Tracking phantastic objects: A computer algorithmic investigation of narrative evolution in unstructured data sources

We develop social network and “relative sentiment shift” analysis techniques to study how financial narratives influence financial markets. First, we analyze Reuters News articles focusing on narratives about Fannie Mae. Second, we analyze Broadband and Energy narratives in the Enron Corporation email database. Combining datasets we show that phantastic object narratives can be detected and tracked as they develop and spread through networks to lead to a disconnect between narrative and underlying “reality”. The methods may be applicable to other text datasets to create early warnings.     

Student Perceptions of Financial Literacy: Relevance to Practice

ABSTRACT

The relevance of financial literacy to social work has been framed almost exclusively in the context of poverty relief, but this study expands this framework to the evidence linking financial stress, not merely poverty, to adverse client outcomes. Using a new 15-item, quantitative instrument, student (N= 1,506) perceptions were collected. Respondents demonstrated a moderate awareness of the relevance of financial literacy in 11 of 15 problem issues commonly encountered in practice, indicating a moderate receptivity to financial education. Future research should clarify the contours of financial knowledge that is required to assist clients.     

Media reputation in initial public offerings: A study of financial news coverage in Hong Kong

This study investigated media reputation in initial public offerings (IPOs) by proposing eight attributes of substantive media reputation from environmental and product-resource perspectives. A content analysis on financial news coverage (2281 newspaper articles from 2004 to 2010) in Hong Kong was conducted to examine how print media reported financial and nonfinancial information on 38 IPO firms in the sectors of financial, properties and construction, and consumer goods. Results from partial least squares analysis showed that, although substantive media reputation and recency of news coverage together only explained a small proportion of changes in IPO share price, substantive media reputation has a significant positive effect on changes in IPO share price. Apart from the significant positive effect from the presentation tone of environmental attributes, the tone of social attributes had a significant negative effect on substantive media reputation. With the increasing concern on measuring media reputation attributes in financial news coverage across different contexts, this study contributes to the applicability of environmental and product-resource attributes in the specific context of IPOs.     

Sources of information and portfolio allocation

This research investigates the relationship between how a household receives financial information and the degree to which investment portfolios are diversified. Diversification is measured as allocation across asset classes and share of assets held in each asset class. Propensity score-based techniques incorporating stratification and weighting are employed to better isolate causal links, while also controlling for objective and subjective financial literacy and overconfidence. Results indicate that the use of financial planners and brokers is associated with an increase in asset class diversification. Households that consult with financial planners and bankers allocate their wealth systematically different from those who do not. These results highlight the role that financial professionals play in helping households make investment decisions.     

Greed and adolescent financial behavior

Financial problems in adolescents have increased over the last decades. We investigated if individual differences in greed relate to financial behavior. Greed is an important motive for economic behavior and refers to the tendency to never be satisfied and to always want more. We developed a short version of the Dispositional Greed Scale (Seuntjens, Zeelenberg, Van de Ven, & Breugelmans, 2015), which we then used in a large survey with adolescents (N = 3899). Dispositional greed is associated with them having more income, spending more, saving less often, and having debt more often. Identifying what personality characteristics influence financial behavior at a young age is important, as the financial habits that people learn during adolescence persist in adulthood. We find that greed has both positive effects (having a higher income), but also negative effects with the greedy being less likely to save and being more likely to have a debt.     

International work experience and compensation: Is more always better for CFOs?

The CFO is increasingly considered the second most important executive in the firm after the CEO. Still, little is known about the factors that determine CFOs' compensation. Recently, it has often been claimed that, in MNCs, CFOs should have international work experience. But is a CFO's international work experience also reflected in his or her compensation? We combine human capital and social capital perspectives to account for both the upside and the downside of international work experience. We suggest that working abroad provides CFOs with valuable knowledge and skills which increase compensation; however, staying abroad for too long has an adverse effect due to losses in social network ties. We thus propose an inverted U-shaped relationship between CFOs' international work experience and their compensation. Furthermore, we suggest that this relationship is contingent on the characteristics of the CEO. In testing our hypotheses on a sample of the largest MNCs in Europe, we find support for the proposed relationships. Our study contributes to the literature on top management characteristics and executive compensation, specifically by providing a comprehensive understanding of how and when international work experience pays off for CFOs.     

基于财务指标的中小企业信用评估研究--以大连市为例

基于相关文献回顾的基础上，选取反映中小企业盈利性、偿债性、营运性和成长性的13个财务指标，采用因子分析法拟合为4个公共因子，通过因子载荷建立了信用水平综合得分函数，结果表明，样本企业中大冷股份、时代万恒和大橡塑的信用状况不甚理想，需引起关注。最后，从企业、银行和政府等方面对防范中小企业信用风险及加强信用水平建设提出了对策建议。     

Does managerial ability influence the quality of financial reporting?

The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of managerial ability on the quality of their financial reporting. Using a large bank sample from nine different countries and for the time period 2004–2010, we expect that bank earnings quality and accounting conservatism increase with more able managers that disclose more accurate earnings and who report higher information about banks’ future earnings and cash flows.The results confirm that managerial abilities play a significant role in the quality of financial reporting in banks, and that capable bank managers are less likely to manage earnings opportunistically. This study is timely and relevant given the recent emphasis on earnings quality of banks over the last few years, and the criticisms of managerial abilities after the financial crisis. The evidence from this study can help standard-setters and regulators to better understand the business practices and accounting behavior of banks in the light of managerial abilities.     

我国中小企业应对国际金融危机的新思考

发端于美国的次贷危机,愈演愈烈并形成一场席卷全球的金融危机。本文结合目前我国中小企业现状,从深层次分析了相对国有大中型企业,中小企业受金融危机影响严重的原因。目前国内专家在分析中小企业面临的困境时,往往把罪魁祸首归罪于中小企业融资难,其实并不仅如此。国家财政政策、中小企业自身竞争力也是使中小企业面临困境的重要因素。最后,本文借国家宏观财政政策加大对中下企业扶持的大背景,提出了中小企业走出困境的新举措。     

全球金融危机背景下我国财政政策的路径选择

受全球金融危机的影响，我国长期依赖外贸和投资的经济增长模式开始面临严峻挑战。外贸出口减少、市场供给过剩、消费能力不足、物价持续下跌等通货紧缩风险凸现。要克服经济增长放缓、就业困难等不利的局面，必须灵活机动地运用积极的财政政策，扩大内需、走自主经济增长新方式。