In order to help reduce information asymmetry between managers and prospective investors, IPO prospectuses in Thailand are required to publish managers' forecasts of the forthcoming year's earnings. This type of direct disclosure is especially important in a developing economy such as Thailand where financial intermediaries and information vendors are relatively sparse, and where investors are rarely professionals. Our results demonstrate that managers' earnings forecasts are much more accurate than extrapolations of historical earnings. We show that forecast accuracy is related to underpricing, and it has a directional, but not statistical, association with one-year stock returns and one-year wealth relatives.

With the rapid growth of mobile phone usage, mobile services have influenced many industries including banking. Mobile banking has become a popular service as it offers a convenient channel for customers to perform banking transactions. Nevertheless, not all customers feel safe performing financial transactions online. Trust has become a crucial element on whether customers choose to use mobile banking. As a comparative study, this research examines factors and bank customers' characteristics that influence trust in mobile banking between U.S. and Thai mobile banking customers. Three hundred and eight USA consumers and two hundred and fifty-two Thai consumers participated in this study. The results found multiple significant factors influencing trust and usage of mobile banking. This study expands on previous trust and mobile banking usage research and provides practical implications for cross-cultural strategies in mobile banking.

With a rapid increase in smart phone users, mobile banking is becoming an available banking channel that allows consumers to perform banking transactions at their own convenience. However, not all customers are ready to embrace this new channel of services. It is crucial for banks to fully understand the preferences of their customers, especially which factors play an important role in encouraging or discouraging customers from using this banking channel. It is also important to further investigate whether their customers' perceptions on mobile banking is influenced by culture. This article aims at comparing the mobile banking perceptions between the consumers in the U.S. and in Thailand. The research findings reveal the various factors that influence mobile banking adoption for these two nationalities. The results should help banks gain an understanding of these factors, and thus direct their efforts to develop features that satisfy the needs of their target customers and alter their business model to promote factors that have a positive influence on mobile banking adoption.

The chapter explains the meaning of firms from the perspective of economic researchers in the past to the views of current dates. Traditional model of a firm’s value is linked firmly with shareholders’ value. This traditional view is used in finance and in business for many years. To enhance a firms’ value, we need to maximize shareholders’ value. According to this view, any activities in firms can increase the value of firms if it increases the value of the Shareholders. However, traditional concept of shareholders’ value as the explanation to firms’ value is challenged by a group of researchers. This group believes that value of firms should not be based on just shareholders but should include all groups of stakeholders. After giving some ideas on the meaning of firm, the corporate sustainability value of firm in terms of economics and finance is explained.

Understanding the psychological factors that influence investment decisions is crucial for predicting stock investment retention. This study investigates the mediating role of the Big Five personality traits in stock investment retention, utilizing a modified version of the theory of planned behavior. By examining the influence of investors’ perceived risk and attitudes toward stock investment, data collected via an online survey with The Association of Thai Securities Companies (ASCO) were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The findings reveal that extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness significantly impact attitudes toward stock investing, which in turn affects investment retention. However, personality traits do not directly influence risk perception. This research provides unique empirical evidence of the independence between the Big Five personality traits and risk perception among Thai stock investors, underscoring the importance of personality in shaping investment behavior through its effect on attitudes.

Purpose: This study examines the effects of comparable companies, within the same industry, on cash-holding (CH) levels of a specific firm in the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Peer effects are hypothesized to affect a firm's average CH levels.Design/methodology/approach: The authors use data of listed firms in the Thai stock markets from 1995 to 2018. The sample consists of 5,277 firm-year observations. The authors perform robustness tests by incorporating gross domestic product, economy and competitiveness.Findings: Peer firms' CH levels correspond positively to the specific firm's CH. This strengthens further for firms with high cash flow volatility during periods of high competition. Unfavorable economic periods also motivate the association between a firm's CH and peer firms' CH.Practical implications: A policy on CH should account for cash held by peer firms. Firms can justify their CH policy as compatible with peers' cash flows, especially during periods of competitiveness and an unfavorable economy.Originality/value: The authors provide novel evidence on how emerging markets' CH levels differ from those in developed markets and propose adjusted explanations for the rivalry- and information-based theories. The findings add substantial knowledge to corporate finance by arguing that CH policies are based on peer firms' strategic moves.