This book examines the transgressions of the credit rating agencies before, during and after the recent financial crisis. It proposes that by restricting the agencies' ability to offer ancillary services there stands the opportunity to limit, in an achievable and practical manner, the potentially negative effect that the Big Three rating agencies - Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch - may have upon the financial sector and society moreover. The book contains an extensive and in-depth discussion about how the agencies ascended to their current position, why they were able to do so and ultimately their behaviour once their position was cemented. This work offers a new framework for the reader to follow, suggesting that investors, issuers and the state have a 'desired' version of the agencies in their thinking and operate upon that basis when, in fact, those imagined agencies do not exist, as demonstrated by the 'actual' conduct of the agencies. The book primarily aims to uncover this divergence and reveal the 'real' credit rating agencies, and then on that basis propose a real and potentially achievable reform to limit the negative effects that result from poor performance in this Industry. It addresses the topics with regard to financial regulation and the financial crisis, and will be of interest to legal scholars interested in the intersection between business and he law as well as researchers, academics, policymakers, industry and professional associations and students in the fields of corporate law, banking and finance law, financial regulation, corporate governance and corporate finance.

The concept of opportunity cost, an integral part of classical economic theory, is more than two hundred years old. Yet it is still not fully understood today. This work focuses on opportunity cost as it affects decision making, managing, and business problem solving--where the acceptance of one alternative precludes the acceptance of others. H.G. Heymann and Robert Bloom clarify the issues associated with the opportunity cost principle, the measurement of opportunity costs, and its practical applications in the areas of finance and accounting. By providing numerous examples to demonstrate these specific issues, they make an important, complex economic concept simple to understand.

Heymann and Bloom begin their work with simple examples that relate to the opportunity cost principle and introduce the framework in which it has been defined. Following a discussion of basic concepts, applications in economic theory, finance, and accounting are reviewed and analyzed, and increasingly complex, multidimensional, and interdependent problem statements are considered in relation to practical management procedures. The book's interdisciplinary approach addresses a number of issues related to opportunity cost, including the environment in which theories, models, and concepts are developed; the multiple dimensions of problem situations faced by practicing managers; various interpretations of opportunity cost in economic theory; and the relevance of opportunity cost in computer-aided Decision Support Systems. Written in a way that even people with a minimum background in economics can understand, "Opportunity Cost in Finance and Accounting" will enhance the reader's appreciation of the many complex issues that relate to organizational management, financial decision making, valuation, and opportunity costs. It will be a valuable supplementary text for courses in business and public administration, as well as for developmental seminars for professionals in finance, investment, and accounting. It will also be a significant addition to public, academic, and business libraries.

Does the Anglo-American approach to the relationship between banks and firms have a significant weakness compared to the German and Japanese approach? This book addresses issues on corporate finance using historical evidence. In particular it looks at the role of universal banks in relaxing the credit constraints of firms, supervising managers and stabilizing share prices. The key issue is whether the Anglo-American asset based financing is more effective than the main-bank approach used in Germany and Japan. Earlier studies have found that firms with a close relationship with a major bank have high market value compared to book value, although it is difficult to determine whether this is cause or effect. The case of the "Credit Mobilier" - the first universal bank - is interesting because the bank failed. If it was the links with the bank that caused high and stable share prices or relaxed customer constraints, the bank's bankruptcy should have precipitated the loss of these benefits. In fact the bankruptcy had almost no effect on the share prices or the investment behaviour of the relevant firms, casting doubts on the benefits of powerful banks.

The audit profession is at a tipping point. Without significant innovation in its business model, staff recruitment strategies and audit execution processes, the audit profession may not remain relevant in the 21st century. The number of claims against auditors has significantly increased over the past twenty years due to the spate of corporate and audit failures early in the 21st century (Enron, Worldcom, Parmalat, etc.). Regulation to monitor professional and ethical standards has increased, leading audit firms to feel under even more financial pressure. In addition, the investor community is calling for greater insight and foresight from auditors. These challenges, coupled with the unlimited liability regime of auditors still applicable in many jurisdictions, are making audit firms and regulators nervous as to the systemic risk of another one of the Big 4 failing. And yet, the audit profession is in place to protect businesses, their wider stakeholder groups, including clients and investors, and society at large. Therefore, this book asks the important question about the profession's future and engages a broad readership in the discussion of audit failure and reform. Intended to help readers to get up to speed with the issues and possible solutions quickly, this book assists directors, investors, business people and regulators, especially those with a non-financial background, to gain a greater understanding of the challenges and threats being faced by the audit profession, which in turn could disrupt the capital market and affect businesses across the globe. The book outlines the critical success factors needed for a sustainable audit profession.

The control of corporations is a subject that will appeal to a broad readership. How are the giant corporations that affect our lives controlled? Which individuals and institutions command the vast proportion of economic resources controlled by corporations? How do patterns of corporate control differ across European countries? This book answers these questions by providing a detailed analysis of corporate control in nine European countries - Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Big data - unstructured and/or structured data being used to influence underwriting, rating, pricing, forms, marketing and claims handling and incentivize risk reduction - is a relatively recent development in the insurance industry, the data sets previously being too impossibly great to analyse through traditional methods. However, with the global capacity to collect and store data growing alongside advancements in AI and machine learning technology, insurers need to seriously evaluate their technology stacks to ensure they can remain competitive and respond to growing customer demand. Striking a balance between the technical characteristics of the subject and the practical aspects of decision making, spanning from fraud analytics in claims management, to customer analytics, to risk analytics in solvency, the comprehensive coverage presented makes Big Data an invaluable resource for any insurance professional. Providing high quality academic research, Emerald Studies in Finance, Insurance, and Risk Management provides a platform for authors to explore, analyse and discuss current and new financial models and theories, and engage with innovative research on an international scale. Subjects of interest may include banking, accounting, auditing, compliance, sustainability, behaviour, management, and business economics.

Big Data Analytics in the Insurance Market is an industry-specific guide to creating operational effectiveness, managing risk, improving financials, and retaining customers. This book will be a 'must' for people seeking to broaden their knowledge of big data concepts and their real-world applications, particularly in the field of insurance. The insurance industry is largely dependent on data, and the advent of Big Data and analytics represents a major advance with tremendous potential. Yet clear, practical advice on the business side of analytics is lacking. This book fills the void with concrete information on using Big Data in the context of day-to-day insurance operations and strategy. This book an invaluable resource for any insurance professional from practitioners and policymakers working at insurance companies, to undergraduate and graduate students of economics management, and finance. Providing high quality academic research, ESFIRM provides a platform for authors to explore, analyse and discuss current and new financial models and theories, and engage with innovative research on an international scale.

This monograph is concerned with individual, though related, aspects and economic implications of historic cost (HC) accounting indices. The conceptual basis of the model that is advocated as a yardstick for assessing such implications, including potential corporate financial policy consequences, namely, a multiperiod cash flow-market value (CF-MV) model, is elaborated and evaluated at some length.

First published in 1992, The Efficiency of New Issue Markets provides a theoretical discussion of the adverse selection model of the new issue market. It addresses the hypothesis that the method of distribution of new issues has an important bearing on the efficiency of these markets. In doing this, the book tests the efficiency of the Offer for Sale new issue market, which demonstrates the validity of the adverse selection model and contradicts the monopsony power hypothesis. This examines the relative efficiency of the new issue markets and in turn demonstrates the importance of distribution in determining relative efficiency. The book provides a comprehensive overview of under-pricing and through this assesses the efficiency of new issue markets.

First published in 1982, Bond Duration and Immunization is a collection of seminal papers featuring articles from high profile academics such as Frederick McCaulay, John Hicks, and F.M. Redington. This collection also features several articles published in British actuarial journals often unavailable outside of the UK, and a strong collection of articles which contextually offer a significant contribution to the field. This strong collection will appeal to anyone working or researching in the area of bond duration and immunization.

First published in 1992, The New York Stock Exchange is an informative library resource. The book begins with a history of the stock exchange, and offers a series of annotated bibliographies devoted to dictionaries and general guides, directories, bibliographies, general histories, and statistical sources. The book provides important coverage of the stock market crashes of 1929 and 1987 and the appendices offer a useful collection of data, including a directory of serial publications, listings of abstracts and indexes, online databases, and CD-ROM products. This book will be of interest to libraries and to researchers working in the field of economics and business.

Originally published in 1984, The Incredible Eurodollar examines the upheaval and crisis in the world's money system. The book addresses the impact of the vast international debt on the position and volatility of the dollar. The book provides a unique insight into the economics surrounding the Eurodollar, as well as the technicalities of the market. Providing a detailed approach to analysing the Euromarket this volume will be of interest to those working or studying in the fields of business and economics.

First published in 1989, The Economics of the Swap Market looks at how the swap has become a commonplace tool for corporations throughout the OECD world to 'lock-in' interest rates on their borrowing. The aim of The Economics of the Swap Market, is to contribute to a redressing of the balance. Subjects covered include both those conventionally falling within the scope of micro-economics and of macroeconomics, beginning with an examination of the forces behind the take-off the swap market and a formal setting out of key arbitrage relationships which hold in equilibrium between the swap markets on international capital flow.

Originally published in 1992, Capital Mobilization and Regional Financial Markets, argues that barriers to financial flows within regions may be as important in affecting capital flows as interregional barriers. The book conjectures that regional markets allow efficient mobilization of local funds and develops an analytical framework to motivate an investigation of region financial development in the Pacific Coast states between 1850 and 1920.

Originally published in 1996 as a special issue journal, Artificial Intelligence Applications on Wall Street, presents a series of articles derived from papers at the Third International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications on Wall Street. The volume addresses how Artificial Intelligence can be used to address the variety of issues in that arise in the world of investments, such as synthetic instruments, forecasting and surveillance. It examines the potential problems surrounding economic assumption of rationality in a global market, and how artificial intelligence can push the bounds of rationality.

Originally published in 1991, Financial Market Liberalization in Chile, 1973-1982, analyses the liberalization of the financial market which took place during the 1973-1982 monetarist experiment. The book addresses the effect this had on the Chilean economy and how this affected effects of the behaviour of the firms which went bankrupt during this period. The book also presents a description of the policies implemented in the Chilean economy during this period and examines the impact that this had on the performance of the financial sector.

"The Sponsorship Handbook" is a practical guide to sponsorship aimed at practitioners both working for sponsoring companies and those searching for sponsorship.

Using the tools, techniques, advice and best practice advocated in this book both sponsors and sponsor seekers will benefit from better servicing and activation once a sponsorship is implemented, with metrics that enable data-based accountability rather than hearsay.

"Everyone in the sponsorship industry, from the biggest events and properties to the smallest, are benefitting from the increasing knowledge, data availability, metrics and professionalism in using sponsorship. "The Sponsorship Handbook" is a part of that process which we hope will bring future success and proven sound results to all in the complex and exciting world of sponsorship."
Luis Vicente, Head of Partnerships, Manchester City Football Club

"An indispensable reference for any marketer who is keen to build his/her brand using sponsorship; the new ascending way to empower brands."
Faisal Al-Dail, "Saudi Post"

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.

Competition and free trade are both concepts which are absolutely central for the understanding of human societies but are also often the subjects of fears and criticisms. It is argued that it is not possible to understand what competition really is without referring to the concept of freedom, and that free trade must be understood as the way to expand the scope of competition. This book uniquely analyses the two concepts as closely interlinked, by approaching them in two parts. The first, 'Competition', introduces the reader to the traditional competition model, and explores the dynamics and range of the term in an authoritative way. The second part, 'Free Trade' examines the different types of trade, and analyses them in a wealth of contexts, from customs duties to import quotas. With discussions surrounding protectionist arguments, politics, liberalization and history, the author presents an overview of how competition and free trade operate in the real world. This book dispels the fears and misunderstandings which have developed around these central pillars of the modern economy and is essential reading for those studying international economics, international trade, political economy or corporate finance.

Expert guidance on managing credit risk in bond portfolios

Managing Credit Risk in Corporate Bond Portfolios shows readers how to measure and manage the risks of a corporate bond portfolio against its benchmark. This comprehensive guide explores a wide range of topics surrounding credit risk and bond portfolios, including the similarities and differences between corporate and government bond portfolios, yield curve risk, default and credit migration risk, Monte Carlo simulation techniques, and portfolio selection methods.

Srichander Ramaswamy, PhD (Basel, Switzerland), is Head of Investment Analysis at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland, and Adjunct Professor of Banking and Finance, University of Lausanne.

If you are buying a company how can you be sure you are buying the business 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? Designed to help you make your due diligence process as smooth and effective as possible, this collection of checklists by acknowledged expert, Peter Howson, will ensure you manage the risk aspects of any acquisition. The author takes you through the due diligence process itself from legal, financial and commercial to employment and IT, and guides you through the collection. Each checklist includes a short introduction that enables you to make the best use of the material. Due Diligence is, by its nature, a process for which checklists are a wonderful source of ideas and reassurance. Peter Howson's checklists (all of which are repeated in PDF form on the downloadable resources), is a must-have reference for anyone contemplating a merger or acquisition, a management buyout, joint venture or other risky business transactions involving third parties.

This book helps addresses the tax consequences of the most common transactions engaged in by limited liability corporations (LLCs)and partnerships. You will develop a level of comfort with the basic conceptual framework underlying partnership and LLC taxation, as well as gain an explanation of the tax consequences associated with issues most frequently confronted by tax practitioners. Topics covered include: basic tax structure of partnerships and LLCs; electing to be taxed as a partnership: check-the-box rules; tax consequences of partnership or LLC formation; partnership distributions; compensatory payments to partners; at-risk and passive activity limits; profit and loss allocations: general rules and restrictions; and reporting taxable income for partnerships and LLCs.

For private business owners, managing a successful exit from their business is one of the most important events in their business lives. This book shows you how to do so with the minimum of fuss and maximum return. It is unique because the author writes from the owner's point of view, bringing together in one place all you need to know about planning this complex process. Exit Strategy Planning emphasises the need to place exit planning on a firm foundation, with taxation planning and business continuity planning providing the basis to ensure a smooth transition that will yield the maximum return. The first three parts of the book ('Laying the Foundations', 'Choosing your Exit Strategy' and 'Preparing and Implementing your Plans') present a best practice approach to this complex subject. Here the book highlights the importance of planning, often several years in advance, and explains the need to make the business 'investor ready' by identifying and removing impediments to sale. Part 3 culminates in a step-by-step guide to producing and implementing your Master Exit Strategy Plan. Following on from this the extensive appendices in Part 4 discuss in detail each of the exit options open to you (many of which you have probably never considered) and show how to choose the optimum exit route. Exit Strategy Planning is a book that will do more than save you time and money now and in the future; it will help you to maximise on what may well be a lifetime's investment.

Accounting for Financial Instruments is about the accounting and regulatory framework associated with the acquisition and disposal of financial instruments; how to determine their value; how to manage the risk connected with them; and ultimately compile a business valuation report. Specifically, the book covers the following topics, amongst others: Accounting for Investments; Bills of exchange; Management of Financial Risks; Financial Analysis (including the Financial Analysis Report); Valuation of a business (including the Business Valuation Report) and Money laundering. Accounting for Financial Instruments fills a gap in the current literature for a comprehensive text that brings together relevant accounting concepts and valid regulatory framework, and related procedures regarding the management of financial instruments (investments), which are applicable in the modern business world. Understanding financial risk management allows the reader to comprehend the importance of analysing a business concern. This is achieved by presenting an analytical framework to illustrate that an entity's performance is greatly influenced by its external and internal environments. The analysis of the external environment examines factors that impact an entity's operational activities, strategic choices, and influence its opportunities and risks. The analysis of the internal environment applies accounting ratio analysis to an entity's financial statements to examine various elements, including liquidity, profitability, asset utilisation, investment, working capital management and capital structure. The objective of the book is to provide a fundamental knowledge base for those who are interested in managing financial instruments (investments) or studying banking and finance or those who wish to make financial services, particularly banking and finance, their chosen career. Accounting for Financial Instruments is highly applicable to both professional accountants and auditors and students alike.