This paper shows that q-based measures of the diversification discount are biased upward by mergers and acquisitions activity and its accounting implications. The most common procedure to estimate the discount is to compare a conglomerate's q with that of a benchmark portfolio of focused firms....

We examine the impact of managerial entrenchment on firm value using a dynamic model with firm fixed effects. To estimate the model, we employ the long difference technique, which is shown by our simulation to deliver the least biased estimates. Based on a large sample of U.S. companies, we...

The use of judgmental anchors or reference points in valuing corporations affects several basic aspects of merger and acquisition activity including offer prices, deal success, market reaction, and merger waves. Offer prices are biased toward the 52-week high, a highly salient but largely...

We investigate whether the diversification discount is simply a proxy for poor corporate governance. We find that the negative value impact of diversification is amplified by adverse governance variables such as low CEO ownership, low board independence, and board classification, and that...

We model the internal capital market of a conglomerate where headquarters must rely on information reported by division managers to allocate limited resources across competing projects. Managers may exaggerate project quality to attract more capital, which limits the extent of winner-picking in...

In this article, we apply the organizational architecture theory to the total quality management (TQM) to understand the complexity and the mechanisms of its working and its efficiency. We show that the role played by TQM in the value creating requires a profound analysis of the profits and the...

The optimal value of the firm under the new Dutch income tax reform act in 2002, is reconsidered in this discussion paper. Tax shield of debt-financing and the aggregate tax payments of its joint investors are simultaneously considered. A more-period model is presented for making integrated...

Following the lead of Merton (1974), recent research has focused on the relationship of credit risk to firm value. Although this has usually been done for a single firm, the growth of structured finance, which necessarily involves the correlation between included securities, has spurred interest...

The basic financial purpose of an enterprise is maximization of its value. Inventory management should also contribute to realization of this fundamental aim. The enterprise value maximization strategy is executed with a focus on risk and uncertainty. This article presents the consequences for...

Given the importance of family firms all over the world, our main objective is to study whether ownership concentration in the hands of family owners contributes to increase the market value of the firm. Additionally, we analyze whether family firms outperform nonfamily corporations. The...