Recent literature in corporate finance emphasizes the importance of corporate financial management policies,
including the question of how a company manage it's resources. Cash is perhaps one of the resources most
vulnerable to wanton behavior by management (Harford et al, 2008). During an economic expansion, as cash
reserves mount, managers make strategic decisions about whether to disburse the cash to shareholders, spend
it internally, use it for external acquisition, or continue to hold it (Harford et al, 2008). Prior work on cash
reserves provides mixed evidence. For example, earlier papers by Kim et al. (1998) and Opler et al. (1999)
provide comprehensive reviews on the determinants of corporate cash holdings and find that firms trade off the
costs and benefits of holding cash in determining their optimal cash balance. In particular, their findings suggest
that firm's cash holdings is positively associated with growth opportunities investment, R&D expenditures and
volatility of cash flows; and is negatively associated with size and net working capital. Alternatively, Harford
(1999) suggest that there is reason for shareholders to be concerned about managers' stewardship of large
pools of internal funds. He shows that cash-rich firms are more likely to make acquisitions and their acquisitions
are more likely to be value-decreasing.