EFFECT OF FED POLICY ACTIONS ON THE DEFAULT LIKELIHOOD OF COMMERCIAL BANKS

Using a measure of default likelihood based on an option pricing method, we provide evidence that Fed policy actions affect the financial distress of commercial banks. When the Fed increases (decreases) interest rates, the measure of default likelihood increases (decreases). We show that when the Fed uses a tight money policy, the increase in default likelihood is more pronounced for banks that have less capital, have greater financial leverage, are smaller, have fewer growth opportunities, and have lower asset quality. Additionally, the effects on bank default likelihood are more pronounced when the Fed's policy signals less concern about economic growth, as indicated by its bias toward further tightening, and when there is a market expectation of higher short‐term market rates in the future.     

The Returns to Academic and Vocational Qualifications in Britain

This paper uses data from the 1991 sweep of the National Child Development Study (NCDS) and the 1998 Labour Force Survey (LFS) to provide a comprehensive analysis of the labour market returns to academic and vocational qualifications. The results show that the wage premia from academic qualifications are typically higher than from vocational qualifications. However, this gap is reduced somewhat, when we control for the amount of time taken to acquire different qualifications. This is particularly important for vocational courses, which generally take shorter time periods to complete. In the paper we also investigate how returns vary by gender, subsequent qualifications, and the natural ability of individuals. Finally, by comparing the NCDS results with those from the LFS, we estimate the bias that can result from not controlling for factors such as ability, family background and measurement error. The results reveal that the estimated returns in the NCDS equations controlling for ability, family background and measurement error are similar to the simple OLS estimates obtained with the LFS, which do not control for these factors. This suggests that the biases generally offset one another.     

Competitive and Information Effects of Cross-Border Stock Listings

We examine the effect of 269 cross‐border listings on rivals in the listing and domestic markets and find that U.S. rivals experience significant gains whereas domestic rivals do not. Both competitive and information effects are important in explaining the reaction of U.S. rivals. Regarding the competitive effects, the reaction of rivals is less favorable when listings originate in developed countries and more favorable when listing firms do not have prior operating presence in the United States. Regarding the information effects, the reaction is less favorable when listings are combined with equity offerings and more favorable when the listing is the first to occur within an industry.     

What do we know about consumers' ontological security in disaster scenarios?

While prior consumer studies have adopted various theoretical perspectives to explain individuals' reactions to disasters, scant attention has been paid to the role of ontological security in shaping those responses. This study attempts to fill this knowledge gap by qualitatively exploring ontological security in two contexts: man-made and natural disasters. To this end, we conducted 35 focus groups in the UK, Germany, and France to address how people reacted to terrorist attacks and the COVID-19 pandemic respectively. Through thematic analysis, three themes emerged: fear versus anxiety, oneself versus others, and materialistic versus experiential purchases. Man-made disasters appear to elicit fear, concern for self, and a preference for materialistic purchases, whereas natural disasters seem to trigger anxiety, concern for others, and a preference for experiential purchases. Both types of disasters seem to evoke a desire to escape from reality. In closing, we discuss both transitory and prolonged threats to ontological security and how they shape individuals' behaviours while restoring their security.     

Does it matter where you invest? The impact of foreign direct investments on domestic job creation and destruction

This study examines how foreign direct investment (FDI) affects domestic employment by using unique division-level data of Japanese firms. Contrary to most previous studies focusing on the effect of FDI on net employment growth, we decompose it into job creation (JC) and job destruction (JD) for each individual firm. We find that FDI destination plays an important role: FDI to Asia increases JC, whereas FDI to Europe/North America decreases it; furthermore JD decreases, regardless of FDI destination. A frictional search-and-matching model with heterogeneous jobs can explain the differential effects. The model provides additional predictions on JC and JD by job type, which are also empirically confirmed.     

试论集团公司内部会计控制

受会计管理体制的局限性、资源分配能力和操作流程不规范等因素影响,目前企业集团内部会计控制依然存在很多控制方面的问题。针对集团公司内控问题,分析其产生的原因,并提出了解决措施。     

Smartphone-based agricultural extension services and farm incomes: Evidence from Zhejiang Province in China

Smartphone use in rural China has grown rapidly, leading to the fast development of smartphone-based agricultural extension services. However, there is limited research on the income effects of smartphone-based agricultural extension services in rural areas. In this study, we analyze the causal effects of smartphone-based agricultural extension services (“Zhe'yang'shi” WeChat application as an example) on farm incomes in Zhejiang, China, using a staggered difference-in-differences method with panel data from 400 crop farmers. Our results show that adopting smartphone-based agricultural extension services increases farm income from soil testing formula fertilizer fields by 15.39% and total farm income by 16.31%.     

重症患者CT增强检查的护理分析

目的探讨在重症患者CT增强检查过程中加强护理干预的效果。方法选取2013年1月至2014年1月我院行CT增强检查的128例重症患者的临床资料进行归纳整理,分析检查过程中患者的不良反应发生情况及CT增强检查结果。结果除1例患者因气喘、憋闷,未能完成增强检查外,127例患者均顺利完成增强检查。结论在重症患者CT增强检查的过程中加强护理干预,可有效预防意外事故的发生,保证检查顺利进行。