Share prices and pension funding: An empirical test of the joint effect of pension insurance and the pension tax shield

This article examines the joint significance of the tax benefits of pension funding and the value of government sponsored pension insurance in determining the efficacy of corporate pension funding. When the pension tax shield benefits are dominant, additional funding may enhance shareholder wealth. However, additional funding is observed to have negative effects on equity prices when the value of pension insurance is dominant relative to the value of the pension tax shield. When neither the tax or insurance effects are dominant, marginal adjustments in pension funding apparently will not alter corporate share prices.     

The use of financial information by trade union negotiators in plant level collective bargaining

The aim of this paper is to undertake a critical review of recently completed empirical work, carried out under the auspices of the SSRC, on the use of information in individual company and plant level bargaining. The authors also attempt to develop a strategy for further investigation of this important topic which highlights the importance of variations in the nature of the domestic organisation in relation to the potential importance and usefulness of financial information for union negotiators.     

The disclosure of company information to trade unions: The relevance of the ACAS Code of Practice on Disclosure

In the light of recent empirical work, this paper examines the place of information disclosure in the development of both management industrial relations strategies and domestic trade union strategies involving the use of information at site and company level. The need to link information to specific issues, and the importance for both management and trade unions of institutional development, are then considered and illustrated in relation to some of the issues that emerged during the period of study. Finally, taking account of the research findings, some suggestions are put forward for the development of the ACAS Code of Practice on Disclosure of Information.     

国际结算和贸易融资新品多多

近两年国际经济和国际贸易形势不断变化,外贸企业和银行都受到一定影响．国际结算和贸易融资方式也有了新的发展。     

东亚制定新的贸易议程时机已到

东亚各国自1997年金融危机以后,在对其发展政策进行调整的同时,面临许多挑战,只有采取行动通过贸易和投资自由化保进正式的经济合作,与坚定的发展方向保持一致,才有可能应对这些挑战。请看     

The interaction between opening call auctions and ongoing trade: Evidence from the NYSE

We investigate the impact that the opening batch has on trading for the remainder of the day and what impact the prior day's trading has on the subsequent day's open. Traders have an interest in these trading impacts as their trades may cluster around opening and closing time periods. We find that the larger the volume in the opening batches, the greater the volume across the day. We also find the prior day's volume being positively related to the subsequent day's opening volume. Combined, these results suggest a continuing pattern of trade volume rolling from one day to the next. Additionally, we find that the spread in the continuous market can be partially attributed to the price change in the opening batch. We also find evidence of opening trade price reversals. Combined with the absence of price reversals following the opening trade, we conclude that the opening process may be more efficient at handling information than the continuous market.     

The demand for and supply of deposits by credit unions: The Caisses populaires' case

The aim of the study is to explain Quebec major credit union's deposit market by way of intergrating its public demand function with the institution's rate-setting operation. The demand for Caisses' deposits is specified as a dynamic stock adjustment model. On the other hand, the intermediary's rate-setting reduced form is derived from a risk-return portfolio balance model which the managers maximize the expected utility of reserves. The two models are integrated by means of a liability composite rate. Econometric estimates of the integrated model provide us with interesting policy insights. For instance, the Quebecois public views chartered banks' deposits as a weak substitute for Caisses' deposits; it is also more responsive to non-rate arguments, such as loan eligibility or the institution's ethnic appeal. On the supply side, competitive liability rates are more important than returns on assets when the Caisses set its deposit rate. Finally, the impact growth imbalance between loans and deposits is well captured by a flow variable, without infringing on the steady-state determination based on rates.     

Slack in participative budgeting: The joint effect of a truth-inducing pay scheme and risk preferences

An incentive problem in participative budgeting occurs when a worker has private information about factors that influence his or her performance and the pay scheme is budget- or standard-based. This information, if communicated accurately by the worker, may be valuable to a manager for planning and control purposes. However, the worker has an incentive to bias its communication such that a relatively easy standard is set, thereby creating slack. To alleviate this problem, analytical research has proposed truth-inducing pay schemes that provide incentives for accurately communicating private information and maximizing performance. A conventional assumption underlying these schemes is worker risk neutrality, despite the wide-spread belief that risk aversion is more typical in organizational settings. This paper reports an experiment demonstrating that, when a (conventional) truth-inducing scheme is introduced, slack decreases for risk-neutral subjects but not for risk-averse subjects.     

The demand for and supply of deposits by credit unions: The Caisses Populaires' case reply and comments

Smith points out rightly that the symbol R refers to two different, though each time well defined, concepts in Chateau's (1980) article in this Journal. His claim, however, that this leads to a misspecification of the theoretical model is erroneous, and is refuted. Further it is shown explicitly under which conditions the maximization of expected utility of reserves is consistent with balance-sheet growth. For the Caisses' system acting within the Quebec institutional and regulatory environment, the growth-cum-managerial-discretion model is theoretically appealing, as well as supported by the available empirical evidence.     

The demand for and supply of deposits by credit unions: The Caisses populaires' case correction and comment

This note corrects an error in accounting terminology made by Chateau (1980) in this journal. That error leads to an important misspecification of the theoretical model. Moreover, it is argued that, even given the correction, the assumption that the caisse will maximize the expected utility of reserves is not in general consistent with the assumed underlying motivation to maximize deposit growth.     

The characteristics and development of the Swiss franc repurchase agreement market

With the reinterpretation of repurchase agreements (repos) by the tax authority and the revision of the national bank law in 1997, allowing the Swiss national bank (SNB) to use repos as monetary policy instrument, the prerequisites for the development of a Swiss franc repo market were given. The development of the repo market in Switzerland only came up in 1999 with the provision of an integrated trading and settlement system provided by SegaInterSettle AG (SIS), Eurex and Swiss Interbank Clearing (SIC) in collaboration with the SNB. The following paper provides an overview of the basic characteristics and structure of the Swiss franc repo market as well as of the development it has undergone since 1999. It also discusses what motives and reasons the banks possess to actively participate in the Swiss franc repo market. The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of Credit Suisse.     

为什么企业方投资方对接成功这么难？

一个奇怪的现象：企业认为融资成功还是可望不可及,而投资公司却认为：现在是钱多项目少,很难找到好项目好企业。为什么企业方投资方对接成功率如此之低？本文以实体相关模式（entity relationship）进行了详尽分析,指出：只有“多对多”关系,才可能提高企业方和投资方对接的成功率     

The effect of fiscal stress and balanced budget requirements on the funding and measurement of state pension obligations

We examine the extent to which fiscal stress and state balanced budget restrictions affect the funding of state public employee retirement systems. Our results indicate a negative relation between pension funding levels and measures of both: (a) state fiscal stress and (b) the existence of balanced budget requirements. Our finding that fiscally stressed states meet balanced budget requirements through reduced funding of pensions raises public policy concerns over the fiscal integrity of employee pension funds in the public sector and the effectiveness of balanced budget requirements. Additionally, we find evidence that choice of pension discount rate is associated with states’ fiscal condition and the requirement to balance the budget. Our findings are consistent with the proposition that fiscally stressed states that are required to balance their budgets both underfund their pensions and select discount rates which obscure the underfunding.     

Accounting disclosure,corporate governance and the battle for markets: The case of trade negotiations between Japan and the U.S.

Developments in the socio-economic and political spheres impact upon accounting disclosure and corporate governance. In the context of globalisation, moves have been made ostensibly to converge practices towards global standards, which on the face of it equate to Anglo-American ways. Here, we focus on Japan in this context. We give particular attention to pressure apparently placed upon Japan by the U.S. vis-à-vis bilateral state-level trade negotiations – an under researched area – from the late 1980s. We critically interpret how the Japanese Government has responded to such apparent pressure.     

The effect of the Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 2000 on employer-provided pension and medical plans

On April 7, 2000 President Clinton signed the Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act. The act reduces the Social Security retirement benefit penalties previously imposed on 65- through 69-year-old workers who earned more than nominal incomes after enrolling in the program. This article analyzes the impact that the act will have on retirement decisions of the affected cohorts of older workers and closes with an analysis of how the act may affect employer-provided pension, medical and paid leave plans.     

The effects of devaluation on the trade balance: A critical view and re- examination of Mile's ‘new results’

In a often cited article, Miles (1979) claims to have shown empirically the validity of the global monetarist proposition that devaluations do not affect the balance of trade. This paper first uses Mile's own framework of analysis to reveal serious deficiencies in his methodology and tests that cast doubt on the validity of his results. In a respecified trade balance equation, we show that devaluations do affect the trade balance in the traditionally predicted direction. The pivotal difference between the two specifications arises from our inclusion of relative-price effects and longer lag structure for the exchange-rate variable.     

The impact of technology-motivated M&A and joint ventures on the value of IT and non-IT firms: a new examination

We extend Lee and Lim (Rev Quant Financ Account 27:111–123, 2006) who provide empirical evidence on the impact of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and joint ventures on the value of information technology (IT) and non-IT firms. Using technology-motivated transactions, we examine whether there are differences in market response to the announcement of M&As and joint ventures, and we consider the long-term performance of such firms. We find the market provides no (positive) reaction to joint ventures (M&As) at the announcement. We also present new evidence suggesting the market reacts more favorably to the announcement of technology M&As relative to joint ventures for our full sample, IT sample and non-IT sample. However, our examination of these firms’ long-term performance suggests the initial reaction is not fully supported. The findings suggest improved (declining) operating performance for joint venture (M&A) firms, and evidence to conclude joint venture firms achieve superior long-term performance changes for both accrual- and cash-based measures. To explain these inconsistencies, we employ a set of control variables previously documented as determinants of the innovation ownership decision. For joint venture firms, we find that, while the market fails to consider the importance of the firms’ R&D intensity and growth prospects in its initial reaction, these are ultimately key indicators of their future performance. The evidence also suggests the market overreacts to M&A announcements because it over-weights the impact of R&D intensity on the firms’ future performance in its initial response.