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This article identifies 25 articles that have been particularly influential in shaping the state of the art of research on family businesses. These works were identified based on a citation analysis of family business articles published over the past 6 years in the four journals that publish most of the research. The authors summarize those influential studies and discuss their most important contributions to scholars’ current understanding of family business. By identifying common themes among those studies, the authors are able to provide directions for future research in the field.

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We analyze monthly returns on an equally weighted index of eighteen to twenty-three equity (real property) real estate investment trusts (REITs) that were traded on major stock exchanges over the 1973-87 period. We employ a multifactor Arbitrage Pricing Model using prespecified macroeconomic factors. We also test whether equity REIT returns are related to changes in the discount on closed-end stock funds, which seems plausible given the closed-end nature of REITs.Three factors, and the percentage change in the discount on closed-end stock funds, consistently drive equity REIT returns: unexpected inflation and changes in the risk and term structures of interest rates. The impacts of these variables on equity REIT returns is around 60% of the impacts on corporate stock returns generally. As expected, the impacts are greater for more heavily levered REITs than for less levered REITs. Real estate, at least as measured by the return performance of equity REITs, is less risky than stocks generally, but does not offer a superior risk-adjusted return and is not a hedge against unexpected inflation. Disciplines Business | Economics | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public AdministrationThis journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/bepp_papers/3 ABSTRACTWe analyze monthly returns on an equally-weighted index of 18 to 23 equity (real property) real estate investment trusts (REITs) that were traded on major stock exchanges over the 1973-87 period. We employ a multifactor Arbitrage Pricing Model using prespecified macroeconomic factors. We also test whether equity REIT returns are related to changes in the discount on closed-end stock funds, which seems plausible given the closed-end nature of REITs.Three factors, and the percentage change in the discount on closed-end stock funds, consistently drive equity REIT returns: unexpected inflation and changes in the risk and term structures of interest rates. The impacts of these variables on equity REIT returns is around 60 percent of the impacts on corporate stock returns generally. As expected, the impacts are greater for more heavily levered REITs than for less levered REITs. Real estate, at least as measured by the return performance of equity REITs, is less risky than stocks generally, but does not offer a superior risk-adjusted return and is not a hedge against unexpected inflation.

Manuscript Type: EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue: We examine the relation between independence of audit committee and firm value with a sample of Fortune 200 companies. Research Findings/Insights: Using a sample of Fortune 200 companies and defining top executives of other publicly traded firms as expert-independent directors and controlling for firm specifics, board features, and individual director characteristics, we find the presence of expert-independent directors on board and in the audit committee enhances firm value. Theoretical/Academic Implications: We provide empirical evidence to show that by focusing on this restricted definition of independent directors (expert-independent directors), we are able to examine independence in both the board and audit committee in a different light. Practitioner/Policy Implications: We offer new insights to relate firm value of the composition of audit committee. When expert-independent directors are of majority control of audit committee, finance-trained directors improve firm value almost five times to that of firms with independent audit committee alone.