A quantitative analyst's introduction to the theory and practice of ESG finance In Quantitative Methods for ESG Finance, accomplished risk and ESG experts Dr. Cyril Shmatov and Cino Robin Castelli deliver an incisive and essential introduction to the quantitative basis of ESG finance from a quantitative analyst's perspective. The book combines the theoretical and mathematical bases underlying risk factor investing and risk management with accessible discussions of ESG applications. The authors explore the increasing availability of non-traditional data sources for quantitative analysts and describe the quantitative/statistical techniques they'll need to make practical use of these data. The book also offers: A particular emphasis on climate change and climate risks, both due to its increasing general importance and accelerating regulatory change in the space Practical code examples in a Python Jupyter notebook that use publicly available data to demonstrate the techniques discussed in the book Expansive discussions of risk factor investing, portfolio construction, ESG scoring, new ESG-driven financial products, and new financial risk management applications, particularly those making use of the proliferation of "alternative data", both text and images A must-read guide for quantitative analysts, investment managers, financial risk managers, investment bankers, and other finance professionals with an interest in ESG-driven investing, Quantitative Methods for ESG Finance will also earn a place on the bookshelves of graduate students of business and finance.

Japan has always been an "odd man out" from the standpoint of Western norm or Western finance. It is a country that is as developed as any in the West. However, it is also a country that possesses the significant institutional and cultural traits that separate it from the West. An important question in finance is to what extent the basic models of finance, developed with the Western "perfect market" view in mind, can be applied to Japan; or conversely, what critical adjustments must be made to make models amendable to the reality of Japanese finance. This book contains 21 substantive papers that address various aspects of Japanese finance. This is an attempt to bring them together under the same cover so that the commonality and peculiarity of Japanese finance can be more easily discerned across different applications as well as compared across countries. Hence, despite apparent differences in topics, the theme is international and comparative in nature throughout.

This book provides a critical evaluation of the literature on finance, investment and innovation and proposes new research methods for evaluating the comparative performance of financial systems in supporting innovation. The comparative advantage of this book is that of being directly focused on one of the main unsolved issues in monetary and financial economics: the relative effectiveness of national financial systems in supporting innovation. It proposes various theoretical and empirical contributions that, taken together, allow to evaluate the relative effectiveness of some of the most important country systems such as Japan, and the UK and Italy.

Financial Strategies and Topics in Finance is a collection of Professor Emeritus Harold Bierman, Jr.'s public lectures on corporate finance, given on behalf of the Johnson School of Business, Cornell University, from 1960 to 2015.By explaining complex financial strategies in a simplified manner, Professor Bierman makes corporate finance accessible to the non-expert reader as well. This collection of lectures covers highly relevant topics with financial insights and implications, that are very important to business managers and individual investors. Complex business decisions are simplified, allowing the logic of the decision process to become readily apparent.As Professor Bierman writes, 'A good business education will build on the basic financial tool of the time value of money and the net present value calculation. The lectures presented in this book are consistent with good present value calculations.'

This book provides coherent theoretical and empirical analysis of firms' investment and financing decisions. It assesses the role of uncertainty, financial imperfections, corporate governance and taxation. Evidence is obtained using several unique and high quality microeconomic data-sets, which explore features seldom addressed. Overall, the empirical results confirm theoretical precedents. Some firms are indeed financially constrained, for fixed investment as well as for R&D projects. The 'free cash-flow' hypothesis holds, that is managers divert excess funds away for their own interests, but less so in closely controlled companies. In accordance with the real option theory, the results suggest that uncertainty leads firms to adopt a 'wait and see' strategy which eventually reduces investment, especially for irreversible investment. Corporate governance features are shown to affect managers, discipline and companies' restructuring plans. Finally, different tax reforms are evaluated, and an alternative tax structure that would stimulate growth is proposed. Scholars, including those with an interest in microeconomics and econometrics, and staff within central banks and national and international organisations will also find the book of interest, as will policymakers and decision-makers concerned with the role of financing, corporate governance and taxation on firm's decisions.

With twenty-one years' experience in the investment bond business, Raymond uses his experience in this study to demonstrate the key issues related to state, county, municipal and district bonds through the use of the most recent data of the time. Originally published in 1923, this version was republished in 1936 to ensure that all figures and arguments were up-to-date. This title will be of interest to students of Business, Economics and Finance.

Following the transition of industrial nations to knowledge economies, the financing of technological innovation has become a central issue in public policy, corporate finance and business management. This detailed book examines the role of intellectual property rights in facilitating the financing of technological innovation as well as the role of policy makers, investors and managers in this process. The book's central finding is that public policy plays a key role in promoting the corporate disclosure of intellectual property-related information to enhance the efficiency of capital markets. This not only reduces the costs of capital for technology-driven firms but ultimately spurs innovation and economic growth.Intellectual Property Rights and the Financing of Technological Innovation will strongly appeal to research students and academics, policy makers, intellectual property professionals, equity analysts, credit rating analysts and executives in the pharmaceutical industry. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. The Intangible Economy 3. Patent Information and Corporate Credit Ratings: An Empirical Study of Patent Valuation by Credit Rating Agencies 4. IPR Management and Company Valuation in the Pharmaceutical Industry: An Exploratory Study 5. IPR Management, Corporate Disclosures, and Stock Market Valuations in the Pharmaceutical Industry 6. Towards Forward-looking Financial Reporting Bibliography Index

Originally published in 1973, Stock Exchange and Investment Analysis provides a detailed description of the London Stock Exchange and outlines both the principles and practice of finance, investment, and investment analysis. Split into four sections, the book provides critical analysis of the Stock Exchange and its functions, and the securities available to investors. It also addresses the latest developments in the field of investments and provides a detailed discussion on taxation and portfolio analysis. This book will be of interest to academics working in the field of finance and economics.

Coalitions of consumer groups, NGOs, and trade unions have traditionally been considered politically weak compared to well-organized and resourceful financial sector groups which dominate or "capture" financial regulatory decisions. However, following the 2008 financial crisis, civil society groups have been seen to exert much more influence, with politicians successfully implementing financial reform in spite of industry opposition. Drawing on literature from social movement research and regulatory politics, this book shows how diffuse interests were represented in financial regulatory overhauls in both the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). Four cases of reform in the post-crisis regulatory context are analyzed: the creation of a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the US; the introduction of new consumer protection regulations through EU directives; the failure of attempts to introduce a financial transaction tax in the US; and the agreement of 11 EU member states to introduce such a tax. It shows how building coalitions with important elite allies outside and inside government helped traditionally weak interest groups transcend a lack of material resources to influence and shape regulatory policy. By engaging with a less well-known side of the debate, it explains how business power was curbed and diverse interests translated into financial regulatory policy.

Consolidation activities such as mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been one of the major strategies adopted by Indian firms to withstand global competition. M&As experienced a substantial increase in value and volume during the post-liberalization era, facilitated by the presence of foreign subsidiaries in the Indian market as well as competitive pressure on domestic firms. The increased foreign investment through M&As brought new dimensions to the fore such as the implications on technological performance, efficiency, and more importantly, competition in the Indian market. The Globalisation of Indian Business: Cross Border Mergers and Acquisitions in Indian Manufacturing provides an in-depth analysis of these issues, specifically aiming to understand whether the M&As strategies helped the firms to achieve their desired objectives in terms of improvement in technology, efficiency and market power in the context of the increase of M&As in India, using appropriate statistical and econometric techniques. The book is of additional importance in the context of the recently implemented Competition Act, replacing the thirty year old MRTP Act in India. The new Act aims to maintain competition and protect consumers' interests without harming that of the producers'. Based on the analysis, broadly, the study cautions the regulators to rethink the efficiency defence argument and become more vigilant on the creation of monopolies. On the other side, it suggests firms should reconsider their post-merger integration strategy since consolidation has not led to a sustainable increase in market share of the surviving firms.

This book presents a set of conversations with five former Governors of Reserve Bank of India (from 1992 onwards) on the topic of financial inclusion. Two key aspects are introduced in the conversations with each Governor: the initiatives that were undertaken during their tenure and their responses to some of the current issues. Further, they examine the reasons and justifications for significant decisions and measures that were undertaken or withheld. The discussion captures the evolution and approach of the central bank in addressing a variety of questions pertaining to financial inclusion. The volume is an important contribution to the study of India's continuous but not entirely successful efforts in increasing the reach of its formal financial sector. It reconstructs how the policy approach to inclusive banking has progressed and resisted commercial and market imperatives to safeguard the deprived and dispossessed sections of society. With its wide-ranging blend of conversations, documentation, research and commentary coupled with its engaging style, the book will interest students and researchers in the areas of development, banking, macroeconomics, public administration and governance, as well as academics, analysts, policymakers, think tanks, journalists, media and those concerned with the Indian economic policy.

The right to do business in Russia is granted by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which states that everyone shall have the right to freely use his or her abilities and property for entrepreneurial or any other economic activity not prohibited by the law. In the Russian Civil Code, business activity is understood as an independent activity, performed at one's own risk, aimed at systematically deriving profit from the use of the property, the sale of commodities, the performance of work, or the rendering of services by the persons registered in this capacity in conformity with the law-established procedure. Doing Corporate Business in Russia attempts to examine not only the theoretical aspects of Russian business procedures, but also the specific nature of their implementation. This book offers an examination of the process of establishing, functioning, and terminating various types of business corporations in the Russian Federation and gives readers a thorough understanding of business in Russia. It clarifies the legal features of management and interaction with contractors and public authorities. It also touches upon the issues of legal linguistics and its role in legal practice. Knowledge in this field enables the reader to get a sense of the correct interpretation of the content of legal documents, proper definitions of terms, and of the potential violations of the rights of business entities based on improper understanding of normative language. The book will be useful to scientists and practicing lawyers, students, and anyone interested in the specifics of corporate business entities and the Russian business climate.

This book examines the nature of the stock market and its implications for corporate management. It provides an introduction to core issues in finance and differs from traditional textbooks in its recognition that 'finance is not physics' - in the sense that how markets behave today is not necessarily how they will behave tomorrow. Nevertheless, a certain level of 'physics' can be recognized as underpinning the development of stock market valuations and corporate financial decision-making.In short, the objective of the text is to instill insight in regards to the functioning of markets and corporate behavior, as opposed to algebraic derivations from unrealistic assumptions. Rather than subscribe unthinkingly to an 'efficient market hypothesis', at each stage of the development of the text's conceptual framework, we also recognize the reality of market 'sentiment' and the fundamental uncertainty that managers face in their decisions.Based around a teaching programme with worked questions and solutions, Stock Markets and Corporate Finance is the perfect accompaniment for MBA, undergraduate and graduate students looking for a critical textbook on the nature of the financial sector and corporate finance.

This book examines the nature of the stock market and its implications for corporate management. It provides an introduction to core issues in finance and differs from traditional textbooks in its recognition that 'finance is not physics' - in the sense that how markets behave today is not necessarily how they will behave tomorrow. Nevertheless, a certain level of 'physics' can be recognized as underpinning the development of stock market valuations and corporate financial decision-making.In short, the objective of the text is to instill insight in regards to the functioning of markets and corporate behavior, as opposed to algebraic derivations from unrealistic assumptions. Rather than subscribe unthinkingly to an 'efficient market hypothesis', at each stage of the development of the text's conceptual framework, we also recognize the reality of market 'sentiment' and the fundamental uncertainty that managers face in their decisions.Based around a teaching programme with worked questions and solutions, Stock Markets and Corporate Finance is the perfect accompaniment for MBA, undergraduate and graduate students looking for a critical textbook on the nature of the financial sector and corporate finance.

McKinsey & Company's #1 best-selling guide to corporate valuation--the fully updated seventh edition Valuation has been the foremost resource for measuring company value for nearly three decades. Now in its seventh edition, this acclaimed volume continues to help financial professionals around the world gain a deep understanding of valuation and help their companies create, manage, and maximize economic value for their shareholders. This latest edition has been carefully revised and updated throughout, and includes new insights on topics such as digital, ESG (environmental, social and governance), and long-term investing, as well as fresh case studies. Clear, accessible chapters cover the fundamental principles of value creation, analyzing and forecasting performance, capital structure and dividends, valuing high-growth companies, and much more. The Financial Times calls the book "one of the practitioners' best guides to valuation." This book: Provides complete, detailed guidance on every crucial aspect of corporate valuation Explains the strategies, techniques, and nuances of valuation every manager needs to know Covers both core and advanced valuation techniques and management strategies Features/Includes a companion website that covers key issues in valuation, including videos, discussions of trending topics, and real-world valuation examples from the capital markets For over 90 years, McKinsey & Company has helped corporations and organizations make substantial and lasting improvements in their performance. Through seven editions and 30 years, Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, has served as the definitive reference for finance professionals, including investment bankers, financial analysts, CFOs and corporate managers, venture capitalists, and students and instructors in all areas of finance.

For undergraduate courses in corporate finance and financial management. Develop and begin to apply financial principles Students often struggle to see how financial concepts relate to their personal lives and prospective careers Financial Management: Principles and Applications gives students a big picture perspective of finance and how it is important in their personal and professional lives. Utilising five key principles, the 14th Global Edition provides an approachable introduction to financial decision-making, weaving in real-world issues to demonstrate the practical applications of critical financial concepts.

This book examines the complexity of trading and the creation of liquidity. Titled after the Baruch College Financial Markets Conference, Equity Market Round-Up: Proposals for Strengthening the Markets, this book explores how regulation has a clear impact on market structure and, therefore, how market structure impacts efficient trading and capital formation. The following questions are analyzed: What are the liquidity strategies for pricing and interacting? Is liquidity any more available today for an illiquid stock than it was on the floor of the exchange 20 years ago? How do we cope with the dynamics of a continuous market? How can market structure be improved? What are the effects of high frequency trading? The Zicklin School of Business Financial Markets Series presents the insights emerging from a sequence of conferences hosted by the Zicklin School at Baruch College for industry professionals, regulators, and scholars. The transcripts from the conferences are edited for clarity, perspective and context; material and comments from subsequent interviews with the panelists and speakers are included for a complete thematic presentation. Each book is focused on a well delineated topic, but all deliver broad insights into the quality and efficiency of the U.S. equity markets and the dynamic forces that are changing them.

How can you be sure you are buying the company you think you are? Are you sure it is as good as the seller says? How can you be certain unexpected costs and obligations will not suddenly appear once you are the owner and responsible for them? How best can you arm yourself for the negotiations? Have you worked out precisely what you are going to do with it once it is yours? How do you set the priorities for change to recoup the premium you have paid for it? The answer to all these questions, and many more, lies within a series of three comprehensive yet concise volumes by Peter Howson. The Essentials of M&A Due Diligence, the first in the series, is a must for anyone who needs to master the essentials of due diligence with the minimum effort and in the minimum amount of time. Straightforward and unbiased, it sets out the fundamentals of pre-acquisition investigations, showing which are appropriate and why.

Accounting literature has viewed sustainability in terms of social, economic and environmental performances. There have been concerns that the relationship between sustainability, accounting and organizational performance cannot be explained unless we can deduce patterns of administrative behaviour that chronicle management practices. Ecology, Sustainable Development and Accounting argues that, despite the broader social and economic development dimensions of sustainability and the limitations of its extension to corporate and organizational behaviour; an ecological framework is capable of providing the overall societal and community chronologies that describe corporate sustainable operations. Drawing examples from international development and federal government organizations, this book documents the link between ecology, corporate sustainable development, and sustainability accounting and reporting. It draws together the literature from several disciplines to elaborate the contribution of the ecological approach to sustainable development in the accounting literature. This book will be of particular interest to students, academics and practitioners in the areas of environmental studies, ecological economics, sustainable development studies, and social and environmental accounting. The sociological and anthropological perspectives make this book the first of its kind to apply the population ecology of sociology to both the sustainability and accounting literature.

The increasing capital flows in the emerging markets and developed countries have raised various concerns worldwide. One main concern is the impact of the sharp decline of capital flows - so-called sudden stops - on financial markets and the stability of banking systems and the economy. The sudden stops and banking crises have been identified as the two main features of most financial crises, including the recent Asian Financial Crisis and Global Financial Crisis. However, how capital flows and banking crises are connected still remains unanswered. Most current studies on capital flows are empirical work, which faces various challenges. The challenges include how data has been collected and measured in each country and how sensitive the results are to the data and the adopted methodologies. Moreover, the links between capital flows and banking systems have been neglected. This book helps provide some insight into the challenges faced by empirical studies and the lessons of the recent crises. The book develops theoretical analysis to deepen our understanding on how capital flows, banking systems and financial markets are linked with each other and provides constructive policy implications by overcoming the empirical challenges.

This volume will introduce the reader to basic topics of corporate finance. The notes will provide an integrative model that will help students evaluate projects, examine financing alternatives and assess a firm.With problems and detailed solutions at the end of each chapter, this volume will also greatly benefit financial managers and investors. Corporate finance is a discipline from the firm's perspective and addresses the concerns of the Chief Financial Officer of the firm. Additionally, investors need to understand why firms make certain decisions so that they better recognize what drives firm value.These lecture notes assume no previous knowledge of finance, and are written in conversational style that makes the topics more accessible and easy to comprehend and absorb.

This volume will introduce the reader to basic topics of corporate finance. The notes will provide an integrative model that will help students evaluate projects, examine financing alternatives and assess a firm.With problems and detailed solutions at the end of each chapter, this volume will also greatly benefit financial managers and investors. Corporate finance is a discipline from the firm's perspective and addresses the concerns of the Chief Financial Officer of the firm. Additionally, investors need to understand why firms make certain decisions so that they better recognize what drives firm value.These lecture notes assume no previous knowledge of finance, and are written in conversational style that makes the topics more accessible and easy to comprehend and absorb.

This book develops a new framework - the stakeholder model - that helps to understand corporate finance and governance in modern society, where the sources of people's happiness have shifted from monetary to non-monetary factors. The book takes a more comprehensive approach than is typically found in the standard economics and finance literature, by explicitly incorporating both the monetary and non-monetary interests of stakeholders and by examining the value creation of corporations from a much broader perspective. Specifically, the book addresses contemporary issues concerning corporate finance and governance worldwide, including: How should we define corporate value in stakeholder society? What is the role of modern corporations? What are the principles underlying corporate financing decisions? To what extent should shareholder rights be enhanced? What determines the effectiveness of a company's board of directors? What missions do firms set out and what is the role of mission statements? How can we understand the diversity of financial and governance systems among different countries? What legal and institutional reforms enhance or diminish corporate value in stakeholder society? The book will answer these questions theoretically and empirically.

‘Packed with insights and details that will both amaze and appal you’ – Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland and Butler to the World From journalist Chris Blackhurst, Too Big to Jail unveils how HSBC facilitated mass money laundering schemes for brutal drug kingpins and rogue nations – and thereby helped to grow one of the deadliest drugs empires the world has ever seen. While HSBC likes to sell itself as ‘the world’s local bank’ – the friendly face of corporate and personal finance – it was one decade ago hit with a record US fine of $1.9 billion. In pursuit of their goal of becoming the biggest bank in the world, between 2003 and 2010, HSBC allowed El Chapo and the Sinaloa cartel, one of the most notorious and murderous criminal organizations in the world, to turn its ill-gotten money into clean dollars. How did a bank, which boasts ‘we’re committed to helping protect the world’s financial system on which millions of people depend, by only doing business with customers who meet our high standards of transparency’ come to facilitate Mexico’s richest drug baron? And how did a bank that as recently as 2002 had been named ‘one of the best-run organizations in the world’ become so entwined with one of the most barbaric groups of gangsters on the planet? Too Big to Jail is an extraordinary story, brilliantly told by writer, commentator and former editor of The Independent, Chris Blackhurst, that starts in Hong Kong and ranges across London, Washington, the Cayman Islands and Mexico, where HSBC saw the opportunity to become the largest bank in the world, and El Chapo seized the chance to fuel his murderous empire by laundering his drug proceeds through the bank. It brings together an extraordinary cast of politicians, bankers, drug dealers, FBI officers and whistle-blowers, and asks what price does greed have? Whose job is it to police global finance? And why did not a single person go to prison for facilitating the murderous expansion of a global drug empire?

A pioneering and comprehensive work, The Singapore Blue Chips puts the spotlight on 22 of Singapore's largest corporates. This is the first book that provides a quick snapshot of Singapore's large cap (large market capitalisation) corporates as investment propositions, and is a timely tribute to the nation's 50 years of independence and development.Written for finance professionals and students as well as readers with a general interest in business, investing and finance, each chapter of this book is dedicated to one company and delves into its attractiveness as an investment proposition, the associated investments risk and the company's prospects as of end-2016.