Numerous studies have documented the existence of nonlinearity within various financial time series. But how important of a finding is this? This dissertation examines this issue from a number of perspectives. First, is the nonlinearity that has been found a statistical anomaly that is isolated...

Some firms allow their CEO to hold the position of Chair of the Board of Directors while other firms choose to split those two positions between two different individuals. This dissertation first examines whether agency control mechanisms, agency problems, and other firm characteristics are...