Regime Shifts in Asian Equity and Real Estate Markets

This paper applies a new statistical technology for identifying regime shifts to analyze recent data on real estate and equity markets in eight developing Far Eastern countries in the 1992–1998 time period. We find that regime shifts in volatility occur in the summer of 1997; however, most of the regime shifts in returns occur in the spring of 1998. While the clustering of regime breaks does not seem to follow any obvious pattern, the country's exposure to trade and firm leverage are important. An analysis of Granger causality suggests that, in most cases, equity returns cause real estate returns but the converse is not true. We also find two-way causality in volatility, suggesting that a common factor drives volatility in these markets. Finally, we provide evidence that the regime shifts generally imply higher relative risk for real estate securities after the estimated breaks.     

Product and international diversification among Japanese multinational firms

This paper examines the relationship of performance with product and international diversification on Japanese multinational firms from 1977 to 1993. We show the relationships between diversification and performance change over time through the use of multiple time periods and accounting for keiretsu membership. Results show that while diversity strategies vary between keiretsu and non‐keiretsu firms, performance is not much different. Across time periods, performance varies considerably, but strategies are less variable. Product diversity has weak effects on firm performance only in one time period, while international diversification has negative profitability and positive growth consequences in in some periods. These results suggest first that diversification strategies and their effects on performance vary across time periods and generally produce some unexpected findings. We do not find strong interactive diversity effects. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seasonality and cultural influences on four Asian stock markets

We use daily returns to identify seasonality on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE), The Stock Exchange, Bombay (SEB), the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) and The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). On all four, we find strong day-of-the-week effects. Month-of-the-year effects exist on the KLSE and the SES but not on the SET or the BSE. Strong Chinese New Year effects are evident on the SES and the KLSE. The Chinese New Year effect on the SET is among small capitalization stocks. On the KLSE, we also find Islamic New Year and Vesak effects, but no Aidilfitri effect. Only weak holiday effects concerning several Indian lunar holidays are evident on the BSE. In general we find that cultural holidays evidence a stronger effect than state holidays. These results confirm the importance of cultural influences in the pricing of stocks.M. W. L. Chan is Professor of Finance and Business Economics at McMaster University, Canada, Anya Khanthavit Associate Professor of Finance, Thammasat University, Thailand and Hugh Thomas Assistant Professor of Finance, McMaster University, Canada. The authors would like to thank the Association of Deans of Southeast Asian Graduate Schools of Management for the financial support that enabled this research to be undertaken and an anonymous referee for his many insightful and constructive suggestions. Please direct all correspondence to Hugh Thomas, School of Business, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M4, Canada, tel: (905) 522-6861 ext 23983 or email thomas@mcmaster.ca..     

The impact of income diversification among fishing communities in Western Kenya

Past studies have shown that fishing communities in developing countries are generally poor. One potential strategy for reducing poverty among these communities is income diversification. This study investigates the impact of income diversification on incomes of fishing communities living on the Kenyan shores of Lake Victoria. Using four propensity score matching methods, we find evidence that income diversification increases the incomes of fish workers. The strongest impact appears to be among fishers, fish enterprise employees and fish workers in the non-export beach. Based on these results, income diversification can be considered a poverty reduction strategy among fishing communities in Western Kenya.     

Multinationals' diversification and the risk-return trade-off

This paper advances a theoretical rationale to explain Bowman's paradox (1980) that firms with high returns can have low risk. Here we draw on the rich body of international management research and argue that global market diversification, which provides firms with three distinct options and opportunities over domestic firms, can explain the high return-low risk profile. We also argue that no strong theoretical rationale exists in support of either related or unrelated product diversification generating such a favorable risk-return profile. By integrating both the product and the global market dimension of diversification into our analyses and by controlling for the industry effect, this paper sheds new light on the relationship between corporate diversification and the risk-return tradeoff. The results of this research, which are based on the diversification experiences of 125 multinationals, reveal the strikingly important, though so far overlooked, role that global market diversification plays in the joint management of corporate risk and return. Global market diversification here reflects both the multiplicity of international market areas in which a firm operates and the distribution pattern of a firm's industries across these multiple areas.     

Corporate diversification: the impact of foreign competition,industry globalization,and product diversification

The globalization of markets and industries has fundamentally changed the competitive conditions facing firms. Yet, how globalization has influenced the international diversification strategies of firms is an issue largely overlooked in both the strategic management and international business literatures. This paper develops a theoretical framework to understand how industry globalization, foreign competition, and firm product diversification may influence a firm's choice of its degree and scope of international diversification. Utilizing a panel dataset of U.S. manufacturing firms for the period 1987–99, we provide the first empirical evidence that industry globalization and foreign-based competition are statistically significant factors explaining the degree and scope of international diversification by U.S. firms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Human Papillomavirus Infection and Risk for Bladder Cancer among the Asian Population: a Meta-analysis

[目的]探讨人乳头瘤病毒(HPV)感染与亚洲人膀胱癌罹患之间的危险性.[方法]计算机检索Pubmed、CNKI数据库、万方数据库,同时利用文献追溯等途径收集1989年1月至2011年3月国内外公开发表的有关HPV感染与亚洲人膀胱癌患病的相关文献,同时检索相关引用文献.应用Meta分析对其进行综合评价.[结果]共31篇文献符合纳入标准,其中病例—对照研究18篇.亚洲膀胱癌患者中HPV总的感染率为35.67％(95％ CI:33.43％～37.97％),其中高危型HPV感染率为34.29％(95％CI:31.77％～36.87％).亚洲人膀胱癌患者膀胱癌组织中HPV的检出率主要受到HPV感染型别和发表年限的影响.而中国大陆膀胱癌患者中,HPV的感染率为47.27％( 95％CI.44.12％～50.44％),显著高于亚洲平均水平(P＜0.001).固定效应模型计算结果显示,亚洲人中HPV感染对膀胱癌罹患关联的OR值为5.17(95％CI:3.52～7.60),且主要受到HPV感染型别的影响.[结论]亚洲人中HPV感染,尤其是高危型HPV感染,可能会增加膀胱癌罹患的危险性.     

基于消费者效用的品牌权益模型及应用

品牌权益是品牌理论的核心内容之一。本文在现有品牌权益理论的基础上，以品牌战略营销为导向。以创造品牌价值为目标。从消费者效用的角度研究了品牌权益的价值源泉。建立了基于消费者效用的品牌权益模型，探讨了品牌识别系统、品牌的感知效用空间和品牌行为及品牌竞争优势之间的内在关系，提出了建立、维持、利用和提高品牌权益的路径和方法。     

Risk and the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage

This article analyzes the risks involved with reverse mortgage insurance and explains the pricing model developed for the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) demonstration. The paper demonstrates how borrower longevity, interest rates and property value changes all affect pricing, and why the HECM model focuses on property value as the primary source of uncertainty. It goes on to explain why a random walk specification was chosen to forecast property values, and how the principal limit factors, which determine cash payments to borrowers in the HECM program, are calculated.     

How do interdependencies among human‐capital deployment,development, and diversification strategies affect firms' financial performance?

Using key insights from the resource‐based view of the firm, we develop and test a theory of how firms can successfully deploy and develop their strategic human assets while managing the trade‐offs in their service and geographical diversification strategies. In a sample of large law firms we find that, even though firms profit from expert human‐capital leveraging strategy and service and geographical diversification strategies individually, pursuing these strategies simultaneously at high levels produces negative interaction effects on firm profitability. In addition, the internally developed, firm‐specific associate human capital strategically fits better with high levels of expert human‐capital leveraging. While lateral hiring helps firms build new knowledge bases and take advantage of growth opportunities, pursuing high levels of both expert human‐capital leveraging and lateral hiring of associates results in lower profitability. To fully capture the economic benefits from strategies of diversification, human‐capital leveraging and lateral hiring, firms should understand and manage the complex interdependencies among multiple levels of strategy. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of intra- and inter-regional geographic diversification and product diversification on export performance: Evidence from the Chilean fresh fruit export sector

This study examines individually the effects of intra- and inter-regional geographic diversification on the export performance of firms from the Chilean fresh fruit sector. It also explores the direct effect of related product diversification on export performance and its role as a moderator in the relationship between geographic diversification and export performance. By employing panel trade data of 279 purely exporting firms over a six-years period (2010–2015), we found that both intra- and inter-regional diversification have an inverted U-shaped relationship with export performance, where moderate levels of diversification have positive effects on export performance, but higher levels may be counterproductive. Results also showed that related product diversification has a positive effect on firm export performance and a negative moderating effect on the relationship between inter-regional diversification and export performance. In the case of intra-regional diversification, we did not find any moderating effect from product diversification. By focusing on firms from the agricultural sector based in an emerging economy, this study offers practical implications for firm managers, trade organizations and private export associations, that may also be applicable to other export-based activities and emerging economies.     

法的建立、法的实施与权益资本成本

本文以上市公司的权益资本成本为衡量指标,分别从法的建立和法的实施两个方面研究我国中小投资者法律保护的作用。研究结果发现,法的建立作用有限,中小投资者保护立法仅在某些特定阶段对权益资本成本产生影响;而法的实施作用明显,有关法律实施的典型事件和地区差异对权益资本成本具有显著的降低作用。     

Portfolio diversification into the Asia-Pacific capital markets: A currency perspective

This paper examines the potential benefits of international investment in the Asia-Pacific capital markets. Using the viewpoints of U.S., Hong Kong and Japanese investors, the study shows that the returns from international investment within the region are more dependent upon the state of exchange rate changes. For the Hong Kong investors, despite the adopted pegged-rate between the Hong Kong dollar and U.S. dollar, the pattern of exchange returns from investing in the region resembles that of Japan rather than that of the U.S.     

Some evidence on the gains from international diversification for Canadian investors

It is easily demonstrated ex post that international portfolio diversification results in increased returns and reduced risk. However, to determine the value of international diversification as an effective portfolio management strategy, it is necessary to form portfolios based on information available at the time of their composition, and then evaluate the performance of the portfolio in the following months. This is the main focus of our study, which adds several innovations to past research. First, we use daily rates of return on 23 national indices to evaluate the value of international diversification for a Canadian investor. Second, we evaluate the predictive value of the historical variance-covariance matrix vis-à-vis alternative models. Third, we use the Bayes-Stein correction to reduce errors in the historical return vector. Finally, we use a quadratic programming model in order to introduce the effects of constraints on the optimisation process. The results, obtained over the 1986–1989 period, are not in favour of international diversification. Returns on diversified portfolios were often lower than returns on the low-risk Canada market during the low-performance portfolio test periods. In other cases, higher returns on diversified portfolios could not be justified by their higher volatility. It is possible that these results may be partially due to the effects of the market crash in October 1987. Nevertheless, our study brings up many directions for future research. Is international diversification in fact profitable? Is portfolio optimisation appropriate in an international context? Finally, what is the best way to estimate the expected return vector in various markets?     

Core business regulation and dual diversification patterns in the telecommunications industry

A firm is confronted with the separate decisions of product and international diversification. It is suggested that these postures are linked to external contingencies in firms who face core business regulation. A technique is developed to explain dual diversification patterns using evidence obtained from the new industry comprised of the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs).     

Systematic Risk and Diversification in the Equity REIT Market

This paper employs stock market-based data to examine the systematic risk and diversification properties of publicly traded equity real estate investment trusts (REITs). A unique data sample is created by combining firm return data with information on their property type holdings and the location of their investments. The systematic risk of equity REITs appears to vary by the type of property in which they invest, with beta being significantly higher for retail-oriented REITs than for REITs owning industrial and warehouse properties. In addition, the stock market data provides no evidence that REIT diversification across property types or broad geographic regions actually results in meaningful diversification as reflected in a standard market-based measure—the R ² from a simple market model regression.     

Estimating the Cost of Equity Capital Using Tobin's q

This paper presents a new technique for estimating a firm's cost of equity capital using Tobin's q ratio. Although based on the constant growth rate valuation model, the Tobin's q approach obviates the need for estimating the growth rate g. Moreover, the data required for implementing this new approach are readily available for large firms.     

Corporate diversification and the value of individual firms: A Bayesian approach

Research summary: Prior theory suggests that the performance effects of a firm's diversification strategy depend on a firm's individual resources and capabilities and the setting within which it is operating. However, prior tests of this theory have examined the average diversification‐performance relationship across all firms, instead of estimating the diversification‐performance relationship at the individual firm level. Efforts to estimate this average relationship are inconsistent with a central assumption of much of strategic management theory—that firms maximize value by choosing strategies that exploit their heterogeneous resources and individual situation. By adopting an approach that allows an evaluation of the diversification‐performance relationship for individual firms, this article shows that firms, both focused and diversified, tend to choose that diversification strategy—focus, related diversification, or unrelated diversification—that maximizes value. Managerial summary: Instead of a universal diversification discount or premium, this article shows that the effect of diversification on performance is heterogeneously distributed across firms and that firms tend to be rational in their diversification decisions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Product diversification,performance criteria and compensation at the corporate manager level

The paper describes a test of the Galbraith and Nathanson (1978) model of stages of development. In particular, Galbraith and Nathanson hypothesized that in highly diverse firms: (1) performance criteria are more objective, (2) bonus is a larger proportion of total compensation, and (3) bonus allocation decisions are based more on an objective ‘formula’ of performance evaluation than on the discretion of the firm President or Chief Executive Officer. The study compared the three variables across three diversification groups (high, medium, low), based on Rumelt's (1974) classification (single product, vertically integrated, dominant, related, unrelated, and conglomerate). The study used written surveys of corporate managers in Fortune 1000 manufacturing firms.     

公平诚信电力经营的重要法则--由一起合同纠纷判例引发的思考

2001年第6期的《最高人民法院公报》刊登了“广东直通电讯有限公司诉洪分明电话费纠纷案”一文,广州市中级人民法院经审理认定被上诉人电讯公司在《广州市数字移动电话(GSM)安装申请卡》的用户须知第10条规定“停机三个月后,本营业处有权将该用户号码转给别人使用,一律不予退还所有入网费用”是以合同格式条款的形式出现,只强调了自己的权利,忽视了用户的利益,损害了上诉人洪分明的财产权益,违背了公平原则,该格式条款应属无效。