It\u27s a Business: A Financial Analysis of the BCS System and Its Alternatives

There is an annual debate over the structure of the postseason format of college football. In this thesis, the current format is explained, along with two popular alternatives. Gameday profitability is determined for each of the three formats to provide an answer to the question of which format is the most lucrative

Application of improved numerical schemes

Two approaches which accelerate the solution of the steady state Navier-Stokes equations are discussed. The SIMPLER algorithm, a revised version of SIMPLE, provides a more accurate pressure field for each iteration through the momentum equations, thereby speeding convergence. PISO (Pressure Implicit Split Operator), performs a secondary correction of the velocity and pressure fields (after the typical pressure correction) which enhances convergence. Both schemes account for terms neglected in the SIMPLE approach, but do so in slightly different ways. Two dimensional driven cavity flow and flow over a step were calculated to examine the effect of geometry on the performance of these schemes. Computations were carried out on a series of progressively finer grids. The effect of relaxation number on convergence rate was analyzed, using results from SIMPLE as criteria for performance correlation. Results show: (1) the improved schemes promoted convergence by up to 60% for the driven cavity and 40% for flow over a step; (2) for the driven cavity problem, the efficiency of PISO and SIMPLER increased as the number of nodes increased; and (3) to ensure faster convergence, higher relaxation numbers must be applied

A Lyapunov Optimization Approach to Repeated Stochastic Games

This paper considers a time-varying game with $N$ players. Every time slot, players observe their own random events and then take a control action. The events and control actions affect the individual utilities earned by each player. The goal is to maximize a concave function of time average utilities subject to equilibrium constraints. Specifically, participating players are provided access to a common source of randomness from which they can optimally correlate their decisions. The equilibrium constraints incentivize participation by ensuring that players cannot earn more utility if they choose not to participate. This form of equilibrium is similar to the notions of Nash equilibrium and correlated equilibrium, but is simpler to attain. A Lyapunov method is developed that solves the problem in an online \emph{max-weight} fashion by selecting actions based on a set of time-varying weights. The algorithm does not require knowledge of the event probabilities and has polynomial convergence time. A similar method can be used to compute a standard correlated equilibrium, albeit with increased complexity.Comment: 13 pages, this version fixes an incorrect statement of the previous arxiv version (see footnote 1, page 5 in current version for the correction

Narrating the real corporate story

Companies are being pressed to be more transparent in their annual reporting and, at the same time,interest is moving from the formal accounts to the narrative sections, partly in response to the increasing importance of the intangible assets not on the balance sheet. The paper sets out the changes in UK requirements, ummarised in a Framework provided by the Worshipful Company of Marketors, and company practice. The two weakest areas in relation to the Accounting Standards Board Reporting Standard are the provision of forward looking information and non-financial KPIs, especially those to do with customers, competitors and brands. The paper suggests that brand equity, the intangible marketing asset, is the present reservoir of future cash flow. Accordingly, provision of professional measures of brand equity should go some way towards solving both weaknesses at the same time

Performance pay and managerial experience in multitask teams: evidence from within a firm

This article exploits a quasi‐experimental setting to estimate the impact that a commonly used performance‐related pay scheme had on branch performance in a large distribution firm. The scheme, which is based on the Balanced Scorecard, was implemented in all branches in one division but not in another. Branches from the second division are used as a control group. Our results suggest that the Balanced Scorecard had some impact but that it varied with branch characteristics, and, in particular, branches with more experienced managers were better able to respond to the new incentives

Incentives and managerial experience in multi-taskteams: evidence from within a firm

This paper exploits a quasi-experimental setting to estimate the impact thata multi-dimensional group incentive scheme had on branch performance in a largedistribution firm. The scheme, which is based on the Balanced Scorecard, wasimplemented in all branches in one division, but not in another. Branches from thesecond division are used as a control group. Our results suggest that the balancedscorecard had some impact, but that it varied with branch characteristics, and inparticular, branches with more experienced managers were better able to respond tothe new incentives. This paper exploits a quasi-experimental setting to estimate the impact thata multi-dimensional group incentive scheme had on branch performance in a largedistribution firm. The scheme, which is based on the Balanced Scorecard, wasimplemented in all branches in one division, but not in another. Branches from thesecond division are used as a control group. Our results suggest that the balancedscorecard had some impact, but that it varied with branch characteristics, and inparticular, branches with more experienced managers were better able to respond tothe new incentives

The sovereign wealth funds of nations

Finance, Public ; International finance

An E.U. withholding tax?

Taxation ; European Union