Cost of Capital

This study aims to investigate the correlation between the diversification and accruals quality (AQ) in Iran’s mutual funds considering two main hypotheses and four sub-hypotheses. This research investigates the effects of cases such as beta of the company, the company's return on assets, debt ratio of company, firm's size, and accrual quality on the company's cost of capital and considers the effect of mutual funds’ diversification on decreasing information risk calculated through accruals quality in Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) and Iran Farabourse listed companies. This research investigates 42 mutual funds from 2009 to 2013. Furthermore, the financial data of companies is considered for 20 years up to 2013 in order to calculate the accruals quality. The research results indicate that the factors such as the company's beta, the company's return on assets, and the ratio of firm's debt have direct correlation with cost of capital and this indicates that the increased risk in the form of beta and debt ratio increases the investors' expected return. However, the firm's size is inversely correlated with the cost of capital indicating that the increased firm's size provides the possibility of borrowing and bargaining at lower costs for companies. Furthermore, diversification in mutual funds results in lowering information risk caused by low accrual quality. Accordingly, the result of this research can help the mutual funds’ managers and investment companies to better manage their investments

Information flow is a key parameter in an economic activity and acts as the main factor in the appearance, stability and efficiency of capital markets. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of comparability and environmental uncertainty on the expected rate of return in oil, gas and petrochemical firms. The current study applies panel regression method estimator to investigate the relationship between comparability, environmental uncertainty, and the expected rate of return of 500 firm-year observations in oil, gas and petrochemical firms listed in Iran Securities and Stock exchanges for the period of 2009-2018. The results of the research show that the comparability and uncertainty has a significant effect on the expected rate of return. In other words, the results of the research show that the expected rate of return is a function of comparability and it varies in different levels of comparability. Key words: Comparability, Expected rate of return, Uncertainty

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the effect of unconditional conservatism on capital cost, considering the role of corporate social responsibility. The research seeks to understand how these factors interact and influence the overall cost of capital for firms. Methodology/Design/Approach: To achieve this purpose, the modified model by Givoly and Hayn (2000) was employed to calculate unconditional conservatism, following the methodologies of previous studies such as Krishnan and Viswanathan (2008) and Ahmed and Dolman (2007). This model emphasizes the estimation of unconstrained conservatism based on standardized accruals relative to total assets (TA). The criteria used to measure corporate social responsibility were adapted from Anis and Utah (2016). Data were collected from a sample of 102 firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange over a five-year period from 2018 to 2022. Multivariate regression analysis of panel data was utilized for data analysis. Findings: The results of the hypothesis testing revealed that social responsibility has a negative and significant effect on corporate capital cost, while unconditional conservatism does not exhibit a significant effect on the cost of capital. Additionally, a positive and significant relationship was found between unconditional conservatism and social responsibility. Innovation: This research contributes to the existing literature by exploring the interplay between unconditional conservatism, corporate social responsibility, and capital costs within the context of Iranian firms. It highlights the importance of understanding how social responsibility initiatives can influence financial metrics, thereby providing practical insights for managers aiming to optimize capital costs through enhanced corporate governance practices.