...CORPORATE FINANCE HONOURS 2011-2012 Topic: Behavioural corporate finance Lecturer: Yue (Lucy) Liu E-mail: Yue.Liu@ed.ac.uk Outline Psychological phenomena Biases Heuristics Framing effects Impact on corporate finance Valuation Capital Budgeting Capital structure Dividend policy Mergers and acquisitions Yue (Lucy) Liu 2011/2012 Corporate Finance 2 Psychological phenomena Bias Excessive optimism Overconfidence Confirmation bias Illusion of control Heuristics Representativeness Availability Anchoring and adjustment Affect Heuristic Framing effects Loss aversion Aversion to a sure loss Yue (Lucy) Liu 2011/2012 Corporate Finance 3 Biases Bias A predisposition toward error. – Excessive optimism People overestimate how frequently they will experience favorable outcomes and underestimate how frequently they will experience unfavorable outcomes. – Overconfidence People make mistakes more frequently than they believe and view themselves as better than average. – Confirmation bias People attach too much importance to information that supports their views relative to information that runs counter to their views. – Illusion of control People overestimate the extent to which they can control events. Yue (Lucy) Liu 2011/2012 Corporate Finance 4 Heuristics Heuristic A rule of thumb used to make a decision. – Representativeness People make judgments based on stereotypic thinking, asking how representative...
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...(Moberg, 2012). The company used acquisitions to spurt large growth. Two of WorldCom’s acquisitions included MCI Communications and MFS Communications (UUNet). This caused WorldCom to appear more favorable on Wall Street, and many banks, brokers, and investors gave strong buy recommendations (Moberg, 2012). This was not unethical; however, what investors and others were to uncover in the coming years, was. Through its favorable stock, WorldCom acquired MCI Communications and MFS Communications, which allowed WorldCom to offer long distance, local service, and data services (Moberg, 2012). Chief Executive Officer Bernie Ebbers led the company’s stock to increase from pennies, to more than $60 per share (Moberg, 2012). Where the unethical behavior of WorldCom occurred was in financial reporting. The company would write down millions of dollars in assets it acquired. According to Moberg (2012), “[It] included in this charge against earnings the cost of company expenses expected in the future. The result was bigger losses in the current quarter but smaller ones in future quarters, so that its profit picture would seem to be improving” (para. 13). WorldCom also reduced the book value of some of the acquired assets from MCI and increase the value of good will (Moberg, 2012). This allowed WorldCom to charge less against its earnings and spread out expenses over decades rather than years. This allowed the company to recognize MCI’s revenue, cut expenses, and increase profits (Moberg...
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...ABSTRACT Behavioural finance is part of finance that seeks to understand and explain the systematic financial market implications of psychological decision processes. It utilizes knowledge of cognitive psychology, social sciences and anthropology to explain irrational investor behavior that is not being captured by the traditional rational based models. INTRODUCTION Classical investment theories are based on the assumption that investors always act in a manner that maximizes their return. Yet a number of research show that investors are not always so rational. Human become puzzled when the uncertainty regarding investment decision engulfs them. People are not always rational and markets are not always efficient. Behavioral finance explains why individual do not always make the decisions they are expected to make and why markets do not reliably behave as they are expected to behave. Recent research shows that the average investors make decisions based on emotion, not logic; most investor’s buy high on speculations and sale low on panic mood. Psychological studies reveal that the pain of losing money from investment is really three times greater than the joy of earning money. Emotions such as fear and greed often play a pivotal role in investor’s decision; there are also other causes of irrational behavior. It is observed that stock price moves up and down on a daily basis without any change in fundamental of economies. It is also observed that people in the stock market...
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...Lewis Mandell Kermit O. Hanson Visiting Professor of Finance and Business Economics Foster School of Business, University of Washington Senior Fellow, Initiative on Financial Security, Aspen Institute Presented at the American Economic Association Meetings San Francisco, CA January 4, 2009 The Impact of Financial Education in High School and College On Financial Literacy and Subsequent Financial Decision Making Abstract: Many consumers appear to lack the financial literacy needed to make financial decisions in their self-interest. A growing number of analysts and politicians are blaming the intersection of low levels of financial literacy with complex, financially-engineered products for the current economic meltdown and have proposed a number of solutions to this problem. These solutions range from mandatory education in personal finance to required simplification of financial products and greatly increased regulation. This paper examines evidence on the effectiveness of personal finance education on both financial literacy and financial behavior. If the problem can be solved through education, it is likely to reduce the perceived need to limit choice in the marketplace for retail financial products. If education is shown to be ineffective, the future of financial product innovation and financial engineering may be greatly limited. Supporting the effectiveness of education in promoting self-beneficial financial behavior is a well-known paper by Bernheim, Garrett and Maki...
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...An Analysis of Case Studies Prepared by Rafiqul Alam Khan Rakibul Haque Department of Finance Page 1 Dhaka, June 05, 2014 Acknowledgement All the praise and appreciation to Allah, the most merciful and beneficent who has enabled us to submit this humble work. We would like to express our special thanks and honour to our course teacher, Sonia Munmun, who guide us in every minute whenever we sought, and who showed us the right track to conduct the study. Finally, we would be happy if the findings of this study could make any contribution in the field of business efficiency. Department of Finance Page 2 Table of Content 7 Abstract Chapter 01: Context and Rationale Preludes: the General Scenario Rationale of the Study Objectives Methodology: Primary & Secondary Sources Limitation Chapter 02: Framework of Case Study Chapter: Foundations of Group Behavior Case Incident 1 Case Incident 2 Chapter: Understanding Work Teams Case Incident 1 Case Incident 2 Chapter 03: Conclusion & Recommendations Conclusion Findings References Department of Finance 8 8 9 9-10 10 11-14 15-17 17-19 20-21 22-24 25-28 29 30 30 Page 3 Abstract Organizational Behavior (OB) is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. It does this by taking a system approach. That is, it interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, whole group, whole organization...
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...| | | |Equivalent Modules Master List |Equivalent courses offered at Aalto University, School Of Economics. | | | | | |Courses offered are subject to changes. | | |Updated information on the courses will be sent to successful candidates by Aalto | | |University, School Of Economics. | | | | | |*The same course can be transferred only as 1 course. | |First Level Modules | | |ACC1006 Accounting Information Systems |International...
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...A Critical Analysis of: Investor Irrationality and Self-Defeating Behavior FIN645 Introduction For many years, finance traditionalists have held on to the theory that markets are efficient and that prices correctly reflect the information available to the market as a whole. This has come to be known as the efficient market hypothesis which was originally postulated by Eugene Fama in 1965. After a thorough statistical study of the movements of investment prices Fama concluded that “such movements were essentially random and unpredictable” (Shefrin p.75). Fama pointed out that “in an efficient market, prices correspond to intrinsic (or fundamental) value” (Shefrin p.75). In short, what the theory concludes is that it is impossible to beat the market; that no investor can ever purchase undervalued stocks or sell stocks at inflated prices. The market will always correct itself by incorporating all relevant information into the price of a security thus eliminating an individual investor’s ability to outperform. EMH has grown to become a cornerstone of financial theory and is still applied by many traditionalists when attempting to explain the behavior of financial markets. While there is much evidence in support of this theory there is an equal amount dissention. There are many who argue that there is ample evidence available that counters the central ideas of EMH and demonstrate its shortcomings such as: individuals who have shown that they can consistently...
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...[pic] Ecole Supérieure Libre des Sciences Commerciales Appliquées Review of Literature Behavioral Finance Presented to Dr. Mohamed EL-Hennawy Group Assignment Prepared By Albert Naguib Noha Samir Wael Shams EL-Din Moshira Gamil Marie Zarif January 2012 | TABLE OF CONTENTS | | | |List of Table………………………………………………………………………….. | |List of Figure ………………………………………………………………………… | |List of Abbreviations/Acronyms ……………………………………………………. | |Introduction……………………………………………………………………….. | |2. Appearance of Behavioral Finance…………………………………………………… | |2.1. Important Contributors…………………………………………………. ………. | |3. Behavioral Biases…………………………………………………………………… ...
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...ETHICS IN FINANCE CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 4 ETHICS IN FINANCE ............................................................. 5 ROLE OF ETHICS IN FINANCE............................................ 5 TRUST .......................................................................................... 6 Aristotelian virtuous ethics......................................................... 7 CODE OF ETHICS ................................................................... 7 ETHICAL BEHAVIOR .............................................................. 8 CODE OF ETHICS IN FINANCE AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR................................................................................... 8 ETHICS IN FINANCE IN DIFFERENT FIELDS ................... 8 NEED OF ETHICS IN FINANCIAL MARKET, SERVICE INDUSTRY AND PEOPLE IN ORGANIZATON: ......................................................................................................... 9 SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT ....................................................................................................... 10 ETHICS V/S FINANCE .............................................................. 10 IS FINACE ETHICALLY NEUTRAL ...................................... 11 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ............................11 CONCLUSION..........................................................
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...Moody. 2008. Business Ethics: Case Studies and Selected Readings. United State of America: Cengage Learning The Finance Club at Harvard University is a prestigious organization for Harvard MBA students. The student members have the opportunity to interact with public officials like Senator William Proxmire and business executives such as Bruce Wasserstein. The Finance Club also serves as a network for job hunting. Each spring, the club holds elections for its officers, including two co-presidents. In the spring of 1992, after initial balloting, there was a tie between two teams of two co-presidents. Murry Gunty was one member of one of the teams and busily recruited students to vote in a run-off election. Two of the students he recruited voted under names of absentee members of the Finance Club. The new votes gave Mr.Gunty his victory. However, two of the votes were from students who were not members of the club, but used someone else’s name to vote.1 After an anonymous tip, the elections were set aside and the runners-up installed as co-presidents. Mr.Gunty was required to write a paper on ethics.2 1 Gilbert Fuchsberg, “Harvard Has Some Crimson Faces Over a Lesson in Practical Politics,” The Wall Street Journal, April 9, 1992, B1 2 ”Harvard Student Rigging Election Must Write Paper,” The Wall Street Journal, April 24, 1992, A3 Kasus The Finance Club Universitas Harvard adalah sebuah organisasi yang mempromosikan kegiatan dan karir seputar keuangan di kalangan...
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...Limits to Arbitrage: Saint Leo University- Chesapeake, Virginia Corporate Finance: MBA 570 Professor Smith April 23, 2014 Abstract Arbitrage is the idea of buying asset which involves no negative cash flow and making a profit with little or no risk. Understanding arbitrage opportunities is not the only ingredient needed to make sharp predictions. The level of irrationality need to be specified by behavior finance researchers. This is related to how they deviate from the Subjective Expected Utility theory. In order to specify the type of irrationality, researchers have turned to experimental evidence complied by cognitive psychologists on the biases that arise when people form beliefs, and on the people’s preferences, given their beliefs or on how they make decisions, Thaler and Barberis (2002). In this paper, we will concentrate on the extensive literature on the Limits to Arbitrage and explain how the theory was conceived, how it evolved over time and apply a scenario to better explain the research. Limits to Arbitrage Understanding arbitrage opportunities is not the only ingredient needed to make sharp predictions. The level of irrationality need to be specified by behavior finance researchers.This is related to how they deviate from the Subjective Expected Utility theory. In order to specify the type of irrationality, researchers have turned to experimental evidence complied by cognitive psychologists on the biases that arise when people form beliefs, and...
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...Varying Perspectives on Brand Equity By Jonathan Knowles 20 ❘ MM July/August 2008 Yo u s a y t o m a y t o a n d I s a y t o m a h t o . I started business life in finance (at the Bank of England in London), and in those early days I did not give brands a second thought. My life was dominated by financial facts and figures. And for the first 10 years of my career, I believed that these metrics were essentially all that were needed to manage and run a successful business. This view survived my transition into management consulting—at least initially. But the more I worked on developing value-based business strategies for companies, the more I came to appreciate the need to expand beyond a purely financial approach. If (as management consultant Peter Drucker famously observed) the purpose of business is to create and keep a customer, then strategy necessarily involved understanding and catering to the functional and emotional needs of customers. MM July/August 2008 ❘ 21 EXECUTIVE Brand equity is a widely accepted concept—but its definition is frustratingly elusive. Here we’ll explore the different perspectives that marketing, finance, and accounting have on the topic— and how these can be reconciled. Doing so is important because of the critical role that brand briefing equity plays in the demonstration of marketing accountability. This article puts forward four arguments that marketers can use to show how brand equity is a critical measure...
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...Guillermo Furniture Store Concepts People go into business to make money by providing goods and/or services to their customers. Some businesses are successful while others fail. Managers make difficult and complex decisions that can make or break the company. The Guillermo Furniture Store in Sonora, Mexico is not any different. The owner, Guillermo Navallez, must make decisions that will, no doubt, have a huge impact on the success or failure of his company, so he will engage in foundational corporate finance principles that will guide his decision-making. This paper will explain several principles of foundational corporate finance, and show how they relate to the Guillermo Furniture Business Scenario. Principle of Self Interested-Behavior The principle of Self-Interested Behavior of foundational corporate finance plays a fundamental role in the Guillermo’s decision-making because he acts in his own best interest to attain the success of his company. The principle of Self-Interest Behavior states that, “All things being equal, all parties to a financial transaction will choose the course of action most financial advantageous to themselves” (Emery, 2007). Naturally, Guillermo wants his company to be a financial success, so he will base his decisions that will give him the best possible income. For instance, when Guillermo begins to realize that his profits are dropping and costs are going up, he conducts research on his competitors to understand how they are more successful than his...
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...Organizational Behavior Terminology and Concepts Jane Doe MGT/307 August 22, 2011 John Doe Organizational Behavior Concepts and Terminology Organizational behavior (OB) is characterized in terms of how human behavior impacts organizational effectiveness. The study of organizational behavior involves learning to comprehend, explain, calculate, and even control human behavior in the workplace. The scope of the study of OB encompasses how people behave as individuals, within groups, and within the organizational structure. In addition, according to Robbins and Judge (2009), OB applies the knowledge gained about individuals, groups, and the effect of structure on behavior in order to make organizations work more effectively. Years ago the success on an organization was distinguished by how technologically inclined its managerial staff were. The more technically degreed leaders there were making the decisions, the more credence there was given to the organizations success. This early approach supported a larger degree of management-coordinated functions in which strict standards, work assignments, and technical specialization ruled through stringent chains of command and strict centralized decision-making processes. Never mind the individuals’ ability to use good old-fashioned people skills to drive performance, if revenue was in excess of debt, all was well. However, was all really well is the question. As time evolved, so did the thought process...
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...and Research (Part 1 – Financial Markets and Asset Pricing) Team Member: Haotian Lin; Nan Bai; Wenyi Gu; Yibo Zang Summary Standard finance (modern portfolio theory), compared with Behavioral finance, is no longer modern: dating back to the late 1950s modern portfolio theory was developed (Statman 2008) Behavioral finance offers alternative explanation for investors and markets. Behavioral finance, which has been a controversial subject and is becoming more widely accepted, is finance from a broader social science perspective including psychology and sociology (Shiller 2003). Behavioral finance helps identify the financial market’s inefficient reaction to public information, which cannot be explained by traditional financial models with assumptions such as expected utility maximization, rational investors, and efficient markets (Ritter 2003; Statman 2008). Statman (2008) compares “normal” investors and rational investors by pointing out the difference that normal investors are reluctant to realize losses since normal investors are affected by cognitive biases and emotions. Statman also compares Behavioral Portfolio Theory and Markowitz mean-variance theory. Another comparison made by Statman is between Behavioral Asset Pricing Model (BAPM) and capital asset pricing model (CAPM), stating that the asset pricing model of standard finance is moving away from CAPM toward Fama and French three-factor model, a model similar to the BAPM. Bloomfield’s article discusses anomalies...
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