CALL FOR PAPERS
Global Business & Economics Review (GBER) Special Issue
Theme: “New Frontiers of Finance”

Guest Editors:
Danny Cassimon & Peter-Jan Engelen
University of Antwerp, Belgium

In his keynote address to the 1998 European Financial Management Association European Conference, Stewart Myers (Masachussets Institute of Technology) introduced the concept of ‘financial architecture’. In his view, financial architecture refers to “the entire financial design of the business, including ownership, the legal form of organization, incentives, financing and allocation of risk”. As such, the term includes issues of capital structure, corporate control and corporate governance. Myers states that most of corporate finance theory and practice has developed with a particular financial architecture in mind, i.e. that of “a public corporation in a country like the USA or UK with well-developed security markets” but that (even in those countries) there are present other distinct and successful financial architectures.
The GBER wishes to devote a special issue on the New Frontiers of Finance with papers that will explicitely deal with issues relating to the financial architecture of the so-called ‘New Economy Firms’ such as biotech, high tech or start-up entities - in general, firms with a high degree of real option characteristics and a high degree of co-investment in human and financial capital - suggesting that these firms need a distinct and different optimal capital structure and corporate control or corporate governance mechanisms. Researchers should aim to generate results that apply to new economy firms and they may, among other topics, focus on

· aspects of valuation,

· approporiate financing and risk management policies of new economy firms,

· applications of real options analysis,

· the use of executive stock options and the role of venture capital,

· corporate governance,

· law, and

· finance issues.

Although conceptual papers will be considered, empical and/or case studies will be preferred. Interested contributors are invited to submit a one-page abstract of the proposed paper on or before September 1, 2002 via email or post to:

Dr. Danny Cassimon
and / or
Dr. Peter-Jan Engelen
Department of Accounting and Finance
University of Antwerp
Prinsstraat 13, B-2000
Antwerpen Belgium
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
E-mail: [log in to unmask]

Authors of accepted contributions will be notified before October 1, 2002. Deadline for the full paper is December 1, 2002. Papers will pass a double-blind referee process. Final papers are scheduled to appear in the June 2003 issue of the GBER. Information about the GBER may be browsed at <www.besiweb.com>.