A Synthesis of Agency and Managerial Power Theories and Its Applications to Corporate Governance, Management Compensation, and Firm Performance. The existing models of corporate governance in economics and finance based on agency theory do not successfully portray all modern corporations. Thus the importance of a new and rigorous way to study corporate governance can be hardly exaggerated. This project will provide a synthesized theory of corporate governance and is expected to produce highest- ....A Synthesis of Agency and Managerial Power Theories and Its Applications to Corporate Governance, Management Compensation, and Firm Performance. The existing models of corporate governance in economics and finance based on agency theory do not successfully portray all modern corporations. Thus the importance of a new and rigorous way to study corporate governance can be hardly exaggerated. This project will provide a synthesized theory of corporate governance and is expected to produce highest-quality research publishable in top-tier journals. This will, among others, enhance Australia's standing as a knowledge nation. This project is also expected to contribute to the discussions on how to improve corporate governance and regulation of management compensation both in Australia and abroad. Read moreRead less
Stochastic Index Numbers and Their Application in Accounting, Economics and Finance. Index numbers of prices, such as the Consumer Price Index and the All Ordinaries Index, are among the most important economic statistics for the whole economy. But despite their importance, currently constructed price indexes do not use all the information available in the underlying price data, namely the dispersion among the individual prices. This project will develop and apply a methodology for a new approa ....Stochastic Index Numbers and Their Application in Accounting, Economics and Finance. Index numbers of prices, such as the Consumer Price Index and the All Ordinaries Index, are among the most important economic statistics for the whole economy. But despite their importance, currently constructed price indexes do not use all the information available in the underlying price data, namely the dispersion among the individual prices. This project will develop and apply a methodology for a new approach to index numbers that incorporates this information and leads to tractable ways of estimating the whole distribution of the index value, rather than just one number. The practical usefulness of this mthodology will be demonstrated with applications in accounting (sustainable earnings), economics (real exchange rates) and finance (share prices).Read moreRead less
The Role of Directors in CorporateTakeovers. This research deals with one of the causes and consequences of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for boards of directors of companies involved in M&As. The Federal Government's Corporate Law and Economic Reform Program (CLERP), Paper No:3 states that corporate governance practices by Australian companies should be continuously monitored by the Australian Stock Exchange and relevant industries and professional bodies. Our research on the extent to which ....The Role of Directors in CorporateTakeovers. This research deals with one of the causes and consequences of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for boards of directors of companies involved in M&As. The Federal Government's Corporate Law and Economic Reform Program (CLERP), Paper No:3 states that corporate governance practices by Australian companies should be continuously monitored by the Australian Stock Exchange and relevant industries and professional bodies. Our research on the extent to which directors get penalised and/or rewarded for acquisition decisions depending on the outcomes of the M&A, contribute towards this monitoring.Read moreRead less
Information and market price manipulation in trade. As we can see from the financial crisis, speculative trading in financial markets can have real world effects. Inside traders can exploit their information for more profits. At this stage, we do not fully understand the role of diverse information in the financial system and we need better ways to model price manipulation and information in a dynamic setting. This proposal seeks to supply a reference framework for analyzing price manipulatio ....Information and market price manipulation in trade. As we can see from the financial crisis, speculative trading in financial markets can have real world effects. Inside traders can exploit their information for more profits. At this stage, we do not fully understand the role of diverse information in the financial system and we need better ways to model price manipulation and information in a dynamic setting. This proposal seeks to supply a reference framework for analyzing price manipulation. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the informed trader's dynamic strategy. By strengthening this research area, this project will give new momentum to Australian economic theory.Read moreRead less
Speculative Bubbles in Property Markets. It is anticipated that the test for speculative bubbles outlined in this research proposal will make significant progress towards establishing the existence (or non-existence) of property market bubbles. While the proposed application is to the Sydney market, the method will be applicable to property markets in other cites and regions, both in Australia and internationally. An improved test for speculative bubbles will provide a better understanding of th ....Speculative Bubbles in Property Markets. It is anticipated that the test for speculative bubbles outlined in this research proposal will make significant progress towards establishing the existence (or non-existence) of property market bubbles. While the proposed application is to the Sydney market, the method will be applicable to property markets in other cites and regions, both in Australia and internationally. An improved test for speculative bubbles will provide a better understanding of the nature of bubbles and will benefit policy-makers by providing a more solid basis for policy development. The research will also produce hedonic pricing models that can be used understand the determinants of property prices and rents in Australian cities. Read moreRead less
Back door listings: from hot rocks to hot stocks. The purpose of this research is to explain the incidence, characteristics and performance of firms who engaged in back door listings in the late 1990s. A back door listings is a means whereby a private company becomes listed by a merger with a public corporation.
We are focussing on a research topic that has not been examined at all in academic research. This is despite the significance of the going public process and mergers. We will provide e ....Back door listings: from hot rocks to hot stocks. The purpose of this research is to explain the incidence, characteristics and performance of firms who engaged in back door listings in the late 1990s. A back door listings is a means whereby a private company becomes listed by a merger with a public corporation.
We are focussing on a research topic that has not been examined at all in academic research. This is despite the significance of the going public process and mergers. We will provide evidence on the performance of back door listings, and our results will be the basis of suggestions to market regulators and future researchers.Read moreRead less
Consumption Volatility and Financial Openness in the Developing World. The analysis performed in this project will shed some light on how financial openness affects consumption volatility in developing countries. The results of this project have direct relevance for the formulation of financial sector policies in developing countries as well as Australia, given its close association with the developing world. Designing appropriate financial sector policies helps promote financial stability, and ....Consumption Volatility and Financial Openness in the Developing World. The analysis performed in this project will shed some light on how financial openness affects consumption volatility in developing countries. The results of this project have direct relevance for the formulation of financial sector policies in developing countries as well as Australia, given its close association with the developing world. Designing appropriate financial sector policies helps promote financial stability, and this exerts a beneficial effect on economic growth. This is broadly in line with the Australian policy makers' objective of promoting growth and enhancing stability.Read moreRead less
Financial development, liberalisation and productivity growth. The analysis performed in this project will provide some new insights into the role of financial policies in bolstering productivity growth. This issue deserves more attention from the policy circle given that a better understanding of the mechanisms by which finance affects growth performance allows policy makers to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with liberalising and deepening the financial systems, thus enabling the fo ....Financial development, liberalisation and productivity growth. The analysis performed in this project will provide some new insights into the role of financial policies in bolstering productivity growth. This issue deserves more attention from the policy circle given that a better understanding of the mechanisms by which finance affects growth performance allows policy makers to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with liberalising and deepening the financial systems, thus enabling the formulation of effective financial policies. This understanding is critical to achieve the Australian policy makers' objective of promoting financial stability and strengthening growth.Read moreRead less
Modelling non-linear price dynamics of primary commodities that are affected by seasonality, significant storage costs, and slow adjustment. Australia's economy relies substantially on exports of commodities. However, recent volatility of commodity prices has created tremendous uncertainties for traders, producers and consumers of those commodities. This adversely affects our national economy through the disruption of agricultural and mining production, and also more broadly impacts on investmen ....Modelling non-linear price dynamics of primary commodities that are affected by seasonality, significant storage costs, and slow adjustment. Australia's economy relies substantially on exports of commodities. However, recent volatility of commodity prices has created tremendous uncertainties for traders, producers and consumers of those commodities. This adversely affects our national economy through the disruption of agricultural and mining production, and also more broadly impacts on investment, employment and gross domestic income. This research will model more accurately the complex dynamics of primary commodity prices and their inter-market linkages, which will allow traders, producers and consumers to better forecast commodity price movements and protect themselves through inventory management, hedging and long-run production planning.Read moreRead less
The Theory and Measurement of Stock-Market Indices. This project should promote an innovation culture in Australia by
designing new benchmark indices for evaluating the performance of
fund managers (and other uses), thus encouraging the allocation of
funds to their most productive uses. It will produce a better
measure of asset price inflation than any currently in existence
which will be of use to the Reserve Bank in the setting of
monetary policy. This project will also enhance the reput ....The Theory and Measurement of Stock-Market Indices. This project should promote an innovation culture in Australia by
designing new benchmark indices for evaluating the performance of
fund managers (and other uses), thus encouraging the allocation of
funds to their most productive uses. It will produce a better
measure of asset price inflation than any currently in existence
which will be of use to the Reserve Bank in the setting of
monetary policy. This project will also enhance the reputation of
Australian universities as centres of cutting-edge academic
research, provide a thesis topic for a PhD student, and help build
links between the academic and private sectors.Read moreRead less