Accounting for the financialized UK and US national business model

The term ‘business model’ (BM) is generally used to describe the possibilities of transforming corporate activities and business functions (Osterwalder et al,2005 and Magretta,2002) In this paper we argue that our understanding of what constitutes a BM can be reworked to generate a useful organizing framework to investigate the nature of national economic development and transformation. Our argument is that national business models are subtended within a broad econo‐sphere where they evolve and adapt to information arising out of stakeholder interactions. These interactions congeal into reported financial numbers that are represented as GDP flow (income and surplus) and Balance Sheet accumulations (assets and liabilities outstanding). In this paper we employ financial data from national accounts to specifically describe how the US and UK national business models have financialized. We observe that balance sheet capitalization has inflated ahead of earnings and surplus. Our argument is that the capitalization of a national business model is not simply the mathematical product of discounting corporate cash earnings. The process of on‐going capitalization is also conditioned by variable institutional sector characteristics where financial innovation is possible and, within credit based economies, goodwill and holding gains arising out of asset inflation also provide collateral for further ongoing recapitalizations. In financialized national business models the system of accounting takes on added analytical significance because it ‘transmits rather than contains’ and ‘amplifies rather than dampens’ adverse financial disturbance as capitalizations are recalibrated up or down.Peer reviewe

A new business model?

The paper delivers an analysis of the “New Economy” focussing on the roles of new business models, the capital market and venture capital. The capital market created a double standard in the 1990s: A high return on capital was required from old economy firms whereas money was thrown at new economy firms which had a business idea that stimulated the fantasies of financial investors but no earnings. Through the gradual burst of the tech stock bubble since spring 2000 it has come to the eyes of the public that many new economy start ups were unable to recover their costs. This paper shows that business models related to the internet can only work under certain conditions. The sectoral distribution of power, for example, determines the prospects of the single firms to realise e-commerce in a profitable way. Digital technologies do not necessarily enhance profitability. On the contrary, they can increase competition and lead to lower profit rates. The limitation of competition appears to be a central condition of successful cost recovery. The venture capital cycle has been an important driving force of the new economy boom, but it can also be momentum of a longer crisis. Enormous amounts of money have been channeled to new economy start ups hoping that successful IPOs will one day give venture capitalists a high return. But the burst of the bubble has brought down the IPO activity and interrupted the valorisation cycle of venture capital. Financial investors have reacted to the crisis by shifting their capital to even riskier investments, as the come-back of hedge funds indicates. --

Accounting for decarbonisation and reducing capital at risk in the S&P500

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Colin Haslam, Nick Tsitsianis, Glen Lehman, Tord Andersson, and John Malamatenios, ‘Accounting for decarbonisation and reducing capital at risk in the S&P500’, Accounting Forum, Vol. 42 91): 119-129, March 2018. Under embargo until 7 August 2019. The final, definitive version is available online at doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accfor.2018.01.004.This article accounts for carbon emissions in the S&P 500 and explores the extent to which capital is at risk from decarbonising value chains. At a global level it is proving difficult to decouple carbon emissions from GDP growth. Top-down legal and regulatory arrangements envisaged by the Kyoto Protocol are practically redundant given inconsistent political commitment to mitigating global climate change and promoting sustainability. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and European Commission (EC) are promoting the role of financial markets and financial institutions as drivers of behavioural change mobilising capital allocations to decarbonise corporate activity.Peer reviewe

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITS) : A new business model in the FTSE100

CC-BY-NC-NDThis paper is about the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) business model. REITs benefit from tax concessions and Fair Value Accounting (FVA) practices. REITs distributing over 90 percent of profits can obtain tax concessions for their shareholders. This encourages profit distribution at the expense of accumulating retained earnings in shareholder equity. The financial viability of REITs depends upon FVA because this records holding gains when property values are increased. These holding gains can be employed to generate additional financial leverage. However, REITs are exposed to property market volatility and this can quickly undermine solvency, credit ratings and financial stability.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Accounting for carbon and reframing disclosure : A business model approach

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Colin Haslam, John Butlin, Tord Andersson, John Malamatenios, and Glen Lehman, 'Accounting for carbon and reframing disclosure: A business model approach', Accounting Forum, Vol. 38 (3): 200-211, September 2014, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accfor.2014.04.002, Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript version is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/The paper contributes to the research in accounting and the debate about the nature of carbon footprint reporting for society. The paper utilises numbers and narratives to explore changes in carbon footprint using UK national carbon emissions data for the period 1990–2009 and six years (2006–2011) of carbon emissions data for the FTSE 100 group of companies and a case study that focuses on the UK mixed grocery sector. Our argument is that existing approaches to framing carbon disclosure generate malleable, inconsistent and irreconcilable numbers and narratives. In this paper we argue for an alternative framing of carbon disclosure informed by a reporting entities business model. Specifically, we suggest, that a reporting entity disclose its carbon–material stakeholder relations. This alternative, we argue, would increase the visibility of carbon generating stakeholder relations and avoid some of the difficulties and arbitrariness associated with framing carbon disclosure around a reporting entity boundary where judgements have to be made about responsibility and operational control.Peer reviewe

Stress testing International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) : Accounting for stability and the public good in a financialized world

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Accounting, Economics and Law - a Convivium following peer review. The version of record [Andersson, T. et al, 6:2 (93-118), first published online November 13, 2015, is available on line at doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/ael-2015-0006The recent Maystads report (2013) challenged the European Parliament to modify governance arrangements surrounding the design and endorsment of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). In addition the Maystadt report constructs an argument that accounting information has the capacity to also modify behaviour and that this might not be conducive for the European public good, financial stability and economic development. In this paper we argue that IFRS need to be stress tested for their impact on firm-level financial stability in a financialized World. The financialized firm can revalue a range of assets to their market value crystalizing future earning stream into current value but these valuations can become impaired. Asset value impairments will be charged to shareholder equity but this is being hollwed out because a higher proportion of earnings are being distributed to shareholders. Accounting disclosures are not only an information feed to users they inform the stewardship and control of a firm´s resources and in the financialized firm the potential for financial instability is heightend and this can translate into a moral hazard for society.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

A new business model?

"The paper delivers an analysis of the 'New Economy' focussing on the roles of new business models, the capital market and venture capital. The capital market created a double standard in the 1990s: A high return on capital was required from old economy firms whereas money was thrown at new economy firms which had a business idea that stimulated the fantasies of financial investors but no earnings. Through the gradual burst of the tech stock bubble since spring 2000 it has come to the eyes of the public that many new economy start ups were unable to recover their costs. This paper shows that business models related to the internet can only work under certain conditions. The sectoral distribution of power, for example, determines the prospects of the single firms to realise e-commerce in a profitable way. Digital technologies do not necessarily enhance profitability. On the contrary, they can increase competition and lead to lower profit rates. The limitation of competition appears to be a central condition of successful cost recovery. The venture capital cycle has been an important driving force of the new economy boom, but it can also be momentum of a longer crisis. Enormous amounts of money have been channeled to new economy start ups hoping that successful IPOs will one day give venture capitalists a high return. But the burst of the bubble has brought down the IPO activity and interrupted the valorisation cycle of venture capital. Financial investors have reacted to the crisis by shifting their capital to even riskier investments, as the come-back of hedge funds indicates." (author's abstract)"Die Autoren liefern einen Beitrag zum Verständnis der 'New Economy', indem sie die Bedeutung neuer Geschäftsmodelle, nämlich des Kapitalmarkts und des Risikokapitals, herausarbeiten. Der Kapitalmarkt operierte in den 1990er Jahren mit zweierlei Maß: Von Unternehmen der 'Old Economy' wurden hohe Kapitalrenditen gefordert, während Unternehmen der 'New Economy' es leicht hatten, Geld zu bekommen, sofern sie nur eine Geschäftsidee hatten, die die Phantasie der Finanzinvestoren stimulierte. Durch den Kursverfall der 'Technologieaktien' seit dem Frühjahr 2000 wurde deutlich, daß viele 'Start-up'-Unternehmen der New Economy unfähig waren, ihre Kosten zu decken. Die Autoren zeigen, daß Geschäftsmodelle, die sich auf das Internet beziehen, nur unter bestimmten Bedingungen profitabel sind. Die sektorale Machtverteilung entscheidet beispielsweise über die Chancen von Unternehmen, den E-Commerce in profitabler Weise zu nutzen. Digitale Technologien können auch die Konkurrenz verschärfen und zu sinkenden Profitraten führen. Die Begrenzung der Konkurrenz ist eine zentrale Voraussetzung erfolgreicher Kostendeckung. Der Zyklus der Risikokapitalinvestitionen war eine wichtige Triebkraft des New- Economy-Booms, aber er könnte sich ebenso als Moment einer länger andauernden Krise erweisen. Enorme Beträge wurden in der Hoffnung in die 'Start-ups' der New Economy gelenkt, daß erfolgreiche Börsengänge den Risikokapitalisten eines Tages hohe Gewinne bescheren würden. Seitdem die spekulative Blase an den Aktienmärkten geplatzt ist, gibt es kaum noch Börsengänge, so daß der Verwertungszyklus des Risikokapitals unterbrochen ist. Finanzinvestoren haben auf die Krise reagiert, indem sie ihr Kapital auf noch riskantere Investments verlagert haben, wie das Comeback der Hedgefonds zeigt." (Autorenreferat

We give you the Journal of Business Models (for free): The inaugural editorial

“Our business mission is to create anopen source journal that is free of theties that come along with a publisher.In turn we wish to develop a new type ofprofitable business model for an academicjournal that sends more of the total valuecreated back to the academic communityand the strategic partners that enableits existence. This is a very clear valueproposition.

Financialization directing strategy

Original article can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01559982 Copyright Elsevier Ltd. DOI: 10.1016/j.accfor.2008.08.001This paper constructs an account of how financialization is directing strategy in the S&P 500. Financialization describes how changes in US accounting regulations require firms to account for the market value of capital market transactions where corporate strategy is not simply concerned with delivering value creation but also reacting to value absorption in an era of shareholder value. Financialization is directing strategy and arbitrage to modify stakeholder financial settlements where an increased share of income is extracted as surplus cash and more of this cash from operations is being distributed to shareholders. Share buy-backs account for a substantial increase in the share of corporate cash distributed to shareholders in the S&P 500 which, we argue, reflects a strategic process of value creation and value absorption.Peer reviewe

Reforming HMRC : Making it Fit for the Twenty-First Century - First Stage Report

Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) performs a vital task in collecting taxes, enforcing lax laws and delivering services to taxpayers. Against a background of reductions in resources, it has experienced considerable difficulties in meeting the service expectation of taxpayers and challenging organised tax avoidance. This policy paper investigates the difficulties and makes recommendations to strengthen HMRC and its public accountability