Financial reform and financing constraints: Some evidence from listed Chinese firms

This paper examines the impact of recent financial reforms in China on the financing constraints and investment of publicly-listed Chinese firms. Two continuous indices are constructed to measure the evolution and intensity of financial reforms: a financial liberalization index and a capital control index. Dynamic panel GMM method is used to estimate firms' financing constraints in an Euler-equation investment model. Based on panel data of listed firms for 1996–2007, we find that large firms face no credit constraints and smaller firms display significant constraints. However, the sensitivity of large firms' investment to their cash holdings is heightened as more financial reforms take place. It appears that reforms that gradually eliminate preferential treatments to large firms, primarily state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in China, have subjected these firms' investment decisions to stricter market-based discipline and therefore raised their financing constraints. No significant change in the financing constraint is detected for smaller firms in China. This is interpreted as financial reform in China has not been substantial enough for its benefits to reach smaller firms.     

网络融资对中小企业融资约束影响的实证研究——基于2645家中小企业的调查问卷

在我国以商业银行为主导的金融体系和注重政治关系的制度背景下,网络融资真正起到了缓解中小企业融资约束的作用吗？基于制度和关系视角,引入金融环境和政企关系变量,以2645家中小企业为样本,检验网络融资对融资约束的影响以及金融环境的调节效应,并进一步检验政企关系三维交互效应。结果表明：网络融资对缓解中小企业融资具有积极作用,但存在一定的适用条件,即随着金融环境的逐渐完善,网络融资对中小企业融资约束的缓解作用减弱。同时,随着政企关系的改善,网络融资在缓解中小企业融资约束中的作用进一步被抑制。     

Investment by Korean conglomerates before and after the crisis

This paper analyzes the investment behavior of the Korean corporate sector before and after the 1997 financial crisis. Using firm-level data, we find that after controlling for investment profitability and cash flows, Korean conglomerates (‘chaebol’)-affiliated firms, particularly ones with low-managerial ownership, made significantly higher investments than non-chaebol firms before the crisis. In contrast, this difference in investment volume between chaebol and non-chaebol firms is no longer existent in the period following the crisis. We find the sharp reduction in investment by chaebols in the post-crisis period can be attributed mainly to the need to moderate their debt burden. It is not clear, however, whether these changes indicate an improvement in investment efficiency.     

Financial Determinants of Corporate R&D Investment in Korea

This paper investigates the relationship between corporate investment in R&D and finance. By using panel data on Korean manufacturing firms between 1999 and 2008, we find that R&D investment is sensitive to fluctuations in internal cash flow and that debt is more important than equity in financing R&D expenditure. This empirical result supports the traditional theory of financing hierarchy. In relation to equity ownership, the empirical result shows that ownership concentration and foreign ownership positively affect R&D investment, but institutional ownership does not show any significant effect on investment. This study synthetically analyzes the relation between finance and investment by simultaneously considering corporate finance, equity ownership structure, macroeconomic environments and the institutional setting of Korea.     

Foreign Ownership and Firm Innovation: Evidence from Korea

ABSTRACT

This study examines whether foreign equity investment promotes domestic firms’ innovation activities. Using panel data on the Korean firms during the 1999–2013 period, we find that foreign ownership has a positive effect on firms’ innovation activities. Furthermore, we also show that, as compared to non-chaebol firms, chaebol firms’ innovation activity becomes much greater with the increase of foreign ownership. Finally, we investigate industry-level spillover effects of innovation. Specifically, we find that foreign ownership promotes innovation activities via forward linkage, the effect of which is also more pronounced in chaebol firms.     

Firm size-specific trade effects of regional trade agreements: Estimating extensive and intensive margins of trade

We estimate the impacts of Korean firms’ participation in regional trade agreements (RTAs) on the extensive and intensive export margins by identifying exporting firms based on their firm size—small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large enterprises (LEs) at the 5 399 HS six-digit commodity level—and specifying characteristics of RTAs from 2004 to 2015. We apply the EK Tobit estimation technique to control zero trade and the OLS estimation with importer-product and time fixed effects to alleviate the endogeneity problem. We find that firm size, product type, and depth of RTA significantly matter. Specifically, we find that deeper RTAs with larger, developing, and closer members significantly enhance the export creation effects of SMEs and LEs. Regarding the firm size-specific effects, we find that SMEs are less sensitive to exploiting RTA participation but more sensitive to the import market size, bilateral and relative trade costs, and the RTA characteristics. LEs’ export creation is mainly driven by the intensive margin, while SMEs’ export creation is driven by extensive and intensive margins (slightly more by the extensive margin). For the product-specific effects, we find that Korea's major exportable products such as chemicals, basic metals, motor vehicles, and transport equipment generate significantly strong export creation effects for both LEs and SMEs through their participation in RTAs.     

Trade credit behavior of Korean small and medium sized enterprises during the 1997 financial crisis

This paper investigates the effect of the 1997 Korean financial crisis on the trade credit behavior of Korean small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) using a unique panel dataset for the period 1994 to 1999. I uncover new evidence supporting the substitution and redistribution hypotheses, which contradicts earlier studies. Specifically, the results show that liquid SMEs provided more trade credit to their client firms during the credit contraction, while financially constrained SMEs received more trade credit from their suppliers. Further, I find evidence that SMEs in financially distressed regions relied more on trade credit than their counterparts in financially healthier regions.     

Financial Liberalization and Corporate Investments: Evidence from Korean Firm Data*

This paper examines whether financial liberalization procedures introduced in Korea in the early 1990s succeeded in relaxing financing constraints on firms. Because external funds are more costly than internal funds in an imperfect capital market, corporate investments depend on the availability of internal funds. As financial liberalization mitigates constraints on firms, the sensitivity of investments to cash flow can be reduced. Using panel data on Korean firms, we found that cash‐flow effects on investment spending decreased drastically during the liberalization period. In particular, small, non‐chaebol and established firms that were severely constrained gained most from liberalization. Chaebol firms appeared to lose preferential access to credit after liberalization.     

生命周期视域下科技型中小企业创新融资模式研究

2020年我国进入全面建成小康社会决胜期,科技型中小企业作为科技创新的重要力量,成为我国高质量经济发展的新增长点,其健康有序地可持续发展成为国家经济发展的重要保证。基于企业生命周期理论,分析科技型中小企业处于不同发展阶段的技术创新特点、风险特征及融资需求。针对多种融资模式进行比较,探索出匹配各生命周期阶段科技型中小企业可选择的有效融资模式,并从政府、金融机构及企业自身提出完善科技型中小企业融资模式的建议,为科技型中小企业资金问题的缓解提供可行性的路径。     

中小企业融资约束对R&D投入的影响分析——基于门限效应模型

以2012-2017年深圳证券交易所中小企业板上市且披露研发投入数据的中小企业为样本,通过建立回归方程,检验我国中小企业融资约束对R&D投入是否存在影响,以及中小企业融资约束对R&D投入的影响是否存在门限效应。研究发现：中小企业R&D投入存在一定程度的融资约束。同时,中小企业融资约束与R&D投入之间存在着门限效应。在以融资约束为门限变量时,企业融资约束对R&D投入影响呈现出显著的双重门限效应,且门限值分别为10.3209和11.0744。     

Stock Market Development, Liquidity Constraint and Investment: A Case of Korean Jaebol and Non-Jaebol Manufacturing Firms in the 1980s

The Korean stock market experienced sudden growth in mid-1986. Since then, Korean firms have begun to rely on the stock market as a reliable source of funds. This paper analyses the change in financing behaviour after the 1986 Korean stock market development. Many researchers argue that in developed countries, the liquidity constraint binds a firm's investment decisions. What then is the effect of liquidity on firms in developing countries? These issues will be examined by using a Tobin’s Q model of investment. A total of 171 Korean manufacturing firms, both Jaebol and Non-Jaebol, are investigated for the 1980s. Most empirical studies have not shown an economically large and significant Q effect when cash flow is used in the model. However, empirical results here show that with a strong liquidity effect, Q is large and statistically significant, implying a moderate adjustment cost.     

金融危机下中小企业融资难的原因与对策——以秦皇岛市为例

中小企业在我国国民经济中有着举足轻重的作用,但随着金融危机的蔓延,中小企业面临极大的生存压力,而融资困难一直是制约中小企业发展的最大难题。文章结合秦皇岛市的调查结果分析了中小企业融资难的原因,并为解决这一问题提出了相关建议。文章认为中小企业融资难问题原因复杂,涉及到政府、银行、企业和社会服务体系诸多方面,因而,在破解这个难题的过程中,应该多管齐下,才能收到良好的效果。     

人口老龄化必然导致资本替代劳动吗

经济学理论认为，人口老龄化会导致劳动力成本上升，从而改变企业的要素结构、通过资本替代劳动的方式应对，但不同类型的企业对老龄化做出的反应可能存在差异，需要进行深入分析。文章利用中国工业企业数据对上述问题进行了研究，实证结果显示：整体来看，人口老龄化显著提高了企业的资本劳动比，但资本劳动比的上升并不一定表现为资本对劳动的替代。在规模较大、融资约束较轻的企业，老龄化促使其用固定资产投资替代了劳动，但在规模较小和融资约束程度较为严重的企业，人口老龄化并没有显著提高其固定资产投资，只是缩小了其劳动力雇佣规模，说明企业规模和融资约束是影响企业要素结构升级的重要因素。此外，文章还发现人口老龄化主要促使企业利用资本替代低技能劳动力，而人口老龄化的资本替代劳动效应在资本密集型、生产率水平较高和非出口企业中更为显著。文章从微观企业投资视角拓展了人口老龄化的经济效应的研究范畴，并通过规模效应和融资约束角度分析了制约工业企业提高智能化生产程度的因素，从而对传统的见解提供了有益的补充。文章的研究结论能够为政府制定积极应对人口老龄化和助力企业要素结构升级的相关政策提供经验证据的支持。     

融资约束与中国制造业企业出口——基于Heckman样本选择模型的经验检验

本文从非正规金融贸易信贷的研究视角切入,构建衡量企业融资约束的应收账款相对比例指标,研究融资约束对中国制造业企业出口的影响效应。运用Heckman样本选择模型控制样本选择偏误,本文对2004～2007年11.8万家中国制造业企业的分析表明:融资约束制约了中国制造业企业的出口行为,并且这种制约作用存在显著的企业规模指向性、地区指向性、行业指向性和所有制指向性。本文的结论为我们理解融资约束与出口之间的关系提供了中国经验。     

Management innovations in family firms after CEO successions: Evidence from Japanese SMEs

We examine management innovation of family and non-family firms after CEO successions by using data of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Japan. Consistent with predictions based on the resource-based view and agency theory, we find that family firms managed by non-family professional CEO successors are less innovative than those managed by family CEO successors or non-family firms. Further analyses indicate that limited access to family-based resources is a key determinant of the conservativeness of professional CEO successors. Our findings suggest the importance of the congruence of ownership and management in family firms due to CEOs’ access to family-based resources.     

创造适合中国中小企业发展的政府融资项目

I. IntroductionIt is widely recognized that the growth of small -and medium -sized enterprises (SMEs) is akey ingredient for the sustainable economic development of a nation. Cavalluzzo,Small-and Medium -Sized Enterprises in ChinaCavalluzzo, and Wolken (2002), for example, conclude that small enterprises serve as animportant engine of growth in the U.S. economy. In China, as a result of the economicreforms and market opening measures, SMEs have enjoyed remarkable development andhave g…     

Corporate Cash Holding in Asia

In this paper, we analyze the determinants of corporate saving in the form of changes in cash holdings for 11 Asian economies using firm‐level data from the Oriana Database for the 2002–2011 period. We find some evidence that cash flow has a positive impact on the change in cash holdings (i.e. that the cash flow sensitivity of cash is positive) and that the positive impact of cash flow on the change in cash holdings is larger and more significant in the case of smaller and presumably more constrained firms than in the case of larger and presumably less constrained firms in both developed and developing economies. Both of these findings corroborate the importance of financial constraints in Asian firms. In addition, we find that the cash flow sensitivity of cash declined after the global financial crisis and that Tobin's q has a positive impact on the change in cash holdings, especially in the case of larger and presumably unconstrained firms.     

Corporate governance and the cost of public debt financing: Evidence from Japan

This paper explores the relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and the cost of public debt financing in Japan. Using a sample of corporate bonds newly issued in Japan during the period 2005–2008, I find that CEO ownership is associated with higher yield spreads after controlling for other governance, bond, and firm characteristics. Founding family ownership is also positively related to yield spreads. In contrast, firms with large corporate shareholders enjoy lower yield spreads. These results are robust to various alternative specifications. Overall, my results indicate the importance of corporate governance mechanisms in Japanese corporate bond markets.     

国外成功经验对我国中小企业融资的启示

中小企业是我国经济的重要组成部分,但融资困难一直是制约我国中小企业发展的"瓶颈"。本文首先分析了我国中小企业融资的现状及融资困难的原因,接着从法律体系与制度、财政补贴、贷款优惠、税收优惠几个方面介绍了发达国家促进中小企业融资的成功经验。我国政府应借鉴发达国家的成功经验并结合我国的国情帮助中小企业摆脱融资困境,使之稳定发展。     

Effects of presidents’ characteristics on internationalization of small and medium firms in Japan

Recent heterogeneous-firm models of international trade suggest that productivity determines whether firms engage in export activity and foreign direct investment. In practice, however, many productive firms are not internationalized, whereas many unproductive firms are, which suggests that there are factors other than productivity that influence firms’ internationalization. This study uses a unique panel data set for Japanese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to examine whether the personal characteristics of a firm’s president are factors in firm internationalization. We find that SMEs with a risk-tolerant, forward-looking president are more likely to be internationalized. These effects are large in magnitude, as is the productivity effect, which provides a partial explanation as to why many productive firms are not internationalized. In addition, we find that productivity has an insignificant effect on firms exiting export markets, whereas presidential myopia increases the probability of exit. The evidence further suggests that a firm’s initial export costs become sunk following its entry into export markets, which explains why many unproductive firms are internationalized.