Earnings per share is a poor indicator of performance

One of the greatest dangers in corporate financial planning is failing to separate investment decision making from financial policy, because poor quality investments can appear to be desirable as a result of the particular financing vehicle employed. Management's focus of attention should not be rates of growth and earnings per share or return on net worth. Rather, the most important measure of corporate performance is the rate of return on total capital employed. The paper identifies the dangers of employing an earnings per share criterion for evaluating corporate performance, and suggests an alternative: focusing on a company's free cash flow, net operating profits after taxes minus the amount of new capital investment required in order to generate future profits. The author presents an analytical framework employing his free cash flow concept which can be applied to pricing and financing acquisitions.     

Rate of return on new invested capital—Its relationship to corporate earnings growth rate and equity market values

This paper quantifies the generally accepted but little understood relationships between equity market price, price-earnings ratio, and the corporate earnings growth rate. Also it quantitatively illustrates that the earnings growth rate itself is a dependent variable whose value is determined by the rate of return achieved on new invested capital. In the long run a desired earnings growth rate can be maintained only by investing in projects that achieve a specified minimum required rate of return. Therefore, the rate of return achieved on corporate investments, including acquisitions, is shown to ultimately determine the price and price-earnings ratio that investors place on corporate equity. The mathematical expressions needed to demonstrate these relationships are presented.     

营运资本管理效率对公司盈利能力的影响——基于中国制造业上市公司的经验证据

本文使用2004-2006年我国沪深两市519家制造业上市公司作为研究样本,考察营运资本管理效率与公司盈利能力之间的关系.研究发现,公司盈利能力与反映营运资本管理效率的综合指标现金周期显著负相关,而且与现金周期的各组成部分应收账款周转期、存货周转期和应付账款周转期显著负相关.研究结果表明,管理层可以通过制定适当的信用政策和存货政策,将现金周期、应收账款周转期、存货周转期和应付账款周转期控制在合理的最优水平,实现营运资本的高效周转,提高公司盈利能力.     

Functional and Behavioral Application

Simulation techniques have been recommended in the recent literature as vehicles for improving the analysis of the corporate capital budgeting decision. Such techniques are alleged to provide more helpful measures of both return and risk than do single-point discounted cash flow estimates of project worth. This contention is challenged here. The conclusion is reached that the information provided by simulation is, at best, no better than is generated by the traditional single-point present value approach and, in one very important respect, is markedly inferior.     

上市公司资本结构特点的实证分析

资本结构决策是企业融资决策的核心问题。国内学者对于资本结构的研究,无论是研究资本结构与企业价值的关系,还是研究影响资本结构的因素,都缺乏对我国上市公司资本结构的特点及分布规律的整体认识,从而把握上市公司资本结构的理论依据和实践特点,因此,本文提出我国上市公司资本结构的一些主要特点,进而分析影响上市公司资本结构的主要因素,得出企业的获利能力、流动比率、固定资产比例与负债率负相关;公司规模、公司的成长性与负债率正相关的结论,为进一步的实证分析提供了理论基础。     

投资决策与资本结构优化互动关系综述及研究

针对企业理财理论中的融资与投资决策两条研究线索,分别对资本结构理论、投资决策研究进行了综述分析,并对融资、投资相互制约、影响的机理进行探索     

Setting corporate objectives

This paper states that ‘the resources are raw materials, people and capital. The private sector company can survive as such only by using all three resources efficiently’.These statements summarize the need not only for the setting of Corporate Objectives but the cogent and incontrovertible argument for such objectives being financial.Let no one doubt the painful process that is involved in determining the right objectives for the corporate entity or, indeed, for any entity which seeks to survive and continue.This is why the process of setting, accepting and working towards objectives has to start from the top but must continue throughout the whole organization. Who am I and where am I going?—is a question that is as valid for the Company as it is for the individual.The corporate objective of the Fisons Group is consistently to achieve profitable growth in real terms by increasing earnings per share and raising the return on capital employed.I hope you find this paper as constructive to you as it has been to me and my colleagues.     

The external corporate venture capital fund—A valuable vehicle for growth

Corporate venture capital is becoming an important tool for business development. In addition to attractive financial returns corporate venture capital provides strategic benefits which result from establishing strategic alliances between small entrepreneurial companies and large mature corporations. There are several approaches to corporate venture capital. Each approach requires a different level of commitment with respect to corporate resources and yields specific strategic benefits. At present there appears to be a trend for establishing focused corporate venture capital programmes in co-operation with an external venture capital organization. The successful introduction and management of such a programme require that a few important guidelines are observed.     

Informational impediments to the use of capital budgeting models

The primary purpose of this study was to empirically examine whether or not informational impediments impair or alter decision making, with specific focus on capital budgeting decisions. Based on detailed interviews of senior corporate executives, it appears that management information systems (MIS) are less than adequate in providing the information items required to utilize the non-naive methods of capital budgeting. It is therefore suggested that the MIS concept be vastly broadened in regard to such decisions.     

论公司财务管理在公司治理结构中发挥的作用

公司制企业财务管理存在着三个层次,即出资者财务、经营者财务和专业财务;它们在公司治理结构中发挥着不同的作用.出资者财务以资本的终极所有权为依据,以资本的安全和增值为目的,对其出资及运用状况进行管理,是一种间接约束机制;经营者财务以法人所有权为依据,在出资者的监控下,以直接控制的方式对企业的资金运行进行管理,发挥在治理结构中的纽带作用,处于财务管理的核心地位;专业财务以现金流转为管理对象,保证经营者财务决策的顺利执行和预期效益的实现.三者的辩证统一是实现公司有效治理的关键.     

Sozialkapital als theoretische Fundierung relationaler Forschungsans?tze

The concept of social capital has recently emerged as a paradigm in social sciences. It builds on the assumption that network embeddedness can be a source of advantage for both individuals as well as corporate actors. Originating in sociology, social capital has also found its way into management studies. The aim of this paper is to introduce the different concepts of social capital, to describe and to evaluate the state-of-the-art of applications in business research, and to develop a conceptual framework for an integrated theory of social capital. As a result, a significant contribution of social capital theory and related empirical studies in the field of business research can be observed. Nevertheless, further research is needed to develop a theory which connects the different concepts of social capital. Moreover, a closer link between relational and attribute-based explanations is required.     

资本结构、金融中介和公司治理

公司治理作为当前国有企业改革的重要措施之一,受到了人们广泛的关注。而金融中介机构的发展与成熟程度直接影响着公司的资本结构和治理结构,进而影响着公司的竞争能力。本文借鉴西方财务理论和日美公司治理方面的经验与教训对金融中介机构是否应积极参与公司治理进行了较深入的探讨,提出其积极参与公司治理的理性决策模型,同时也回答了如何来完善我国上市公司的公司治理结构的问题:重构现代金融体系,激励国有商业银行,大力发展资本市场、培育机构投资者以及修改与制定相关的法律制度,促使其积极参与公司治理。     

基于企业生命周期的智力资本对企业价值影响研究

以我国高科技上市公司为样本的分组回归结果表明,高科技企业的智力资本不但显著影响企业价值创造结果,而且显著影响资本市场对企业市场价值的感知与评价;企业生命周期在智力资本与企业价值之间确实具有调节效应,智力资本要素在不同企业生命周期阶段发挥的价值作用不同,处于成熟期的高科技企业智力资本发挥的价值作用最大。在企业成长期,人力资本、创新资本都是高科技企业价值创造的主要要素,显著提升企业价值;在衰退期,只有人力资本是主要提升企业价值的要素。由此,企业管理者应根据企业生命周期具体阶段制定恰当的智力资本投资和管理策略,以在复杂而激烈的竞争环境中保持企业竞争优势。     

Hold or sell? How capital gains taxation affects holding decisions

Investments with exit flexibility require decisions regarding both the investment and holding period. Because selling an investment often leads to taxable capital gains, which crucially depend on the duration of an investment, we investigate the impact of capital gains taxation on exit timing under different tax systems. We observed that capital gains taxation delays exit decisions but loses its decision relevance for very long holdings. Often the optimal exit time, which indicates the maximal present value of future cashflows, cannot be determined analytically. However, we identify the breakeven exit time that guarantees present values exceeding those of an immediate sale. While, after-taxes, an immediate sale is often optimal, long holding periods might also be attractive for investors depending on the degree of income and corporate tax integration. A classic corporate tax system often indicates holdings over more than 100 periods. By contrast, a shareholder relief system indicates the earliest breakeven exit time and thus the highest level of exit timing flexibility. Surprisingly, high retention rates are likely to accelerate sales under a classic corporate system. Additionally, the worst exit time, which should be avoided by investors, differs tremendously across tax systems. For an integrated tax system with full imputation, the worst time is reached earlier than under partial or non-integrated systems. These results could help to predict investors’ behavior regarding changes in capital gains taxation and thus are of interest for both investors and tax policymakers. Furthermore, the results emphasize the need to control for the underlying tax system in cross-country empirical studies.     

Corporate Governance und Eigenkapitalkosten - Bestandsaufnahme des Schrifttums unter besonderer Ber��cksichtigung des Informationsaspektes und Forschungsperspektiven

The present paper provides an overview of research concerning the relationship between corporate governance and the cost of equity capital. The purpose is to explore whether and to what extent corporate governance attributes manifest in firms?? cost of capital. Since the separation of ownership and control is seen as the starting point for the academic thinking on this issue, the term of corporate governance from a shareholder perspective is discussed in more detail. Apart from this terminological discussion the emphasis of this paper lies on the critical review of theoretical and empirical literature. In conducting this review, empirical concepts measuring the relevant dimensions and their potential limitations are explained. Based on these limitations I suggest opportunities for expanding research on the relationship between corporate governance and cost of equity capital, thereby showing future research directions.     

资本结构治理效应:中国上市公司的实证研究

资本结构影响公司治理的结果最终会体现在公司绩效的变化上。本文通过对1992-2004年间我国上市公司资本结构影响公司绩效的实证分析发现:资产主营业务净利润率、经营费用率和资产利用率三个指标比股票价值能更好地解释资本结构对公司绩效的影响;国家股比例对公司绩效的负向影响越来越不显著;法人股比例和负债融资比例对公司绩效有不显著的正向影响等。这些结论表明,完善资本结构是完善我国上市公司治理结构从而提高公司绩效的重要途径之一。     

以EVA为内核的人力资本产权激励制度研究

人力资本所有者凭借其贡献获得企业报酬并合理分享企业所有权是国内外公司治理领域的热点,但人力资本的价值计量难题成为对人力资本进行产权激励的制约因素.本文以公司价值管理的绩效评价指标EVA为核心,构建了总体人力资本的动态价值、"分割价值"系列模型;通过平衡记分卡(BSC)系统,结合层次分析法(AHP),计算出人力资本个体的综合相对价值,从而设计出业绩薪酬和以股权激励为主体的长期激励方案.     

Does strategic corporate performance depend on corporate financial architecture? Empirical study of European,Russian and other emerging market’s firms

Performance of the firm depends on its structural dimensions: capital structure, ownership structure and corporate governance. Their interactions are known as corporate financial architecture according to S. Myers. In this paper we analyze financial architecture which is a mix of ownership structure, capital structure, control and board’s composition, and therefore, provides the given framework for improving corporate performance. We contribute to the literature by different attributes of our study. In contrast to most empirical papers on performance, we develop integrated rather than segmented approach combining the intrinsic components of corporate financial design in one research model. We introduce new variable to capture the structure of ownership for the purpose of performance analysis. Our third contribution is based on comparative analysis of the influence of financial architecture over corporate performance in rather different capital market environment: developed European and emerging (developing) capital market’s countries. We start with a classic empirical model of the impact of ownership structure, capital structure and other components of financial architecture on the corporate performance. Further we verify the validity of exogenous nature of key variables of the classic model when applying it to companies in developed and emerging market environment. Our results could have some important policy implications for the firms in normal economic environment as well as in the period of global economic crisis. We found that the higher proportion of related ownership which indicates investors with significant voting power and the board’s composition affect firm performance positively. The related shareholders and independent directors seem to add more value to firms while the impact of government ownership differs depending on the country. The emerging market’s sample versus the one from developed countries proves the stronger influence of corporate financial architecture over performance.     

The impact of the board of directors characteristics on corporate performance and risk-taking before and during the global financial crisis

Over recent years, the effectiveness of good corporate governance practices has received considerable attention by the financial literature. In the current global finance crisis, several practitioners, academic and regulators argue that mechanisms of corporate governance have not served their purpose to safeguard equitably the interest of stakeholders, increasing the corporate risk-taking without proper management. This research contributes to the empirical literature, analyzing the impact of board characteristics and the capital structure on corporate performance and corporate risk-taking, in two different economic contexts: in an economic growth and in an economic recession. The methodology implemented takes into account the bidirectional causality and addresses endogeneity problem using a simultaneous equations system with three-stage least squares estimation method. The results show that the effectiveness of the board is sensitive to the economic period and the capital structure leads to reduce the levels of corporate risk-taking during the crisis. This research suggests that good corporate governance mechanisms should mitigate excessive corporate risk-taking and protect the interest of stakeholders in both periods: before and during the global financial crisis.     

自由现金流代理成本假说还是过度自信假说?——中国上市公司投资——现金流敏感性的实证研究

企业投资现金流敏感性问题可以由现金流代理假说解释,也可以由管理者过度自信假说解释,本文以企业的成长性、现金流特征为划分指标对企业进行分组,并以此来区分与检验两种理论假说。研究结果显示,自由现金流代理问题较为严重的低成长—高现金流企业,将会发生企业过度投资。同样,过度自信问题较为严重的高成长—高现金流企业,也将发生企业过度投资。实证研究结果即支持了自由现金流代理假说,也支持了过度自信假说。