This article considers the value of information and optimal timing to acquire it in a model of irreversible investment. There are two types of uncertainties: first, the value of the investment project depends on an observable stochastic process, and second, it depends on an ex-ante uncertain parameter, whose true value may be learnt at a cost. The former type of uncertainty implies that the opp...

This paper analyses the factors impacting partnering decisions in Venture Capital syndicates using a unique dataset of 2,373 VC transactions in Germany. By including time varying information about industry experience and cooperation patterns we explicitly take into account not only the changing social context for partner selection but also the dynamic nature of financial and managerial resource...

This paper empirically examines whether additional future fixed capital and R&D investment expenditures induce firms to accumulate cash reserves while considering the role of market imperfections. Implementing a dynamic framework on a panel of US, UK and German companies, we find that firms make larger additions to cash holdings when they plan additional future R&D rather than fixed capital inv...

I investigate the relation between firm risk and firm transparency over the period 1992-2006 and find that the level of firm transparency and the level of firm risk are negatively related. I also find that higher CEO pay-performance sensitivity (delta) works to mitigate this inverse relationship. This result is consistent with Hermalin and Weisbach (2007) who suggest that managers reduce risk t...

This paper explores the relationship between founding family ownership and stock market returns. Using the entire population of non-financial firms listed on the Swiss stock market for 2003–2013, we find that the stock returns of family firms are significantly higher than those of non-family firms after adjusting the returns for different risk factors and firm characteristics. Family firms gene...

In this work, the problem of a curved functionally graded piezoelectric (FGP) actuator with sandwich structure under electrical and thermal loads is investigated. The middle layer in the sandwich structure is functionally graded with the piezoelectric coefficient g31 varying continuously along the radial direction of the curved actuator. Based on the theory of linear piezoelectricity, analytica...

Article history: Received 17 July 2014 Received in revised form 18 March 2015 Accepted 2 April 2015 Available online 9 April 2015 This study investigates whether earnings management reduces the level of value relevance and whether good corporate governance restrains earnings management. Using hand-collected data comprising 1012 firm-year observations from all companies listed on the Shanghai SS...

The paper analyses the determinants of dividend payments and tests the hypothesis that companies pay dividends at the expense of investing in research and development (R&D). The evidence suggests that four fundamental factors – size, growth, profitability and risk – determine the decision to pay dividends but also to invest in R&D. Consistent with previous evidence, the average R&D intensity of...

Corporations in most countries are run by controlling shareholders, who have substantially smaller cash flow rights than their control rights in the firm. This separation of ownership and control allows the controlling shareholders to pursue private benefits at the cost of outside minority investors by diverting resources away from the firm and distorting corporate investment and payout policie...

This paper analyzes the relations among firm-level stock option portfolio incentives, investment, and firm value based on a sample of Finnish firms during the time period 1987 – 2000. Utilizing exact and complete information regarding stock option portfolio characteristics, we find some evidence that firm investment is increasing in the incentives to increase stock price (delta) and risk (vega)...