75 research outputs found
Earnings forecasting research: an overview and critique
Past research has extensively addressed the influence of accounting information on stockprices. However, results of this branch of capital market based research have beeninconclusive, partly due to methodological deficiencies. Focusing on differential groups ofmarket participants, such as financial analysts forecasting earnings, might contribute to ourunderstanding of the functioning of capital markets and the role of accounting information. In this paper an overview and critique of the earningsforecasting literature is presented. For the purpose of offering some insight into the present state of the earnings forecasting research and detectingthe remaining deficiencies in our understanding of financial analysts a classification is made, Studies are divided into process-oriented studies andresults-oriented studies. Studying individual forecasting processes is necessary, since earnings forecasts at the aggregate level are found to bedistorted by inefficient individual information processing. However, process-oriented studies do not cover all aspects of the earnings forecastingprocess. For that reason, judgmental forecasting and decision making literature is drawn into the discussion to provide some directions for futureresearch
Carbon and Oxygen in Nearby Stars: Keys to Protoplanetary Disk Chemistry
We present carbon and oxygen abundances for 941 FGK stars-the largest such
catalog to date. We find that planet-bearing systems are enriched in these
elements. We self-consistently measure C/O, which is thought to play a key role
in planet formation. We identify 46 stars with C/O \geq 1.00 as potential hosts
of carbon-dominated exoplanets. We measure a downward trend in [O/Fe] versus
[Fe/H] and find distinct trends in the thin and thick disks, supporting the
work of Bensby et al. Finally, we measure sub-solar C/O = 0.40+0.11 - 0.07, for
WASP-12, a surprising result as this star is host to a transiting hot Jupiter
whose dayside atmosphere was recently reported to have C/O \geq 1 by
Madhusudhan et al. Our measurements are based on 15,000 high signal-to-noise
spectra taken with the Keck 1 telescope as part of the California Planet
Search. We derive abundances from the [O I] and C I absorption lines at
{\lambda} = 6300 and 6587 {\AA} using the SME spectral synthesizer.Comment: 108 pages (including appendix), 16 figures, 6 table
The effect of audit market structure on audit quality and audit pricing in the private-client market
This study examines whether audit market structure affects audit quality and audit pricing. We analyze two conceptually distinct dimensions of market structure: audit market concentration and client mobility. Focusing on the private-client segment of the Belgian audit market, we compare the pricing and quality effects of market structure between the segment of small and medium-sized (SME) clients and the segment of large clients to test how audit complexity moderates such effects. We find that market concentration impairs price and quality competition in the SME-client segment. Market concentration is unrelated to audit quality in the large-client segment, where we argue that concentration is endogenous to audit complexity. Furthermore, we find that client mobility stimulates price competition in both segments but improves audit quality only in the large-client segment. We interpret our findings as evidence that (a) audit market concentration impairs competition especially when audits have low complexity and that (b) the large-client market segment, characterized by higher audit complexity and higher market concentration, can also be price and quality competitive if clients are sufficiently mobile, and change auditors relatively frequently
Variable Sodium Absorption in a Low-Extinction Type Ia Supernova
Recent observations have revealed that some Type Ia supernovae exhibit
narrow, time-variable Na I D absorption features. The origin of the absorbing
material is controversial, but it may suggest the presence of circumstellar gas
in the progenitor system prior to the explosion, with significant implications
for the nature of the supernova progenitors. We present the third detection of
such variable absorption, based on six epochs of high-resolution spectroscopy
of the Type Ia supernova SN 2007le from Keck and the HET. The data span ~3
months, from 5 days before maximum light to 90 days after maximum. We find that
one component of the Na D absorption lines strengthened significantly with
time, indicating a total column density increase of ~2.5 x 10^12 cm^-2. The
changes are most prominent after maximum light rather than at earlier times
when the UV flux from the SN peaks. As with SN 2006X, we detect no change in
the Ca II H&K lines over the same time period, rendering line-of-sight effects
improbable and suggesting a circumstellar origin for the absorbing material.
Unlike the previous two SNe exhibiting variable absorption, SN 2007le is not
highly reddened (E_B-V = 0.27 mag), also pointing toward circumstellar rather
than interstellar absorption. Photoionization models show that the data are
consistent with a dense (10^7 cm^-3) cloud or clouds of gas located ~0.1 pc
from the explosion. These results broadly support the single-degenerate
scenario previously proposed to explain the variable absorption, with mass loss
from a nondegenerate companion star responsible for providing the circumstellar
gas. We also present tentative evidence for narrow Halpha emission associated
with the SN, which will require followup observations at late times to confirm.
[abridged]Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures (8 in color), 5 tables. Accepted for publication
in Ap
Habitat quality influences population distribution, individual space use and functional responses in habitat selection by a large herbivore
Identifying factors shaping variation in resource selection is central for our understanding of the behaviour and distribution of animals. We examined summer habitat selection and space use by 108 Global Positioning System (GPS)-collared moose in Norway in relation to sex, reproductive status, habitat quality, and availability. Moose selected habitat types based on a combination of forage quality and availability of suitable habitat types. Selection of protective cover was strongest for reproducing females, likely reflecting the need to protect young. Males showed strong selection for habitat types with high quality forage, possibly due to higher energy requirements. Selection for preferred habitat types providing food and cover was a positive function of their availability within home ranges (i.e. not proportional use) indicating functional response in habitat selection. This relationship was not found for unproductive habitat types. Moreover, home ranges with high cover of unproductive habitat types were larger, and smaller home ranges contained higher proportions of the most preferred habitat type. The distribution of moose within the study area was partly related to the distribution of different habitat types. Our study shows how distribution and availability of habitat types providing cover and high-quality food shape ungulate habitat selection and space use
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