An analysis of intrabrand competition in the franchise industry

The owner of a franchise chain is analyzed as maximizing profit by selecting the number of establishments, an initial franchise fee, and a royalty on sales revenue. The franchisees are geographically dispersed and imperfectly compete with one another (intrabrand competition). Then, the optimal sales royalty must be strictly positive. If the royalty were set equal to zero, the equilibrium price would be too low to maximize collective profit; the effect of the royalty is to curtail each franchisee's private gain from reducing price. The optimal royalty rises with the intensity of intrabrand competition. The model predicts a positive association of the sales royalty with the density of the chain's establishments. The available evidence is consistent with this prediction.Parts of this paper are based on chapter III of my dissertation (Schmidt, 1990). Further research was supported by the Graduate School of the University of New Hampshire. I would like to thank Roger Blair, David Bradford, Darlene Chisholm, Jon Hamilton, Amy Schmidt, Ed Zabel, and two anonymous referees for their helpful advice. The usual caveat applies.     

Strategic orientations,incentive plan adoptions,and firm performance: evidence from electric utility firms

This study examines the performance implications of the fit between strategic orientations and incentive plan characteristics. Research hypotheses are based on a framework that draws upon managerial discretion and agency theories to identify the links between firm strategy, managerial motivation and control, managerial risk-bearing, and incentive plan characteristics. A pooled cross-sectional, time series research design is used to test hypotheses in a sample of 50 electric utility firms. Consistent with theory, results indicate that annual bonus plans that use cash incentives and accounting measures of performance lead to better performance among firms with Defender strategic orientations. In contrast, firms with Prospector strategic orientations realize performance benefits when they adopt stock-based incentive plans and use market measures to evaluate managerial performance. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A note on effective laboratory size

Surprisingly little attention has been paid to the question of what size is desirable for a whole laboratory as distinct from the groups that comprise it. A semi-quantitative analysis shows that while very small laboratories are handicapped by restricted common services there is also a heavy penalty paid by very large laboratories in the extended path over which information must flow between the working scientists and the decision makers. It is. not desirable, therefore, to expand research effort by allowing laboratories to grow indefinitely in size.     

终极控制权对高管薪酬激励效应影响的实证分析

本文基于中国A股市场上市公司样本数据,从高管人力资本产权实现的理论视角,考虑终极控制权情景因素,实证分析了高管股权激励的结果效应。结论显示,终极控制权影响高管薪酬激励方式的选择,高管薪酬激励方式影响企业绩效,具体控制权情景下高管薪酬激励方式间企业绩效存在差异。总体而言,不论国有性质还是非国有性质,低控制权强度下实施股权激励的企业绩效显著高于未实施股权激励的企业,而高控制权强度下二者的差异不显著。     

A note on the market share-profitability relationship

This study extends earlier empirical work to determine whether there is a breakpoint or critical level in the frequently observed relationship between firm market share and profit rate. The analysis focuses on the banking industry and uses a sample of 10,690 firms located in 2165 different local geographic markets. Though the results apply directly only to banking, the similarity of findings on various other industrial organization topics in banking and the industrial sector suggests that the results of this study will be broadly relevant to the industrial sector.The main findings of the study are that (1) in general, firm market share is directly related to profitability; (2) the firm market share variable remains positive and significant when controlling for market concentration either with concentration as a separate independent variable or by conducting tests with subsamples of firms that are in markets with similar concentration ratios; and (3) while there is no sharp breakpoint in the market share-profitability relationship, the results indicate that profit rates of firms increase at a decreasing rate up to a share of about 55 percent. Since numerous studies have found that economies of scale are not particularly important in banking, it appears that the observed relationship is not due to greater efficiency with larger shares.     

A note on corporate strategy and capital structure

The relationships between capital structure and corporate strategy in previous U.S. and Australian empirical studies, which use different definitions of capital structure, and hence have different functional relationships, are considered. A model using the U.S. specification with the Australian data is estimated, for which previous conclusions relating to profit are confirmed. The relationship between strategy and capital structure is thus shown to be less than robust. The conclusion that debt/equity ratios of highly diversified firms are more strongly affected by firm-level variables is supported. An explanation that the capital market rewards focused firms because they are easier to understand and price is offered.     

供应链弹性契约下的信息共享激励

在供应链弹性契约的约束下,要让供应链合作的双方有实现信息共享的积极性,就必须让双方在信息共享的条件下获取的利益至少不低于在未实现信息共享下的所获得的利益,这样才能实现双方利益的帕累托改善,也才能激励下游企业积极向上游企业共享需求信息,这必然要依赖于供应链弹性契约的科学设计。文章通过确定一个弹性数量契约来分析供应链上的合作双方在信息共享与信息不共享的条件下对双方运作绩效的改进,并考虑了在信息显示成本较大的情况下,对供应链中合作的双方进行信息显示成本分担的供应链弹性契约设计,从而获取满意或最优的契约参数。     

A note on price cap regulation and competition

This paper examines the properties of a price-cap regulatory regime similar in design to a plan recently proposed by AGT Ltd. in hearings on Alternative Forms of Regulation before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. The price-cap plan incorporates a number of novel features which include (i) quantity weights that evolve through time rather than remaining fixed; (ii) adjustments for productivity that incorporate yardstick competition; and (iii) allowing the weights to reflect the firm's market power or absence thereof in the presence of competition. Hence, should competitive circumstances permit, the regulatory regime allows for its own sunset.     

论劳动所得税收抵免对社会救助的激励效应

构建和谐社会的目标对社会救助制度提出了更新、更高的要求。而社会的进步和经济的发展则凸显出现行社会救助制度的缺陷和弊端。文章通过对比、分析,阐述了劳动所得税收抵免的运作机制,并进一步论证了劳动所得税收抵免对社会救助的激励效应。     

论垂直价格挤压下的接入定价规制

在自然垄断产业引入竞争的过程中,独占传输网络的纵向一体化垄断厂商可能对下游市场新进入者实施接入价格挤压。接入价格挤压从属于价格歧视。尽管一定条件下的接入价格挤压具有正向的竞争效应,但垄断厂商将具有同等效率或更高效率的独立厂商驱逐出市场则应该受到规制。接入价格规制包括政府直接规制定价和反垄断法间接规制定价。直接规制定价中整体价格上限较为可取,而反垄断法间接规制需要采用基于福利后果分析的合理推定原则,但从短期来看采用直接规制更有效率。最后提出了完善我国自然垄断产业接入定价规制的相关政策建议。     

纵向一体化网络的接入定价研究

中国铁路、煤气、自来水、邮政等绝大多数网络型产业的结构改革将选择纵向一体化与自由接入作为突破口，研究纵向一体化网络的接入定价理论和政策已成为中国网络型产业规制政策研究的一个重要问题。本文首先依据资源最优配置、次优配置、生产效率等原则，研究了不同的接入定价理论，详细探讨了不同的接入定价方法，最后进一步分析了纵向一体化网络在不同政策目标下的接入定价政策选择。     

DB模式下风险分担模型研究

在应用DB模式过程中,业主与总承包商之间不能合理分担风险,阻碍了项目资源优化甚至导致项目失败。论文从业主角度讨论风险分配问题,通过建立风险分担的激励模型,推导出业主提供的奖励与承包商承担的风险份额呈一定数量关系,并分析影响业主风险承担的因素,为业主在具有争议的风险问题上如何进行合理分配提供指导。     

控制权激励双重性与技术创新动态能力——基于高科技上市公司面板数据的实证分析

高管激励契约对技术创新的显著影响受到理论界与实践界的普遍关注,但以往研究多以显性激励为主。控制权激励作为一种重要的高管隐性激励契约,在本质上具有双重性,应从非线性视角出发对其与技术创新的关联性进行重新审视。本文基于创新经济学相关理论,运用中国高科技上市公司2007—2010年的平衡面板数据,对高管控制权激励与技术创新动态能力的关联性进行实证检验,结果表明:技术创新动态能力由技术创新投入能力、技术创新产出能力、技术创新转化能力三个维度构成;控制权激励与技术创新动态能力之间存在显著的倒U型关系,即当达到极值之前,控制权激励以积极性为主导从而对技术创新动态能力具有促进效应,但超过此极值,控制权激励的消极性逐渐凸显,转而对技术创新动态能力产生明显的抑制效应。因此,保持适度的控制权激励力度、并对显性激励与隐性激励进行合理配置是提升上市公司技术创新动态能力的理性选择。     

A co-ordination model combining incentive scheme and co-ordination policy for a single-vendor-multi-buyer supply chain

Incentive scheme and co-ordination policy are substantial components for the co-ordination of a decentralized supply chain system, but there is little work combining the two components as a single decision model (Li and Wang, 2007). This paper proposes a model which incorporates both incentive and co-ordination issues into a single co-ordination model for a single-vendor multi-buyer supply chain. In the proposed model, the co-ordination is achieved by synchronizing ordering and production cycles while price discount, which is based on the buyers’ order intervals, is used as the incentive to motivate buyers to participate in the co-ordination. While the vendor is benefited from the co-ordination by synchronized cycles, the proposed price discount scheme can guarantee that a buyer’s total relevant cost of co-ordination will be reduced when compared with independent optimization. More importantly, the proposed price discount scheme does not require any cost information from the buyers.     

A note on the sensitivity analysis of the internal rate of return

In this note we discuss the sensitivity analysis of the internal rates of return (IRR). We show that the use of partial derivatives can be misleading in the identification of key drivers of an investment project's performance. To remedy this shortcoming, we propose the use of an alternative sensitivity measure called the Differential Importance Measure. The analysis shows that, even if the theoretical conditions for using the Net Present Value or the IRR as valuation criteria apply, the sensitivity analysis results for the two indicators may differ.     

A note on international market leaders and networks of strategic technology partnering

Interfirm partnering has become a familiar aspect of corporate behavior as it is found in a large number of industries with many Companies participating in strategic alliances. This paper focuses on questions that are related to market structural issues of this phenomenon in an international context. It raises the question whether alliances establish stable networks of firms, and whether market leading firms dominate the world of strategic partnering. Our contribution stresses the need for a further understanding of cooperative behavior in terms of the increase of corporate flexibility and the extension of core competences of companies.     

A note on the First Technology Assessment Tasks at Key Stage 1

This note discusses the introduction of National Curriculum Technology into an overcrowded Primary curriculum and how a Local authority and Teachers reacted to the first assessments in 1992 of Design and Technology and Information Technology of seven year olds, i.e. children who are at the end of Key Stage 1. Some training and management issues arising from the assessment are highlighted.     

服装导购员薪酬激励方案比较研究

作为连接企业与市场的桥梁,服装导购员承担着销售服装产品以使企业获利的重任,她们的工作越来越受到企业管理者的重视。因此,建立何种薪酬方案以最大程度地激励导购员提高销售业绩成为服装企业倍加关注的话题。本文从薪酬管理的理论出发,分别以Y品牌、G品牌、B品牌为案例,分析三种典型的服装导购员薪酬方案,并对现存的几种激励方案进行SWOT分析,为不同类型和风格的服装品牌企业制定导购员薪酬方案提供参考。