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Accurate estimation of cost of equity is critical when making capital investment decisions to allocate valuable corporate resources. While the importance of proper estimation of required rate of return of an investment project is well documented, challenges surrounding estimation of the cost of equity still abound. This paper empirically evaluates the viability of common cost of equity models to estimate required rate of return for the U.S. restaurant industry for the 1996-2010 period. The full model, which consists of five risk factors, emerges as the soundest cost of equity model for the U.S. restaurant industry. We recommend that future studies assess the performance of cost of equity models in other countries and other segments of the hospitality industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The real rate of return to capital plays a vital part in the economy in evaluating the contribution of capital investment to the economic growth. As it is also a key variable in estimating the economic opportunity cost of capital for use as the economic discount rate in investment decision-making. The objective of this study is to estimate the economic real rates of return to reproducible and remunerative capital of the EAC economies. The results indicate that the real rates of return to reproducible capital over the period 1999–2016 have averaged 10.70% in Kenya and Rwanda, while it averaged 12.05% and 9.86% in Tanzania and Uganda, respectively. With regard to the marginal rates of return to remunerative capital, the results suggest that EAC countries have averaged 16.28%, 16.21%, 15.07% and 14.49% in Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda, respectively, over the same period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports closed-form probability density function and related expressions of the internal rate of return for one- and two-period pure and simple probabilistic engineering economy problems. The random cash flows are either uniform or exponential variables. In addition, there is no correlation between the cash flows. The probability density function of the internal rate of return is an important tool that helps decision makers estimate the probability of the internal rate of return exceeding the minimum attractive rate of return. Hillier's method (1963) using normal cash flows is also evaluated when the cash flows are uniformly distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rate of return on venture capital investment of venture capital (VC) firms in China has been attracting increasing attention. We use robust multinomial regression models to analyze 56 exit projects of venture capital investment from 1999 to 2003 in China. The results show that the returns of state-owned VC firms are lower than those of non state-owned VC firms. Furthermore, the returns of the VC firms located in Shanghai and Shenzhen are higher than those in other regions. The capital scale of VC firms is negatively correlated with the rate of return. In addition, some variables, such as business duration, investment scale, investment duration and exit vehicle, are probably unrelated to rate of return on venture capital investment in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Engineering Economist is a journal that focuses on data-driven engineering economic models to support capital investment decisions in uncertain economic conditions. The latest issue features articles on various topics. The first article introduces a project valuation framework that incorporates Economic Value Added (EVA) and Market Value Added (MVA) analysis into a binomial tree option pricing model. The second article merges earlier work on valuation and growth expectations with the Average Internal Rate of Return (AIRR) models, simplifying calculations for expected competitive advantage and growth rates. The third article utilizes real options analysis to assess uncertainty in the copper concentrate trading business. The journal publishes original research, case studies, surveys, and reviews related to capital investment problems. [Extracted from the article]

The article provides an update on the earlier evidence of the social or private returns associated with educational and other human capital-related expenditures using studies that have been conducted in the seventies. The three main methods for estimating the rate of return to investment in education are the elaborate method, the earnings function method and the short-cut method. Meanwhile, the major objections raised against the usefulness of rates of return as a tool for the formulation of educational policy are data quality; social productivity of education; screening or certification; differential ability and the job competition or bumping model.

Civil nuclear reactors are used for the production of electrical energy. In the nuclear industry vendors propose several nuclear reactor designs with a size from 35–45 MWe up to 1600–1700 MWe. The choice of the right design is a multidimensional problem since a utility has to include not only financial factors as levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) and internal rate of return (IRR), but also the so called “external factors” like the required spinning reserve, the impact on local industry and the social acceptability. Therefore it is necessary to balance advantages and disadvantages of each design during the entire life cycle of the plant, usually 40–60 years. In the scientific literature there are several techniques for solving this multidimensional problem. Unfortunately it does not seem possible to apply these methodologies as they are, since the problem is too complex and it is difficult to provide consistent and trustworthy expert judgments. This paper fills the gap, proposing a two-step framework to choosing the best nuclear reactor at the pre-feasibility study phase. The paper shows in detail how to use the methodology, comparing the choice of a small-medium reactor (SMR) with a large reactor (LR), characterised, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (2006), by an electrical output respectively lower and higher than 700 MWe. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this situation, personal preferences with respect to the pattern of consumption over time will constitute an important factor influencing the education decision of each individual. This factor, in conjunction with considerations pertaining to the productivity of investment in education, may be expected to strongly influence the observed levels of earnings and education for the population, and thereby estimates of the rate of return to education. Despite an overall awareness of the problem, there has been little systematic attempt to analyse the impact of variations in these preferences on the currently available estimates of the rate of return to education.[1] The main purpose of this paper is to provide such an analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the concept of an integration model of financial analysis methods of investment projects is presented. The described approach concerns the discounted cash flow methods and is focused on the future value growth of an investment. The defined relationships between these methods make it possible to illustrate the main perspectives of efficiency analysis. The aim of this article is to bring many methods of analysis together in a common framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the rate of return from the Chinese real estate industry correlate with the intensity of competition among real estate firms? If China’s equity market performs efficiently, the rates of return of real estate firms should vary indirectly with their level of monopoly power. Greater monopoly power reduces earnings risk and leads to lower costs of capital. The authors analyze empirical evidence and indicate no relationship exists between returns and competition. Speculation may induce stock prices to deviate from normal values. Because normal values assume no speculation, Chinese markets are not likely to be economically efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Volatility is the one parameter that is added to information utilized in traditional discounted cash flow analysis in order to calculate the value of a real option. There is no single, theoretically justified approach for calculating the volatility coefficient for real options. This article reviews and compares the methods currently available to estimate the volatility parameter to be used in real options analysis. As these techniques often overlook the investment cost risk when estimating project volatility, a new method of computing volatility that utilizes the expected internal rate of return is presented. The methods are compared using two case studies. Furthermore, a definition of “actionable” volatility is offered in order to classify the risky parameters to be used in real options valuation. Most methods overestimate the volatility parameter, because the volatility of the decision is included in the estimate, not the volatility associated with the option, which we term actionable risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last 30 years have witnessed a dramatic change in the distribution of income, with the wage share falling in all major industrialized countries. Main-stream analyses, including New Keynesian ones, which retain the notion of factor substitution leading to a “factor intensity” inversely related to its rate of return, have encountered some difficulties in the interpretation of this change. Nonmainstream approaches present an advantage in the explanation of the phenomenon, consisting in the fact that they entail no a priori connections between the changes in distribution and the changes factor proportions. Hence if a change in institutions or in the bargaining strength of the parties affects distribution, income shares may vary significantly (i.e., changes in wages need not be accompanied by changes in labor to output ratio in the opposite direction as in mainstream analyses). Yet empirical observation may question also some of the analyses that have been advanced outside the mainstream. The article will explore the ways in which nonmainstream approaches have interpreted the described changes in distribution, and assess them from an analytical viewpoint and with reference to U.S. data. The purpose is that of pointing at some open questions and problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a technique for determining project acceptability and for rank ordering two mutually exclusive projects when multiple internal rates of return are present. This method is consistent with the net present value approach. In focusing on the even or odd parity of the number of real internal rates of return that are greater than the cost of capital, this method is shown to have generality and simplicity. This article also compares the proposed technique with the relevant internal rate of return approach defined in the recent literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Norwegian forest management was investigated empirically through estimating an optimal harvesting rule stepwise with a growth function, for both a pooled and a panel data model. Norwegian forest management implied an average annual rate of return within the interval 2.5-3.7%. The rate of return required from forest investments was low compared with alternative investment options. The results were consistent with observed forest management and were probably influenced by forest owners" time and risk preferences. Furthermore, the required rate of return from investments in forestry was probably affected by public policies, e,g. public subsidy programmes and tax legislation. The results may also imply that forest owners maximized the total benefit from their forests, and not exclusively profits from industrial roundwood production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the relationship between productivity growth and R&D investments of Spanish manufacturing firms during the 1990s. The theoretical model is a version of the Cobb-Douglas production function in its growth rate form. The purpose is to estimate the rate of return to R&D expenditures. The econometric specification is a distributed lag model. The estimation applies the generalized method of moments method. The main empirical finding is that a positive and significant role is played by R&D expenditures on productivity growth. The rate of return to R&D expenditures is 26.598%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article surveys contributions to the literature covering the field of probabilistic discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis of individual capital investments from the earliest contributions of the 1960s to today. Such analysis includes the methods of present worth (net present value), annual worth, future worth, internal rate of return, payback period, and benefit:cost ratio. The history and development of the probabilistic case is traced, listing the main assumptions made and any restrictions to applications. The survey will be found useful by those engaged in risk management and decisions associated with investments and budgeting having uncertain outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates changes in the rates of return to human capital across the earnings distribution using data from over a 10-year period for Brazil. It uses these estimates to simulate the separate impacts of changes in returns to skills and changes in the supply of skills on earnings inequality. Evidence points strongly to growing inequality in rates of return to education in Brazil. This finding suggests that recent macroeconomic and trade reforms have been of most benefit to the skilled rather than the unskilled. Supporting evidence points to an improved competitiveness in the labour market, with workers increasingly rewarded for productivity. However, although increases in returns to education are more pronounced at the top of the earnings distribution, this did not in practice led to increased inequality. This is because levels of education and other labour market-rewarded endowments have increased and offset the rate of return effect. Appropriate education policy is therefore an essential partner for macroeconomic and trade reform if a developing economy is to avoid worsening income inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scale is a fundamental consideration when evaluating and ranking capital investment projects. Beaves [2, 3], Lin [6], and Shull [7] have noted that the definition of “project scale” is key to the definition of “modified” or “overall” rates of return earned by projects. This article demonstrates that the impact of how project scale is defined extends beyond the calculation of rate of return decision criteria. Given its importance to the capital budgeting process, it is somewhat surprising that project scale has not been clearly and consistently defined. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness of the need for a uniform definition of project scale. Although three potential measures of project scale are compared, this article does not provide a mathematical proof that one of these definitions is correct and the others are not. Nonetheless, a strong argument is made for a particular measure of project scale as well as for the importance of having a single, uniform definition of that concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determines the differences of internal rate of return (IRR) and net present value (NPV) as indicators in investment decisions. Details of IRR as a financial indicator; Discussion on NPV as an economic indicator of a capital investment.

A pure investment is defined here as any transaction where the invested capital is nonnegative at all times during the life of the transaction. This article proves that any transaction whose first non-zero term is negative can be uniquely partitioned into pure investments with strictly decreasing internal rates of return (IRRs). The IRRs of the partitioning transactions put bounds on the IRRs of the original transaction. The partitioning theorem gives a simple characterisation of Arrow/Levhari's results on the optimal truncation of a transaction. The partitioning theorem also has applications to the problem of the optimal time for an investor to sell the remaining terms in a transaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To avert risk, today's companies perform business with little capital investment. They invest only on the core activities which gain higher profit and outsource non-critical production activities to their partner companies (subcontractors or sourcing companies). Hence, a customer order is normally completed by a collaborative production network formed by the partner companies. However, co-ordinating those loosely and distributed companies to meet the uncertain demands from the final customers is not simple. This research suggests an order confirmation mechanism that allows synchronizing the available capacities over the supply network. The mechanism is developed based on a factory agent system and a design of three protocols: (1) protocol for normal condition, (2) protocol for abnormal condition, and (3) protocol for cancellation. Based on the protocols, messages and procedures are designed. The design is also deployed on a distributed computing environment to illustrate the feasibility and applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the unconstrained project-scheduling problem with discounted cash flows where the cash flow functions are assumed to be linear-dependent on the completion times of the corresponding activities. Each activity of this unconstrained project-scheduling problem has a known deterministic cash flow function that is linear and non-increasing in time. Progress payments and cash outflows occur at the completion times of activities. The objective is to schedule the activities in order to maximize the net present value (npv) subject to the precedence constraints and a fixed deadline. Despite the growing amount of research concerning the financial aspects in project scheduling, little research has been done on the problem with time-dependent cash flow functions. Nevertheless, this problem gives an incentive to solve more realistic versions of project-scheduling problems with financial objectives. We introduce an extension of an exact recursive algorithm that has been used in solving the max-npv problem with time-independent cash flow functions and which is embedded in an enumeration procedure. The recursive search algorithm schedules the activities as soon as possible and searches for sets of activities to shift towards the deadline in order to increase the npv. The enumeration procedure enumerates all sets of activities for which such a shift has not been made but could, eventually, have been advantageous. The procedure has been coded in Visual C++ v.4.0 under Windows NT and has been validated on a randomly generated problem set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimates the rates of return of non-contributory social transfer programmes in Cambodia using household-level data and going beyond standard cost–efficiency analyses by developing a dynamic microsimulation model. It shows that social protection promotes equitable economic growth by enhancing human capital and fostering economic performance at the micro level. A positive rate of return is achieved after 12 periods and can reach between 12 per cent and 15 per cent after 20 periods. This study shows that microsimulation models can be extended in order to analyse the long-term economic returns on social protection. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We examine whether the returns of US industry portfolios predict the returns and volatility of Fama and French's small-minus-big (SMB) and high-minus-low (HML) factors. The analysis reveals that all 30 industry returns strongly forecast one-month-ahead SMB factor returns. Moreover, a significant number of industry returns predict the volatility of the SMB and HML factors by up to two or three months. These findings suggest that US industry returns contain profitable information on Fama–French SMB and HML factors, and since most investors cannot extract the profitable information contained in industry returns in a timely manner, this information gradually diffuses in equity markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firms that invest into positive net present value projects should outperform firms that do not invest. Surprisingly, several studies on United States data have found a negative relationship between capital investment and subsequent shareholder return. There are conflicting explanations for this negative relationship. The present study also confirmed a significant negative relationship between capital investment and subsequent shareholder returns in the South African developing market conditions. Over the period from 1992 to 2017, shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange with lower investment rates consistently outperformed shares with higher investment rates, exhibiting similar behaviour to the US. We find that the negative investment return is significantly associated to the firm’s book-to-market value consistent to the rational-based q-theory of investment with real options explanation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Net Present Value maximizing model has a respectable ancestry and is considered by most scholars to be a theoretically sound decision model. In real-life applications, decision makers use the NPV rule, but apply a subjectively determined hurdle rate, as opposed to the 'correct' opportunity cost of capital. According to a heuristics-and-biases-program approach, this implies that the hurdle-rate rule is a biased heuristic. This work shows that the hurdle-rate rule may be interpreted as a fruitful strategy of bounded rationality, where several domain-specific and project-specific elements are integrated and condensed into an aspiration level. The paper also addresses the issue of a productive cooperation between bounded and unbounded rationality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the association between portfolio returns and higher-order systematic co-moments at different timescales obtained through wavelet multi-scaling, a technique that decomposes a given return series into timescales enabling investigation at different return intervals. In Australian industry portfolios, the relative risk positions indicated by systematic co-moments at some timescales are different from those revealed in daily returns. A strong positive (negative) linear association between beta and portfolio return and co-kurtosis and portfolio return in the up (down) market is observed in daily returns and at different timescales. The beta risk is priced in the up and down markets. Co-kurtosis is not priced when the beta is in the pricing model. Co-skewness appears to be priced at a relatively high timescale and this is observed only after the up and down separation of market returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper surveys the literature on the return to education and economic growth in China and offers new perspectives and estimations. The return to education has been rising since the reform. While the overall rate of return is still low compared to other countries, young workers and workers in the private sector enjoy significantly higher returns to education than the average. This indicates that the productivity-related traits such as education are more rewarded where market forces are functioning. Moreover, the return to education is non-linear in the sense that the return to secondary education or above is much higher. In addition, due to the spatial segmentation of labor markets in China, wide variations in return to education exist across regions. Studies at the macro-level show that the return to public education is much higher than return to private education. Using recent data (1982-2001) across provinces, this paper examines how education contributes to China's economic growth. It finds that the increase in educational attainment plays an important role in China's economic growth as well as the initial level of educational attainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses the event study methodology to analyze the effects on Chilean companies' stock returns caused by the change of CEO. We find that when the change occurs after a period of poor performance, it is associated to significant positive abnormal stock returns. In certain cases, the abnormal returns accumulate to 6% over the seven-day period following the announcement. The study also shows that the observed abnormal returns have increased since the market regulating agency obligated companies to communicate changes in top management within three days of their ocurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate persistence in CRSP monthly excess stock returns, using a state space model with stable disturbances. The non-Gaussian state space model with volatility persistence is estimated by maximum likelihood, using the optimal filtering algorithm given by Sorenson and Alspach (1971 Automatica 7 465–79). The conditional distribution has a stable a of 1.89, and normality is strongly rejected even after accounting for GARCH. However, stock returns do not contain a significant mean-reverting component. The optimal predictor is the unconditional expectation of the series, which we estimate to be 9.8% per annum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper has been to present and exemplify a new and alternate method of return assessment. The method does have computational and mathematical advantage. It is also believed to have analytic advantage in that it is less susceptible to manipulation by base selection and more closely associated with performance measures which are relatively well defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defined mathematically, the internal rate of return (IRR) of a cash-flow stream is the discount rate at which its net present value is 0. What is the significance or meaning of such a measure? Using simple example problems and illustrative calculations, the author explains a technically correct but, at the same time, intuitively meaningful interpretation of IRR. The mathematical insights gained include a clear understanding of how multiple IRRs occur and of how investment decisions based on net present value are reconcilable with two or more observed IRRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cost of capital model is used to calculate the net present value (NPV) of projects within a multi-unit corporation but may provide incorrect answers for projects that have a level of risk that differs from the overall average risk level for the corporation. We demonstrate the use of the pure-play method for calculating the required rate of return for a division of a corporation that has risk characteristics that differ from the risk characteristics of the overall corporation. We apply this methodology to the Integrated Electronic Systems Segment (IESS) of the Motorola Corporation. We find that the IESS division cost of capital of is 9.3% rather than the 12.3% cost of capital for the corporation as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reveals the true meaning of the Internal rate of return (IRR) via profiling the IRR and Defining the External Rate of Return. Profiling the IRR provides that if in any given time-period the cash flow received is more/less than is needed to earn the IRR for that period, then the extra/deficient amount of cash flow is attributed to positive/negative capital recovery, recapture, or amortization. Said amount of capital recovery effectively decreases/increases the amount of capital remaining internal to the investment. Profiling the IRR reveals the true meaning of the IRR like, it is seldom a return on the initial investment in each period; it is usually a return on varying amounts in each period; there is no reinvestment in its calculation.

This paper estimates the current economic impact and future potential of cold-water marine finfish aquaculture in Maine. Salmon farming currently accounts for nearly 86% of the total value of state production. In 2001, 13,202 mt of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, were produced in Maine, generating US$63.7 million in revenue and an additional US$32.7 million in indirect and induced economic activity. In addition, alternative cold-water finfish species are under evaluation for commercial aquaculture including haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus, Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, and Atlantic halibut,Hippoglossus hippoglossus. Important constraints to culture of alternative species are identified through an ex-ante assessment of the early culture of haddock. Overall, capital formation is the most important constraint due to high risk and uncertainty on the rate of return to investment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The analysis of the determinants of differences in wages across workers has traditionally relied on the estimation of average earnings functions. In this article, we propose a new theoretical model where it is the workers who decide the amount they wish to invest in human capital, taking into account the costs of acquiring those skills, for the purpose of maximizing earnings. In this model, both human capital and marginal productivity are likely to be influenced by the individual’s (unobserved) characteristics such as ability or motivation, potentially giving rise to endogeneity problems. In this context, the empirical implementation of our theoretical model allows us, under certain assumptions, to obtain consistent estimates even under the assumption of endogeneity. We present an empirical application to the education sector using data from the Spanish Structure of Earnings Survey 2010. Our results show that females and workers in the private education sector face more difficulties in achieving their maximum potential wage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a common analytical framework for evolutionary and institutional economics, conceived as the study of systems that do not tend toward, nor necessarily fluctuate around, a steady state. Using an evolutionary equation, we derive an analytical theory of the relation between resource abundance and the rate of return available under differing institutional structures. We suggest that the recent political and financial turmoil around the world reflects incompatibilities between existing institutional structures and the increasing scarcity of resources. We apply this idea to the most fundamental determinant of any society's prosperity, profitability and even long-term survival, namely its fertility and rate of population growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a useful tool, the internal rate of return (IRR) has limitations that require understanding. This Point of View reflects on the usual list of these with brief explanations but then delves more deeply into one overlooked in the literature. Jensen's (1906) Inequality has been known for some time but few realize how it introduces a mathematical inconsistency into the simulation of the IRR. The computation of the bias that results from passing a linear operator through a curved function is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception, the NCREIF Property Index (NPI) has achieved preeminence as an indicator of the investment performance of institutionally-held commercial property in the United States. We introduce three new and refined series derived from NCREIF property data: the Market Value Index (MVI), Free Cash Flow Yield (FCFY), and the Capital Expense Ratio (CXR). While the NPI was designed to measure the risk and returns of the real estate asset class, these series optimize the property-level data in the NCREIF database to provide better indications of real estate value changes and operating performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some well-known writers have argued that the experience of the last 60 years in the US shows that the cost of equity capital is about 8% per annum in excess of the ‘riskless’ return. By contrast, the paper argues that the same experience shows, first, that the ‘riskless’ real return is much higher than the average of about 0.5% per annum they assume, and that the cost of equity capital is only 1% or 2% per annum in excess of it. Instead of the cost of equity capital being roughly equal to the average real returns earned by businesses it is around only half as much. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study whether R&D-intensive firms earn superior stock returns compared to matched size and book-to-market portfolios across several financial markets in Europe. Mispricing can arise if investors are not able to correctly estimate the long-term benefits of R&D investment or whether R&D firms are more risky than others. The results confirm that more innovative firms can earn future excess returns. Stocks listed on continental Europe markets and operating in high-tech sectors are more prone to undervaluation. This can be caused in the first case by information asymmetries that are more severe in bank-based countries. No evidence is found for a different risk pattern of R&D-intensive stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine a variety of fixed asset investment theory approaches and show that, despite apparent differences, all contain a common "gene"—the profitability gap. This finding is equally applicable to the paradigms of neoclassical general equilibrium in logical time and postclassical fully adjusted stationary and steady states in historical time. The generic investment function and its characteristic gene appear to be one of the universals of economic science, equally at home as explanators of investment, inflation/deflation, and related cumulative processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the optimal leverage for the purpose of in- vesting in real estate under the condition that borrowing in excess of a standard amount such as 70% to 80% of the purchase price must be accomplished through a mezzanine loan with a high interest rate. The conditions under which a mezzanine loan is used are derived. The findings indicate that the larger mezzanine loan, the greater is the required expected after-tax rate of return to equity. Investors who choose greater risk require a higher expected after-tax return to equity and therefore borrow more and purchase more real estate with a given equity investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the neoclassical theory of investment (NTI), the marginal rate of return on investment is equated with an interest rate. The NTI is a cornerstone of the micro foundation for neoclassical macroeconomics, particularly for its synthesis with economist John Maynard Keynes' theory. In neoclassical macroeconomics, output is a function of employment given the capital stock, and output growth is determined in the capital market by the interest rate that equates the demand for investment with the supply of savings.

In this note, an alternative method is developed for determining the range of values assumed by the Lagrange multiplier of Averch and Johnson's constrained maximization problem. By assuming that the regulated firm's profit function is single-peaked, the approach is rather general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sydney Water's water network consists of about 21,000 km of water mains. Sydney Water is a statutory state owned corporation, with the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal as the economic regulator. Sydney Water has developed a comprehensive set of decision frameworks and business processes to manage the life cycle of water main assets to achieve a desired level of service and financial return within an acceptable risk. With the current constrained financial and economic environment, affordability is the most pressing issue in the water industry as customers are seeking value for money. It is requiring the water industry to reduce capital investment programs and deliver more with less while maintaining or improving customer satisfaction. This paper presents the analysis of the asset performances and customer expectations against the level of services and explains how Sydney Water explores the opportunities to build the level of services and customer value into its asset management strategy and decision framework to optimise the capital investment programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the globalization of the economy, more and more companies have made and will continue to make project investment abroad. This paper discusses a multinational project adjustment and selection problem in which project parameters are regarded as random variables. Special cash flows and value sources brought from the new foreign projects and the adjustment of the existing foreign projects are introduced. A new risk measurement for budget exceeding is proposed and a new model is developed based on the new risk measurement. In addition, a genetic algorithm is designed for solving the problem and an example is given as an illustration. The results of the example show that the algorithm is effective for solving the proposed problem. In addition, the results show that the budget can be better used and bigger investment return in net present form can be obtained when new foreign project selection and the existing project adjustment are simultaneously considered than when only new projects are selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Problem, research strategy, and findings: Leasing government infrastructure to private investors has been proposed as a practical way to increase both public revenue and investment in aging facilities, yet questions remain regarding lease value. In particular, some recent private auction bids surpassed government's lease estimates for U.S. roads and parking systems by hundreds of millions of dollars. We argue such discrepancies are largely explained by the use of structured finance or financial engineering techniques; these lower capital costs and maximize quick investor payouts, yet are often ignored in lease agreements because governments do not understand them. Our approach models the separate effect of several deal parameters on the investment return of a hypothetical tolled facility. We find even modest financial engineering (such as interest rate derivatives and swaps, deferred payment sweeps, or mark-to-market accounting practices) increases the current value of future facility revenues far more than changes in lease length, tolls, or operating costs. The public sector undercharges for its infrastructure when it ignores how private investors package and assess future revenue. Takeaway for practice: When leasing public facilities, governments would be smart to better understand potential investors’ capital structure and financial engineering strategies. Doing so avoids leaving money on the table; it also reduces the risks of future underperforming assets. Research support: None. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores the relationship between capital composition and productivity using a unique, detailed dataset on firm investment in the United States in the late 1990s. I develop a methodology for estimating the separate effects of multiple capital types in a production function framework. I back out the implied marginal products of each capital type and compare these with rental price data. I find that although most capital types earned normal returns, information and communications technology capital goods had marginal products substantially above their rental prices. The article also provides evidence of complementarities and substitutabilities among capital types and between capital types and labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]