Natural resources and capital structure

This paper examines the effect of natural resources on the capital structure of firms. Using an extensive dataset of listed firms in 70 countries, we show that firms operating in resource extraction industries have less debt than other non-financial firms. Moreover, non-resource firms in resource-dependent countries are found to be less indebted than their counterparts in other countries. The results suggest that the very fact of a firm’s location in a resource-dependent country is an overlooked country-specific determinant of the firm’s capital structure and that financial institutions in resource-dependent countries may play a role in exacerbating a nation’s resource curse.     

基于DEA的人力资本系统评价方法

本文基于数据包络分析(DEA)方法、结合定量和定性分析,给出了一种较为有效的人力资本评价方法。在建立人力资本评价模型的基础上,本文以一个案例研究了企业间人力资本使用的相对有效性。     

Exploring the operating efficiency of Technology Development Programs by an intellectual capital perspective—A case study of Taiwan

Government supported technological research and development can help the private sector to compete globally. A more accurate evaluation system considering multi-factor performance is highly desired. This study offers an alternative perspective and characterization of the performance of Technology Development Programs (TDPs) via a two-stage process that emphasizes research and development (R&D) and technology diffusion. This study shall employ a sequential data envelopment analysis (DEA) with a non-parametric statistical analysis to analyze differences in intellectual capital variables among various TDPs. The results reveal that R&D performance is better than technology diffusion performance for the TDPs. In addition, the “Mechanical, Mechatronic, and Transportation field” is more efficient than the other fields in both R&D and technology diffusion performance models. The findings of this study point to the importance of intellectual capital in achieving high levels of TDP efficiency. The potential applications and strengths of DEA and intellectual capital in assessing the performance of TDP are also highlighted.     

Assessing the technological innovation efficiency of China's high-tech industries with a two-stage network DEA approach

As significant strategic players in China's economy, high-tech industries need to evaluate and analyze the technological innovation activities from a system point of view to understand and improve their technological innovation efficiency and, thereby, promote their development. Different high-tech industries have different characteristics and thus benefit from different industrial development policies. However, few studies to date have discussed this issue from a systematic perspective. In this study, technological innovation activities are divided into a research and development (R&D) stage and a commercialization stage. A high-tech industrial evaluation framework of technological innovation efficiency based on two-stage network data envelopment analysis (DEA) is constructed with shared inputs, additional intermediate inputs, and free intermediate outputs. Our empirical results indicate that the overall efficiency of most industries is relatively low and the differences between the five high-tech industries (i.e., sub-sectors) we examined are large. The Spearman correlation shows that overall efficiency and R&D efficiency are more correlated than overall efficiency and commercialization efficiency. Additionally, R&D has better average efficiency. The sub-sector with the highest average efficiency is computers and office equipment, and the one with the lowest average efficiency is medicines. These findings indicate the inadequacy but potential for breakthroughs in the evolution of high-tech industries in China. The analysis proves that it is necessary to create different industrial policies to encourage effective progress in certain high-tech industries, and some guidelines for doing so are provided.     

Decomposing multifactor productivity in Italy from 1998 to 2004: evidence from large firms and SMEs using DEA

This paper presents a firm-level analysis of multifactor productivity (MFP) in Italy between 1998 and 2004. Using data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique, MFP change are measured for 31 industries and decomposed into efficiency change and technical change (which in turn is interpreted as the combined effect of technical progress and scale economies). The results highlight the stagnation in many Italian production activities and even a decrease in MFP in some industries. A non-parametric statistical test on the results obtained from DEA reveals that the analysed larger firms have been more likely to perform better in efficiency than the smaller ones. This outcome seems to complement the Schumpeterian view of a relatively high attitude of larger firms towards technological innovation and productivity growth.     

The relationship between bank performance and intellectual capital in East Asia

In this paper, we develop a performance efficiency value by using data envelopment analysis (DEA) to integrate five perspectives of CAMEL (Capital Adequacy, Asset Quality, Management, Earnings, Liquidity), which is used by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to evaluate banking performance. In addition, we utilize a tiered DEA to categorize banks into four groups. One-way ANOVA is used to analyze differences in CAMEL and intellectual capital (IC) variables across the four groups. CAMEL variables are manifested more strongly in highly efficient groups when compared with inefficient groups. The findings also reveal the importance of IC in achieving high levels of bank efficiency.     

会计师事务所人力资源投入产出效率相对有效性分析

本文运用数据包络分析(DEA)中的CCR和BCC模型,对40家会计师事务所的人力资源投入产出效率的相对有效性进行评价,使他们看到自己与其他所的差距,从而更清楚地认识自己,分析它们为非DEA有效的原因,并根据DEA的投影定理提出相关的改进建议,为会计师事务所的经营决策提供帮助。     

The influence of industry concentration on merger motives—empirical evidence from machinery industry mergers

By linking industrial organization theory and capital market research, we provide empirical evidence that merger motives of firms are influenced by underlying industry concentration. Analyzing wealth effects on target, acquirer and rival firms in the machinery industry, we observe significant different capital market reactions among merger announcements in dependence of underlying industry concentration. suggesting that different takeover motives prevail in fragmented and concentrated industries. In contrast to previous studies, we find besides efficiency motives evidence for monopolistic collusion motives in fragmented industries. Mergers in concentrated industries are primarily motivated to achieve productive efficiency gains. The absence of collusion motives may be an indication for a successful enforcement of antitrust legislation. Our results suggest that the magnitude of the influence of industry concentration in empirical merger motive research may have been previously under-estimated leading to a potential distortion of results.     

中国高校人力资源管理创新绩效评价研究

利用DEA方法对我国2005-2009年的高校人力资源管理创新绩效进行了评价和分析,并运用Malmquist生产率指数对其绩效变动进行了测算。结果显示,我国高校人力资源管理创新绩效水平较为低下,纯技术效率低下是其主要原因;全要素生产率呈现较为显著的增长趋势,技术效率水平提高是引致TFP增长的主要原因,而技术进步对TFP有负面效应;我国高校人力资源管理创新绩效水平存在较为显著的省际和区域差异。     

政治联系、市场化进程与权益资本成本——来自中国民营上市公司的经验证据

以中国民营上市公司为样本,文章实证检验不同市场环境下政治联系对企业权益资本成本的影响,研究发现:政治联系对权益资本成本的影响在不同地区是有差异的;在市场化程度较低地区,由于政府干预导致企业经营业绩有较高的不确定性,有政治联系企业承担着较高的权益资本成本;在市场化程度较高地区,政府干预相对较少,政治联系更多地体现为一种荣誉或良好的政商关系,此时有政治联系企业享有较低的权益资本成本;当上市公司存在控股股东利益输送时,投资者预期到无法共享政治联系为企业带来的利益,此时有政治联系企业要承担较高的权益资本成本。本研究为厘清政治联系对企业和投资者的利弊影响提供了一个有益的视角。     

一种基于DEA的区域物流效率评价模型及其实证研究——以湖南省14个地市州为例

对区域物流效率进行恰当评价有助于科学配置和规划物流资源。基于DEA,构造了一种面向地区的货物周转量、贸易总额与GDP总量的评价模型,充分考虑了地区在人、财、物等几方面对物流部门的投入影响,形成了一种区域物流效率评价模型。以湖南省2011年14个地州市的物流部门实际投入、基础设施建设以及实际运行数据做了实证研究,DEA软件的分析结果表明该模型很好地反映出了当前实际情况,可帮助决策者进行物流资源的配置与规划。     

社会资本、政府干预与区域资本配置效率——来自省级工业行业数据的证据

选取2000—2012年中国大陆30个省份35个工业行业的数据为研究样本,分析社会资本和政府干预影响区域间资本配置效率的作用机制并进行实证检验后发现：较高的社会资本水平和较低的政府干预程度,有助于提高资本配置效率;社会资本与政府干预在影响资本配置效率方面存在替代关系,在政府干预比较严重的地区,社会资本对资本配置效率的影响更加显著。     

Overcoming the liability of smallness by recruiting through networks in China: a guanxi-based social capital perspective

We investigate the role of guanxi in Chinese entrepreneurial firms’ recruitment practices in attempting to overcome the liability of smallness. Combining insights from the social capital and guanxi literature, we theorize the guanxi-based social capital perspective and use it to analysis 96 in-depth interviews with multiple members (entrepreneurs, senior managers and factory workers) from 15 die-casting entrepreneurial firms in Guangdong province, China. We find that the use of guanxi in recruitment practice can overcome the liability of smallness because it makes the hiring process more convenient, improves firms’ attractiveness to jobseekers and enhances the person-organizational fit between new hires and firms. We discuss how Chinese entrepreneurs and their senior managers use guanxi strategically to achieve these advantages. On the other hand, our findings suggest that jobseekers can also use guanxi to increase their options, improve their bargaining power and distract firms’ attention away from hiring the most appropriate candidate for the job in order to undermine the effectiveness of Chinese entrepreneurial firms’ recruitment procedures. We explore the implications of these findings for academic research and managerial practice.     

基于DEA的秦皇岛市旅游资本利用效率研究

以秦皇岛市2000-2009年的旅游投入和产出为研究对象,采用DEA(数据包络分析)模型计算秦皇岛市旅游人力资本和物质资本的动态利用效率。研究结果表明:2000-2009年,秦皇岛市旅游资本的平均利用效率为0.818,存在14.63%的旅游物质资本投入浪费和0.29%的旅游人力资本投入浪费。因此,秦皇岛市应采取一定措施重点实现旅游物质资本的合理配置,加强旅游项目投资管理,进一步提高旅游资本利用效率。     

Corporate Capital Budgeting Decisions and Information Sharing

Firms must overcome agency and information asymmetry problems to make efficient corporate capital budgeting decisions; this is particularly true for firms with multiple units dispersed across geographic locations. Internal communication and coordination may therefore be crucial in reducing information asymmetry and achieving efficient resource allocation. We examine the relationship between corporate capital budgeting decisions and the degree of internal information sharing using a dataset of 342 U.S. firms from 1993 to 2002. Information sharing is measured by the internal linkages observed in firms’ research and development activities worldwide. The efficiency of a firm's capital budgeting decisions is measured by the deviation of the firm's estimated marginal q from the theoretical tax‐adjusted benchmark. We observe a significant relationship between value‐enhancing capital budgeting decisions and stronger internal linkages. Specifically, corporate overinvestment is significantly reduced with better information sharing across units. All results are robust to firm‐ and industry‐level controls.     

Efficiency evaluation of the regional high-tech industry in China: A new framework based on meta-frontier dynamic DEA analysis

This paper proposes a new framework based on the combination of the dynamic DEA, meta-frontier analysis theory, and truncated regression model, and then focuses on the efficiency evaluation of regional high-tech industries in China. For all of the overall technical efficiency, technical efficiency, and scale efficiency scores, the east area is always in the lead, with the central and west areas obviously lagging behind. The eastern area has the highest technology level, whereas the west and central areas fall behind in turn. However, the meta-technology ratio of the west area has rapidly increased and presents a trend of catching up with the east. The variables of GRP per capital, total exports and imports, highway mileage per capita, and ratio of tertiary industry to GRP have positive relationships with technical efficiency, and the time trend exhibits a negative coefficient.     

The relationship between information technology capability,inventory efficiency,and shareholder wealth: A firm-level empirical analysis

Inventories represent an important strategic resource for firms, with implications for shareholder wealth. As such, firms expend considerable effort in managing their inventories efficiently. Among other factors, information technology (IT) capability can play an important role in enabling inventory efficiency and financial performance. However, insight into the chain-of-effects linking IT capability, inventory efficiency, and stock market returns and risk remains limited. In this paper, we provide a conceptual model outlining the relationships between these constructs. Next, we evaluate the model using secondary information on firms from multiple industries across the 10-year time period of 2000–2009. Our analysis confirms that firms’ IT capability plays a significant role in enhancing their inventory efficiency, which, in turn, is observed to increase stock market returns. Our results also reveal that firms’ IT capability directly reduces their stock market risk and enhances their stock market returns. Taken together, these findings, along with the conceptual model that we advance, have important research and managerial implications.     

Informational externalities of initial public offerings: Does venture capital backing matter?

We examine the role of venture capital backing on informational externalities generated by IPO firms. Theoretical models predict that going public firms generate positive externalities creating a spillover effect for other firms to go public. In this paper, we posit that venture backed IPOs convey positive information about industry and this information is transferred to rival firms. We also hypothesize that intra-industry information transfer varies with rivals’ characteristics and IPO price revisions generate additional information that affects rivals’ valuation. The results show that rivals have positive valuation effects in response to venture backed IPOs and no significant reaction in response to non-venture backed IPOs. We find evidence that the effect on rival firms is stronger if they operate in less concentrated industries and have high growth opportunities. The larger the IPO proceeds, the higher the magnitude of rivals ‘valuation effects. Positive (negative) information revealed in the form of upward (downward) price revisions significantly impacts rivals’ reaction in response to venture backed IPOs.     

Intra-Industry Capital Structure Dispersion

Why do firms in some industries exhibit very similar debt ratios, while firms in other industries do not? This paper examines the dispersion in leverage ratios among firms within an industry, and relates this dispersion to industry characteristics. We find that more concentrated industries and industries where the use of leasing is more intense exhibit greater intra‐industry dispersion. We also document greater dispersion in industries where firms use less incentive compensation, sit more insiders in their boards, are older, and have larger capital expenditures in relation to their assets.     

基于改进的DEA/AHP模型的人工成本投入产出效率评价

通过采用0.1-0.9标度这种更为简便实用的判断尺度,建立了具有完全一致性的互补判断矩阵,妥善解决了AHP判断矩阵的一致性问题,改进了DEA/AHP模型。并基于DEA模型和改进的DEAHP模型分别对盐城市22个行业2009年的人工成本投入产出进行效率评价分析。研究结果显示,基于改进的DEA/AHP模型的评价结果更加具有可区分性,具有更高的解析能力。