Technical Efficiency Indicators in a Philippine Manufacturing Sector

This paper uses the stochastic production frontier approach to investigate the relationship between size and technical efficiency in the Philippines textile industry. Results show that technical efficiency increases with size, thus weakening the case for SME targeted policies. Moreover, both exports and government interventions are positively associated with efficiency, although the link between government support and technical efficiency is somewhat weaker.     

Input Demand and the Short- and Long-Run Employment Thresholds: An Empirical Analysis for the German Manufacturing Sector

The concept of the 'employment threshold' plays an important role in the public discussion of unemployment. The employment threshold is defined as that growth rate of output necessary to keep employment constant despite the continuous rise in productivity. It is related to the Okun coefficient which describes the relationship between the changes in output and unemployment. Many contributions to this debate give the impression that the employment threshold is more or less a structural characteristic independent of economic variables. In this paper we derive short- and long-run employment thresholds from an input demand system and show empirically that they depend on factor prices and capital accumulation. Higher wage rates raise the employment threshold and reduce the probability that a positive output shock will increase employment.     

中国工业部门要素分配份额决定因素研究

本文讨论我国工业部门要素分配份额的决定因素问题。在标准的新古典要素分配份额模型中,本文引入Dixit-Stiglitz垄断竞争以及企业目标函数的差异,建立了要素分配份额的决定模型。根据这个理论模型,本文建立了中国工业部门要素分配份额的计量模型,并利用系统GMM方法进行估计。回归结果表明,垄断能力越高,资本收入份额越高,国有和非国有企业的资本收入份额存在明显差异,国有企业的资本收入份额明显低于非国有企业,各类经济性质企业的资本收入份额从高到低依次为外商投资企业、港澳台企业、法人投资企业、集体企业、私有企业和国有企业。传统新古典分配模型考虑的技术因素,包括要素投入比的变化和技术进步,对要素分配份额的变化没有显著影响,表明我国工业部门要素替代弹性为1,因而劳动与资本相对价格的变化对要素分配份额没有显著影响。我们的结论是,工业部门要素分配份额变化的主要原因是产品市场垄断增加和国有部门改制引起的劳动力市场环境改变。     

发展新兴战略性产业:制造业与服务业并重

我国发展新兴战略性产业,首先要发展先进制造业,其次要发展现代服务业。我国仍然处在工业化发展过程中,还未完成工业化,特别是还未完成工业现代化;在国际分工中,我国制造业基本上仍然处在中低端;此外,制造业的发展有利于推动中国城市化的进程,这三方面决定了我国仍然必须坚持继续发展制造业。就制造业和服务业二者关系看,一方面,发展制造业,尤其是发展先进制造业,可以促进制造业企业功能服务化,促进制造业服务外包,催速供应链管理的发展,因而能促进现代服务业的发展;另一方面,制造业产品和制造业企业的竞争优势都需要服务业的支撑和增强。     

传统制造业人力资源信息化管理研究

随着社会信息化的发展,知识与信息成为新世纪经济社会发展的重要因素。人力资源管理信息化是社会信息化的要求,是企业信息化建设的要求,也是人力资源管理自身发展的要求,对于发展以人为本的现代企业管理技术具有重要意义。传统制造业作为国民经济的龙头产业,需要紧跟时代步伐,加快企业信息化管理,尽快完成产业信息化改革,从而带动其他新兴产业的发展,共同促进社会主义经济大繁荣,为中国在世界国家之林奠定坚实的历史地位。     

中国保险业全要素生产率研究

基于非参数的Malmquist指数方法,本文对我国1999～2006年间保险业的全要素生产率变化状况进行了动态分析,针对众多的研究方法都存在决策单元规模报酬不变假定,以及决策单元向生产前沿面逼近路径只能选择径向,即仅考虑投入或产出变化情况的缺陷,本文提出修正的Malmquist指数模型.实证发现,中国保险业全要素生产率在1999～2006年问有所提高,其中"追赶效应"较为明显而"增长效应"还未完全显现,这说明保险机构更加注重提高自身技术效率水平而非创新能力提高生产的有效性,依然没有处理好效率进步与技术进步的关系,保险机构需要进一步提升技术创新的能力.     

Size and Determinants of Capital Structure in the Greek Manufacturing Sector

Increasing competition in the European Union (EU) and world markets affects the Greek manufacturing sector. Capital structure is essential for the survival, growth and performance of a firm. There has been a growing interest worldwide in identifying the factors associated with debt leverage. However, nothing has been done so far in contrasting small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and large sized enterprises (LSEs) on these aspects. SMEs are very important in the Greek manufacturing sector for employment and growth. Empirical studies show that capital structure and the factors affecting it vary with firm size. In this paper we investigate the determinants of capital structure of Greek manufacturing firms and formulate some policy implications that may improve the financial performance of the sector. Our study utilizes panel data of two random samples, one for SMEs and another for LSEs. The findings show that profitability is a major determinant of capital structure for both size groups. However, efficient assets management and assets growth are found essential for the debt structure of LSEs as opposed to efficiency of current assets, size, sales growth and high fixed assets, which were found to affect substantially the credibility of SMEs. In an era of increasing globalization, the findings imply that Greek SMEs should focus their efforts on (a) increasing their cash flow capacity through better assets management and achievement of higher exports and (b) ensuring good bank relations, but at the same time, turn to alternative forms of financing. Greek LSEs should adopt strategies that will lead to the improvement of their competitiveness and securing new forms of financing. Government policy measures aiming at structural changes and economic efficiency should be designed clearly depending upon its targets: SMEs need policies that will encourage information exchange and co‐operation in local and foreign markets and use of e‐business, as well as, financial assistance. On the other hand, LSEs should be supported by policies aimed at new high‐technology investments, entrance of new firms and foreign investments in the country, tax alleviation and increase of R&D and training expenditures. The upgrading and transparency of the capital market in Greece is expected to improve the capital structure of Greek manufacturing firms.     

Sector Specific Wage Rigidity and Factor Accumulation*

Economic expansion resulting from factor accumulation is introduced in the mobile capital and small open economy version of the Harris-Todaro model. Among other things, it is shown that economy expansion leads to normal effects on urban unemployment if land is introduced as a scarce input in the agricultural sector. However, capital accumulation and labour growth have indeterminate effects on the absolute level of urban unemployment.     

Testing Multiple Non-Nested Factor Demand Systems

This article explains how to obtain straightforward extensions of the most popular univariate non‐nested statistics, and of the RESET‐test, to a multivariate context and examines how to use these tests to compare alternative factor demand systems. The empirical application involves the classical Berndt–Khaled KLEM data set. A statistically adequate specification is determined for each competing factor demand system. The empirical results are interpreted for each system, the models are compared on the basis of multivariate paired and joint non‐nested procedures and practical indications about what to expect if these tests are applied to alternative factor demand specifications are provided.     

Inward Investment and Technical Progress in the United Kingdom Manufacturing Sector

This paper investigates the impact of direct investment by foreign‐owned companies on technical progress and hence labour productivity in the UK manufacturing sector. Using an industry‐level panel data set we find that foreign‐owned firms have a significant positive effect on the level of technical efficiency in domestic firms. There is evidence of significant intra‐industry and inter‐industry spillovers from inward investment. These findings remain robust even when other factors such as imports and domestic R&D expenditures are allowed for. Inward investment appears to be a much more important source of technical progress than foreign trade.     

Has Investment in Australia's Manufacturing Sector Become More Export Oriented?

A more competitive and export-oriented manufacturing sector is an important objective of the Australian Labor Government's economic strategy. In furthering this objective levels of tariff protection have been lowered and foreign exchange markets deregulated. The strategy has been boosted by the competitive gain afforded by depreciation of the Australian dollar in 1985 and 1986. This article offers estimates of the size of Australian manufacturing investment in export-creating capacity over the period 1980-81 to 1987-88. A breakdown of these estimates by individual industries is also provided.
Our estimates indicate an improving trend since depreciation of the Australian dollar. However, this improvement has been from a low base. Moreover, the levels of investment in export-creating capacity have yet to attain the levels prevailing in the early 1980s, and there are worrying signs that the improving trend stalled toward the end of the period. However, the breakdown of our estimates by industry groupings shows positive changes in the pattern of investment in export-creating capacity. There has been a movement away from resource-based manufactures and a larger share for elaborately transformed manufactures. This is a favourable shift in emphasis since such technologically sophisticated manufactures have been amongst the fastest growing world markets.     

银行业服务质量维度测量及其影响因子分析

针对认知服务质量的维度,笔者基于前人的研究构建了技术质量、功能质量和服务环境三个维度及影响路径关系,同时利用对银行顾客实测的数据,对原有SERVQUAL量表的各指标进行测量并予以修正,以此探究认知服务质量维度的影响因子.本研究发现,在银行这样的高接触性行业中,功能质量比技术质量和服务环境对认知服务质量的影响要强,这一维度构成了认知服务质量的主要驱动因素.     

Persistence, Asymmetries and Interrelation in Factor Demand

A neoclassical factor demand model for structures, equipment and labour is analyzed in this paper. It incorporates a variety of dynamic specifications, such as a multi-period time-to-build for structures, internal adjustment costs for each production factor, and external investment adjustment costs. First-order conditions of the model are estimated by the generalized method of moments using manufacturing industry data from the US, Canada, West Germany, the UK (all 1960.I–1988.IV), France (1970.I–1992.II) and the Netherlands (1971.I–1990.IV). The results endorse time-to-build for structures, persistence of technology shocks and interrelations in adjustment cost dynamics.     

技术进步、价格调整与制造业电力需求

电力需求快速增长引发的碳排放问题日益严重,中国环境容量能否承载未来电力需求持续高速增长的压力备受关注。不同产业部门电力需求存在直接和间接的经济技术联系,基于东部11个省份2007年投入产出表,测算生产过程中某一部门技术进步引致的经济系统中所有产业部门电力需求的变化幅度,以此判断对电力需求影响较大的制造业部门,并利用投入产出价格模型计算各产业部门生产成本对电力价格增加的敏感度,识别出价格效应显著的各制造业部门。综合技术进步效应与价格效应后,比较各产业部门在电力需求上的节能减排潜力的结果显示：在经济发展水平相似的东部各省份,非金属矿物制品业、金属冶炼及压延加工业、化学工业、通用、专用设备制造业4个产业的技术进步效应、价格效应均能显著抑制电力需求增加,具有较大的节能减排潜力。但实践上通过价格效应实现降低碳排放的目标,还需考虑碳成本转化率、市场结构、替代品替代效应、产品需求弹性等因素的影响。     

成本上升下中国制造业要素替代关系研究

“中国制造”已经作为一个响亮的名词被世人所熟知,但由于近年来劳动力成本、能源原材料价格上升等因素,中国制造业成本也随之上涨。文章选取1978-2010年中国制造业生产中资本-劳动-能源投入价格及成本数据为研究样本,建立超越对数成本函数,对上述三种生产要素间AES和MES分别进行了计算和分析,研究结果表明：在中国制造业生产过程中,资本-劳动-能源相互之间存在着明显的相互替代关系,并且能源需求较资本、劳动对价格的变化更加敏感。文章最后根据实证结果提出相关政策建议,以期为下一步的研究提供借鉴和参考。     

中国钢铁行业全要素生产效率实证分析

基于动态DEA的非参数Malmquist指数法,分析了1992～2007年中国28个省市钢铁行业全要素生产率以及七大经济区钢铁行业全要素生产率变动情况,并将全要素生产率的变动分解为技术进步、纯技术效率、规模效率三个指标,分析了这三个指标对中国钢铁行业全要素生产率的影响。结果显示,中国钢铁行业TFP的增长主要是由技术进步推动的,当技术进步促进TFP提升时,总会受到技术效率相对下降对TFP增长的抑制;七大经济区钢铁行业全要素生产率存在明显级差,低效经济区学习和追赶高效经济区的效应也应该发挥更大作用;钢铁产业各经济区产能应实现在高效率地区的相对集中,获取行业的规模经济;各经济区都应该注重钢铁行业管理水平的提高,突破钢铁行业能效提高的技术效率瓶颈。     

Competition and Industry Performance: A Panel VAR Analysis in Indian Manufacturing Sector

This study tries to investigate the relationship between competition and performance in a dynamic framework in the post liberalisation era with the help of Structure Conduct Performance paradigm. By employing panel VAR estimation procedure on 23 Indian manufacturing industries that comprise of BSE listed manufacturing firms, the study finds that Structure Conduct Performance paradigm does not always hold true in Indian manufacturing scenario in the post liberalisation period. This might be because with the introduction of competition in the market, the larger firms are still practising anticompetitive strategies to have a control over the market. The relationship between performance and conduct indicates that competition has not fully succeeded in eliminating the imperfections from the market.

     

The Regional and Industrial Effects of FDI on Chinese Manufacturing Sector

This paper investigates the regional and industrial effects of FDI on Chinese manufacturing sector since China entered WTO. We find that FDI plays a different role in the development of different areas and industries through a comparison with state-controlled industrial enterprises in China. More establishments of smaller foreign funded enterprises and less foreign capital with a high level of management should promote the competition to stimulate manufacturing growth in eastern area, while fewer establishments of foreign funded enterprises with a large capital should make a great stimulus to the western manufacturing development. Both foreign capital and the establishment of foreign industrial enterprises have a great effect on the whole manufacturing sector by industry.     

The Economic Effects of North Sea Oil on the Manufacturing Sector

This paper analyses the economic effects of the oil and gas sector (energy booms) on manufacturing output in two energy producing countries: Norway and the UK. In particular, I investigate whether there is evidence of a 'Dutch disease', that is whether energy booms have had adverse effects on manufactures. In addition to energy booms, three other types of structural disturbances are identified; demand, supply and oil price shocks. The different disturbances are identified by imposing dynamic restrictions on a vector autoregressive model. Overall, there is only weak evidence of a Dutch disease in the UK, whereas manufacturing output in Norway has actually benefited from energy discoveries and higher oil prices