How Might Companies Value ESOs?

There has been a steady growth in the use of employee equity compensation plans, and in the use of executive stock options (ESOs) in particular, along with a rise in shareholder and public perceptions that the values of compensation plans are not always fully disclosed. The IFSA of Australia recently called for separate reporting in financial statements of numbers and values of ESOs. Companies, when negotiating employment contracts, frequently agree to compensate an executive if a share option plan is subsequently not approved by shareholders. These facts suggest that reporting the value of an ESO plan is a useful and important exercise. We outline a model for the valuation of ESOs typically issued by Australian listed companies and illustrate the application of the model with a case study.     

Value and liquidity under changing market conditions

Papers studying the liquidity of a market tend to focus on decisions involving the trade-off between the selling price and the time-till-sale for a given set of market conditions. This paper characterizes market conditions using a price-probability locus; a change in market conditions is some combination of changes in the level and/or slope of this locus. I show how the effect of either type of change on price and on the probability-of-sale can be decomposed into those commonly associated with an increase in the value and those which involve a substitution between price and probability. Two adding-up conditions restrict the set of possible predictions. Though the discussion focusses on real estate market, where scarcity is rationed by a mechanism which combines search and bargaining, the same ideas apply to markets with other types of selling mechanisms.     

The Business Community and the Poor: Rethinking Business Strategies and Social Policy

A bstract . Business represents a powerful set of social institutions which are of critical importance to the life prospects of the poor. The impact of business upon the poor, however, should not be confined to the usual theses concerning the macro economy and job creation. Rather, emphasis must also be placed upon specific enterprises and their strategic policies. Such policies are based on an enterprise's proper mission as a business, but also include the pivotal role business exercises in shaping poverty programs and processes of social change.     

A Theory of Trade Union Membership Retention

The retention rate of unemployed members can vary substantially between trade unions and may not particularly reflect the structure of the labour market within which a union operates. This raises the issue of whether retention of these members is due to supply-side factors characterised by individuals or to the policy of trade unions towards their unemployed members.     

A dynamic almost ideal demand system incorporating consumer expectations

In this paper a theoretical framework is presented for the analysis of the effects of psychological, perceptual or expectational factors on household expenditure within a complete demand system. The model was estimated using the Consumer Sentiment Index, which represents an index of consumer perceptions of economic conditions. Evidence was found for significant expectational effects on five of nine expenditure categories—food at home, alcohol, housing, durables and other services. The direct expectation effects were found to be small in size. The results demonstrate the model's potential usefulness as a framework for modelling consumer behavioral responses to expectations and for evaluating the welfare implications of policy-induced changes in expectations.     

Corporate Social Responsibility in Supply Chains of Global Brands: A Boundaryless Responsibility? <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clarifications,Exceptions and Implications</Emphasis>

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly becoming a popular business concept in developed economies. As typical of other business concepts, it is on its way to globalization through practices and structures of the globalized capitalist world order, typified in Multinational Corporations (MNCs). However, CSR often sits uncomfortably in this capitalist world order, as MNCs are often challenged by the global reach of their supply chains and the possible irresponsible practices inherent along these chains. The possibility of irresponsible practices puts global firms under pressure to protect their brands even if it means assuming responsibilities for the practices of their suppliers. Pressure groups understand this burden on firms and try to take advantage of the situation. This article seeks to challenge the often taken-for-granted-assumption that firms should be accountable for the practices of their suppliers by espousing the moral (and sometimes legal) underpinnings of the concept of responsibility. Except where corporate control and or corporate grouping exist, it identifies the use of power as a critical factor to be considered in allocating responsibility in firm–supplier relationship; and suggests that the more powerful in this relationship has a responsibility to exert some moral influence on the weaker party. The article highlights the use of code of conducts, corporate culture, anti-pressure group campaigns, personnel training and value reorientation as possible sources of wielding positive moral influence along supply chains.     

INTRADAY MARKET BEHAVIOR AND THE EXTENT OF FEEDBACK BETWEEN S&P 500 FUTURES PRICES AND THE S&P 500 INDEX

In this study we empirically examine the intraday lead/lag relation between S&P 500 futures prices and the S&P 500 index, and whether daily market characteristics are associated with changes in the relation. We estimate daily Geweke measures of feedback and regress time series of these measures on daily price volatility and volume characteristics. Results indicate that the contemporaneous price relation is substantive and that measures of contemporaneous feedback are positively associated with the daily range of the futures price. The primary implication is that the relation between cash and futures prices becomes stronger as futures price volatility increases. As volatility increases, information is being impounded at a faster rate so that futures and equity markets operate more closely as one market. Large futures price moves, by themselves, are not responsible for breakdowns in the stock-futures price relation.