Short-termism,shareholder payouts and investment in the EU

Investor-driven 'short-termism' is said to harm EU public firms' ability to invest for the long term, prompting calls for the EU to better insulate managers from shareholder pressure. But the evidence offered—rising levels of repurchases and dividends—is incomplete and misleading: it ignores large offsetting equity issuances that move capital from investors to EU firms. We show that, over the last 30 years and the last decade, net shareholder payouts have been moderate and investment and cash balances have increased. In sum, the data provide little basis for the view that short-termism in the EU warrants corporate governance reforms.     

毛竹水溶性多糖提取工艺的优化及结构表征

采用响应面法优化毛竹水溶性多糖的提取工艺,分析其成分,并进行结构表征。研究结果表明,优化的毛竹多糖(BSP)提取条件为:料液比1∶27(g/mL)、提取温度78 ℃、提取时间4 h,该条件下BSP提取率为(5.18±0.07)%,提取物中多糖含量为(72.14±0.02)%,糖醛酸含量为(9.76±0.03)%;BSP具有酸性多糖典型的官能团特征吸收峰,其单糖组成及摩尔比为n_甘露糖∶n_葡萄糖∶n_阿拉伯糖∶n_木糖∶n_鼠李糖∶n_半乳糖=62.52∶23.05∶10.35∶2.78∶0.79∶0.51;BSP由两个主峰组成,相对分子质量分别为91.11、4.55 kDa。BSP是一种混合酸性多糖。     

The effects of credit default swaps on corporate investment

ABSTRACT

This paper examines how credit default swaps (CDS) affect the corporate investment of the referenced entities. We document a significant reduction in corporate investment after CDS trading, a result that is robust to alternative model specifications and a set of endogeneity tests. Our findings of the increased firm risk and cost of capital support the costly external capital channel. The cross-sectional variations in CDS effects demonstrate that both reduced monitoring and the empty creditor problem might be the underlying forces driving the costly external capital channel. Our additional analysis implies that CDS trading is associated with an enhancement in investment efficiency for firms that are prone to overinvestment.     

行为经济学视角下的社会保障理论演进

社会保障系统通过社会与个体的风险共担，增进了个人、家庭和社会的福利水平，对就业、消费、投资均有显著影响。过去社会保障理论侧重信息约束和跨期决策下的机制设计，通过政府干预来实现有效的风险和成本共担，进而有效化解社会成员所面临的各种风险。但这些干预机制有可能会对就业等产生负面影响。近年来，行为与实验经济学开始进入社会保障理论的研究，新的理论试图从理性约束视角来理解社会保障系统的性质及其影响，并提出了全新的助推机制的设计理念与思路。迄今的研究发现，干预机制和助推机制各有千秋，通过合理的互补与替代，能够更好地实现社会保障系统的有效运行。     

Vertical integration vs. specialization: a nonparametric conditional efficiency estimate for the global semiconductor industry

Journal of Productivity Analysis - This paper applies a two-stage nonparametric approach to compare companies operating in different business models in the global semiconductor industry. Using...     

Go beyond tokens: Number and type both matter

Drawing upon token theory and critical mass theory, this study examines whether all female directors are equally considered as tokens. We argue that inside female directors are less likely than outside female directors to be considered as tokens because they are more powerful and influential. Using a 10-year sample of Chinese publicly listed firms on the Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2008 to 2017, we find that even one inside female director can make a significant contribution to corporate social responsibility (CSR), while outside female directors do not have a positive effect on CSR until their number reaches the critical mass (i.e., three). The results suggest that the predictions of token theory and critical mass theory vary across female director types. These findings contribute to the current literature by integrating female director typology with their numerical representation to explain their token status.     

我国农作物秸秆离田多元化利用现状与策略

［目的］对全国秸秆堆沤肥料化利用量、秸秆新型能源化利用量、农户秸秆直接燃用量、秸秆新型产业化利用量进行系统估算，并结合问题分析和发展需求，提出进一步提升我国秸秆离田多元化利用水平的策略，以期为国家秸秆综合利用提供决策支持。［方法］以全国“十二五”秸秆综合利用情况终期评估结果为基础，通过实地调研和文献分析，对全国秸秆离田利用量进行估算和分析。［结果］（1）2015年，全国秸秆离田利用总量为346亿t，占全国秸秆已利用量的4799%； （2）全国秸秆饲料化利用量为169亿t，占秸秆离田利用总量的4884%； （3）全国秸秆堆肥利用量约为1 400万t，其中工厂化堆肥利用秸秆量约为400万t； （4）秸秆新型能源化利用量约为2 000万～2 400万t，农户直接燃用秸秆量约为085亿t； (5)全国秸秆新能源、工厂化堆肥、原料化等新型产业利用量约为048亿～052亿t，占秸秆离田利用总量的1224％～1337％。［结论］未来，我国秸秆离田多元化利用应建立新型的农牧结合制度和具有中国特色的多元组合施肥制度，打造以废弃秸秆为主要消纳对象的秸秆产业化体系，并努力提高秸秆打包离田机械作业质量和秸秆新型产业高值化利用水平。     

An inexact l2-norm penalty method for cardinality constrained portfolio optimization

Abstract

We analyze and solve a single-period portfolio optimization problem with non-convex constraints, which address practical concerns of investment such as the active share weights of sectors and the number of stocks held in a portfolio. We reformulate the problem to simplify the computation and propose an inexact l₂-norm penalty method to solve the problem.     

Uncertainty of political subsidy,heterogeneous beliefs,and IPO anomalies

Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting - This paper focuses on financial subsidies introduced by the Chinese government to benefit IPO firms. Because of high uncertainty, subsidy information...     

Perceptions of the benefits of the A3 planner in facilitating project-based learning in accounting education

This paper evaluates ways of instilling project management skills into accounting-based learning by the use of an iterative A3 planner to plan, monitor and review assignment progress. The application of an A3 planner to facilitate a project-based learning (PBL) group assignment in undergraduate accounting education has been critically evaluated in terms of both the student and tutor experience. The study uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data assisting exploration of perceptions were collected through 100 undergraduate students. A series of focus group discussions were carried out to investigate students’ engagement and tutors’ teaching experiences regarding the adoption of the A3 planner. The results suggest that the A3 planner promotes active planning and effective management of a PBL group assignment. It makes students’ thought processes more visible thereby facilitating and enhancing the tutoring/mentoring process. Moreover a more interactive and transparent approach by doing assignment via the use of an iterative A3 planner has ensured more feedback points and action based efficiency in the doing approach for learners.