Technical Efficiency and Firm Attributes in the Chinese Iron and Steel Industry

In this paper, the production frontier approach is used to analyse enterprise efficiency in the Chinese iron and steel industry. The focus is on the relationship between productive efficiency and firm attributes. The findings in this paper demonstrate that enterprise efficiency in China is closely related to factors such as firm scale, ownership, vintage of capital, investment composition, credit condition, incentive system and economies of agglomeration.     

Exploring the factors of cluster linkages that influence innovation performance of firms in a cluster

Clusters being considered as the proponents of innovation, there is a reasonable consensus among researchers and policy-makers that they are the sources of innovation. Therefore, of late, both researchers and policy-makers have increasingly focused on demystifying the factors driving innovation among the firms in a cluster, especially in a high-tech cluster. At the surface level, researchers have identified that the dynamism through interactions of a firm with other firms and associated institutions is one of the key drivers of innovation in a firm residing in a cluster. However, the factors that constitute degree of cluster interactions of firms that determine their innovation levels have not been explored adequately. Bengaluru being one of the highly ranked global hubs of technological innovation in Asia, houses densely interconnected network of high-tech manufacturing firms. It is in the context of Bengaluru cluster that this paper discerned the factors constituting degree of cluster linkages of firms that differentiated the innovation performance among the firms in a cluster. It was found that the ability of a firm to integrate global value chain both vertically and horizontally through extra-cluster linkages determines the innovation performance of a firm in a cluster.     

对几种典型企业组织的规模差异评析

基于从本质到现象的分析路线,我们可以更清楚地认识企业规模：社会合理规模与企业的有效性相对应,取决于企业的组织成本和协调收益;而企业的现实规模则与特定个体的效率相对应,效率不仅取决于协调收益也与转移收益有关。一般地,企业的决策权为不同人所掌握,就会产生不同的收益转移效应,从而产生了多姿多彩的企业形态：（1）不同社会文化伦理中的收益转移效应差异会影响企业规模。一般地,社会信任度越高,企业规模就越合理;而信任度不高的那些社会中,企业规模往往走向两个极端。（2）不同的分配制度中的收益转移效应差异也会影响企业规模。利润分享制企业的剩余索取权往往为所有员工所分享,从而其规模往往小于泰勒制企业。（3）在工人自治型企业中,由于工人主导了剩余索取权的分配,从而使得企业的规模相对较小。（4）中央计划体制下国有企业是极端化的经理管理型企业,经理们所追求的社会收益与企业规模联系在一起,因而这类企业的规模较大。     

我国上市公司专利生产技术效率——基于7个行业405家上市公司的经验证据

利用2005—2010年我国7个行业405家上市公司的面板数据,采用随机前沿分析方法和面板数据模型,研究了上市公司的专利生产技术效率及其影响因素和收敛性。研究结果显示:R&D资本投入和R&D劳动投入对专利产出具有正效应,其中R&D劳动投入的正效应更大;上市公司的专利生产技术效率总体上较小,具有增长趋势和收敛性;上市公司的技术装备利用率、资本密集度、国际化水平、国有股比例和公司规模对其专利生产技术效率的提升具有显著影响。     

所有制、制度环境与公司治理效率

资本所有制作为资本所有权的制度安排是企业有效治理的前提条件。企业治理制度的形成具有路径依赖的特性 ,是与各个国家和企业所处的环境因素分不开的。在既定的经济技术和制度环境下 ,只要企业所有权安排得当 ,任何与其经济技术和制度环境相适应的资本所有制形式都是可以有效的。衡量治理效率的标准是治理成本的最小化或治理主体收益的最大化。为了提高治理效率 ,我国应根据不同企业的情况适时进行治理制度的改革和创新 ,并努力创造适于企业生存的制度环境。     

多层嵌套结构视角下区域环境对企业研发效率的影响研究

将外部环境融入到企业研发系统的研究相对较少,涉及企业研发系统与不同环境之间关系的研究更为鲜见。构建了企业研发系统及其“企业-区域”多层嵌套环境架构,以2008-2014年中国工业上市公司为样本,采用多层嵌套模型（HLM）实证检验了以地级市为单位的区域环境与企业层次环境对企业研发效率的影响,得出以下结论：①区域环境因素与企业层次环境因素存在层次上的差别;②企业层次环境嵌套于区域环境内;③企业层次环境因素即企业研发强度和企业规模都受到了区域环境因素的调节作用;④市场消费需求、人力资源等区域环境因素通过调节企业层次环境因素影响企业研发效率。     

Effects of capacity constraints on mixed duopoly

This paper highlights the mixed duopoly substitutable product with an upstream input subject to capacity constraints. The effects of capacity constraints on the mixed economy are captured. Firstly, the degree of public ownership improves the firm size difference, the price difference, the price dispersion and consumer surplus, while it reduces the price and the second firm’s profits. Secondly, the efficiency difference reduces the firm size difference, the price difference and the price dispersion. Finally, under scarce capacity, the relationship between the total capacity and, the firm size difference, the price difference and the price dispersion, depends on the efficiency of the two firms.     

Evolving Efficiency of Dually-Listed Indian Stocks: A Nonlinear Perspective

This paper examines the degree of efficiency of Indian ADRs and their underlying stocks trading in NSE/BSE from an adaptive markets hypothesis (AMH) perspective that is theoretically grounded in nonlinear serial dependence. For this purpose, the authors employ the windowed as well as the rolling hinich bicorrelation test procedures on ADRs and the underlying stocks issued by Indian firms such as, and limited to, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Infosys, Wipro, Tata Motors, and Sterlite Industries. The study’s findings indicate that the degree of market efficiency witnessed at the level of individual scrips (ADRs or underlying domestic stocks) differs considerably from the degree of efficiency of the broader stock market in which such scrips trade. Further, the degree of efficiency witnessed amidst all US and Indian scrips considered for this study was found to be heterogeneous in nature and in-turn warrants a ranking approach. Lastly, the degree of efficiency witnessed in certain (not all) dually-listed Indian scrips was found to be homogenous across trading locations. However, this does not happen to be the case for all other dually-listed scrips considered for this study. The study’s findings bring to light the need for disaggregated, firm level market efficiency studies aimed at examining firm-level market efficiency at different trading locations and in-turn identifying the antecedents behind homogeneity (or lack-thereof) in firm-level market efficiency across multiple trading locations.

     

股殳份制改造、股权结构与上市公司技术效率

本文以部分制造业上市公司为研究样本，通过随机前沿生产函数和多因素回归的方法，以技术效率为考察对象，分析了企业股份制改造、募股上市以及股权结构对企业效率的影响。实证研究结果表明，公司规模对公司效率有显著影响，股份制改造和股权结构对企业效率却没有明显作用。但是，股东性质可能是左右股权结构对公司效率影响的重要因素。     

Impact of the adoption of information and communication technologies on firm efficiency in the Tunisian manufacturing sector

This paper aims at measuring the impact of information and communication technology use on the efficiency of the Tunisian manufacturing sector at the firm level within a simple theoretical framework. We are using a firm-level panel data for the manufacturing sector in Tunisia to investigate whether adoption of ICT influences efficiency in factor use. The analysis is conducted through the use of a parametric method to measure technical efficiency. We estimate a stochastic production frontier and the relationship aims to explain technical efficiency differentials in a single stage as suggested by Battese and Coelli [Battesse, G.E, Coelli, T.J. (1995). A model for technical inefficiency in a stochastic frontier production function for panel data. Empirical Economics, 20, 325–332].The results have confirmed the presence of positive returns to ICT capital. We have found that the impact of ICT on efficiency is strong. Our results also suggest that it is important to carefully control for human capital related characteristics of employment when studying the effect of ICT. The evidence shows that achieving benefits from investment in ICT requires complementary investments and changes in human capital. This means that the combined use of ICT and human capital in a firm would enhance its efficiency beyond the direct effects of these factors taken alone.     

An Analysis of Energy and Environment Efficiency of China’s Iron and Steel Industry

Due to heavy energy consumption and low technical efficiency, China’s iron and steel industry is trapped in the dilemma “large but not strong”. This situation not only exerts enormous pressure on energy security but also on increased carbon emission and environmental pollution. The contribution of this study is to calculate the energy and environment efficiency of China’s iron and steel industry and to analyze the factors affecting this efficiency. An index of energy and environment efficiency is introduced based on Directional Slacks-based Distance Measure Model. This index is adopted to measure the energy and environment efficiency of China’s iron and steel industry using 2,382 firm observations during 2001 to 2005. In addition, Hierarchy Linear Model (HLM) is applied to analyze the factors which can influence the efficiency with both firm-level and province-level data. The conclusions are as follows: The energy and environment efficiency of China’s iron and steel industry did not have a significant change during the research period. A firm’s age, size, ownership, product category and the economy of its province have significant influence on its energy and environment efficiency.     

股权性质、环境不确定性与技术资本配置效率

技术转化为资本，资本创造价值已经成为共识，技术资本在不同公司创造价值的作用程度不同，根源是技术资本配置效率问题。选取沪深两市2008-2013年间制造业上市公司为样本，检验了基于不同股权性质的公司环境不确定性对企业技术资本配置效率和价值的影响，研究结果表明：①企业环境不确定性程度越高，技术资本配置效率越低，并且技术资本配置偏离度在国有公司中表现为配置过度，在非国有公司表现为配置不足；②在股权性质为国有的公司中，由环境不确定性引发的技术资本配置偏离将降低企业价值，在非国有控股公司中，由环境不确定性导致的技术资本配置偏离将增加企业价值。     

The role of supervisors in the determination of wages and wage gaps

This article considers labour market discrimination by supervisors as a potential contributor to racial and gender wage gaps. Empirical analysis reveals evidence that all workers, except Hispanic males, earn significantly higher hourly wages when working for a supervisor of the same race and sex as themselves. Furthermore, the results suggest that sex has a larger impact on wages than race for workers with white supervisors, while race has a larger impact on wages than sex for workers with minority supervisors. Based on past research, we theorize that the degree of labour discrimination workers face may also be dependent upon the location and size of the firm in which they are employed. However, decomposing the samples by firm location and size suggests that these two factors cannot adequately explain the observed matched supervisor–worker wage effects, which supports the notion that these wage effects are largely driven by factors other than supervisor discrimination.     

Trade openness and the informational efficiency of emerging stock markets

This paper examines the empirical link between trade openness and the informational efficiency of stock markets in 23 developing countries. Our fixed effects panel regression results document a significant negative relation between trade openness and stock return autocorrelations only when the de facto measure is used. On this basis, we argue that a greater level of de facto trade openness is associated with a higher degree of informational efficiency in these emerging stock markets because the former signals higher future firm profitability, and investors tend to react faster to information when there is less uncertainty about a firm's future earnings or cash flows. Further analyses find no significant association between the extent of financial openness and the degree of informational efficiency.     

中国保险业效率的实证分析

中国于2001年加入WTO,在2006年必须对外完全开放国内保险市场。然而,国内保险市场主要份额迄今仍由少数几家大型国有的或政府控制的公司所占有。由于国内保险市场欠发达,对保险的需要仍在呈现指数式上涨,所以对非国有的、海外的和合资保险公司来说存在着巨大的潜力、机遇和挑战。效率是政策制定者进一步鼓励保险业发展而关注的一个关键性因素。本文将集中探讨这个问题。本文使用了中国22家保险公司1999—2002年的一组数据,运用DEA方法评估了它们的效率分数,并应用一个计量经济学模型鉴别和确定了决定效率高低的主要因素。本文实证分析结果指出了提高保险公司效率的方向,并证明公司规模、所有制形式、营销方式和人力资本是影响保险公司效率的重要因素。本文的结论还为未来中国保险业发展的改革政策设计与执行提供了理论和经验支持。     

APPLICATION OF PANEL DATA MODELS IN BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS OF THE ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION SECTOR*

ABSTRACT ** : This paper explores the application of several panel data models in measuring productive efficiency of the electricity distribution sector. Stochastic Frontier Analysis has been used to estimate the cost‐efficiency of 59 distribution utilities operating over a nine‐year period in Switzerland. The estimated coefficients and inefficiency scores are compared across three different panel data models. The results indicate that individual efficiency estimates are sensitive to the econometric specification of unobserved firm‐specific heterogeneity. This paper shows that alternative panel models such as the ‘true’ random effects model proposed by Greene (2005) could be used to explore the possible impacts of unobserved firm‐specific factors on efficiency estimates. When these factors are specified as a separate stochastic term, the efficiency estimates are substantially higher suggesting that conventional models could confound efficiency differences with other unobserved variations among companies. On the other hand, refined specification of unobserved heterogeneity might lead to an underestimation of inefficiencies by mistaking potential persistent inefficiencies as external factors. Given that specification of inefficiency and heterogeneity relies on non‐testable assumptions, there is no conclusive evidence in favour of one or the other specification. However, this paper argues that alternative panel data models along with conventional estimators can be used to obtain approximate lower and upper bounds for companies' efficiency scores.     

Foreign market conditions and export performance: does ‘crowdedness’ reduce exports?

Abstract This paper analyzes the link between firm exports and the competitive environment in foreign markets. We derive a theory‐based econometric specification linking market‐specific exports to foreign demand and the degree of a market’s ‘crowdedness,’ which depends on the number and efficiency of firms competing there and the barriers impeding their access. Estimates on a large sample of Italian firms indicate that increased crowdedness has reduced Italian exports, but only by 0.2%–0.3% per year. This is substantially less than the contribution of other factors such as higher unit labour costs or weak demand growth in the EU15.     

Leverage and firm value

Three highly cited studies with over 6000 citations collectively report a negative relationship between the market value of the firm and leverage. Such empirical findings clearly contradict the hypothesis of leverage adding value to the firm and an optimal capital structure that maximizes firm value—these findings have yet to be resolved. Employing a sample of 3,768 firms consisting of 39,015 observations, a stochastic frontier analysis was used to assess the relationship of leverage among other capital structure factors with firm value. It was found that in general the use of leverage promotes firm value, consistent with the trade-off theory and that the inverse relationship between leverage and firm value was a temporary occurrence and is likely attributable to firms employing tax loss carrybacks in response to the 1986 Tax Reform Act. The estimates of technical efficiency indicate that many firms can do more to increase their value, the sample as a whole improves efficiency (value) over the sample period. The findings reconcile the reports of leverage decreasing firm value as reported in Baker and Wurgler, Fama and French, and Habib and Ljungqvist. The empirical findings suggest prior observation was a due to a decline in the value of the tax shield generated by leverage after the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Specifically, tax carrybacks extended the pre-Tax Reform Act of 1986 tax shield value to 1991 and after 1991 the tax shield value declined.     

Computerization,workplace organization,skilled labour and firm productivity: Evidence for the Swiss business sector

The present study explores empirically the hypothesis that information and communication technologies, new organizational practices and human capital are important determinants of firm efficiency and performance, further that the combined use of these three factors leads to a mutual strengthening of their impact on firm performance. The analytical framework is that of a production function at firm level. The new contribution of this study to the empirical literature is that it is the first empirical study of this type for the Swiss business sector, using a rich data set at firm level for the year 1999 which were collected by means of a postal survey, and giving particular attention to the complementarity issue (several approaches) and to the endogenization of the technology and organization variables.     

Disciplining firms: the impact of trade reforms on profit margins in Indian industry

The paper analyses the effects of increased trade exposure on the profitability of firms in Indian industry. While trade reforms are often expected to decrease profit margins as firms struggle to compete in international markets, there is the possibility that increased competition may improve firm efficiency and provide a positive impetus to firm profitability. This paper is different from many others in this area in that it considers both these possibilities. An efficiency index is created to directly analyse the impact of changing efficiency levels on firm profit margins. Results indicate that liberalization significantly influenced profit margins. However, its main effect is through the impact that it has had on other firm variables - market shares, advertising, R&D and exports - all of which changed after 1991. While exports have had a pro-competitive effect on profit margins in the selected sample, AD and R&D both cause an increase in profit margins. It is also found that neither capital nor managerial capabilities (as proxied by remuneration) are particularly effective in increasing profit margins.