The Effect of Board Size and Composition on the Efficiency of UK Banks

We examine a sample of 17 banking institutions operating in the UK between 2001 and 2006 to provide empirical evidence on the association between the efficiency of UK banks and board structure, namely board size and composition. Our approach is to use data envelopment analysis to estimate several measures of the efficiency of banks, and then to use panel data regressions for investigating the impact of board structure on efficiency. After controlling for bank size and capital strength, we find some evidence of a positive association between board size and efficiency, although this is not robust across all our specifications. Board composition, by contrast, has a robustly significant and positive impact on all measures of efficiency.     

Dynamics of Firm Profitability and Growth: Do Knowledge-Intensive (Business) Services Persistently Outperform?

This paper explores the persistence of profitability and growth for firms operating in the Greek service sector, paying special attention to knowledge-intensive services (KIS) and knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS). The generalized method of moments is used on a rich panel of firms over a recent nine-year period. Quantile regressions are complementarily applied for KIS and KIBS industries. The key results from both growth and profit dynamics suggest that firms in KIS and KIBS industries persistently outperform firms in less knowledge-intensive service industries, pointing to strategic advantages of the former. Importantly, KIS and KIBS seem to be able to sustain their growth and profitability persistent trends even in times of crisis. Further insight into these issues is provided by the quantile analysis, the exploration of the profitability and growth inter-linkages, and the investigation of differences among various size groups in KIS and KIBS.     

流通企业的(规模)边界

现代企业理论对企业边界为何受到限制做了详细分析,且大都将其归因于有限理性条件.但流通企业具有不同于生产企业的经济性质,其本质是交易的专业化生产者(或提供者);信息技术提高市场交易效率,推动流通产业发展,同时也提高企业管理和控制效率,使流通企业比生产企业更容易利用品牌和统一经营模式进行"复制"和"选择性干预",实现分店扩张.     

Testing Gibrat’s Law: Empirical Evidence from a Panel of Portuguese Manufacturing Firms

The purpose of this paper is to use Dynamic Panel Data (DPD) models with serial correlation in the error term to see if Gibrat’s law holds and to analyse the empirical determinants of firm growth. This paper makes significant contributions to the empirical literature on the dynamics of firm growth, since it updates the work carried out by previous researchers in this field using micro panel data, dynamic firm growth models with serial correlation in the error term, panel unit root tests and GMM‐system estimator. To conduct this study we used an unbalanced panel of Portuguese manufacturing firms over the period from 1990 to 2001. The main implication of our findings is that firm growth is not quite random since there are some determinants which exert influence on firm growth.     

The Competitive Marketing Profiles of Banks,Savings and Loans,and Credit Unions

No abstract available for this article.     

The Role of Employer Unions in Hegemonic Struggle,Interest Representation and Promotion of Managerial Perspectives in Turkey

This article explores power and hegemony in the context of industrial relations in Turkey. Analysis of interest, articulation and representation is built around three strands: a Gramscian reading of hegemony, periodization through the political economy of industrial relations and the communicative action staged by the prominent employer union. Starting with the 1970s, continuities and shifts in discourse are identified. The rise and fall of different voices (i.e. insiders and outsiders) in texts point towards a search for a full blown hegemony in the 1990s with a new set of challenges confronted and resolved through new legislation passed in 2003.     

金融发展、金融脆弱与银行国际化

银行国际化一方面会促进金融发展,另一方面也将导致金融脆弱.本文以理论分析和实证检验相结合的方式,探讨了我国银行国际化从不同方面促进金融发展以及导致金融脆弱之间的逻辑关系,并对两种不同效应从整体宏观的角度进行比较,得出银行国际化正效应大于负效应的结论,从而在理论上回答了政策当局是否应当推行银行国际化的问题.     

The Evolution of the Distribution of Plant Size: Evidence from Luxemburg

In a recent paper, [Cabral, L. M. B. and J. Mata, 2003, American Economic Review, 93, 1075–1090] using Portuguese manufacturing data have shown for the first time that the plant size distribution is significantly right-skewed at the early part of the life cycle and then changes to become more log-normal. Using a similar proxy for plant age we compare this stylised fact for both Luxembourg manufacturing and services. Use of plants’ true age, however, reveals that the size distribution reverses back towards right-skewness for very old plants. We confirm the finding that the right-skewness is likely driven by financial constraints. The first author gratefully acknowledges financial support from the National Research Fund of Luxembourg. We are grateful for comments by an anonymous referee.     

当前国有银行改革的政策风险与政策启示--兼论外汇储备注资的货币扩张效应

当前以外汇储备注资开始的国有银行改革试点蕴含着很高的政策风险.在微观层面,政府所有(或控制)的股权结构能否衍生出健康良好的银行公司治理机制,能否真正划清政府与银行之间的界限,本身存在疑问;在宏观层面,货币化的操作方式会加剧甚至诱发宏观不稳定.国有银行的风险归根结底是一种系统性的制度风险,是一种道德风险,最终要通过全面的体制转轨和健康、持续的经济增长来消化.     

试论中小企业信贷中的银行信贷基准问题

中小企业信贷融资难问题 ,其解决方法通常是以增设中小金融机构或为中小企业提供担保来增加中小企业的资金可获程度 ,即采用“资金可获型战略”。本文希望通过对银行建立以信用为核心的信贷基准的探讨 ,回归中小企业信贷融资基础 ,即逐步提高中小企业以信用为基础的融资可获程度 ,从而使中小企业融资战略转换为“信用可获型”。     

Firm versus Sector Effects on Profitability and Growth: The Importance of Size and Interaction

In this study we contribute to the long‐standing debate on the impact of firm versus industry effects on firm performance in three distinct ways; firstly by testing the firm, industry and their interaction effects on performance, secondly by examining the impact of each effect for different size groups, and lastly by measuring performance in terms of sales growth in addition to profitability. We use data of 71,750 UK firms, between 2002 and 2004, and employ moderated regression analysis for three sub‐samples namely micro, SMEs and large firms. With regards to profitability, we find the interaction effect to be significant in all sub‐samples for broad level of industrial aggregation (SIC4). For narrow industrial aggregation (SIC2), the interaction effect is only significant for micro firms. Neither of the above effects is significant for sales growth.     

我国银行间信用信息共享行为与征信体系构建分析

银行和借款者之间信息不对称的降低，很大程度上要受益于银行间的信用信息共享机制。文章通过信用信息共享抉择模型分析我国银行间信用信息共享与合作动力机制，得出在目前信贷市场结构下，各银行对信用信息共享程度的期望值不同，而公共机关强制的信息共享可能对银行的行为产生游离或参与两种截然不同的效用。因此，必须建立有效的信用信息共享激励和约束机制，推动银行加深信息共享。同时通过公共征信系统和商业征信的共同辅助，形成相对完善的社会征信体系．     

The Effect of Timeliness and Credit Ratings on the Information Content of Earnings Announcements

This paper investigates the impact of timeliness and credit ratings on the information content of the earnings announcements of Greek listed firms from 2001 to 2008. Using the classical event study methodology and regression analysis, we find that firms tend to release good news on time and are inclined to delay the release of bad news. We also provide evidence that the level of corporate risk differentiates the information content of earnings according to the credit rating category. Specifically, firms displaying high creditworthiness enjoy positive excess returns on earnings announcement dates. In contrast, firms with low creditworthiness undergo significant share price erosions on earnings announcement days. We also observe a substitution effect between timeliness and credit ratings in relation to the information content of earnings announcements. Specifically, we find that as the credit category of earnings-announcing firms improves, the informational role of timeliness is mitigated.     

Areas of Corruption in the Distribution of Foreign-Made Goods Where a Firm's Size and Origin Play a Role: The Russian Experience

Drawing on interview evidence, this article explores areas whereby business corruption in Russia affects distributors of foreign goods with both local and foreign ownership and whether its effects on distributors of small and large sizes vary. The findings reveal the areas of corruption wherein distributors of foreign goods in Russia are most likely to be affected and suggest that, though widespread in Russia, corruption may have far greater effect on smaller distributors as compared to large firms. Large distributing firms can avoid involvement in corruption in some of the areas explored. This in turn may limit small-sized foreign manufacturers' capability to compete in this market, as they are most likely to be able to contract only to small-sized distributors. The study presents findings that are based on interviews with the distributors of foreign-made goods operating in Russia. The findings of the study can help to explain activities of corruption as related to the size of business firms involved in distribution of foreign products in Russia. Hence, its value to firms contemplating export to Russia. The research can also be considered a valuable platform for further research in this field.     

我国商业信贷融资良性运行条件和政策研究

我国商业银行等金融机构与企业信贷融资的良性互动是银企双方实现业务战略层次不断循环上升,从而达成新型规范的金融借贷交易制度,实现银企双赢的基本条件。我国信贷融资良性运行必须再造企业信贷业务流程,并建立企业信贷风险控制。     

我国信贷资金分布与宏观经济波动关系的实证研究

银行信贷将为经济短期内实现反转提供强有力的支撑,但是,信贷资金的各个部分对宏观经济有不同的效应。对信贷及其组成部分与经济周期的关系进行计量检验,得到的结论是:信贷资金的分布与经济增长率的周期性波动存在明显的内在联系;而且,中长期贷款和建筑贷款的周期性波动提前于经济增长,工业贷款和商业贷款的周期性波动与经济增长率相对一致。因此,宏观调控部门应积极引导信贷资金流向效应明显的领域。     

The characteristics and business impact of children’s electronic word of mouth in marketing communications

Abstract

Leading digital technology companies have shown a strong interest in enabling children to send electronic word of mouth (eWOM). Recasting children from passive to active participants in marketing communications, this shift expands children’s marketing practices from how companies influence children via traditional marketing communications, to how children influence companies’ marketing practices through eWOM. We apply the value-capacity-vulnerability framework for children’s expressive rights to the context of children’s eWOM. Using a dataset of Amazon customer reviews written by children under the age of 13, we examine the characteristics and business impact of children’s eWOM. We find that the volume and variance of children’s eWOM are smaller than that of adults’. Children’s eWOM increase the overall diversity of opinions. Although receivers perceive children’s eWOM as less helpful, children’s eWOM valence (i.e. average rating) correlates with that of adults’. Children’s eWOM volume has a product-category-dependent association with product sales: positively in children’s product categories, while negatively in general categories. Children’s eWOM valence and variance are positively associated with product sales in both product categories. Receivers are less likely to criticize children’s eWOM compared to that of adults’, suggesting an underlying protective behaviour towards children among eWOM receivers. These results show that children have the capacity to engage in eWOM of social and business value, with receivers typically mindful of children’s vulnerability in social interactions.     

银行与企业征信体系的博弈分析

在企业征信体系建立过程中,银行与企业的关系在一定程度上影响企业征信体系。从博弈论的角度,运用纳什均衡理论分别对大企业和中小企业同银行的博弈关系进行分析。在现行的制度条件下,企业在与银行进行博弈的最优策略是失信;同时,在重复性博弈的条件下,银行与企业双方的合作可以通过建立企业征信体系这样的信誉机制实现,并在银行和企业征信体系建立过程中起到指导作用。     

超市物流配送中心的建设与管理

近年来我国的超市发展突飞猛进,超市物流配送中心的建设成为重要的课题,许多超市的物流配送成为制约超市经营发展的大问题。超市物流配送中心对超市的经营发展起到重要的作用。要使超市物流配送中心更好地发挥作用,一方面要做好配送中心的建设,另一方面要做好配送中心的管理。     

企业分配模式：比较与选择

文章系统地分析了英美国家为代表的“股东主导的分配模式”和德、日国家为代表的“利益相关者共享的分配模式”，并对两种模式的不同特征进行了比较分析。在我国分配管理的制度环境下应当构建利益相关者的分配模式，各利益相关者应置于风险承担的同一顺序，不再区分分享的优先权或剩余权，根据其不同类型分别选择有差别的收益分享形式。