An Actuarial Analysis of Participating Life Insurance

An actuarial model is developed to reveal the intrinsic nature of participating life insurance. The basic safe-side criterion is examined. It is established how the first-order prospective net premium reserve includes safety margins or bonus loadings, and it is demonstrated how the bonus loadings are currently released. It is demonstrated how surplus may be distributed and accumulated as a terminal bonus in an equitable way. The level premium is divided into a variable recurrent single premium and a variable natural premium, and an alternative to the prospective net premium reserve is examined. A capitalization of future safety margins or bonus loadings, which are related to past premiums and the paid-up benefit, may allow the insurance company a considerable increase in investment freedom. The theory is illustrated by numerical results.     

Generalized Life Insurance: Ruin Probabilities

We study ruin probabilities for generalized life insurance programs. These programs include among others whole life and long term care contracts. Clearly, in such programs the claims in successive years are dependent, hence the structure of our problem is different from that of ruin probabilities in general insurance where claims over time are independent. First, we develop algorithms calculating the ruin probabilities for life and LTC insurance programs. Further, upper and lower bounds for these probabilities are derived. These new bounds take into account the joint distribution of claims over time.     

Topical sequencing of questions and advance organizers impacting on students' examination performance

Educators are concerned that the topically-sequenced examination version lead to higher scores in comparison to a random version. It is reasoned that students benefit from having a topically-sequenced examination as it leads them to recall information in the same order in which they learned it. However, such studies have found mixed results when comparing these two versions of a common examination. This study also examines the use of advance organizers to facilitate learning. An advance organizer presents information at a higher level of abstraction, generalization, and inclusiveness than subsequent material to be learned. This study found the topically-sequenced version outperforming the random version over four examinations of a managerial accounting course. However, there were no detected main effects for advance organizers after controlling for differences in students, examinations, and the topically-sequenced versus random versions of the examinations. Yet, an interaction for the two versions of an examination and the degree that tested material relied on an advance organizer was found to influence examination performance. Further research into the use of advance organizers and their impact on academic performance is presented.     

Board size and corporate performance: evidence from European countries

This paper examines the effects of board size on corporate performance across a number of European economies. Agency models suggest that large boards may destroy corporate value. Our fixed effects econometric evidence demonstrates that the effect of board size on corporate performance is generally negative. A negative effect is isolated for all five European countries in question when performance is measured as return on equity; this inverse relationship is more difficult to isolate using market-based measures of performance.     

The 'Hojas de Ganado' of the Monastery of Guadalupe, 1597-1784: an accounting instrument for fundamental economic decisions

This paper examines the development of a new form of accounting system which was introduced at the Monastery of Guadalupe around 1597. Increasing financial pressure on those charged with the management of the economic activities of the Monastery necessitated the development of an accounting system which would enable decision making. The system that was introduced led to the production of documents known as 'Hojas de Ganado', or 'Livestock Sheets'. The nature of the information contained in these sheets suggests a move away from the traditional form of cash accounting, prevalent at the time, towards a more modern system of accounting which enabled the Monastery's management to make decisions, on the basis of profit figures, as to the best way to manage its lands and economic operations.     

The life and career of John Spence Ogilvy (1805-71), the first chartered accountant to emigrate to Australia

So far as the available evidence allows, this paper examines the life and career of John Spence Ogilvy, foundation member of the Society of Accountants in Edinburgh in 1854, who emigrated to Melbourne in 1856, but did not play a part in the development of an organized accounting profession in Australia. The paper also attempts to explain the gap of thirty-two years between the formation of the first accounting bodies in Edinburgh and Melbourne.     

Deep and surface approaches to learning within introductory accounting: a phenomenographic study

This paper reports the findings of a phenomenographic research study which sought to identify students' approaches to learning introductory accounting and their conceptions of accounting. The findings reveal that, in common with other disciplines, deep and surface approaches to learning can be identified. However, the main contribution of this study lies in two areas. First, it distinguishes those features that are characteristic of the deep and surface approaches within the discipline of accounting. Secondly, it identifies contextual features surrounding these approaches to learning and which are central to an understanding of them. The paper suggests how these findings can be used immediately to make changes within teaching and assessment practice through a phenomenographic pedagogy which: seeks to make students' conceptions of the subject matter explicit; provides diagnostic tools for the identification of distinctively different conceptions of the subject and approaches to learning; and addresses issues of preconceptions and relevance within teaching and assessment. The findings can also be used as the basis for further research into the identification of statistical variation in approaches to learning between students.     

Closed circuit television systems: a failure in risk communication?

This article discusses the growth in the UK of the use of public space closed circuit television (CCTV) systems as a means of controlling risk. The evidence as to the efficacy of CCTV is equivocal, but despite this successive UK governments have extolled the virtues of the technology, and have made money available to fund a large number of systems. There has been little debate outside the academic literature on the use of CCTV, therefore there is an apparent paradox between CCTV's use as a medium for communication and the paucity of risk communication from government to the public. Due to apparent public acquiescence to the use of CCTV, government appears to have felt that informed debate is not required. Using a multimethod case study of the largest residential-area CCTV system in Scotland, it is concluded that there is a strong desire amongst the public for CCTV, suggesting that at present they have been unconcerned at the lack of policy debate and hard empirical evidence.     

Mispricing and lasting arbitrage between parallel markets in the Czech Republic

If co-existing parallel markets are efficient, then arbitrage will maintain a correct pricing relationship. A related question is whether two parallel emerging markets offering more or less the same securities but using different institutional designs, can behave as a single, fully integrated market. In this paper an explicit model of price convergence (with transaction costs) is introduced, in which price differences are studied using levels of arbitrage activity. For the empirical analysis two parallel markets in the Czech Republic are used — the Prague Stock Exchange (PSE) and the RMS (over-the-counter system). In particular, the degree of arbitrage activity is studied for different segments of the PSE and the evolution of arbitrage in the early history of these emerging markets. The empirical results provide evidence of market linkage for actively traded stocks. A significant relationship is found between the segment of the market to which a given firm belongs and the estimated level of arbitrage trading. Moreover, the level of arbitrage activity increases over time for all market segments, and as the markets mature, the differences among the segments gradually disappear.     

Risk-based decision analysis in support of precautionary policies

A decision-analytic model for avoiding a risky activity is presented. The model considers the benefit and cost of avoiding the activity, the probability that the activity is unsafe, and scientific tests or studies that could be conducted to revise the probability that the activity is unsafe. For a single decision maker, thresholds are identified for his or her current subjective probability that the activity is unsafe. These thresholds indicate whether the preferred course of action is avoiding the activity without further study, engaging in the activity without further study, or conducting a test or research programme to obtain additional information and following the result. When these thresholds are low, precautionary action is more likely to be warranted. When there are multiple stakeholders, differences in their perceptions of the benefit and cost of avoidance and differences in their perceptions of the accuracy of the additional information provided by the test or research programme combine to create differences in their decision thresholds. Thus, the model allows for the rational expression of differences among parties in a way that highlights disagreements and possible paths to conflict resolution. The model is illustrated with an application to phytosanitary standards in international trade and examined in terms of recent empirical research on lay perceptions of risks, benefits, and trust. Further research is suggested to improve the elicitation of model components, as a way of fostering the legitimate application of risk-based decision analysis in precautionary policy making.     

Progenitors of modern management accounting concepts and mensurations in pre-industrial England

Edwards and Newell (1994: 407) noted that 'the application of accounting techniques in business management continues to be a largely unexplored area of business history'. Outcomes of this lack of research and knowledge are simplistic conclusions such as 'accounting systems for managerial decisions and control can be traced back to the origins of hierarchical enterprises in the early nineteenth century' (Johnson and Kaplan, 1987). In contrast, the case and conclusion presented in this paper hold that innovative measurements for decisions and control attributed to industrial revolution managers were adaptations of concepts used by auditors, stewards and bailiffs who, on behalf of lords of the manor, controlled agricultural activities on landed estates. In addition, evidence is presented which shows that concepts of production standards and standard costs were used in pre-industrial England to control the manufacture and sale of bread. Much of the evidence used to build the case was drawn from translations of medieval management, accounting and legal treatises and is presented under six headings. In each of the six sections evidence of the use of a progenitor of a modern management accounting concept and associated mensuration (action of measurement) is presented and discussed. The headings are: production capacity; production standards; standard costs; cost allocation; performance analysis; and relevant costs.     

Credit agency regulation and the impact of credit ratings in the international bond market

The use of credit ratings in financial and other legal documents — both in the USA and Europe —, has led to a situation in which the major rating agencies have become (largely unwilling) participants in the legislative process. This situation has become partly formalized in the US (and is being repeated elsewhere in the European Union, Eastern Europe and Latin America) through the creation of officially ‘recognized’ agencies whose ratings now carry the imprimatur of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the debate on the necessity for formal legal status to be sustained in the market for bond credit ratings. In this context, the criteria for a credible rating agency are examined and evidence is provided on one element of the criteria which is under-researched: namely, the impact of the ratings in the market place. The influence of rating agencies in international capital markets is assessed through an analysis of the impact of ratings on the yields of bonds, represented by a comprehensive sample of actively traded debt. The sample contains analysis of ratings introductions on both new and seasoned debt and also examines the impact of ratings revisions. It is concluded that official recognition has no market-based role and it is argued that ratings are used by regulators because of the success of the major agencies in performing their market function.     

在西部民族地区完善财政生态补偿机制的对策建议

我国目前已经形成中央政府主导的对西部民族地区生态环境建设的财政补偿机制,但现行补偿机制具有很大的不稳定性、补偿不充足性、非长期高效性的特点,本文探讨如何为生态环境建设建立一种长效、稳定的兼容政府纵向和省区际间、流域间政府横向的财政补偿机制.     

Reforming the US IPO market: lessons from history and theory

The current US IPO market is inefficient and unfair. To protect their own balance sheets, US investment banks systematically underprice offerings. To ration the cheap securities, the investment banks utilize various nefarious nonprice rationing techniques, including kickbacks. Regulators should reform the market by loosening restrictions against issuers. The early history of the market (1781-1861) shows that unregulated IPO markets can function efficiently. Early US corporations successfully sold equities directly to investors without the aid of intermediaries because they could overcome information asymmetry cheaply. Today, the Information Revolution is again decreasing the cost of reducing information asymmetry between investors and issuers. Regulators could improve upon the past, however, by allowing the market to price ration new shares via an auction method.     

Risk perception by industrial radiographers: Hungary and the UK compared

Perceptions of risks from two groups of industrial radiographers, one from Hungary, (n = 45) and from the United Kingdom, (n = 29) were compared by the psychometric method. The comparison was made because both groups were at risk for high doses of ionizing radiation. We found the groups had similar demographic profiles but poor socio-economic conditions of Hungarians were associated with higher levels of emotional distress. Correlation HU-UK for personal and general risks were at a significant level for topics that included lifestyle and radiation risks. Perceptions of risks from radiation were small except for large personal risk from East European nuclear power plants. Knowledge of radiation risk intranationally was correlated positively with personal risk for UK radiographers and negatively for Hungarians. However, average overall risk perceptions from the same topic list for all radiographers did not differ significantly from a group (n = 1461) of UK citizens, though radiographer's risks from radiation were considerably greater. As a new lifesaving intervention it was proposed that radiation risk reduction could be achieved by genetic testing.     

An Italian forerunner of modern cost allocation concepts: Lorenzo De Minico and the logic of the 'flows of services'

This article provides an analysis of the thoughts of an Italian academic who lived in the first half of the twentieth century, Lorenzo De Minico, in particular it regards his approach to the allocation of common costs. De Minico's main concern was with the conventional, subjective allocation methods proposed by Italian practitioners and academics of his time. He valiantly searched for a methodological approach based on using causality as the basis for linking costs to cost objects. The most interesting finding of De Minico was the concept of 'flows of services' and his commitment to offering a convincing answer to the problem of general or common cost apportionment that went beyond 'traditional' criteria. De Minico's 'flows of services' referred to the outputs of resources consumed in indirect services. These indirect costs can be considered easily 'directly attributable' only if it is possible to measure the connected 'flows of services'. The article shows that the concept developed by De Minico in early twentieth century of Italy confirms the idea that some theoretical frameworks for a causal allocation of common costs were in existence many decades before information technology made such systems a practical proposition.     

Administration of recoveries in individual insolvency: case studies of two UK banks

Against a background of greater competition, market saturation and falling margins over the past decade UK banks have sought greater efficiencies in credit and risk assessment procedures, especially with personal lending products. In the same way they have attempted to reduce costs associated with the monitoring and collection of bad debts. Failure to monitor debt recoveries adequately, however, can lead to further pressure on profits. This paper uses a case study approach to outline key strategies adopted by two major banks in respect of formal insolvency, the ‘tip’ of a considerable debt recovery ‘iceberg’. The paper illustrates the reactions and changing administrative practices of banks, as unsecured creditors, and draws on empirical research that has charted the effect of the Insolvency Act 1986 as regards individual debtors. The collection of bad debts presents banks with risks, heightened by adverse selection and moral hazard problems greater than those applicable to credit risk assessment. However, while the ‘downside risk’ equates with the debt write-off plus transaction costs the ‘upside potential’ has elements of both tangible and intangible benefit. The paper goes on to review specific centralization and outsourcing policies against the critical risks in insolvency. It also suggests that the bargaining power of major creditors, including banks, is increased through these activities, to the possible detriment of smaller creditors and of debtors.     

The rise of cost accounting: evidence from Italy

Accounting historians link the origins of cost accounting to the rise of manufacturing firms and, in a more detailed way, to efficiency control, pricing and decision-making problems faced in those organizations. To date, the international debate has mainly focused on practices in the USA, Great Britain and France, with little evidence available of developments in other countries, such as Italy. In this paper, the authors analyse the development of cost accounting in an Italian firm, 'La Magona d'Italia'. This iron, steel and tinplate firm, situated in Piombino, is observed over the period 1865-1940, i.e. during the central phase of the industrial revolution in Italy. We find that several factors influenced the implementation of a cost accounting system at Magona, including efficiency control, strategic decision making, and stock valuation. We also find a strong British influence on Magona's strategy, organization and information system, particularly in respect of finance, managers, technology and accounting practices. There is little evidence that Italian accounting traditions and practice played much of a role.     

Comment

From the point of view of a practitioner, I found Professor Keane's paper interesting and stimulating. I do not agree with the arguments, mainly because the model I have in mind of the way in which the world really works is not consistent with the theoretical model which Keane is addressing. His puzzles and paradoxes do not seem to me to be particularly puzzling or paradoxical when certain unrealistic theoretica assumptions are relaxed.

This paper provides a brief summary of some of Professor Keane's arguments; presents an alternative view of the way equity markets actually behave in the real world; and finally contrasts the implications of this alternative view with Professor Keane' own conclusions on such issues as managements' approach to investment decisions and executive renumeration packages.