Advertising is an important mechanism by which firms are able to communicate with their current and potential consumers. An advertising campaign may satisfy a multitude of objectives for a firm. Namely, advertising can be used to create awareness for a product or brand. It may be used to inform consumers about the usage features and benefits specific to a brand or a given product, or generate favorable attitudes and preferences amongst customers. Additionally, advertising may aim to persuade consumers towards trial or purchase. All these objectives enhance e consumers’ response towards the firm and its products/brands, and in turn, advertising helps to achieve sales for the advertised firm in the long run. This dissertation examined the relationship between advertising expenditures and sales revenue at the aggregate and brand level for the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) industry in the United States from 1986 to 2007. Two main objectives of this study were to: 1) analyze the relationship between advertising expenditures and sales revenue within the QSR industry; and 2) provide analysis of the relationship between advertising and sales revenues for leading QSR firms, in the United States during the observed period. Thus, the current study provides the most comprehensive analysis of the relationships between advertising and sales in the QSR industry to date. Hypotheses were tested by time series analysis. Specifically, a stepwise regression analysis with backwards elimination of non-significant predicators was utilized to select a set of statistically significant predictor variables. This study controlled for factors expected to affect sales revenues such as population size, price and inflationary effects. Findings from this study indicate that aggregate advertising expenditures and aggregate sales for the QSR industry in the United States were significantly and positively related from 1986 to 2007. This is the first study to examine this relationship over such an extended period of time—twenty-two years. Results from brand level show a positive and significant relationship between advertising expenditures and sales revenues for certain QSR brands. Additional analysis, explored the relationship between advertising expenditures and another measure of consumption, market share, for QSR firms in the United States during 1986 to 2007. Results from this set of analysis, demonstrated a positive and significant relationship between electronic advertising expenditures and market share for several QSR brands. A Chow test (Chow, 1960) was also conducted on the brand level models to test for the presence of structural breaks in the data. Other means of analysis are also offered, and the implications of the results to research and theory are drawn. The study also identified future directions for research. / text

The total amount of FDI ¡]Foreign Direct Investment¡^ in China has increased dramatically in recent years; however, what factors have motivated Chinese firms to invest abroad? Since 2001, China¡¦s foreign exchange reserves have been continuously increasing1, while holding significant FX reserves has pressured the central bank to offset the loss which resulted from RMB appreciation. Moreover, China, where they controlled less strategic asset than the global rivals, taking FDI was also late than developed countries. As a response, Chinese government has implemented the ¡§Going abroad¡¨ policy that foster OFDI which encouraged domestic companies to invest overseas so as to enhance its international competitiveness. In doing so, it is able to address the competitive disadvantage, acquire both tangible and intangible assets by engaging international activities, and in the meantime to sterilize the increase of foreign reserves. In terms of FDI entry mode, China has engaged in different levels of transnational investment. Exporting, OEM, international subcontracting, and joint venture are generally undertaking by Chinese firms, whereas state-owned companies focus on mergers, acquisition and organic expansion. Previous studies into the internationalization have tended to discuss inward FDI, while outward FDI is also important. For the above reason, this study aims at examining both these two parts as well as the internationalization of Chinese firms. Starting from the top 500 enterprises, we will mainly target the energy and IT industry as the basis of analysis. The data collection spans from 2000 to 2009, also include the content analysis .To verify the hypothesis, we apply multiple regression to investigate whether the internationalization of these two sectors have display the correlation between sales revenue, and foreign paten outputs. The empirical results find that: ¡]1¡^ The motivation of IT industry are more inclined to acquire intangible asset and explore new market, whereas the energy industry aims at obtaining natural resources.¡]2¡^ On the respect of entry mode, the incentive of state-owned enterprises is to fulfill the state policy , mainly adopt mergers and acquisitions. and the non-central state-owned and private enterprises relatively focus on organic expansion as well as the M&A. ¡]3¡^ With these two hypotheses, the first one reflects the internationalization is significant to foreign patent outputs and positively related to each other. and second exhibits that all independent variables, including the internationalization ¡]score¡^, patent outputs as well as exporting are all positively significant to the sales revenue. In conclusion, ¡¥¡¥going abroad¡¦¡¦ strategy has positive contributions to the sales revenue.

本研究主要探討公司投入企業社會責任(Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR)，以及發生相關負面事件(Corporate Social Irresponsibility, CSIR)時，對於企業營收的影響，亦即消費者是否會因為企業對社會所產生的正、負面影響，來改變其商品購買意願。 最終，研究結果顯示，整體而言，企業投入CSR能影響銷貨的效果有限。然而，當企業的社會表現有所提升時，可以刺激未來銷貨成長，顯示兩者間存在比率以及因果上的正向關係，與「權益相關人理論」（Stakeholder Theory）的說法相符。另外研究結果也發現，相較於生產成本面，CSR主要可以藉由提升銷貨收入來影響財務績效，值得注意的是，此效果會隨著時間經過而產生遞減。 / This study examines whether the sales revenue of firms engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or related adverse events (Corporate Social Irresponsibility, CSIR) occurs. That is, whether consumers will base on the CSR record of business to make them change their purchase intention. Finally, we find that the effect of Corporate Social Responsibility to corporate sales revenue is generally limited. However, when corporate social performance has been improved, it can stimulate future sales growth rate, and it also shows that the positive cause and effect relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and sales revenue, and the result is consistent with the "Stakeholder Theory ". Furthermore, we also find that CSR can enhance financial performance by sales increased rather than reducing cost of production, and it is worth noting that this effect will bring about ‘diminishing marginal return’ as time pass through.

This study explores various drivers of Internet stock prices. This study extends the previous work on Internet stock valuation along two dimensions: (1) the separation of Internet firms into web-related and non-web-related groups. (2) the incorporation of consideration for the effect of Internet shakeout on value drivers identified in this study. The primary findings are as follows. First, this study finds evidence that contradicts the claims made by some analysts that web traffic metrics are no longer important. The findings show that web-traffic remains value-relevant to Internet stock price for the period Oct 1998 to May 2003. Second, this study documents evidence against the “common wisdom”, as represented in the business press, that traditional financial statement information has limited usefulness in pricing of Internet stocks. The variable “revenues” is significantly positively associated with the stock price in the pre- and post-shakeout period for all Internet firms. Third, consistent with prior research on other intangibles-intensive industries, this study finds that, in particular, product development (R&D) appears to be capitalized as assets by investors in their assessment of values of web firms during the testing period, including period subsequent to the industry shakeout in the spring of 2000. This research thus provides preliminary evidence of the value-relevance of R&D expense of the shakeout and maturation of the B2C Internet sector. Fourth, with respect to the inquiry of the potential effect of difference in web-traffic on the pricing of Internet stock, the empirical results demonstrate the importance of this consideration. The findings indicate that raw web-traffic variable is not value-relevant for non-web firms, while it is value-relevant for web firms. Finally, the market condition of Internet stocks appears to be influential in explaining the pricing of Internet share. The empirical result shows that the share prices of Internet stocks are higher before the market correction, when holding other variable as controlled.

本文旨在檢定台電公司現行季節電價月份劃分之合理性，並探討影響用戶別售電量與電費收入之經濟因素。為達成此目的，本文先就負載觀點與成本觀點進行群集分析，以檢定季節電價是否具統計意義之正當性；其次建立經濟計量模型，分別採用戶別之總售電量與總電費收入做為被解釋變數，運用民國88年1月至民國91年12月之月資料進行實證分析。本文建立之經濟模型有二，分別為時間序列以及複迴歸方程式模型。經檢定分析後，本文就各實證參數之經濟意涵加以闡示，最後並提出結論以及未來研究之方向。 本文透過月資料之群集分析，顯示夏月相對於非夏月之群集差異與台電公司現行季節電價夏月與非夏月之月份相一致，證實台電公司季節電價月份劃分之合理性。其次，透過ARIMA時間序列建立之短期電力需求預測模型，經實證結果顯示：電燈與電力用戶別之售電量均逐年增加，預測民國93年1月至民國99年12月，電燈用戶之年售電量平均成長率為3.33%、電力用戶為3.23%。再者，利用複迴歸模型進行實證分析之結果發現：(一)影響售電量之主要變數為溫度。惟因電燈用戶每隔兩月抄表一次，與電力用戶按月抄表之作業方式不同，故電燈用戶每月售電量係受前期(月)溫度影響，而電力用戶則受當期(月)溫度影響。(二)各用戶別之總電費收入與售電量有明顯相關，且經估算出各月售電量之電費收入彈性顯示：電燈用戶約為0.5，電力用戶約為1。由於總電費收入為總售電量與平均電價之乘積，故電燈用戶之電費收入增加1% 時，其售電量僅增加0.5%，顯示總電費的收入增加係有部分來自於平均電價的提高；換言之，就電燈用戶別而言，其電費收入增減變化之百分比除了會受到售電量增減幅度之影響外，亦反映了平均電價變化的情形。同理，對電力用戶來說，其各月售電量之電費收入彈性接近於1，表示電費收入變化1% 時，售電量亦增加1%，即電費收入之增減變化比例主要受到售電量之同向等幅變化所影響。 至於各用戶別之電費收入方面，電燈與電力兩類用戶自民國88年初至91年底四年期間均有逐年增加之趨勢，惟電力用戶之年增加幅度有隨時間遞減之現象，且歷年大抵以7-10月份較高，2月份最低。此外，影響用戶別電費收入之解釋變數中，各類用戶之售電量最為顯著，其參數值係隱示每增加一度售電量對其電費收入之影響。其中，電燈用戶之估計參數值為2.69，而電力用戶則為1.35。再者，由其電費收入之售電量彈性係數可以發現：電燈用戶約為1.2，電力用戶約為0.7，顯示電燈用戶總售電量增加1%時，總電費收入增加的幅度大於1%，而電力用戶則相反。推估電力用戶此一彈性係數較電燈用戶低之原因在於：電力用戶與電燈用戶之電價結構不同，前者係採需量電費與能量電費之兩部電價制，而後者僅包含流動電費之一部電價。最後，實證結果亦顯示電力系統之尖峰負載與負載率會影響電費收入，惟其影響幅度不大。 / A Study on Customer-by-Category Energy Sales and Power Sales Revenue Model: The Case of Taiwan Power Company Abstract The main purposes of this study are to examine the rationality of the seasonal pricing scheme defined by summer and non-summer months and to identify economic factors influencing customer-by-category energy sales and power sales revenue, utilizing the data of Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) as an empirical case. In order to achieve this objective, the cluster analysis from the perspective of load pattern and cost pattern are examined respectively to see if the seasonal pricing scheme has statistical meaning in its pattern differences in terms of summer vs. non-summer season. Second, two economic models including time-series analysis and multiple regression equations are formulated for the empirical case study. The subtotal energy sales and the subtotal power sales revenue by different type of customer categories, i.e. lighting and industrial customers, are set to be the explained variables. Data from January 1999 to December 2002 are collected for modeling simulation tests. The economic meanings and policy implications of the modeling results are elaborated on. And conclusions with directions for further research are presented. Through the cluster analysis utilizing monthly data within the time frame mentioned above, empirical research results on the grouping cluster of summer vs. non-summer months shows a consistent trend with those defined by Taipower’s present seasonal pricing scheme. Second, the empirical results of ARIMA time-series model show that the forecasted energy sales of both lighting and industrial customers will be gradually increasing through January 2004 to December 2010, and the average annual growth rate of energy sales for the lighting customer is 3.33%, and for the industrial customer is 3.23%. On the other hand, the empirical research results through the multiple regression equations show that the main factor affecting the energy sales is temperature. Due to the different time schedules for reading electricity meters between the lighting customer and the industrial customer, i.e. the time interval for reading the meter of lighting customers is every two months and for industrial customers is every month, the monthly energy sales of the lighting customer are directly related to the temperature of the previous month, while the monthly sales of the industrial customer are directly related to the temperature of the present month. In addition, for each type of customers, there is an obvious correlation between the total power sales revenue and the total energy sales. Furthermore, the estimated elasticity of the total power sales revenue versus total energy sales is about 0.5 for the lighting customer, and about 1 for the industrial customer. Since the total power sales revenue is the product of total energy sales times the average electricity price, when the total power sales revenue increases 1% with the total energy sales only increases 0.5%, it implies that the increase of total power sales revenue not just only comes from the increase of energy sales, but also partially affected by the increase of average electricity price. Similarly, for the industrial customer, when the elasticity of their monthly total power sales revenue versus total energy sales is close to 1, it implies that when the total power sales revenue increases 1%, the total energy sales also increase about 1%. In other words, the change of percentage of the total power sales revenue is mostly attributed to the variation of total energy sales, not because of the average electricity price. As for the simulation results of the total power sales revenue, those of the lighting and industrial customers are both gradually increasing between the years 1999 to 2002. However, the increasing pace of the industrial customer tended to slow down. Moreover, both types of the customers possess a similar trend that their total power sales are higher in statistical meaning for the months from July to October, and lower for February, for those above three years. Besides, among the variables affecting each type of customer’s power sales revenue, the energy sales is the most significant one, its parameter implies that whenever the total energy sales increases one unit, i.e. one kwh, it would affect the total power sales revenue by that amount equivalent to the figure of the parameter. According to the empirical results, the estimated parameter mentioned-above of the lighting customer is 2.69, and 1.35 of the industrial customer respectively. That implies one kwh unit price for the lighting customer is 2.69 N.T. dollars, and 1.35 N.T. dollars for the industrial customer. Moreover, from the elasticity of the total energy sales versus the total power sales revenue, it shows that the elasticity of the lighting customer is around 1.2, and the elasticity of the industrial customer is around 0.7. The underlining reason of the difference between the two figures could be that the electricity pricing structure of the lighting and industrial customers are quite different. The industrial customer is charged by two-part tariff including a demand charge for the capacity use and an energy charge for the kwh use. While the lighting customer is charged simply by a single rate, i.e. the energy use. Finally, the empirical results also show that the magnitude of the peak load and the load factor of the whole electricity system also affect the total power sales revenue of each type of the customer, though with much less effect.