Factors Influencing Young Consumers’ Acceptance of Genetically Modified Food in India

We analyzed the determinants of acceptance of genetically modified food (GMF) by using the probit model. In this study, we found that around 41% of the students are willing to buy GMF, and acceptance of GMF is less in female respondents than male respondents. The findings indicate that in India, benefit perception of GMF outweighed the risk perception. We also found that respondents’ trust in international organizations for truthful information has a positive and significant influence on acceptance of GMF.     

SIMPLE PROCESSES AND THE PRICING AND HEDGING OF CLIQUETS

For data on market prices for 246 cliquets we consider pricing these exotic options using a relatively simple path space. The path space is subsequently stressed to market implied stress levels as well as stress levels predicted from contract characteristics. An additive process transitioning from a Sato process to a Levy process is formulated and estimated on vanilla options. Ask prices constructed from predicted stress levels are observed to have an in sample correlation of 92% with market prices. Interestingly, it is observed that capped cash flows have negative stress levels while uncapped products have positive stress levels. We illustrate the effect of hedging cliquet liabilities using call options as hedging assets permitting a 10% reduction in ask prices.     

The Gravity Model Analysis of Bangladesh's Trade: A Panel Data Approach

The article applies generalized gravity models to analyze Bangladesh's bilateral trade pattern using the panel data estimation technique. The results reveal that Bangladesh's trade is positively determined by the size of the economies, per capita gross domestic product differential and openness of the trading countries. Bangladesh's exports are positively determined by its income, partner countries' total import demand and openness, but negatively determined by partner countries' income and domestic inflation. Bangladesh's imports are positively determined by income of trading countries and degree of openness of the partner countries and negatively determined by partner countries' inflation. Transportation costs affect Bangladesh's trade negatively.     

ON VALUING STOCHASTIC PERPETUITIES USING NEW LONG HORIZON STOCK PRICE MODELS DISTINGUISHING BOOMS,BUSTS, AND BALANCED MARKETS

For longer horizons, assuming no dividend distributions, models for discounted stock prices in balanced markets are formulated as conditional expectations of nontrivial terminal random variables defined at infinity. Observing that extant models fail to have this property, new models are proposed. The new concept of a balanced market proposed here permits a distinction between such markets and unduly optimistic or pessimistic ones. A tractable example is developed and termed the discounted variance gamma model. Calibrations to market data provide empirical support. Additionally, procedures are presented for the valuation of path dependent stochastic perpetuities. Evidence is provided for long dated equity linked claims paying coupon for time spent by equity above a lower barrier, being underpriced by extant models relative to the new discounted ones. Given the popularity of such claims, the resulting mispricing could possibly take some corrections. Furthermore for these new discounted models, implied volatility curves do not flatten out at the larger maturities.     

Simultaneous determination of product attributes and prices, and production processes in product-line design

Global competition, rapid changes in technology, and market fragmentation have resulted in shorter product life cycles. In order to remain viable, it is increasingly important for firms to introduce new products frequently. Product design is a complex process that involves coordination of activities among several functional disciplines within the company as well as the customers and the suppliers. Traditionally, the information flow among the various product development stages has been sequential. However, there is increasing evidence to suggest that an integrated approach that considers several stages simultaneously may be superior.This paper provides a decision support tool for implementing such an integrated approach. On the basis of given customer preferences, the paper presents a model for determining the number of new products to be introduced, the exact specifications of these products, and the production processes for efficiently delivering these specifications. These decisions are made in an integrated manner by simultaneously considering the interaction among the various choice variables. A decomposition-based solution procedure is developed that iterates between the product design and process selection decisions while maintaining an effective link between them.In addition to understanding the economic value of adopting the integrated approach to product design, the paper discusses how the proposed model can be used effectively to perform sensitivity analysis with respect to some of the important decision variables.     

Determinants of the Size and Composition of US Corporate Boards: 1935‐2000

We examine the determinants of the size and composition of corporate boards for a sample of 82 US companies that survived during the period 1935‐2000. Our hypotheses lead to predictions that firm size, growth opportunities, merger activity, and geographical expansion are important determinants of these board characteristics. We find empirical evidence that the four variables are significant determinants of the size and/or composition of boards. After controlling for these determinants of board characteristics, we find no robust relation between firm performance and either board size or composition.     

GLOBALISATION: PAST AND PRESENT

This article compares and contrasts the two modern eras of globalisation, namely the one that started in the mid-nineteenth century and ended on the eve of World War I, and the contemporary era. Although in both periods globalisation brought down national barriers and integrated economies and societies, there were distinct characteristic features of both periods. For example, the scale of global integration through trade and financial channels during the contemporary era was unmatched by the previous phase of globalisation. Furthermore, never in history had global integration involved so many countries and people, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of the global population.     

Time Changes for Lévy Processes

The goal of this paper is to consider pure jump Lévy processes of finite variation with an infinite arrival rate of jumps as models for the logarithm of asset prices. These processes may be written as time-changed Brownian motion. We exhibit the explicit time change for each of a wide class of Lévy processes and show that the time change is a weighted price move measure of time. Additionally, we present a number of Lévy processes that are analytically tractable, in their characteristic functions and Lévy densities, and hence are relevant for option pricing.     

Stochastic Volatility for Lévy Processes

Three processes reflecting persistence of volatility are initially formulated by evaluating three Lévy processes at a time change given by the integral of a mean-reverting square root process. The model for the mean-reverting time change is then generalized to include non-Gaussian models that are solutions to Ornstein-Uhlenbeck equations driven by one-sided discontinuous Lévy processes permitting correlation with the stock. Positive stock price processes are obtained by exponentiating and mean correcting these processes, or alternatively by stochastically exponentiating these processes. The characteristic functions for the log price can be used to yield option prices via the fast Fourier transform. In general mean-corrected exponentiation performs better than employing the stochastic exponential. It is observed that the mean-corrected exponential model is not a martingale in the filtration in which it is originally defined. This leads us to formulate and investigate the important property of martingale marginals where we seek martingales in altered filtrations consistent with the one-dimensional marginal distributions of the level of the process at each future date.     

AN ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF EQUITY COSTS AND RISK PREMIUMS IN THE ELECTRIC UTILITY INDUSTRY: 1971–1985

This paper develops a varying parameter econometric model that estimates the cost of equity of individual utility firms from 1971 to 1985. The equity costs estimated in this framework can be analyzed in terms of their statistical precision. The paper also examines, theoretically and empirically, the relationship between the econometric estimates of the equity risk premiums and the risk-free interest rates. The data do not support the hypothesis that risk premiums are independent of interest rates. Also, the relationship appears to vary over time. These results invalidate the risk premium approach in which equity costs are estimated by adding a constant, historical average risk premium to the prevailing interest rates.