overall r-squared value of 0.16. The overall annualized mean excess return was greater for SIC 632x than the overall market (10.71% vs 6.80%) while the volatility was also greater (20.30% vs 16.17%). Additionally, the Sharpe ratio was calculated and was greater overall for SIC 632x than the overall market (0.53 vs 0.42). Graphically, cumulative asset price paths were illustrated for both SIC 632x and market-based portfolios along with a mean variance efficient frontier for the SIC 623x portfolio set during the time periods of 1986-2010 and 2006-2010. These figures showed increased return for SIC 632x compared to the overall market while illustrating increasing risk and return rate trends for SIC 632x within the sector itself. CONCLUSION: Publicly traded companies providing accident and health insurance and medical service plans possess securities that have potentially higher returns but potentially higher risk relative to the overall market. Furthermore, the findings via the alpha, Sharpe ratio and Efficient Frontier simulation illustrated that the overall market provides a similar risk to return ratio compared to that of the analyzed companies in this study.

A liquidez do mercado acionário pode ser estudada sob diversas perspectivas. No Brasil, o tema tem sido objeto de investigações econômicas, mas pouco se tem escrito a respeito na literatura jurídica. Esta tese examina, em primeiro lugar, os possíveis significados do termo liquidez; os principais métodos para que se mensure a liquidez do mercado acionário; e as vantagens que um mercado líquido pode propiciar às companhias abertas. Em segundo lugar, a tese apresenta um panorama dos principais fatores que podem estimular a liquidez do mercado acionário, entre os quais figuram o comportamento dos investidores, a microestrutura do mercado e o arcabouço normativo vigente. Em mercados acionários emergentes, também a concentração acionária - entendida como a predominância de companhias em que o poder de controle é exercido majoritariamente - pode ter impactos negativos sobre a liquidez. Nesse contexto, o direito societário desempenha papel importante ao disciplinar potenciais conflitos entre acionistas controladores e acionistas minoritários que tenham repercussões sobre a liquidez das ações. Nesse sentido, a Lei das S.A. e a regulamentação expedida pela Comissão de Valores Mobiliários - CVM instituem mecanismos que visam a proteger acionistas minoritários nas situações em que o exercício do poder de controle pode lhes privar de um pressuposto de liquidez: o acesso ao mercado secundário de valores mobiliários. Essas situações são, em síntese, o cancelamento de registro de companhia aberta; e a realização de reorganizações societárias em que a base acionária de companhia aberta é compelida a migrar para uma companhia fechada. A tese compara os mecanismos aplicáveis a cada hipótese e busca demonstrar (a) as assimetrias existentes entre eles; e (b) de que maneira eles se inserem na estrutura de exercício do poder de controle estabelecida pela Lei das S.A. Além disso, o acionista controlador pode prejudicar a liquidez de mercado das ações ao aumentar sua participação acionária e provocar um estreitamento do mercado. Também para essa situação - conhecida como \"fechamento branco de capital\" - a Lei das S.A. e a regulamentação expedida pela CVM instituíram mecanismos de proteção aos acionistas minoritários. A tese examina os problemas hermenêuticos relacionados a esses mecanismos e questiona sua efetividade - talvez comprometida pelo fato de que, para os fins daqueles mecanismos, a liquidez acionária é mensurada com base em um critério insuficiente (a participação do acionista controlador, considerada abstratamente). Ao final, a tese apresenta possíveis diretivas para a alteração do arcabouço normativo vigente. / The liquidity of the stock market can be studied from different standpoints. In Brazil, this topic has been the subject of investigations in economic theory, but little has been written thereon in legal literature. This thesis examines, in the first place, the possible meanings of the term liquidity; the main methods for measuring the liquidity of stock markets; and the advantages that a liquid market may provide to publicly-traded companies. Secondly, this thesis presents an overview of the main factors that can stimulate stock market liquidity, which may include investors\' behavior, the market microstructure and the legal and regulatory framework. In emerging markets, ownership concentration - understood as the predominance of companies controlled by a majority shareholder - may further negatively impact liquidity. In this context, corporate law plays an important role in providing solutions for potential conflicts that may arise between controlling shareholders and minority shareholders, which may reverberate on the stock liquidity. In this sense, the Brazilian Corporations Law and the regulations issued by the Brazilian Securities Commission provide for protection mechanisms applicable to situations in which the controlling shareholder may deprive minority shareholders of a premise of liquidity: the access to the secondary securities market. These situations are, in brief, the decision to voluntarily deregister as a publicly-traded company; and to carry out merger transactions in which the publicly-traded company\'s shareholders are compelled to migrate to a privately-held company. The thesis compares the protection mechanisms which apply to each of such hypotheses and intends to (a) demonstrate the existing asymmetries between them; and (b) analyze if and how they are compatible with the governing structure set forth by the Brazilian Corporations Law. Furthermore, controlling shareholders may hinder stock market liquidity by increasing its equity stake and causing a narrowing of the market. Likewise for such situation - known in Brazil as \"cold delisting\" - the Brazilian Corporations Law and the regulations issued by the Brazilian Securities Commission instituted remedies for the protection of minority shareholders. The thesis examines the hermeneutical issues concerning such mechanisms and challenges their effectiveness - which is hampered perhaps due to the fact that, for the purposes of such mechanisms, market liquidity is measured by an insufficient criterion (an abstract trigger based on the controlling shareholder\'s ownership stake). Finally, the thesis presents possible directives for the amendment of the existing Brazilian legal framework.

O regime de divulgação obrigatória de informações é tido como principal pilar regulatório do mercado de valores mobiliários. Esse status deriva, tradicionalmente, da acepção de que a prestação informacional em níveis satisfatórios viabiliza a adequada tomada de decisão dos investidores, constituindo importante mecanismo de proteção no âmbito do mercado de valores mobiliários, por garantir uma teórica igualdade de condições entre seus participantes, principalmente investidores, ofertantes, intermediários e emissores de valores mobiliários. Adicionalmente, à luz dos pressupostos da hipótese dos mercados eficientes, reputa-se que o regime de divulgação obrigatória de informações, ao garantir a atuação informada dos investidores, promove a eficiência informacional do mercado, contribuindo para que as informações disponíveis sobre determinado valor mobiliário sejam instantaneamente incorporadas ao seu preço, e, consequentemente, para sua precisão. Contudo, tal abordagem, fundamentada nas premissas de que o comportamento dos investidores aproxima-se daquele prescrito pela teoria da escolha racional, e de que a formação dos preços dos valores mobiliários negociados ocorre da forma como proposto pela hipótese dos mercados eficientes, desconsidera aspectos operacionais do mercado e comportamentais dos investidores, que fragilizam a funcionalidade do regime informacional obrigatório com relação à tomada de decisão dos investidores e à promoção da eficiência informacional do mercado. É primordial, assim, contemplar tal fragilidade quando da definição do conteúdo das obrigações informacionais, principalmente diante dos altos custos associados à produção e disseminação de determinadas informações que, teoricamente, seriam úteis à avaliação dos fundamentos econômicos dos valores mobiliários (como, por exemplo, aquelas cuja divulgação pode representar a perda de vantagens competitivas e a inibição do engajamento em projetos inovadores). Por outro lado, o regime informacional obrigatório exerce outras funções no âmbito do mercado de valores mobiliários, que devem ser igualmente consideradas na definição de sua orientação regulatória, dentre as quais incluem-se (i) a redução dos custos de monitoramento e a consequente redução dos custos de agência inerentes às companhias abertas; (ii) a promoção da confiança dos investidores no mercado de valores mobiliários; (iii) a administração da seleção adversa dos emissores de valores mobiliários; (iv) o auxílio no exercício das atividades regulatórias dos órgãos reguladores e autorreguladores; e (v) a viabilização do regime de responsabilidade aplicável aos emissores de valores mobiliários, e, na esfera das ofertas públicas de distribuição, aos ofertantes e às instituições intermediárias. A partir dessas ponderações, e do reconhecimento de que o regime informacional obrigatório presta-se a uma globalidade de funções distintas, que, conjuntamente, justificam seu status de principal ferramenta regulatória do mercado de valores mobiliários, o presente trabalho analisa a funcionalidade do regime aplicável às companhias abertas brasileiras. Concluiu-se, a partir do estudo do amplo arcabouço legal e regulatório definidor do conteúdo das obrigações informacionais as quais as companhias abertas brasileiras estão sujeitas, que o regime informacional atende satisfatoriamente à multiplicidade de funções que o justificam, principalmente após as recentes inovações trazidas pela ICVM 480. Entretanto, não obstante os benefícios gerados pela ampliação do conteúdo informacional obrigatório após a edição da referida norma, não se pode ignorar os potenciais efeitos perversos associados ao excesso de informações que dela podem advir. Adicionalmente, a inflexibilidade do regime informacional obrigatório aplicável às companhias abertas brasileiras, que não contempla diferenciais substantivos em função do porte das companhias, de seu estágio de desenvolvimento e do perfil dos investidores que subscrevem, adquirem ou negociam seus valores mobiliários, não se justifica sob uma ótica de custos e benefícios e certamente impede o acesso de diversas companhias ao mercado de valores mobiliários. / The mandatory disclosure regime is considered the cornerstone of securities regulation. Such status traditionally arises from the recognition that disclosure, in a satisfactory level, makes feasible a precise decision making by investors, establishing an important protection mechanism on securities market once it guarantees a theoretical parity among its participants, mainly investors, offerors and issuers. Additionally, under the assumptions of the efficient market hypothesis, mandatory disclosure regime (guarantying an informed performance of investors), promotes informational efficiency on securities market, allowing instantaneous incorporation of available information to securities prices and, as a consequence, its enhancement. Notwithstanding, such approach, mainly based on the assumption that investors behavior is close to the prescriptions of rational choice theory, and price formation of securities traded occurs as provided by efficient market hypothesis, does not take into consideration some aspects associated with the operation of securities market and behavior of investors that mitigates the functionality of mandatory disclosure regime related to investors decision making and promotion of informational efficiency of securities market. In this sense, the recognition of such aspect on the definition of informational requirements applicable to issuers is essential, mainly in face of the high costs associated with production and dissemination of some information that, theoretically, are useful to valuation of the economic fundamentals of securities (as, for example, information that, once disclosed, may harm competitive advantages of the issuer or discourage engagement in innovative projects). On the other hand, mandatory disclosure regime performs other important functions that shall be equally considered on the definition of its regulatory approach, including (i) reduction of monitoring costs and, as a consequence, of agency costs within publicly traded companies; (ii) promotion of investor confidence on securities market; (iii) management of adverse selection of securities issuers; (iv) assistance to regulatory activities of securities regulators and self-regulatory organizations; and (v) making feasible the liability regime applicable to securities issuers, and, in the scope of public offerings, to offerors and underwriters. Based on these considerations and on the recognition that mandatory disclosure regime serves multiple and different functions that, together, justify its status of main regulatory instrument of securities market, this essay analyses the functionality of mandatory disclosure regime applicable to Brazilian publicly-traded companies. It concludes, departing from the study of the extensive legal and regulatory framework that defines information requirements applicable to Brazilian publicly traded companies, that mandatory disclosure regime satisfies the multiple functions above mentioned, specially after the recent innovations implemented by CVM Rule 480/09. However, despite all benefits arising from the extension of the disclosure regime implemented by the abovementioned rule, potential negative effects associated to overload of information that my emerge from such regulation shall not be ignored. In addition, the inflexibility of the mandatory disclosure regime applicable to Brazilian publicly traded companies, which does not considers tiered requirements according to the size and/or stage of development of companies and sophistication of investors that subscribe, acquire or trade with their securities, is not justified by a cost-benefit standpoint and certainly avoids access of many companies to securities market.

This research mainly tries to confirm the relationship between distress risk and stock returns in the Taiwan market. According to three factor theory raised by Fama-French (1992), the higher book-to-market ratio brings higher stock returns because of the higher distress risk, and also mentioned about the three significant factors in explaining expected stock return: risk, firm size, and book-to-market ratio (here replace it with price-to-book ratio). There are many studies had proved that high risk accompanies high expected stock return, but some other obtained the contrary outcome. It still depends on different characteristics of enterprises, industries, and countries. Following other researches, this paper use ¡§Z-Score¡¨ bankruptcy prediction model as the proxy of distress risk, and take the subsequent realized stock returns of the distress publicly-traded firms as a proxy of systematic risk. As it may be doubted of using Z-Score in the Taiwan stock market, this research add ¡§TCRI¡¨ to compare with. ¡§TCRI¡¨ is the credit rating score raised by Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ). Because of the same results of rating on sample companies, it supported the application of Z-Score in Taiwan stock market. In analyzing the relationship between distress risk and stock return, this research find that firm size, distress risk and price-to-book ratio effect are significant enough to explain the expected stock return,(although distress risk and price-to-book ratio are only significant in Y-3) similar to the findings of Fazilah Samad (2009) et al. This research also found that the theoretical expectation of the size effect on distress risk does not hold in the case of the Taiwan distress publicly-traded firms, but price-to-market ratio (PB ratio) does. Unlike the findings of Fazilah Samad (2009) et al. and Griffin and Lemmon (2002), the outcome shows that there is a significant inverse relationship between PB ratio and distress risk, similar to the theory and our original expectation. It directly proved that the lower PB ratio brings higher distress risk in Taiwan market, but inconclusive to deduce that it also brings higher stock return. Meanwhile, this research tries to find out if there is a difference between distress companies and most distress companies. Besides of firm size, there is no significant difference between these two groups, and they are similar as it was closer to distress happened. Although there is not significant relationship between three factors and stock return, this study reveals the decreasing trend of financial performance among those distress firms before facing distress circumstances. It shows again that Z-Score is suitable for Taiwan market although our sample companies including manufacturing and non-manufacturing companies.

O regime de divulgação obrigatória de informações é tido como principal pilar regulatório do mercado de valores mobiliários. Esse status deriva, tradicionalmente, da acepção de que a prestação informacional em níveis satisfatórios viabiliza a adequada tomada de decisão dos investidores, constituindo importante mecanismo de proteção no âmbito do mercado de valores mobiliários, por garantir uma teórica igualdade de condições entre seus participantes, principalmente investidores, ofertantes, intermediários e emissores de valores mobiliários. Adicionalmente, à luz dos pressupostos da hipótese dos mercados eficientes, reputa-se que o regime de divulgação obrigatória de informações, ao garantir a atuação informada dos investidores, promove a eficiência informacional do mercado, contribuindo para que as informações disponíveis sobre determinado valor mobiliário sejam instantaneamente incorporadas ao seu preço, e, consequentemente, para sua precisão. Contudo, tal abordagem, fundamentada nas premissas de que o comportamento dos investidores aproxima-se daquele prescrito pela teoria da escolha racional, e de que a formação dos preços dos valores mobiliários negociados ocorre da forma como proposto pela hipótese dos mercados eficientes, desconsidera aspectos operacionais do mercado e comportamentais dos investidores, que fragilizam a funcionalidade do regime informacional obrigatório com relação à tomada de decisão dos investidores e à promoção da eficiência informacional do mercado. É primordial, assim, contemplar tal fragilidade quando da definição do conteúdo das obrigações informacionais, principalmente diante dos altos custos associados à produção e disseminação de determinadas informações que, teoricamente, seriam úteis à avaliação dos fundamentos econômicos dos valores mobiliários (como, por exemplo, aquelas cuja divulgação pode representar a perda de vantagens competitivas e a inibição do engajamento em projetos inovadores). Por outro lado, o regime informacional obrigatório exerce outras funções no âmbito do mercado de valores mobiliários, que devem ser igualmente consideradas na definição de sua orientação regulatória, dentre as quais incluem-se (i) a redução dos custos de monitoramento e a consequente redução dos custos de agência inerentes às companhias abertas; (ii) a promoção da confiança dos investidores no mercado de valores mobiliários; (iii) a administração da seleção adversa dos emissores de valores mobiliários; (iv) o auxílio no exercício das atividades regulatórias dos órgãos reguladores e autorreguladores; e (v) a viabilização do regime de responsabilidade aplicável aos emissores de valores mobiliários, e, na esfera das ofertas públicas de distribuição, aos ofertantes e às instituições intermediárias. A partir dessas ponderações, e do reconhecimento de que o regime informacional obrigatório presta-se a uma globalidade de funções distintas, que, conjuntamente, justificam seu status de principal ferramenta regulatória do mercado de valores mobiliários, o presente trabalho analisa a funcionalidade do regime aplicável às companhias abertas brasileiras. Concluiu-se, a partir do estudo do amplo arcabouço legal e regulatório definidor do conteúdo das obrigações informacionais as quais as companhias abertas brasileiras estão sujeitas, que o regime informacional atende satisfatoriamente à multiplicidade de funções que o justificam, principalmente após as recentes inovações trazidas pela ICVM 480. Entretanto, não obstante os benefícios gerados pela ampliação do conteúdo informacional obrigatório após a edição da referida norma, não se pode ignorar os potenciais efeitos perversos associados ao excesso de informações que dela podem advir. Adicionalmente, a inflexibilidade do regime informacional obrigatório aplicável às companhias abertas brasileiras, que não contempla diferenciais substantivos em função do porte das companhias, de seu estágio de desenvolvimento e do perfil dos investidores que subscrevem, adquirem ou negociam seus valores mobiliários, não se justifica sob uma ótica de custos e benefícios e certamente impede o acesso de diversas companhias ao mercado de valores mobiliários. / The mandatory disclosure regime is considered the cornerstone of securities regulation. Such status traditionally arises from the recognition that disclosure, in a satisfactory level, makes feasible a precise decision making by investors, establishing an important protection mechanism on securities market once it guarantees a theoretical parity among its participants, mainly investors, offerors and issuers. Additionally, under the assumptions of the efficient market hypothesis, mandatory disclosure regime (guarantying an informed performance of investors), promotes informational efficiency on securities market, allowing instantaneous incorporation of available information to securities prices and, as a consequence, its enhancement. Notwithstanding, such approach, mainly based on the assumption that investors behavior is close to the prescriptions of rational choice theory, and price formation of securities traded occurs as provided by efficient market hypothesis, does not take into consideration some aspects associated with the operation of securities market and behavior of investors that mitigates the functionality of mandatory disclosure regime related to investors decision making and promotion of informational efficiency of securities market. In this sense, the recognition of such aspect on the definition of informational requirements applicable to issuers is essential, mainly in face of the high costs associated with production and dissemination of some information that, theoretically, are useful to valuation of the economic fundamentals of securities (as, for example, information that, once disclosed, may harm competitive advantages of the issuer or discourage engagement in innovative projects). On the other hand, mandatory disclosure regime performs other important functions that shall be equally considered on the definition of its regulatory approach, including (i) reduction of monitoring costs and, as a consequence, of agency costs within publicly traded companies; (ii) promotion of investor confidence on securities market; (iii) management of adverse selection of securities issuers; (iv) assistance to regulatory activities of securities regulators and self-regulatory organizations; and (v) making feasible the liability regime applicable to securities issuers, and, in the scope of public offerings, to offerors and underwriters. Based on these considerations and on the recognition that mandatory disclosure regime serves multiple and different functions that, together, justify its status of main regulatory instrument of securities market, this essay analyses the functionality of mandatory disclosure regime applicable to Brazilian publicly-traded companies. It concludes, departing from the study of the extensive legal and regulatory framework that defines information requirements applicable to Brazilian publicly traded companies, that mandatory disclosure regime satisfies the multiple functions above mentioned, specially after the recent innovations implemented by CVM Rule 480/09. However, despite all benefits arising from the extension of the disclosure regime implemented by the abovementioned rule, potential negative effects associated to overload of information that my emerge from such regulation shall not be ignored. In addition, the inflexibility of the mandatory disclosure regime applicable to Brazilian publicly traded companies, which does not considers tiered requirements according to the size and/or stage of development of companies and sophistication of investors that subscribe, acquire or trade with their securities, is not justified by a cost-benefit standpoint and certainly avoids access of many companies to securities market.

As the global markets are becoming increasingly competitive, companies need to find a way to maintain their relevance and competitiveness. Studies have found that companies engaging in Mergers and Acquisitions are more likely to remain competitive. (Choi & Chang, 2020) However, current literature focuses a lot more on other factors that motivate companies to engage in Mergers and Acquisitions, such as Synergy benefits, Increasing market shares, and expansions. Studies have found that there have been several historic waves of M&A activity. This thesis aims to expand further the understanding of how big European companies invest in new companies. What are the longitudinal patterns amongst the different acquisitions? What kinds of companies do they acquire and where the target companies are located? With the help of publications and annual reports provided by the five analyzed companies, the study found that there are some clear trends of what kinds of companies the acquiring firms are investing in. The regions are mostly the bigger markets and not the markets with the highest growth potential.(Radulescu et al., 2014)With this information, I conclude that the bigger companies are buying target companies in markets that they know and are familiar with. Companies are investing in companies that have a leading position in a desired market and invests into market shares and increasing their own product offering.

This study investigates how risk management in general, and hedging in specific is used  in industries that produce and sell raw materials. We investigated the hedging strategies in the Swedish mining industry. We gathered data for this study from five interviews with CFO’s and Head of treasury’s from five different Swedish mining companies in order to get their  expertise and opinions of hedging. We found that companies only hedged their commodity prices if they were forced by circumstances outside of their control. We also found interesting similarities and differences between state-owned and publicly traded companies.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-06-06T13:58:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Bianca Karoline Ahlert_.pdf: 756645 bytes, checksum: 3c23d1117f2f72a32c6c1374d89e3b9e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-06T13:58:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bianca Karoline Ahlert_.pdf: 756645 bytes, checksum: 3c23d1117f2f72a32c6c1374d89e3b9e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-09 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / Esta dissertação abarca como objetivo geral analisar se a forma de remuneração dos executivos impacta o desempenho das empresas brasileiras de capital aberto. A literatura sugere que a remuneração dos executivos por incentivos visa reduzir o problema de agência e alinhar seus interesses aos dos investidores. Utilizando a base de dados do IBrA, este trabalho procura testar a hipótese de que a remuneração dos executivos impacta positivamente o desempenho das empresas brasileiras de capital aberto. A análise de 150 empresas brasileiras de capital aberto, listadas no IBrA, do período entre 2010 e 2015, indica impacto significante entre remuneração dos executivos e desempenho, com presença de maior significância entre a relação de remuneração dos executivos e o desempenho calculado pelo Q de Tobin, e menor significância através do desempenho calculado pelo retorno do patrimônio liquido. Ao analisar a amostra de dados dividida em critério de controle acionário ou origem de capital de empresas familiares, estatais e demais privadas, de controle acionário não familiar, as organizações familiares evidenciaram significância próxima às empresas privadas, e as empresas estatais não revelaram significância nas variáveis de remuneração total e índice da remuneração variável. A análise por setor também denotou maior significância em relação ao Q de Tobin do que em relação ao retorno do patrimônio líquido. / This dissertation covers as general objective to analyze if the form of executive compensation impacts the performance of Brazilian publicly traded companies. The literature suggests that the executive compensation by incentives aims to reduce the agency problem and align its interests with those of investors. Using the IBrA database, this paper seeks to test the hypothesis that executive compensation has a positive impact on the performance of Brazilian publicly traded companies. The analysis of 150 Brazilian publicly traded companies, listed in the IBrA, between 2010 and 2015, indicates a significant impact between executive compensation and performance, with a greater significance between the executive remuneration and the performance calculated by the Q of Tobin, and lower significance through the performance calculated by the return of shareholders' equity. By analyzing the sample of data divided into criteria of stock control or capital origin of family, state and other private companies, with non-family stock control, the family organizations showed close significance to the private companies, and the state companies did not reveal significance in the total remuneration variables and variable remuneration index. The analysis by sector also showed greater significance in relation to the Q of Tobin than in relation to the return of stockholders' equity

Purpose: Examine the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and financial performance in Swedish publicly traded companies in the years 2006-2009. Hypothesis: H1: There is a positive linear relationship between a company's CSR performance and its accounting based financial performance (represented by ROA). H2: There is a positive linear relationship between a company's CSR performance and its market based financial evaluation (represented by Tobin's Q) H3: Industry moderates the relationship between CSR and financial performance. H4: Firm size moderates the relationship between CSR and financial performance. Theoretical framework: CSR and previous research. Methodology: Longitudinal study, Secondary analysis.  Conclusion: Hypothesis 1 may be rejected. Hypothesis 2 may be rejected. Hypothesis 3 may be rejected. Hypothesis 4 may be rejected. / Syfte: Undersöka relationen mellan företags sociala ansvar och dess finansiella resultat på Svenska börsnoterade företag under åren 2006-2009. Hypoteser: H1: Det är ett positivt linjärt samband mellan ett företags CSR utförande och dess bokföring baserad på finansiella resultat (representerad av ROA). H2: Det är ett positivt linjärt samband mellan ett företags CSR utförande och dess markandsbaserad finansiella värdering (representerad av Tobin's Q). H3: Industri modererar relationen mellan CSR och finasiellt resultat. H4: Företagsstorlek modererar relationen mellan CSR och finansiellt resultat. Teoretiskt ramverk: CSR och tidigare forskning. Metod: Longitudinell studie, Sekundär analys. Slutsats: Hypotes 1 kan avvisas. Hypotes 2 kan avvisas. Hypotes 3 kan avvisas. Hypotes 4 kan avvisas.

Working capital optimization, as an act of balancing liquidity and profitability, presents significant challenges when small businesses lack managerial expertise and access to affordable capital and credit facilities. To remain successful through efficient utilization of working capital, small business leaders need to understand the association between working capital management (WCM), working capital policy (WCP), and business profitability (PFT). Anchored in the cash conversion cycle theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between WCM, WCP, and PFT. The study employed a retrospective secondary analysis of financial data from 2004 to 2013 from a random sample of 176 publicly traded small U.S. manufacturing companies. The regression results incorporating 3 models were significant in predicting profitability in terms of gross operating profit (GOP), return on asset (ROA), and Tobin's q (TBQ). The regression results showed that WCM and WCP were significant predictors of GOP, F (5, 170) = 8.580, p < .000, R2 = .201; ROA, F (5, 170) = 4.079, p < .002, R2 = .107; and TBQ, F (5, 170) = 6.231, p < .000, R2 = .155. The overall result confirmed that WCM and WCP predicted PFT significantly (p < .05). Small business leaders may incorporate working capital optimization practices into overall corporate strategy, thereby aligning working capital needs with the changing business requirements. The implications for positive social change included the potential to provide small business leaders with knowledge of WCM and WCP as drivers of PFT. Profitable businesses may provide employees and communities with better jobs; stock ownership; and development infrastructures such as road, healthcare, and educational facilities.