This study investigates reputational penalties for two main types of corporate scandals in China: accounting scandal vs. corruption. Compared with U.S. firms that experienced an average of 41% drop in firm value if accounting scandal was disclosed, I find that accounting scandals are less destructive to firm value in a relationship-based economy such as China. However, while pure accounting scandals are relatively innocuous in China, I find that corruption charges against the firms' senior executives have serious consequences. I explore several explanations for such difference in market reaction to the two types of scandals, including political network effect, accounting write-off effect, corporate governance effect, incentive effect, and executive turnover effect. My empirical evidence provides consistent support to the political relationship explanation which indicates that the damaged social and political networks and the ability to contract caused by the corruption charges would have a more negative impact on firms' operations and performances. Although my results do not fully eliminate all the other alternative explanations, they are likely to be a less important reason for the stronger reputation penalties for corruption charges than accounting scandals in China. / Zhang, Fang. / Adviser: T.J. Wang. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-11, Section: A, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-61). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.

In essay two, I study top executive compensation and CEO turnover and their relationship to firm performance in business groups in China, using a sample of listed subsidiaries and their parent companies in China. The empirical results support the hypothesis that the pay-performance sensitivity of managerial compensation (CEO turnover) in a listed firm is positively (negatively) related to the accounting performance of its parent company. In addition, I find a stronger relationship between the compensation (turnover) in a listed subsidiary and the performance of its parent company when the controlling shareholder's ownership is high. Using related party transactions to proxy for the correlation between the two firms, I find that management compensation in a listed firm is related to the performance of its parent company if related party transactions exist between them. Using brand name as a proxy for reputation, I find that management compensation and CEO turnover in group firms are more likely to be sensitive to the performance measures in their parent companies if both use the same brand name. In conclusion, the association between the listed subsidiary and its parent company may affect the pay-for-performance sensitivity to a parent company. / Keywords: Communist Party of China (CPC), party secretary, performance; management compensation, business group, China / My dissertation includes two essays. In essay one, I investigate the party control in China's listed firms. Along with state shareholding and government administration, the third source of political control of Chinese listed firms is the Communist Party of China (CPC). Using a unique hand-collected dataset that includes the party secretaries' information for listed firms between 2000 and 2004, I examine the existence and power of the party secretaries in companies and their influence on performance. The party secretary is the leader of party committee and exercises the power of the CPC at firm-level. Power is assessed by whether the party secretary concurrently holds another key management position, such as chairman or CEO, thus allowing him or her to exert influence on the managerial decisions of the firm. I find that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and firms with many employees are more likely to have a party secretary or a powerful party secretary than are other firms. Party secretaries are more likely to have political reliability but less professionalism than are CEOs or other senior managers. The existence of a party secretary is negatively associated with a firm's performance, but only in SOEs. Non-state firms with a party secretary are more likely to have senior managers with political connections, but less professionalism, but I find no such significant results for SOEs. The firms with a party secretary or a powerful party secretary have lower labor productivity than do other firms, especially in SOEs and in regions with high unemployment rates. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the CPC has great influence over listed firms in China and that this influence should not be neglected in Chinese studies. / Yu, Wei. / Adviser: P. H. Joseph Fan. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 71-01, Section: A, page: 0239. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-88). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

A quality corporate disclosure environment is vital for an efficient market. The ultimate purpose of this thesis is to study the information environment of the Chinese capital market. There are different types of participants playing equally important roles in the smooth functioning of the Chinese capital market. I attempt to study the information issue from three different perspectives using three separate essays. / Apart from raising the awareness on the importance of quality corporate disclosure in the smooth functioning of a capital market, this study provides evidence supporting the importance of a transparent information environment for analysts' earnings forecast accuracy and how opinion dispersion among financial analysts and investors at large affects subsequent stock returns. Allowing investors a thorough understanding of the Chinese capital market mitigates misconception and can help foreign funds and local investors to make investment decisions in the China capital market. / In my second essay, my focus is on financial analysts; examining the role of information disclosure and the accuracy of analysts' earnings forecasts. Using all the Chinese firms included in the I/B/E/S files, I evaluate the predictive accuracy of analysts' earnings forecasts. Apart from examining the relative forecast errors of the analyst vis-a-vis a naive forecast model as well as studying the determinants and explanatory variables of the differential analysts' forecast errors between groups of firms, regression analysis is also conducted to evaluate such determinants. / In my third essay, I recognize that investors at large react differently to information disclosed and my focus is on the dispersion of opinion among financial analysts. I examine the role of such differences in opinion in relation to the cross section of future stock returns in the Chinese capital market. Results show that stocks with higher dispersion in analysts' earnings earn lower return than otherwise similar stocks. Results also suggest that a more correct interpretation of dispersion in analysts' forecast is as a proxy for investors' opinion differences about a stock rather than as a proxy for risk. / In the first essay, my focus is on a general information user level, looking at what information is available in the capital market as disclosed by firms. My first essay analyzes the firm-specific news announcements for Chinese firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges with foreign ownership (firms issuing B shares) to gain an understand of the current information disclosure environment in the China stock market. I establish a news database which permits an examination of the distributional characteristics of the news items by categories, firm nature and timing. This essay also reports a positive relation between frequency of news disclosure and the total market capitalization, the total asset and the percentage of tradable share of a firm. / Lui Man Ching Gladie. / "August 2003." / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 64-09, Section: A, page: 3409. / Supervisor: In-Mu Haw. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest dissertations and theses, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

Lau Yuen-ke. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-123). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Abstract in Chinese --- p.iii / Acknowledgements --- p.iv / Table of Contents --- p.v / List of Tables --- p.vi / Chapter Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2. --- Literature Review --- p.5 / Chapter Chapter 3. --- Hypothesis --- p.24 / Chapter Chapter 4. --- Methodology --- p.43 / Chapter Chapter 5. --- Sample Description --- p.53 / Chapter Chapter 6. --- Empirical Results --- p.61 / Chapter Chapter 7. --- Conclusion --- p.72 / Appendix 1. Definitions and calculations of variables --- p.75 / Appendix 2. Piecewise linear regression model suggested by Morck et al(1988) --- p.82 / Appendix 3. Tables --- p.87 / Bibliography --- p.122

Tam Wai-man Grace. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-77). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.ii / 序言 --- p.iii / Acknowledgement --- p.iv / Table of Contents --- p.v / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature Review --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1 --- Dividend Irrelevance Theory --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2 --- Bird-in-the-hand Theory --- p.9 / Chapter 2.3 --- Clientele Effect Theory --- p.10 / Chapter 2.4 --- Signaling Theory --- p.11 / Chapter 2.5 --- Agency Cost Theory / Chapter 2.5.1 --- Theoretical Models --- p.15 / Chapter 2.5.2 --- The Latest Agency Cost Model --- p.19 / Chapter 2.6 --- Residual Theory --- p.24 / Chapter 2.7 --- Other Studies on Dividend Policy / Chapter 2.7.1 --- Low-Regular-Dividend-Plus-Extras Policy --- p.26 / Chapter 2.7.2 --- Comparison of the Dividend Policies of Japanese and U.S. Firms --- p.27 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Methodology / Chapter 3.1 --- Model --- p.28 / Chapter 3.2 --- Anti-Signaling Hypothesis --- p.29 / Chapter 3.3 --- Agency Cost Hypothesis --- p.30 / Chapter 3.4 --- Residual Hypothesis --- p.31 / Chapter 3.5 --- Investment Opportunities Hypothesis --- p.32 / Chapter 3.6 --- Industry Control --- p.33 / Chapter 3.7 --- The Four-Hypothesis Model --- p.34 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Sample and Data Description / Chapter 4.1 --- Sample Description --- p.35 / Chapter 4.2 --- Variable Description --- p.36 / Chapter 4.3 --- Limitations --- p.39 / Chapter 4.4 --- Descriptive Statistics --- p.41 / Chapter Chapter 5 / Chapter 5.1 --- Regression Results and Implications --- p.42 / Chapter 5.2 --- Alternative measurement for Agency Cost Hypothesis --- p.45 / Chapter 5.3 --- Comparison of the Dividend Policies of Hong Kong and the World --- p.47 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Conclusion --- p.49 / Tables / Table 1 Summary of the Four-Hypothesis Model --- p.50 / Table 2 Construction of Variables --- p.51 / Table 3 Dividend Payout Ratios of 83 Hong Kong Listed Firms from1992 to 1999 --- p.52 / Table 4 Earnings Growth Rate of 33 Hang Seng Index Constituents from 1996to 1999 --- p.54 / Table 5 Dividend Payout Ratio of 33 Hang Seng Index Constituents from 1996 to 1999 --- p.55 / Table 6 Regression Results for Raw Data --- p.55 / Table 7 Regression Results using Substantial Shareholders Concentration as Proxy for Agency Cost Hypothesis --- p.57 / Table 8 Summary of Regression Results --- p.58 / Charts / Chart 1 Dividend Payout Ratios of 83 Hong Kong Listed Firms from1992 to 1999 --- p.59 / Chart 2 Earnings Growth Rate of 33 Hang Seng Index Constituents from 1996 to 1999 --- p.60 / Chart 3 Dividend Payout Ratio of 33 Hang Seng Index Constituents from 1996 to 1999 --- p.60 / Appendices / Appendix 1 The Complete Dataset --- p.61 / Appendix 2 Definition of Variables in Different Sectors --- p.63 / Appendix 3 Non-Nested Tests --- p.54 / Table A3.1 Non-Nested Tests Results --- p.65 / Table A3.2 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria - Anti-signaling Hypothesis vs Agency Cost Hypothesis --- p.66 / Table A3.3 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria - Anti-signaling Hypothesis vs Residual Hypothesis --- p.67 / Table A3.4 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria 一 Anti-signaling Hypothesis vs Investment Opportunity Hypothesis --- p.68 / Table A3.5 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria ´ؤ Residual Hypothesis vs Agency Cost Hypothesis --- p.69 / Table A3.6 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria ´ؤ Agency Cost Hypothesis vs Investment Opportunity Hypothesis --- p.70 / Table A3.7 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria ´ؤ Residual Hypothesis vs Investment Opportunity Hypothesis --- p.71 / Table A3.8 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria ´ؤ Agency Cost Hypothesis vs Anti-signaling Hypothesis --- p.72 / Table A3.9 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria ´ؤ Agency Cost Hypothesis vs Residual Hypothesis --- p.73 / Table A3.10 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria ´ؤ Agency Cost Hypothesis vs Investment Opportunity Hypothesis --- p.74 / Table A3.11 Non-Nested Test Statistics and Choice Criteria 一 Technology Industry Phenomenon vs Anti-signaling Hypothesis --- p.75 / Bibliography --- p.76

Shi, Yang. / Thesis submitted in: November 2007. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 43-45). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.i / Acknowledgement --- p.iv / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 2 --- Background and Literature Review --- p.4 / Chapter 3 --- Data and Methodology --- p.10 / Chapter 3.1 --- Data Description --- p.10 / Chapter 3.2 --- Methodology --- p.13 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Univariate analysis --- p.14 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Regression approach --- p.15 / Chapter 4 --- Result --- p.17 / Chapter 4.1 --- Univariate analysis --- p.17 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- Output change --- p.18 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- Profitability change --- p.19 / Chapter 4.1.3 --- Efficiency change --- p.22 / Chapter 4.1.4 --- Leverage change --- p.24 / Chapter 4.2 --- Multivariate analysis --- p.25 / Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.28 / Tables 1-6 --- p.30 / Bibliography --- p.43

Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 1998. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In many ways, the cash flow statement can be more informative than the other financial statements. It is relatively freer from subjective accounting and reveals managerial choices, such as investment and financing decisions, which are less apparent from the balance sheet or income statement. One of the components of the cash flow statement, cash flow from operations, is the primary focus and the primary variable of interest in this study. The study set out to create a database for the University of Stellenbosch Business School by using cash flow ratios of listed industrial companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for the period 1974 to 1997. This is an initial attempt to have such a facility in place to assist future researchers in establishing patterns present in the ratios. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all the ratios. Twenty-two ratios were calculated in three ways: (a) Ratios were pooled over time and over sector; (b) Ratios were pooled over time for each of the 17 sectors; and (c) Ratios were pooled over sectors for each of the years 1974 to 1997. In addition, chi-square and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests for normality were conducted. To get insight into the potential patterns, some of the statistical properties of cash flow ratios have been examined with particular reference to two ratios, (ratio 14 and ratio 20). These were chosen since they are considered to be the most important ratios in the study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kontantvloeistaat kan op baie maniere meer inligting as die ander finansieIe state verskaf. Dit word relatief gesproke minder deur subjektiewe rekerungkunde beYnvloed en dit 1aat die klem val op bestuursbesluite, S005 investerings- en finansieringsbesluite. Laasgenoemdes is minder duidelik waameembaar as daar na die balansstaat en inkomstestaat gekyk word. Kontant uit bedryfsaktiwiteite. een van die komponente van die kontantvloeistaat, is die primere fokus en die belangrikste item in hierdie studie. Die doel van die studie is om 'n datahasis vir die Bestuurskool van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch daar te stel, deur gebruik te maak van kontantvloeiverhoudings van aile genoteerde industriele maatskappye op die Johannesburg Effektebeurs vir die periode 1974 tot 1997. Dit was 'n eerste poging om so 'n fasiliteit daar te stel ten einde toekomstige navorsers in staat te stel om patrone aanwesig in die verhoudings waar te neem. Beskrywende statistiek is bereken Vlf al die verhoudings. Twee en twintig verhoudings is bereken op drie maniere: (a) Verhoudings gepoel oor tyd en oor sektore heen; (b) Verhoudings verpoel oor jare vir elk van die 17 sektore; en (c) Verhoudings verpoel oor sektore heen, per jaar vanaf 1974 tot 1997. Verder is die chi-kwadraat en die Kolmogorov-Smirnoftoetse vir normaliteit gedoen. Twee van die verhoudings. verhoudings 14 en 20, is uitgesonder as die belangrikste verhoudings in die studie. Ten einde insig in die potensieie patrone van die kontantvloeiverhoudings te verkry, is die statistiese eienskappe van hierdie twee verhoudings verder ondersoek.

published_or_final_version / Business / Master / Master of Philosophy

Abstract not available

<p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om revisionsplikten för små och mikro AB bör finnas kvar eller inte. Inom den Europeiska Unionen (EU) är det endast Sverige och Malta som i nuläget har plikten kvar fullt ut. För att få en uppfattning om vad debatten handlar om har vi i första hand studerat aktuella artiklar. Vi har även använt oss av två olika forskarrapporter inom området och litteratur. Åsikter i debatten har vi även tagit del av genom sju stycken olika intervjuer med anställda hos banker, Skatteverket, revisionsbyråer och ägare i små och mikro AB. Genom vår studie har vi kommit fram till att fördelar med en revisionsplikt är att den fungerar som ett kontrollinstrument för intressenter och bidrar till en kvalitetsstämpel för bolagen. Vi har dock sett att det viktigaste inte är själva plikten, utan revisionen i sig. De främsta intressenterna av revision är kreditgivarna och dessa kommer troligtvis att kunna kräva reviderat material, även om plikten avskaffas. Med andra ord är inte kreditgivarna beroende av en revisionsplikt. Vi anser därför att det är bättre att revision är självvald. Detta tror vi bidrar till en ökad status för revisorn och en högre kvalitetsstämpel för revisionen i sig.</p> / <p>The purpose with this paper is to examine whether the audit duty for small and micro joint stock companies should be in existence or not. Within the European Union (EU) it´s only Sweden and Malta who now a days still has the duty fully in existence. To get an apprehension on what the debate is about have we first of all studied current articles. We have also used two different sciencesreports within the subject and literature. We have also taking part of opionions in the debate through seven different interviews with employees at banks, tax authorities, firms of accountants and owners in small and micro joint stock companies. Through our study we have seen that the advantages with an auditduty is that it works as a controlinstrument for partners and contribute to an qualitystamp for the companies. We have although seen that the most important isn´t the duty, but instead the audit it self. The leading partners of audit is the creditgivers and they will probably be able to demand audited material anyway, even if the duty abolish. With other words, the creditgivers, is not depended on a auditduty. Our opinion is therefore that it´s better if audit is self-chosen. We think that it contributes to an increased status for the auditor and a higher qualitystamp for the audit it self.</p>