Agency costs,corporate governance mechanisms and ownership structure in large UK publicly quoted companies: A panel data analysis

This paper examines the impact of governance and ownership variables on agency costs for a panel of large UK quoted companies. We use three measures of agency costs: the ratio of sales-to-total assets, the interaction of free cash flows and growth prospects and the number of acquisitions. We employ a range of techniques to analyse the data: fixed-effects, instrumental variables, and Tobit regressions. We find that the changes in board structures that have occurred in the post-Cadbury period have not, generally, affected agency costs. This suggests a range of mechanisms is consistent with firm value maximisation. We also find that having a nomination committee increases agency costs, which indicates that there are costs associated with certain governance mechanisms. Increasing board ownership also helps to reduce agency costs. We also find that debt reduces agency costs. Our results raise questions about the usefulness of the information sent to shareholders when firms adopt a recommended governance framework.     

A Production Model With Firm-Specific Temporal Variation in Technical Inefficiency: With Application to Spanish Dairy Farms

This paper introduces a stochastic frontier production model which accommodates firm-specific temporal variation in technical inefficiency. Unlike Cornwell, Schmidt and Sickles (1990), technical inefficiency is not modeled through the intercept of the production frontier, but through an error component model. The proposed model is a generalization of the Battese and Coelli (1992) model, which imposed a common temporal pattern upon all firms. In our application involving Spanish dairy farms, we find that the new model is preferred to the Battese and Coelli (1992) model on the basis of the likelihood ratio test. Results provide a new source of information on the different patterns of technical inefficiency change among the 82 farms in the sample.     

Short and long-run cost efficiency in Indian public bus companies using Data Envelopment Analysis

State Transport Undertakings (STUs) are key players in providing mass road transport in India. Given that they operate under high levels of government imposed regulatory constraints, it is imperative to study their efficiency levels. Given that capital is a relatively scarce resource in developing countries like India, it is important to obtain efficiency in the short-run where some inputs are fixed as well as over the long run, where all inputs are variable. The technique used for capturing efficiency is Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). A key possible limitation of DEA models based on physical inputs and outputs is that for an inefficient firm, reduction in some or all inputs may be recommended. It may often be desirable for an inefficient firm to increase some less expensive inputs while reducing the use of relatively expensive ones. Hence, when market price data is available, it is advisable to use the cost variant of DEA. Also, it is possible to determine variable cost efficiency in the short run when some inputs cannot be varied. Such inputs are referred to as “quasi-fixed” inputs. In this paper, we examine short and long term efficiencies of select bus companies in India known as State Transport Undertakings (STUs) over a period of 10 years. Fleet strength has been used as the quasi-fixed input. It is possible to ascertain, through a comparison of shadow price of the quasi-fixed input, vis-à-vis its market price, as to whether the quantity of this input is sub-optimally small or large. It is found that by adopting efficiency enhancing practices, STUs can cumulatively reduce their operating costs to the extent of 9123.35 million dollars. Also the tendency to minimize costs is found to be declining over time. In the short run some STUs are found to operate with a sub optimally low fleet size.     

中国上市公司股权融资偏好与融资成本研究

企业可以通过股权方式或债务方式来筹集资金,这两种融资方式又会引发公司资本结构和资本成本等一系列问题。本文研究了我国上市公司的融资行为和融资成本,结果发现,上市公司普遍存在着“股权融资偏好”,上市公司的真实股权融资成本要远高于债务融资成本,因此,过低的融资成本只是股权融资偏好的表层原因,特殊的股权结构和严重的委托-代理问题才是其内因。     

The implications of efficiency differences in sustainable development: An empirical study in the consumer product industry

Firms often invest in sustainable development projects to improve their environmental and societal performance. Given the broad spectrum of these projects and limited resources, managers face challenges in determining where to improve (e.g., improving water consumption and reducing carbon footprint). The study examines the connection between environmental performance and firm performance from a new angle to help managers make informed decisions. The study examines firms in the consumer product industry regarding their efficiency in the operational aspect, the resource-related environmental aspect, and the climate-related environmental aspect. It then employs panel data models to investigate the implications of efficiency differences across these aspects on firms' financial performance and business risk. The results indicate that the effects of these differences are adverse in general. Additionally, the relationship between the operational and environmental efficiency difference and financial performance is in an inverted-U shape. The study contributes to the literature by offering theoretical support and empirical evidence for the balanced portfolio approach in managing multiple environmental concerns. The study findings also provide managerial guidelines for decision-making. To gain a greater benefit, managers should aim to minimize the performance differences across multiple environmental aspects and manage a subtle balance between operational performance and environmental performance.     

A quantitative study of financing efficiency of low‐carbon companies: A three‐stage data envelopment analysis

This study set out to evaluate the financing efficiency of low‐carbon companies. Applying a three‐stage data envelopment analysis with the data from 85 listed companies in China's low‐carbon industries over the period 2011 to 2017, this study has found that the overall financing efficiency of low‐carbon companies was relatively high, and the pure technical efficiency was quite steady over the period. The overall financing efficiency of these low‐carbon companies on average tended to change with the scale efficiency. This study has also shown that the scale efficiency was the main constraint influencing the financing efficiency of low‐carbon companies in China over the period. Our results are robust and have significant implications for policy makers and corporate managers.     

Decomposition of Technological Change and Factor Bias in Indian Power Sector: An Unbalanced Panel Data Approach

Technological change and factor bias in the Indian power sector are analyzed using a translog cost function. Various components of technological progress and factor bias are identified and estimated, using a 21 year unbalanced panel data of Indian states and union territories. Heterogeneity across states is incorporated in the model using a variance component model. Appropriate corrections are made for unbalanced panel data. Empirical results show that the annual average rate of technological progress has been 2.4% for the country as a whole. Accumulation of knowledge and increasing scale are found to be the major factors contributing to technological progress. In contrast, the effects of factor price changes and fixed capital accumulation on technological progress have been unfavorable. Pure factor bias measure indicate saving in the use of fuel and labor, and increased use of materials. Tests are performed to check the curvature properties of the underlying technology.     

Flexible work practices and human resource management: a comparison of South African and foreign owned companies

This study compares the use of flexible work practices in wholly owned South African (SA) companies with that in foreign-owned companies. Data were obtained from questionnaire results of a study conducted by Horwitz and Franklin (1996) of flexible work practices in SA organizations. The questionnaire was used as part of a collaborative research project involving three countries (Brosnan et al ., 1996). It was found that SA-owned companies use certain flexible work practices to a lesser extent than foreign-owned companies. This was found to be the case particularly in the use of numerical forms of flexibility, such as sub-contractors/consultants and the use of temporary employees. Use of subcontractors/consultants and temporary staff agencies was found to be the greatest in partially foreign-owned companies. A larger proportion of foreign-owned companies have lower labour costs than do SA-owned companies. This has, however, not been as a result of the greater use of flexible work practices. Foreign-owned companies make more joint decisions with unions than do SA-owned companies when changing work practices.     

Evaluating cost efficiency and returns to scale in the Life Insurance Corporation of India using data envelopment analysis

This paper applies a new variant of data envelopment analysis model to examine the performance of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India. The findings show a significant heterogeneity in the cost efficiency scores over the course of 19 years. A decline in performance after 1994-1995 can be taken as evidence of increasing allocative inefficiencies arising from the huge initial fixed cost undertaken by LIC in modernizing its operations. A significant increase in cost efficiency in 2000-2001 is, however, cause for optimism that LIC may now be realizing a benefit from such modernization. This will stand them in good stead in terms of future competition. Results from a sensitivity analysis are in broad agreement with the main findings of this study.     

Ownership structure and board composition: A multi-country test of agency theory predictions

Patterns of corporate governance and control differ significantly across countries because of national differences in structures of ownership and composition of boards of directors. Based on agency theory, we examine the relationship between ownership structure and the composition of the board of directors of 390 large manufacturing firms based in Japan, Western Europe and the United States. In particular, we examine how ownership concentration, bank control and state ownership affect the percentage of outside directors on the corporate boards. The results show that, consistent with predictions of agency theory, ownership structure has significant effects on board composition.     

Environmental information disclosure and firm production: evidence from the estimated efficiency of publicly listed firms in China

Journal of Productivity Analysis - This study employs the recently developed conditional nonparametric frontier approach to assess the impact of environmental expenditures associated with...     

Determinants of central control and subsidiary autonomy in HRM: the case of foreign‐owned multinational companies in Spain

This article examines the factors affecting HRM subsidiary autonomy within multinational companies (MNCs). Drawing on institutional theory arguments, along with an analysis of the impact of international HRM structures, it attempts to identify the multiplicity of factors influencing subsidiary autonomy with regard to HRM. Using data gathered from a highly representative survey of foreign MNC subsidiaries located in Spain, the results identify a number of factors that hold explanatory power. First, the distance between the home and the host country in terms of variety of capitalism is crucial in explaining variations in subsidiary autonomy. In addition, international HR structures, such as the existence of an international policy‐making body and the use of HR shared service centres or HR data reporting mechanisms, are also important in accounting for the degree of autonomy over HR issues experienced by the MNC subsidiaries in our study.     

A study of proportionality and robustness in economies with a commonly owned technology

Abstract. Studying one-input one-output economies, we say that an allocation is proportional if the input-output ratio is identical among agents and if each agent maximizes her welfare given this ratio. We propose three equity axioms based on this definition, and we use them to compare the main solutions to this simple equity problem. We also combine efficiency, robustness axioms and our proportionality axioms to characterize two solutions. Received: 11 June 1997 / Accepted: 26 May 2000     

When companies improve the sustainability of the natural environment: A study of large U.S. companies

In light of the call for companies to abandon current approaches to environmental management, this study adds to the environmental strategy literature and uses the evidence of competitive dynamics among companies to identify a mechanism by which companies invest in proactive environmental strategies and thereby improve the sustainability of the natural environment. An examination utilizing fixed effects regressions on a sample of large U.S.‐based companies reveal that even after controlling the number, environmental and financial performance of leading (environmental) companies, laggard (environmental) companies are more likely to invest in proactive environmental strategies when their leading peers display higher sustainability orientations. Neither the expectation of government regulation nor social movement pressure was found to be influential in this relationship. Therefore, the future dominance of companies' investments in the sustainability of the natural environment will be driven by companies themselves as long as competitive advantages are expected.     

Comparing mean efficiency and productivity scores from small samples: A bootstrap methodology

This paper provides a bootstrap methodology for constructing confidence intervals for means of DEA and econometrically estimated efficiency scores, Malmquist productivity indices, and other similar measures in small samples. The procedure is nonparametric since no distributional assumptions are required. An empirical example is provided.This research was performed while Wilson was under contract with the Management Science Group, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Bedford, MA 01730.     

上市公司产品市场竞争与资本结构选择的实证分析

本文通过对2001￣2003年我国沪深两地上市公司的实证研究表明,产品市场竞争程度是资本结构决定的重要影响因素,产品市场竞争程度与资本结构的选择高度正相关,认为这种经营风险与财务风险不匹配现象与我国上市公司的股权融资效率低下和上市公司的竞争性战略选择有关。     

Technical efficiency measures for dairy farms using panel data: A comparison of alternative model specifications

This article examines the impact of fixed effects production functions vis-à-vis stochastic production frontiers on technical efficiency measures. An unbalanced panel consisting of 96 Vermont dairy farmers for the 1971–1984 period was used in the analysis. The models examined incorporated both time-variant and time-invariant technical efficiency. The major source of variation in efficiency levels across models stemmed from the assumption made concerning the distribution of the one-sided term in the stochastic frontiers. In general, the fixed effects technique was found superior to the stochastic production frontier methodology. Despite the fact that the results of various statistical tests revealed the superiority of some specifications over others, the overall conclusion of the study is that the efficiency analysis was fairly consistent throughout all the models considered.     

Technology sourcing and outward FDI: A study of IT industry in India

Dunning’s eclectic or the OLI framework suggests that MNCs exist and grow due to possession of ownership (O) advantages consisting of the tangible and intangible assets of the firm (including technology); location (L) advantages consisting of production factors such as transportation, infrastructure, and human and natural resources available in the host country; and internalisation (I) advantages owing to firm’s competitive advantage in producing internally rather than selling or licensing technologies to others. There are several studies that have analysed MNCs of developed country origin from the perspective of both developed (home) and other developed or developing (host) countries. Recently, however, MNCs from developing countries are also making their presence felt in the world. Yet, there are hardly any studies that analyse MNCs of developing country origin.Using data on 130 firms from the high-tech Information Technology (IT) industry of India, we investigate whether ownership advantages (O), as proposed in the eclectic theory, holds true for the presence of MNCs from developing countries. Specifically, we analyse whether firm-specific technological advantages generated through differential technology sourcing at home (India) are important in determining inter-firm differences in the decision to invest abroad. The technological sources considered are in-house R&D efforts, import of designs, drawing and blueprints, and import of capital goods. The study reveals that in-house R&D efforts are indeed important for the firms to invest abroad. Size and export intensity of the firm also influence the decision of the firm to invest abroad. The study recommends a proper innovation and resource management strategy for developing country firms for efficient allocation of resources, technology sourcing, and technology assimilation.     

Impact of mergers on the corporate performance of acquirer and target companies in India

Mergers and acquisitions become the major force in the changing environment. The policy of liberalization, decontrol and globalization of the economy has exposed the corporate sector to domestic and global competition. It is true that there is little scope for companies to learn from their past experience. Therefore, to determine the success of a merger, it is to be ascertained if there is financial gain from mergers. It is very important to study the liquidity performance of those companies to test whether those companies have sufficient liquid assets to meet its current obligations. The present study is limited to a sample of companies which underwent merger in the same industry during the period of 2002-2005 listed in one of the Indian stock exchange namely Bombay Stock Exchange. It is proposed to compare the liquidity performance of the thirteen sample acquirer and target companies before and after the period of mergers by using ratio analysis and t-test during the study period of three years. The study found that the shareholders of the acquirer companies increased their liquidity performance after the merger event.     

Assessment and selection of management consultants: A comparative cognitive study between small- and large-scale companies

This paper explores alternative ways of evaluating and ultimately hiring a generalist consultancy for short- and medium-term projects, and how this is shaped by the size of the clients’ company. What buying factors do managers of small and large firms have in mind when hiring consultants for their projects?Instead of employing surveys incorporating predefined buying factors based on what the researchers think would be important, a cognitive mapping methodology - the repertory grid technique - is applied to investigate the underlying phenomena. Using the repertory grid technique to draw mental models is a novel research technique within the supply management field. Recent behavioral supply chain management research found the behavior of managers to be critically influenced by mental models: the lenses through which managers perceive, simplify and interpret the world.Results show differences between the buying factors used in small- and large-scale companies: managers of large companies are more ‘reputation and outcome-oriented’ and managers of small businesses are more concerned with ‘how the services are rendered’. However, both constituents stressed the importance of expertise, quality and the relationship between the client and the management consultancy, although the character of such a relationship differed between small- and large-scale firms. Results also point out criteria that managers of small and large companies employ to discriminate between good and poor performing consultancies and to judge service delivery. The practical implications for both companies hiring consultancies and the consultancy companies are discussed. For consultancies, our findings can help tailoring their efforts to a differing clientele when marketing and selling their services. For companies hiring consultancies, fixating too much on particular buying factors may lead to biased decisions.