Search results

The purpose of this study is to determine and compare the performance of small and medium enterprises (SME) and manufacturing company stock portfolios in the Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets by the Sharpe Index and the significance of differences in average performance in the capital market.

This is comparative research that compared the performances of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets. The hypothesis examination of comparative test used one-way ANOVA technique on the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets. One-way ANOVA test was used in the analysis to test the average difference of performance indices of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios is in Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets.

The performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian capital market was not better than the performances of IHSG and LQ45 Index, the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Chinese capital market (SZSE) was better than the performance of Shenzhen Composite Index and the performance of Shenzhen A-Share Stock Price Index. The comparison of the performances of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian, Chinese and Indian capital markets showed that the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Chinese capital market was the best and the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesian capital market was the lowest.

The implication of this study was that SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios had relatively better performances in China and India, so investors should consider investing in SME and manufacturing company stocks. The performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolios in Indonesia was not able to exceed market and LQ45 portfolios, so the authority in Indonesia financial market should consider developing a special market for SME and manufacturing company to support the development of SME and manufacturing company in Indonesia and solve the problem of lack of funding source for SME and manufacturing company.

The originality of the present study is in the measurement of the performance of SME and manufacturing company stock portfolio by risk-adjusted return which returns per risk unit measured by Sharpe Index as a more beneficial measurement in measuring stock portfolio performance than average return. Comparative study of the stock portfolio performances of small medium enterprises and manufacturing company In Indonesian, Chinese and Indian stock markets, and object studies conducted in Indonesia, China and India.

The efficiency of unit trust (UT) funds from quite number of contexts across the globe has been highlighted in previous literature. Yet, there is dearth of research that empirically investigates the factors that influence the selection of UT funds by retailers, particularly in the Malaysian setting. This paper aims to narrow this research gap, whereby perception of past performance, perception of funds’ commitment to Shari’ah compliance, perception of funds’ size and perception of risk tolerance are hypothesized to exert statistically significant influences on the selection of UT funds by retail investors in Malaysia.

The empirical study uses a quantitative research approach whereby survey data have been sampled from 140 retail investors from around Malaysia, using simple random sampling technique. Data analysis has been carried out using multiple regression analysis employing SPSS version 20.0.

The empirical research finds that perceptions of fund size and Shari’ah compliance significantly influence the selection of UT among retail investors in Malaysia. However, there were no enough evidences to support the claims that perceptions of past performance and of risk tolerance influence the selection of UT among Malaysian retail investors.

This research is cross-sectional and uses data from Malaysia only.

The findings from this research will have enormous implications for policymakers in the accounting and finance sectors of government and private financial institutions and for individual professional Malaysian investors. In particular, investors in Malaysia and potential investors abroad may be enlightened by the findings of this research. Again, Islamic financial institutions may use the findings to boost their performance improvement interventions, thus, having clear evidence of the actual factors that influence retailers in the Malaysian setting.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is among the pioneering research works that empirically explores the factors that influence Malaysian retailers to invest in UT funds. This research is expected to stimulate further research in this novel area.

Dick Mayo, one of the most celebrated value investors in America was puzzled by the New Economy's continuous bias toward growth investment strategies. He examines the basics of his philosophy versus that of a growth orientation by evaluating the long-term expected returns of several value and growth stocks. This case can be used to pursue several objectives: (1) to define value and growth investing-where the differences lie and whether one approach is superior to the other or whether both have merit; and (2) to discuss issues related to consistency of one's investment philosophy. Should one stay true to one's philosophy even when the market seems to run counter to it for a prolonged period of time? Can value investing deliver value in this New Economy or is it only an Old Economy concept? The students are instructed to perform basic valuations of Cisco Systems (a growth company), CVS, R.R. Donnelley, and Manor Care (value companies) and compute their long-term expected returns. The case comes with an Excel spreadsheet containing the data and relevant valuation ratios for the above firms. The valuations are straightforward, but they tell an interesting story: the expected returns of glamorous stocks in reality may not be so glamorous.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the differences in the risk management practices of Islamic financial institutions (IFI) and conventional financial institutions (CFI) in Pakistan.

The study makes use of primary data collection method using a questionnaire survey.

Literature review discovered that the types of risks faced by both types of financial institutions can be classified under six categories. The research concludes that credit risk, equity investment risk, market risk, liquidity risk, rate of return risk and operational risk management practices in IFI are not different from the practices in CFI. Whereas the overall risk management practices of IFI and CFI are alike in Pakistan.

Further research with a larger sample size is recommended.

The paper opens our eyes to the fact that much is unknown about the risk management practices in Pakistani financial system, creating a need for empirical studies for further discoveries to formulate better frameworks and to prevent an impending financial crisis that might be unravelling at the time this paper is being read.

This is the first empirical study of its kind that addresses the unmarked topic of RMP in IFI and CFI in Pakistan. The research was conducted because few studies have been executed to understand differences in the risk management practices in Pakistan, exclusively among Islamic financial institutions. This study is expected to expand the existing literature by providing novel empirical evidence.

The key objectives of this case are to: (1) familiarize students with a simple version of the Markowitz optimal-asset allocation model; (2) develop students' intuition regarding optimal-asset allocation as specific inputs into the model (e.g., expected returns, standard deviations, correlations) change values; and (3) develop students' intuition regarding constraints that alternative investors may face (e.g., the presence of shorting constraints) and their impact on the optimal portfolio. The case includes an Excel spreadsheet, which contains relevant data (e.g., returns, standard deviations, correlations) on several assets and an Excel model that takes three of those assets and makes use of the Excel Solver Add-In to compute optimal weights for the three asset portfolio as well as the expected return, standard deviation, and Sharpe ratio of the optimal portfolio. Students are asked to alter many of the inputs into the model and explain the effects of those changes on the optimal portfolio.

Several researchers and practitioners, notably Stern Stewart Consulting Company and Associates, have claimed that economic value added (EVA) is superior to traditional accounting measures in driving shareholder value. Other researchers have refuted these claims by supplying data in support of traditional accounting indicators such as earnings per share (EPS), dividends per share (DPS), return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE). This study endeavoured to analyse the results of companies listed on the JSE Securities Exchange South Africa, using market value added (MVA) as a proxy for shareholder value. The findings do not support the purported superiority of EVA. The results suggest stronger relationships between MVA and cash flow from operations. The study also found very little correlation between MVA and EPS, or between MVA and DPS, concluding that the credibility of share valuations based on earnings or dividends must be questioned.

It is generally believed that in order to maximise value for shareholders, companies should strive towards maximising MVA (and not necessarily their total market value). The best way to do so is to maximise the EVA, which reflects an organisation’s ability to earn returns above the cost of capital. The leverage available to companies that incur fixed costs and use borrowed capital with a fixed interest charge has been known and quantified by financial managers for some time. The popularisation of EVA and MVA has opened up new possibilities for investigating the leverage effect of fixed costs (operational leverage) and interest (financial leverage) in conjunction with EVA and MVA, and for determining what effect changes in sales would have through leverage, not only on profits, but also on EVA and MVA. Combining a variable costing approach with leverage analysis and value analysis opens up new opportunities to investigate the effect of certain decisions on the MVA and the share price of a company. A spreadsheet model is used to illustrate how financial managers can use the leverage effects of fixed costs and the (fixed) cost of capital to maximise profits and also to determine what impact changes in any variable like sales or costs will have on the wealth of shareholders.

The purpose of this research is to develop a composite agribusiness stock index and then compare the returns and volatility to other broad‐based market indices. The paper then evaluates the diversification potential of agribusiness stocks in the context of an investment portfolio.

This agribusiness index (AGB Index) is market‐capitalization weighted. Only firms traded on the NYSE, AMEX, or NASDAQ and meeting ERS SIC classification for industries related to agriculture are included in the index. The paper then uses standard financial metrics to measure the historical risk, return, and correlation.

Until recent years, the AGB Index has historically exhibited lower returns than the market indices. The AGB Index has also exhibited lower risk and correlation with treasury securities than broad market indices.

In recent years, portfolio managers and large investors have invested considerably in asset classes like farmland for stable returns, an inflation hedge, and diversification tool. This agribusiness index may further this trend and lead to the development of an alternative Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). This product would make investment in agriculture possible for virtually all investors.

Despite increasing popularity, very little research exists on the performance of agricultural stocks in an investment portfolio. This study develops a large‐cap agribusiness stock price index to help fill this void in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the non-financial causes of organizational success or failure, provide a better understanding of the symptoms of financial distress and improve the predictive capacity of financial failure models.

The paper utilizes exploratory case studies in investigating the relationship of non-financial factors to organizational success or failure across a sample of sector-specific Australian firms listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. A two-tailed study was designed, in which seven cases from both extremes were chosen from three Australian business sectors: finance, property and manufacturing.

Non-financial factors associated with the organizations studied impacted their success or failure. These factors included management skill, experience and involvement in organizational strategy, feedback and resultant activity, together with board of director composition. The identification of financial and non-financial factors and sound internal processes could be utilized for the development of an early warning predictor of organizational success or failure.

The use of this method is very time-consuming but is highly valuable in case study research, providing a more in-depth understanding of how non-financial factors impact organizational success or failure.

The research will provide a better understanding of the symptoms of financial distress and improve the predictive capacity of financial failure models. The improvement in prediction of organizational failure will reduce the costs of failure to all areas affected, from the large corporation to the small business. The inter-connectivity of all businesses to each other often results in a knock-on effect of failure with the cost being borne by all members of the community in some manner. The level of social impact and cost of failure can only be seen by the enormous costs of the Global Financial Crisis failures.

This paper contributes to the literature on effective qualitative research and explores important areas of consideration for those conducting qualitative multiple-case studies. It is intended to be of use to researchers investigating the area of predictors of organizational failure or success.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship of non-financial and financial factors to firm survival, provide evidence of factors related to financial success and distress for prominent Australian agricultural firms, and improve the predictive capacity of financial failure models.

The paper utilizes mixed method exploratory case studies across four Australian agricultural firms (two successful and two failed) listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

The authors found that the use of an Integrated Multi-Measured approach provided a higher classification rate for the failed group than those provided by an individual measure. We also discovered that non-financial factors associated with the agricultural organizations studied impacted their success or failure. These factors included managements’ involvement in organizational strategy and the composition of the board of directors. It was also apparent that management decision-making approaches may become frozen, or at best restricted, in the face of impending failure, dependent upon the stress level within the organization and the management skill base.

The cases studied indicated that non-financial factors of failure occurred prior to any financial predictors, intuitively indicating a relationship between non-financial and financial factors in Australian agricultural firms.

The identification of financial and non-financial factors and sound internal processes which distinguish successful and failing firms can be utilized for the development of an early warning predictor of organizational success or failure.