This study, originally published in 1987, addresses the question of small firm performance. Drawing on an extensive database containing financial, employment and ownership data for several thousand small firms, the book examines whether small firms do actually provide jobs, whether they grow and why small firms fail. Guidance is given on how to spot the signs of impending failure in a small business, which is of use to accountants small business PR actioners and government grant providers.

Focussing on the relatively few small firms which grew rapidly, this book, originally published in 1993 uses face-to-face interviews as well as published records to identify and analyse the managerial factors most closely associated with successful small firms. The volume concentrates on the following key managerial issues: In what respects do the managerial backgrounds and aspirations of the founders of fast-growth small firms differ from those of non-fast-growth small firms? How is the process of growth managed? What incentives, remuneration packages and communication systems are instituted? How do these characteristics and experiences differ in fast-growth small firms from both the traditional small firm and large-firm sector? To what extent is it possible to explain the relative economic performance of small firms in terms of differences in their ownership, organizational and management structures.

This study, originally published in 1987, addresses the question of small firm performance. Drawing on an extensive database containing financial, employment and ownership data for several thousand small firms, the book examines whether small firms do actually provide jobs, whether they grow and why small firms fail. Guidance is given on how to spot the signs of impending failure in a small business, which is of use to accountants small business PR actioners and government grant providers.

Focussing on the relatively few small firms which grew rapidly, this book, originally published in 1993 uses face-to-face interviews as well as published records to identify and analyse the managerial factors most closely associated with successful small firms. The volume concentrates on the following key managerial issues: In what respects do the managerial backgrounds and aspirations of the founders of fast-growth small firms differ from those of non-fast-growth small firms? How is the process of growth managed? What incentives, remuneration packages and communication systems are instituted? How do these characteristics and experiences differ in fast-growth small firms from both the traditional small firm and large-firm sector? To what extent is it possible to explain the relative economic performance of small firms in terms of differences in their ownership, organizational and management structures.

There is little doubt that corporate governance has become one of the key issues for students of business management in the 1990s. This text is the first to draw together the various strands of the debate from economics, finance, and accounting perspectives, and from an international angle that includes discussion of the issues as they relate to governance in the UK, USA, Germany, Japan, and Eastern Europe. The editors identify four main approaches to Corporate Governance. These approaches can be divided into four models:The Principal-Agent or Finance Model; The Myopic-market Model (short-termism); The Abuse of Executive Power; and The Stakeholder Model. Topics covered include: the role of institutional investors the corporate board the market for corporate control management buy-outs and venture capital regulation and auditing governance in the public sector This will be an essential purchase for anyone studying corporate governance whether on an undergraduate degree or MBA.;This book is intended for college: Students of Business, Economics and Accounting taking options in business policy, industrial organization, financial reporting, or corporate governance. Academic: Academics i

'The Intelligent Guide to Stock Market Investment is a welcome initiative to help explain the stock market and the important role it can play in people's long term investment plans. This book is particularly valuable at a time when everyone is being encouraged to take more responsibility for their financial future and it is more important than ever to be better informed when making investment decisions.' The London Stock Exchange '. an excellent text . highly interesting and entertaining . subtle, sophisticated and rigorous . In short, even for the successful stock market investor, the percentage returns from buying this book are likely to make it one of the best investments in his/her portfolio!' Professor Robert Watson, Strathclyde Graduate Business School The Intelligent Guide to Stock Market Investment This comprehensive guide to the theory and practice of stock market investment explains in a clear accessible style the techniques, risks and potential rewards of stock market investment. Written by a leading team of financial researchers, it provides the reader with a sophisticated synthesis of current investment knowledge, drawn both from the latest academic research and the professional investment world. Avoiding simplistic and unrealistic formulae to success, this book gives a balanced assessment of the various approaches to investment and thorough understanding of the way in which the stock market works that will enable readers to take control of their own financial future. The International Institute of Banking and Financial Services specialises in world class research and postgraduate education for the whole of the financial services sector.

The behavior of managers-such as the rewards they obtain for poor performance, the role of boards of directors in monitoring managers, and the regulatory framework covering the corporate governance mechanisms that are put in place to ensure managers' accountability to shareholder and other stakeholders-has been the subject of extensive media and policy scrutiny in light of the financial crisis of the early 2000s. However, corporate governance covers a much broader set of issues, which requires detailed assessment as a central issue of concern to business and society.
Critiques of traditional governance research based on agency theory have noted its "under-contextualized" nature and its inability to compare accurately and explain the diversity of corporate governance arrangements across different institutional contexts. The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Governance aims at closing these theoretical and empirical gaps. It considers corporate governance issues at multiple levels of analysis-the individual manager, firms, institutions, industries, and nations-and presents international evidence to reflect the wide variety of perspectives. In analyzing the effects of corporate governance on performance, a variety of indicators are considered, such as accounting profit, economic profit, productivity growth, market share, proxies for environmental and social performance, such as diversity and other aspects of corporate social responsibility, and of course, share price effects. In addition to providing a high level review and analysis of the existing literature, each chapter develops an agenda for further research on a specific aspect of corporate governance.
This Handbook constitutes the definitive source of academic research on corporate governance, synthesizing studies from economics, strategy, international business, organizational behavior, entrepreneurship, business ethics, accounting, finance, and law.

Within Europe, the banking sector is commencing a period of considerable change and consolidation. Advances in technology, competition from the non-banking sector, the introduction of the Euro, a European Central bank and, possibly, pan-European Regulation, combined with the challenge from US banks, increased mergers and changing practices means 21st century banking is changing immeasurably. The Future of Retail Banking in Europe is written in an accessible style by Oonagh McDonald and Kevin Keasey, two of the leading authorities in the field and includes:

• In-depth analysis of the banking structures in all the major European markets.

• Foreword by Guy Warren, Head of Banking, Europe, Unisys Corporation

• Unique insights into the industry from the CEOs of major European banks.

  The challenges being faced in the industry and predictions into what the future holds for retail banking in Europe.

  This book will be essential reading for middle and senior managers in the banking and financial service sectors, both suppliers and investors in the banking sector, and MBA students.

  "The appearance of this admirable survey of the changing world of retail banking could hardly have been better timed. Never have so many factors combined to influence the products and processes of banking - technology, regulation, governance, accounting, globalisation and consolidation, and above all the changing needs and aspirations of the customers." The Rt Hon Lord Stewartby RD, Deputy Chairman, Standard Chartered Bank

  "The completion of the single financial market, in 2005, will have a profound effect on banking in Europe. McDonald and Keasey's timely analysis carefully maps the existing landscape and provides some useful pointers to the changes we will surely see in the next few years" Howard Davies, Chairman, The Financial Services Authority

The behavior of managers-such as the rewards they obtain for poor performance, the role of boards of directors in monitoring managers, and the regulatory framework covering the corporate governance mechanisms that are put in place to ensure managers' accountability to shareholder and other stakeholders-has been the subject of extensive media and policy scrutiny in light of the financial crisis of the early 2000s. However, corporate governance covers a much broader set of issues, which requires detailed assessment as a central issue of concern to business and society. Critiques of traditional governance research based on agency theory have noted its "under-contextualized" nature and its inability to compare accurately and explain the diversity of corporate governance arrangements across different institutional contexts. The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Governance aims at closing these theoretical and empirical gaps. It considers corporate governance issues at multiple levels of analysis-the individual manager, firms, institutions, industries, and nations-and presents international evidence to reflect the wide variety of perspectives. In analyzing the effects of corporate governance on performance, a variety of indicators are considered, such as accounting profit, economic profit, productivity growth, market share, proxies for environmental and social performance, such as diversity and other aspects of corporate social responsibility, and of course, share price effects. In addition to providing a high level review and analysis of the existing literature, each chapter develops an agenda for further research on a specific aspect of corporate governance. This Handbook constitutes the definitive source of academic research on corporate governance, synthesizing studies from economics, strategy, international business, organizational behavior, entrepreneurship, business ethics, accounting, finance, and law.

The financial crisis that erupted in 2007 has brought the issues of the size, risk, and regulation of banks to the attention of a wide audience. It is difficult to open a broadsheet newspaper or a business magazine without being confronted with some aspect of bank behaviour, be it their risk levels, bankers' excessive rewards, the intertwining of bank and sovereign risk, or how they should be regulated to avoid problems in the future. In Europe, the recent and on-going crisis has demonstrated that the European Union (EU) was institutionally ill-prepared to manage a financial crisis, especially one involving large cross-border institutions which are systemically important to a number of countries. This book aims at integrating and synthesizing the various perspectives on the size, risk, and governance of banking as applied to the European markets, providing fresh insights and new analysis of the empirical data. The book is divided into three main sections. The first provides an overview of how the size of banking firms affects stability in the European banking sector, reviewing the quantitative empirical literature and offering new insights as to whether bank size motivates risk-taking where explicit or implicit 'too-big-to fail' policies shield bank creditors from market discipline. The next section discusses the debates relating to each of the different elements of risk in European banking, including new insights from a large dataset of European bank risk in different institutional contexts. The third section focuses on regulation, board monitoring, and opacity in European banking, employing a unique and hand collected dataset on the governance of European banks, as well as data on U.S. banks as a benchmark. The final chapter critically reviews the new insights gained from the chapters above, while offering policy implications as regards the role of size, risk and governance in European banking.

This book provides an overview of corporate governance issues for students and practitioners. Chapters are written by well informed academics in various disciplines, and the book covers the public sector and the international dimension (Europe and the USA) from the overlapping of economics, finance, and accounting.