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We examine whether discretionary accruals of firms obtaining substantial external financing can be explained by managerial manipulation or managerial overoptimism. Insider trading patterns and press releases around equity and debt financing suggest that managers are more optimistic about their firms around debt financing. Consistent with earlier studies, we find that discretionary current accruals peak when firms obtain equity financing. However, we also find that discretionary accruals peak when firms obtain debt financing. Moreover, discretionary accruals are higher for firms that rely on debt rather than on equity financing. The results are robust to controlling for firm characteristics, excluding small and distressed firms, and using alternative measures of discretionary accruals. These findings support the hypothesis that managerial overoptimism distorts financial statements of firms obtaining external financing.

When major reallocations of the firm’s assets are strategically necessary, the corporation’s decision system is perhaps put to its severest test. This paper aims to argue that a relevant balance in the corporate governance structure is highly important to assure those strategic decisions taken are successful and economically beneficial to shareholders’ wealth.

This study examines US firms making major acquisitions resulting in large losses or large gains and identify weaknesses and strengths in their respective governance structures.

Firms making large loss acquisitions demonstrate a balance in the corporate governance structure that heavily favors the CEO. Firms making large gain acquisitions present a more efficient balance in the configuration their corporate governance dynamics. Finally, the authors present evidence that making a major acquisition triggers rebalancing of the corporate governance dynamics to increase the effectiveness of monitoring the implementation of the acquisition. The authors find firms making large loss acquisitions make more extensive changes in the professional expertise on their boards.

This study provides a broad understanding of the role of corporate governance by examining overall governance dynamics and offers how one corporate governance structure does not fit all firms, at all times, in all circumstances. Instead, timely imbalances within the configurations of corporate governance dynamics over the major strategic acquisition process can be consistent with the goal of increasing shareholders’ wealth.

When major reallocations of the firm’s assets are necessary, a balance in the corporate governance structure favoring the CEO can be a necessary condition for planning and initiating major strategic moves. The purpose of this paper is to examine firms making major acquisitions to identify corporate governance elements that are particular to undertaking major strategic initiatives.

The authors test the proposition that firms making major strategic acquisitions will exhibit a corporate governance structure that is different in a number of its governance elements from firms making other acquisition decisions. The authors categorize the elements of corporate governance structures into CEO characteristics, internal monitoring, external monitoring and CEO compensation.

The authors find the propensity of acquiring firms to make major strategic acquisitions is abetted by the CEO’s attributes and compensation, by the structure of the audit committee and compensation committee, and by the firm’s prior financial performance.

The analysis of firms making major acquisitions presents the corporate governance dynamics of an environment that is conducive to strategic risk taking.

Outlines previous research on the effects of bond rating changes on the share prices of US banks, noting opposing views on whether they contain new information. Examines revisions in analysts’ earnings forecasts for downgraded and non‐downgraded banks (separating regional banks from large money centres) to test the value of this information using 1981‐1991 data on 14 downgrades of money centre banks; and explains the methodology used. Shows that downgrades affected forecasts for the downgraded banks and other money centre banks but not for regional banks. Concludes that bond rating agencies assist market discipline by providing useful information on risk.

Digitalisation is perceived as a new process that may add value to firms. Current theoretical understanding assumes it should be part of a firm's strategy to respond to multiple pressures in the business environment. This paper explores the occurrence of digitalisation in a rare context, that of the English agricultural industry in the United Kingdom, a place disproportionality filled with family firms. The general understanding of digitalisation in family firm settings remains embryonic. The authors' explorations make theoretical contributions to research at the intersection of rural entrepreneurship, family business and innovation.

Utilising a purposive, qualitative approach, primary data was collected from multiple interviews with 28 UK family farms, and secondary data from another 164. Interview transcripts were coded using NVivo, along with secondary data from reports, observations and websites.

The authors present empirical evidence illustrating how digitalisation manifests incrementally and radically in different types of family farms. The authors present a model that shows the areas of farming that have, and continue to be, digitalised. This increases analytical precision when identifying digitalisation activities that differ depending on the strategy to either scale or diversify. The authors propose that incremental digitalising occurs to a great extent during a scaling strategy, and that radical digitalising occurs to a smaller extent during diversification strategies in family farms.

This research uses a sample of family-run farms from the UK agricultural sector to explore nuanced elements of digitalisation. It should therefore be explored in other types of family firms located in different sectors and geographies.

This research is important because family farms are under increasing pressure and have limited financial resources to deal with the digitalisation agenda. Therefore, empirical evidence helps other farms in similar situations. The authors found digitalisation investments, that tend to be capital intensive, only matter for scalers and less so for diversifiers. Family farms can use the model presented as a tool to evaluate their farm. The tool helps them define what to do, and ideate the potential activities that might be digitalised, to feed into their wider strategy.

Family firms, in particular farms, are critical to many economies. The general consenses currently assumes all family firms should digitalise, yet the authors' evidence suggests that this is not the case. It is important to create policies that are sensitive to the needs of different types of businesses, in this case between family firm scalers and diversifiers, instead of simply incentivising digitalisation using a blanket approach usually by offering financial aid. Understanding how digitisation can support (or not) family firm resilience and growth in an effective and efficient manner can have significant benefit to individual firms, and across industries.

The proposed model extends theoretical understanding linking strategy, digitalisation activity and innovation in family farms. It shows that digitalisation is a key building block of scaling strategies, maximising digitalisation to increase efficiency. Yet, diversifying family farms minimise digitalisation, whereby they only digitalise a small amount of the farming activity. This empirical evidence contrasts with the wider narrative that farmers are slower at using new technology. This research found that some are slower because it does not align with their strategy. However, sometimes digitalisation aligns with their strategy during external changes, in which case the diversifiers are quick to act.

Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.