Resource allocation in multi-divisional multi-product firms

Journal of Productivity Analysis - This paper is concerned with specifying and estimating the productive characteristics of multidivisional multiproduct companies at the divisional level. In order...     

Internal organization and enterprise performance: Some UK evidence

The research reported in this paper is based upon the theoretical work of O. E. Williamson (1970, 1975) concerning the impact of internal organizational form upon business behaviour and enterprise financial performance. A sample of 144 large UK firms are classified according to the organizational classification scheme developed by Williamson and Bhargava (1972). An empirical investigation is then undertaken which lests for the impact of organisational form upon financial performance. The results are broadly consistent with both theoretical predictions and the findings of other researchers in so far as the pure M-form (multidivisional) structure is found to be associated with superior profitability. However, the evidence also suggests that the frequency of occurrence of pure M-form firms as a subset of all multidivisions may be rather lower than previously thought, and the closeness of the multidivisional/pure M-form link is questioned.     

THE ADOPTION OF THE MULTIDIVISIONAL FORM OF ORGANIZATION: A CONTINGENCY MODEL*

This article examines the proposition that the multidivisional structure is determined by both power and efficiency imperatives. It is theorized that combining the coalitional power and information-processing perspectives of organizational choice enables us to explain and predict organizational form. The theory is tested on 291 Fortune 500 firms. The results largely confirm theoretical expectations. It is submitted that the multidivisional paradigm illustrates the central premises of the article: (1) a synthesis of efficiency and power perspectives is a viable research programme; and (2) theoretical pluralism increases empirical content and should be valued by those concerned with progress in the emerging field of strategic management.     

Multidivisional Strategy and Investment Returns

This paper studies the influence of multidivisional structure on investment returns using a large database of projects in the U.S. film distribution industry, a setting in which divisionalization exists without horizontal diversification—all divisions of multidivisional distributors release feature films. The findings are consistent with a positive effect of multidivisional strategy on investment returns, even if total investment need not increase. Multidivisional strategies are more consequential for higher profitability when firms share key human talent across their divisions.     

Ownership structure and post-issue operating performance of firms conducting seasoned equity offerings in Thailand

This paper investigates the post-issue operating performance of companies that conducted seasoned equity offerings (SEO) in the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) during the period 1991 to 1994. It is documented that SEO firms exhibited declining operating performance after the offering. Further, there is a negative relation between inside ownership concentration and postissue operating performance decline. In support of the signaling effect, the ratio of issue proceeds to pre-issue equity also negatively relates to post-issue operating performance. Further, the negative relation between issue proceeds and operating performance decline is intensified among SEO firms with high insider ownership concentration. The finding offers evidence in support of agency conflicts and information asymmetry and suggests that the two factors are operating simultaneously.     

Peering at the Past Century's Corporate Strategy Through the Looking Glass of Time‐Series Analysis: Extrapolating from Chandler's Classic Mid‐Century American Firms?

ABSTRACT This study has a dual thrust. Substantively , it revisits Chandler's pragmatic fit-performance directive (Chandler's 'efficiency thesis') or his assertion that firms whose structure matches their strategy become more effective than mismatched firms. It is important to revisit the empirical origin of this result in view of its gradual international extrapolation beyond the time and place in which it originated. By gathering the financial data relevant to the firms cited as examples by Chandler, we identify whether the change to the multidivisional structure did indeed lead to improved financial performance in the mid-twentieth century American firms he described. Methodologically , it explores a novel approach to the empirical validation of basic theories. Using historical replication, it undertakes a longitudinal, time-series analysis of a classic theory based on twentieth-century data, and thus investigates the testing of classic data with a modern tool. We undertake multiple replications. Three separate longitudinal studies are performed, consisting of two forecasting methods applied to 11 individual time series, and a comparison technique applied to the same. These are used with the three most common measures of performance at the time of Chandler's writing. All three methods reveal that the differences predicted by his theory are not borne out by the longitudinal analysis of a core group of Chandler's own exemplary firms. The three sets of longitudinal analyses we present raise some substantive questions regarding this cornerstone of classical theory, and carry positive methodological portents regarding the use of historical replication as a stepping-stone for twenty-first-century research.     

The Visible Hands of Hierarchy within the M‐Form: An Empirical Test of Corporate Parenting of Internal Product Exchanges*

ABSTRACT In this paper, we dismiss the traditional contingency argument that corporate staff should have minimal involvement with the decisions that its divisions make, because predictability, which underlies this contingency logic, is erroneous for most large corporations at this time. We offer an alternative theory of corporate involvement for the M‐form: under unpredictable environments greater interdependence of corporate staff with divisional operating decisions may be necessary to create value for the corporation. Since corporate staff cannot be involved in all divisional affairs, we empirically explore when corporate involvement is most likely. Building on transaction cost economics and the strategy literature, we reason that corporate staff may selectively involve itself in business level strategy and operating decisions when product characteristics signal threats to effective inter‐divisional coordination as well as opportunities for value creation. To explore this topic, we surveyed corporate managers of Fortune 500 companies. The results suggest some initial support for our theoretical argument: corporate staff is more likely to involve itself in business‐level decisions for uncertain products. We further find that when corporate staff is responsible for the capital investments used for the divisional venture, it is more likely to guide and influence product strategy decisions and inter‐divisional conflicts. We do not find, however, consistent evidence that specialized assets or brand‐name reputation trigger corporate involvement. Implications and limitations are further discussed.     

Co‐determination and strategic integration in German firms

Looking at the economic development and importance of German companies in Europe, one might expect that an important aspect of a good economic performance is a well‐functioning HR system. Although a number of scholars claim this, the empirical evidence seems to point to the opposite. Several comparative studies have found that HRM in German companies is less strategically integrated and proactive than that of comparable firms in other countries. This article argues that the empirical results reported fail to grasp the essence of HRM in German firms. This lacuna is partly due to the co‐determination structure. HRM in large German firms has to be evaluated within the co‐determination structure, with the Betriebsrat (works council) being an important actor. For German firms co‐determination might even be a strategic resource. By examining this issue within such a framework, a more favourable picture of HR integration in German firms emerges.     

管理者激励机制、内部竞争与兼并效应分析

参与兼并企业作为子企业存在于兼并所形成的新企业时,新企业的所有者可能对子企业管理者设置与内部所有子企业利润都相关的激励机制,文章即对这种情形建立了两阶段博弈模型考察横向兼并效应问题。结果表明,当少于市场企业数目50％的企业进行兼并时,新企业所有者将确定导致内部竞争的管理者激励机制,社会福利将会增加;此时,兼并活动对参与兼并企业是有利的,对未参与兼并企业是不利的,从而部分地消除了“兼并悖论”。     

A multi-division efficiency evaluation of U.S. electric power companies using a weighted slacks-based measure

Prior to the 1990s, the electric power industry was highly regulated across the world. Under a liberalization policy to open markets and to grow competition commenced in the early 1990s, efficient management has become a necessity for companies in this industry. The current study examines the divisional efficiencies of multi-functional, vertically integrated companies seeking to optimize their overall management efficiency. For this purpose, divisional cost data are used as input into a slacks-based measure (SBM) model. This provides divisional efficiency indices based on slacks, as well as one for the larger firm-level management function. Further, given the important role of cost structure, we introduce a modified SBM, named the weighted SBM (WSBM), which directly incorporates division-specific weights into the objective function. Results reveal that the power generation divisions of the companies studied have significant influence on the overall cost, whereas the impact of the other four divisions - transmission, distribution, sales and general administrative - is limited.     

Multidivisional structure and capital structure: The contingency of diversification strategy

This study examines the relationship between the implementation of the multidivisional (M-form) organizational structure, capital structure and diversification strategy. Findings indicate that implementation of the M-form structure from a hierarchical (U-form) structure is associated with a general increase in the long-term debt-to-equity ratio for all firms, a result that supports a free-cash-flow argument for the use of debt in restructuring to reduce the opportunism of management. Further, as implied by arguments from transaction cost economics, the debt-to-equity ration differs for different types of diversification strategy.     

我国中小上市公司经营绩效的实证分析——基于资本结构和股权结构视角

公司的资本结构、股权结构与经营绩效的关系一直以来都是金融界关注的热点问题之一,但对于它们之间的关系一直都没得出明确结论。本文以我国深市中小上市公司为样本,通过一定的假设和数据处理建立相关计量模型,对我国中小上市公司的资本结构、股权结构及其绩效关系进行实证分析,并用图形形象地展示它们之间的关系,期望对提高我国中小公司绩效提供有益参考。研究结果表明:中小上市公司经营绩效大致与资本结构呈倒U型关系,与股权结构呈U型关系。     

The impact of market and industry risk on family succession

This study investigates the succession decision of family firms in connection with the risk environment faced by the firm. Succession itself can rightly be considered a risk event due to managerial uncertainty. This uncertainty coupled with a high risk operating environment magnifies the critical importance of making a correct succession decision. In this paper, the primary focus is on how market and industry risk influence the selection of either a family member or a family external professional as the successor, and how this decision impacts post-succession firm performance. Our sample is comprised of 383 succession events in Taiwanese listed companies over a twenty-year period (1997–2016). Using industrial profitability risk and systematic risk as the risk measures, we find that firms operating in a high-risk environment tend to employ a non-family member as the successor which on average leads to superior post-succession performance compared to firms that choose a family member as the successor. This result particularly holds when the non-family successor is able to successfully reduce firm-level risk. Overall, our results demonstrate that the risk condition of a firm is an important determinant of the succession decision of family firms, and that a non-family successor is more competent in managing a high-risk operating environment.     

Foreign firms in China: modelling HRM in a toy manufacturing corporation

This article reports the study of a large, wholly foreign‐owned toy factory in China. It explores whether foreign direct investment (FDI) manufacturing firms in China inevitably operate in a Taylorist fashion, in contrast to the much praised HR model of blue chip multinational corporations (MNCs) in the country, or whether there is a ‘third way’ in which good HR practices may be adopted on the ground. The article concludes that a more nuanced approach is needed in our study of FDI companies in order to gain a fuller understanding of the institutional and cultural factors at play and of the consequent diversity in the HR and employment practices of FDI firms, instead of being trapped in a simplistic and polarising typological framework of analysis. This study is necessary in light of the growing diversity in the patterns of FDI companies operating in China in terms of their ownership structure, product market, management style and HR strategy, both for managers and for workers.     

Human resource management in foreign-owned workplaces: evidence from Australia

Multinational companies have assumed a position of considerable prominence in the Australian economy. Drawing on the 1995 Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey, this paper examines the character of human resource management in multinational companies operating in Australia. The findings suggest that investments in the human resource function and the utilization of human resource practices were generally more widespread in foreign-owned than Australian establishments. This was especially the case for workplaces belonging to American and British-owned firms. It is concluded that the more strongly regulated industrial relations environment as well as the legacy of protected domestic markets have not made multinational companies reluctant innovators in human resource management in the Australian context.     

我国上市公司定向增发的长期业绩实证研究

考察公司定向增发后的长期回报率业绩和长期经营业绩后发现,经市场调整、行业调整和规模调整的定向增发公司长期经营业绩和长期回报率均呈现下滑态势;长期回报率下滑并不是市场对定向增发公告时市场过度反应的修正,而是投资者对成长机会不确定的投资项目过分乐观,定向增发后公司并没有实现良好的经营业绩,投资者对公司预期盈利能力失望的结果。     

Scale efficiencies in US telecommunications: An empirical investigation

In this paper we evaluate scale efficiency patterns of local operating companies in the US telecommunications industry. Scale efficiency is defined as the ability of each company to operate as close to its most productive scale size as possible, and is calculated using data envelopment analysis. The analysis of scale efficiencies is conducted for a set of 39 local operating companies, over six time periods: 1975, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1987 and 1990. During these time periods, several technical and institutional changes took place in the industry which are likely to have had an impact on the abilities of the companies to exploit feasible scale efficiencies, and we find that scale efficiencies have steadily increased over these time periods. We also establish that the Bell operating companies are no different from the independent companies in their ability to be scale efficient; single-state firms are relatively more scale efficient; line digitization, during the periods studied, has not significantly impacted scale efficiency; and firms belonging to multi-company parents are more scale efficient. Additionally, policy regime changes, such as the introduction of intra-LATA toll market competition and incentive regulation schemes, have positively impacted firms' abilities to attain scale efficiency, while micro-segment competition in local markets have, so far, not had the expected impact.     

私募股权投资与公司价值相关性的实证研究——来自中小板上市公司的经验证据

私募股权投资不仅是企业筹集股权资金的一种融资方式,还能优化企业法人治理结构,对经理人实施激励约束作用,进而增加企业价值,改善企业经营绩效。本文选取深交所中小企业板块的233户上市公司为研究样本,实证研究发现:在控制了公司规模和财务杠杆度后,私募股权投资与公司价值和公司经营绩效呈显著的正相关关系。     

Incentives,Capital Budgeting,and Organizational Structure

Divisional managers compete for financial resources in what is often referred to as an internal capital market. They also have a common interest in maximizing corporate profits, as this determines the resources available to the firm as a whole. Both goals are powerful motivators but can at times conflict: while the amount of resources available to the firm depends on corporate performance, divisional funding depends upon the division's performance relative to the rest. We propose a model in which organizational form is endogenous, divisions compete for corporate resources, and managers have implicit incentives. We show that organizational design can help companies influence their divisional managers' potentially conflicting goals. Our analysis relates the firm's organizational structure to the source of incentives (external vs. internal), the nature of the incentives (competition vs. cooperation), the level of corporate diversification, the development of the capital market, and to industry and firm characteristics.     

Does Ownership Matter? Evidence from the Zaibatsu Dissolution Program

In 1985, Demsetz and Lehn argued both that the optimal corporate ownership structure was firm-specific, and that market competition would drive firms toward that optimum. Because ownership was endogenous to expected performance, any regression of profitability on ownership patterns would yield insignificant results. To test this hypothesis, we use the zaibatsu dissolution program from late-1940s Japan as a natural experiment: an exogenous shock to the equilibrium ownership structure. Through that program, the US-run occupation removed the more prominent shareholders from many of the most successful Japanese companies. By focusing on the way firms and investors responded to the mandated selloff, we accomplish two goals: (a) we avoid the endogeneity problem that has plagued much of the other research on the subject, and (b) we clarify the equilibrating dynamics by which competitive markets move firms toward their optimal ownership structure. With a sample of 637 Japanese firms for 1953 and 710 for 1958, we confirm the equilibrating mechanism behind the Demsetz-Lehn hypothesis: between 1953 and 1958, the ex-zaibatsu firms did retructure their ownership patterns. As of 1953, the unlisted ex-zaibatsu and new firms still had not been able to negotiate the transactions necessary to approach their profit-maximizing ownership structures. Even the listed firms had not fully undone the effect of the occupation-induced changes on managerial practices. By 1958 the firms had done this, and the earlier correlation between profitability and ownership disappeared. By then, firm profitability showed no correlation with ownership, whether under linear, quadratic, or piecewise specifications. We further find no evidence that ex-zaibatsu firms sought to strengthen their ties to banks over 1953–1958.