To boldly go where no man has gone before: integrating cognitive and physical features in scenario studies

A recent surge in the literature shows that scenario studies are very much back in vogue. The revival of the scenario approach to strategic planning, however, also shows that the method has developed rather one-sidedly both in theory and practice. The dominant trend in scenario thinking is that scenario construction is used primarily as a cognitive exercise, involving mental processes only. In this paper we aim to complement this development by arguing for a more integrated approach, involving both cognitive and “physical” features. Such an approach combines more traditional cognitive elements of scenario studies with, for example, organizational experiments, deliberately made small mistakes, and external corporate ventures. Moreover, we introduce a typology of scenario studies based on two salient assumptions that characterize the field.     

The horse has bolted: revisiting the market reaction to going concern modifications of audit reports

This paper examines what value is added by an audit report through an investigation of the information content for first‐time going concern modifications (GCMs). Consistent with prior research, we find no evidence of a short‐term market reaction to the public announcement of a first‐time GCM. We document a significant adverse medium‐term market reaction in the 12 months prior to a first‐time GCM announcement, but find no evidence of a persistent market underreaction in the 12 months following the announcement. These results are consistent with an audit opinion fulfilling an attestation function and confirming the deteriorating financial condition of a firm.     

Futures: A question of values-consciousness-choices

How important is the quality of values, worldviews, consciousness and choices in the theory and praxis of futures studies and the creation of possible futures? This paper is based on an unpublished Ph.D. Thesis (that is now accessible on the ADT database on the internet), a case study about the evolution of values, consciousness and choices in 12 Australian women's lives. It contains a summary of the impact of the Women's Liberation Movement on these women's values and consciousness, their current values and consciousness, as well as some of their hopes and concerns for the future. Many of the value priorities these women share stand in remarkable contrast to mainstream patriarchal ethics. These women's values also find themselves in uneasy relation to patriarchal worldviews, future visions and futures studies and in important ways surpass them. Based on my research, I propose questions and suggestions in regards to futures studies.     

Art: Futures of the past

This essay makes a demand: it calls for a divorce between art and culture in order to reaffirm a future for art. It asks whether in a scenario in which political culture has surrendered to cultural politics, can art reaffirm and reconfigure itself as a site of exuberance, wonder, vitality, affect, memory and learning, and create a place of ethical and critical resistance?     

资产证券化：我国资本市场的发展方向

资产证券化在20世纪70年代产生后，经过近40年的发展，目前已经成为全球发展最为迅速的金融产品。本文从资产证券化的内涵出发，通过研究资产证券化发展的国际经验，结合我国的实际情况，对阻碍我国资产证券化发展的原因进行了探讨，并从发行者、投资者以及中介机构等角度分析了我国发展资产证券化产品的必然性。     

证券、期货犯罪防范体系构建探析——以股指期货交易为切入点

股指期货是连接证券市场和期货市场的纽带,为证券市场提供了有效的避险工具。通过对股指期货犯罪行为的分析,笔者认为,操纵股指期货的行为必须纳入刑法规制范畴,同时还应当警惕并防范股指期货挂牌交易后因设计缺陷所产生的"新型老鼠仓"行为。并且单独罪名无法有效防止犯罪行为发生,应当建立综合性证券、期货犯罪防范体系。     

Index Futures Trading and Stock Return Volatility: Evidence from the Introduction of Mid Cap 400 Index Futures

The MidCap 400 stock index is used to provide new evidence on the relation between stock index futures trading and stock return volatility. The study documents a significant decrease in return volatility and systematic risk, and a significant increase in trading volume for the MidCap 400 stocks after the introduction of the MidCap index. A control sample of medium-capitalization stocks, however, exhibits similar contemporaneous changes in these measures. The MidCap stocks and the control stocks also experience a significant decrease in volatility and an increase in volume after the introduction of MidCap 400 index futures. Thus, the study finds no difference in the behavior of the MidCap 400 stocks and the control stocks and no evidence of a relation between index futures trading and volatility in the stock market.     

基于CSAD的期货市场羊群效应实证分析——以CZCE棉花期货为例

本文运用横截丽绝对偏离度(CSAD)方法对CZCE棉花期货市场进行了实证研究,研究结果表明,我国棉花期货市场不存在明显的"羊群效应".     

基于CSAD的期货市场羊群效应实证分析——以CZCE棉花期货为例

本文运用横截面绝对偏离度(CSAD)方法对CZCE棉花期货市场进行了实证研究,研究结果表明,我国棉花期货市场不存在明显的"羊群效应"。     

Delays in reporting price-sensitive information: The case of going concern

Regulators require firms to disclose all price-sensitive information at the earliest possible date. The going-concern opinion constitutes a fundamental uncertainty for the firm and thus is likely to be of a price-sensitive nature. This paper explores whether going-concern uncertainty disclosures are price sensitive in the London market, and then tests whether managements report such audit report information to investors on a timely basis. We capitalize on a London Stock Exchange regulatory loophole which, in effect, allows financially-distressed firms to choose either to report a forthcoming going-concern at the preliminary results announcement stage, or to delay this crucial information to their annual report release. In line with the regulatory requirements, we expect that firms with more price-sensitive, i.e., more serious, adverse news will disclose their forthcoming going-concern opinion at the earliest stage i.e., in their preliminary announcement, rather than delay to their annual report.     

中国企业“走出去”：充分利用会计中介

如果把＂走出去＂企业比喻为一艘航空母舰,那么,会计师事务所、律师事务所、投资银行等在内的中介机构就是护卫舰、补给船,为舰母保驾护航今年是中国＂十二五＂规划的开局之年,中国企业＂走出去＂在这一年也面临新的形势和任务。实施更加积极主动的开放战略     

An Empirical Analysis of Futures Margin Changes: Determinants and Policy Implications

Margin regulation raises two policy concerns. First, an alignment of margins to volatility can amplify procyclicality, leading to a build-up of excess leverage in good times and a forced deleverage in bad times. Second, competition among central counterparties (CCPs) can result in lower margin levels in order to attract more trading volume, which is referred to as a “race to the bottom.” Motivated by these issues, we empirically analyze the determinants of margin changes by using a data set of various futures margins from Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Group. We first find that CME Group raises margins quickly following volatility spikes but does not immediately lower margins following volatility declines, implying that margin-induced procyclicality is more of a concern in recessions than in expansions. In addition, we find some evidence that the margin difference between CME Group and its competitor, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), is an important driver of margin changes after changes in other margin determinants are controlled for, implying that competition may be factored into margin setting.     

Determination of Optimal Hedging Strategy for Index Futures: Evidence from Turkey

This paper aims to determine optimal hedge strategy for the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE)-30 stock index futures in Turkey by comparing hedging performance of constant and time-varying hedge ratios under mean-variance utility criteria. We employ standard regression and bivariate GARCH frameworks to estimate constant and time-varying hedge ratios respectively. The Turkish case is particularly challenging since Turkey has one of the most volatile stock markets among emerging economies and the turnover ratio as a measure of liquidity is very high for the market. These facts can be considered to highlight the great risk and, therefore, the extra need for hedging in the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE). The empirical results from the study reveal that the dynamic hedge strategy outperforms the static and the traditional strategies.     

Futures of privacy protection: A framework for creating scenarios of institutional change

The future of privacy is a topical issue in the context of debates on mass surveillance and the increasing prevalence of social media sites in everyday life. Previous scenario studies on privacy have focused on macro trends and on forecasting technological developments, and claims about causal influences have remained implicit. This article presents an alternative approach for constructing scenarios of privacy protection. The article focuses on privacy protection as a social institution and builds on the theory of gradual institutional change. The article presents a scenario framework which includes three stages: (1) outlining the dynamics of privacy protection, (2) tracing historical processes and constructing a causal narrative, and (3) creating event-based scenarios. The resulting scenarios are narratives of plausible chains of events which are based on the results of the previous stages. The key difference to typical scenario approaches is the focus on specific actors and types of event sequences in privacy protection. The argument is that by lowering the level of abstraction in this way, researchers and decision-makers can gain a more profound understanding of possible future challenges in privacy protection and of key leverage points in the institutional change process.     

A Tale of Two Index Futures: The Intraday Price Discovery and Volatility Transmission Processes Between the China Financial Futures Exchange and the Singapore Exchange

This is the first study to examine the intraday price discovery and volatility transmission processes between the Singapore Exchange and the China Financial Futures Exchange. Using one- and five-minute high-frequency data from May to November 2011, the authors find that the Chinese Securities Index 300 index futures dominate Singapore's A50 index futures in both intraday price discovery and intraday volatility transmission. However, A50 futures contracts also make a substantial contribution (26-37 percent) to the price discovery process. These results have important implications for both traders and policymakers.     

Price-Formation Process of an Emerging Futures Market: Call Auction Versus Continuous Auction

This study assesses the market qualities of alternative price-formation processes for an emerging futures market—the Taiwan futures market. In 2002, the price formation process in the market changed during the period of trade between call auction and continuous auction. The performances of call auction and continuous auction are compared using intraday data. Empirical results show that the market is more liquid, and volatility is slightly lower, under continuous auction than under call auction. Also, there is robust evidence that continuous auction improves informative efficiency. The study suggests that for an emerging futures market like that of Taiwan, continuous auction offers a better trading environment for futures trading. In addition to demonstrating the virtue of continuous auction, this study also finds that the asymmetry in volatility is related to the price formation process. The asymmetry effect exists under continuous auction, but not under call auction.     

股指期货市场的风险管理:国际比较与启示

股指期货作为20世纪80年代发展起来的新型金融衍生工具,已经成为发达金融市场的重要组成部分.本文在分析股指期货风险特性的基础上,介绍了世界各国股指期货市场的主要监管模式、风险管理特征和相关制度,以此为鉴提出了我国加强股指期货市场风险监管的建议.     

石油期货:保障中国石油安全的双刃剑

石油期货在对石油安全发挥着保障供应和降低石油价格风险等保障作用的同时，也会给投资者带来不可避免的风险。我们可以从打破石油市场的垄断、大力发展资本市场和金融市场、逐步丰富交易品种，建立成熟石油市场，实现石油定价市场化等方面着手建立适合中国国情的石油期货市场，以期发挥其保障作用、消除其负面影响。