Valuation lies at the heart of much of what we do in finance, whether it is the study of market efficiency and questions about corporate governance or the comparison of different investment decision rules in capital budgeting. In this paper, we consider the theory and evidence on valuation approaches. We begin by surveying the literature on discounted cash flow valuation models, ranging from the first mentions of the dividend discount model to value stocks to the use of excess return models in more recent years. In the second part of the paper, we examine relative valuation models and, in particular, the use of multiples and comparables in valuation and evaluate whether relative valuation models yield more or less precise estimates of value than discounted cash flow models. In the final part of the paper, we set the stage for further research in valuation by noting the estimation challenges we face as companies globalize and become exposed to risk in multiple countries.

Longitudinal Analysis of Labor Market Data presents a set of papers by leading scholars on methods for analysing the longitudinal data that is available on numerous topics of interest to social scientists. Because many sources of longitudinal data record labour market phenomena such as unemployment, labour supply, earnings mobility, job turnover and participation in training programmes, all of the papers collected in this volume focus on models of the labour market. The main methodological points, however, are more general and apply to such diverse areas as demography, life science analysis and training evaluation, to name only a few, potential avenues of application. The book contains important methodological contributions to the emerging field of longitudinal analysis and is of interest to a wide range of social scientists.

First published in 1996. The relationship between the present discounted value of future cash flows and discounted excess earnings should be viewed as a mathematical property of a double-entry book[1]keeping system based on clean surplus. The purpose of this anthology is to facilitate future research by highlighting these historical developments and by showing how more recent theoretical and empirical research fits into the earlier history. The book is divided into four sections: historical overview; analytical properties of clean surplus; the theory of the clean surplus equation; and empirical implications.