Accounting for Environmental Influences in Stochastic Frontier Models: With Application to International Airlines

The principal aim of this paper is to measure the efficiency of international airlines. We obtain measures of technical efficiency from stochastic frontier production functions which have been adjusted to account for environmental influences such as network conditions, geographical factors, etc. We observe that two alternative approaches to this problem have been proposed in the efficiency measurement literature. One assumes that the environmental factors influence the shape of the technology while the other assumes that they directly influence the degree of technical inefficiency. In this paper we compare the results obtained when using these two approaches. The two sets of results provide similar rankings of airlines but suggest differing degrees of technical inefficiency. Both sets of results also suggest that Asian/Oceanic airlines are technically more efficient than European and North American airlines but that the differences are essentially due to more favourable environmental conditions. Nevertheless, it is among Asian companies that the major improvements in managerial efficiency (technical efficiency with environmental factors netted out) took place over the sample period (1977–1990).     

Markov switching causality and the money–output relationship

The causal link between monetary variables and output is one of the most studied issues in macroeconomics. One puzzle from this literature is that the results of causality tests appear to be sensitive with respect to the sample period that one considers. As a way of overcoming this difficulty, we propose a method for analysing Granger causality which is based on a vector autoregressive model with time‐varying parameters. We model parameter time‐variation so as to reflect changes in Granger causality, and assume that these changes are stochastic and governed by an unobservable Markov chain. When applied to US data, our methodology allows us to reconcile previous puzzling differences in the outcome of conventional tests for money–output causality. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Two managerial economics approaches to the R&D decision process

In this paper we present two different approaches that analyze the effects of rivals on the R&D decision process. The first approach assumes that the introduction time of the new product is uncertain to the manager. Given this assumption, the problem is analyzed in a framework similar to the one suggested by Kamien and Schwartz (1972). The second approch assumes technical certainty to study a set of models that extends and supports different views in the managerial economics literature regarding the properties of the R&D decision process from both private and social points of view.     

Following in Your Parents’ Footsteps? Empirical Analysis of Matched Parent–Offspring Test Scores*

In this article, we explore whether an intergenerational relationship exists between the reading and mathematics test scores, taken at age 7, of a cohort of individuals born in 1958 and the equivalent test scores of their offspring measured in 1991. Our results suggest that how the parent performs in reading and mathematics during their childhood is positively related to the corresponding test scores of their offspring as measured at a similar age. The results further suggest that the effect of upbringing is mainly responsible for the intergenerational relationship in literacy, although genetic effects seem more relevant with respect to numeracy.     

THE NEW INSTITUTIONAL ECONOMICS – A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

The initial objective of the paper is to describe the way in which the term ‘New Institutional Economics’ (NIE) emerged in the literature and became the designation for a new field concerned with the study of various analytical techniques designed for the exploration of institutional phenomena. It is then shown how some of the more important of these techniques, transaction‐cost economics, property‐rights analysis and contract theory, have been applied in two central lines of neoinstitutional thought – the Williamsonian and the Northian. Criticisms of these two disparate theoretical positions on the NIE are considered and assessed. Next, a brief review of some of the empirical literature is undertaken so that the explanatory powers of NIE themes can be gauged. Finally, the paper offers a few general remarks on the present state of the NIE and its possible influence on the further development of economics.     

Focus and Standardization of Sustainability Reporting – A Comparative Study of the United Kingdom and Finland

Sustainability reporting has attracted significant attention from the business as well as the academic community in recent years. Not only has the latter frequently made recommendations on reporting, it has also extensively examined factors that have an influence on reporting. Several studies have noted differences in the extent and style of reporting across countries, but the influence of specific cultural and socio‐economic environments on reporting has only been given limited consideration so far. It is the goal of this paper to help fill this gap. For this purpose, we examine the sustainability reporting of the 100 largest companies in the United Kingdom and Finland, as both are highly developed countries in North‐Western Europe, but with significantly different cultural and socio‐economic systems. Aside from the extent of reporting and media used, we examine the reporting standards and guidelines applied. Moreover, the focus of disclosure (economic, social or environmental) was investigated, which also brings a new perspective to the academic literature. Our results suggest that the cultural and socio‐economic environment has an impact on the extent of reporting, but with regard to the focus of reporting and the application of standards the results are mixed. A stronger shareholder oriented culture does not lead to a more extensive inclusion of economic issues in sustainability reporting, while the extent of environmental reporting depends on the strength of environmentalism. The impact of cultural and socio‐economic factors on the application of standards, such as the Global Reporting Initiative, appears to be limited. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Finite‐sample comparison of alternative methods for estimating dynamic panel data models

The Wooldridge method is based on a simple and novel strategy to deal with the initial values problem in nonlinear dynamic random‐effects panel data models. The characteristic of the method makes it very attractive in empirical applications. However, its finite sample performance and robustness are not fully known as of yet. In this paper we investigate the performance and robustness of this method in comparison with an ideal case in which the initial values are known constants; the worst scenario is based on an exogenous initial values assumption, and the Heckman's reduced‐form approximation method, which is widely used in the literature. The dynamic random‐effects probit and Tobit (type I) models are used as working examples. Various designs of the Monte Carlo experiments and two further empirical illustrations are provided. The results suggest that the Wooldridge method works very well only for the panels of moderately long duration (longer than 5–8 periods). Heckman's reduced‐form approximation is suggested for short panels (shorter than 5 periods). It is also found that all the methods tend to perform equally well for panels of long duration (longer than 15–20 periods). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Disentangling Age,Cohort and Time Effects in the Additive Model*

This paper presents a new approach to the old problem of linear dependency of age, cohort and time effects. It is shown that second differences of the effects can be estimated without any normalization restrictions, providing information on the shape of the age‐, cohort‐ and time‐effect profiles, and enabling identification of structural breaks. A Wald test is provided to test the popular linear and quadratic specifications against a very general alternative. The method is illustrated through examples which show its ability to detect structural breaks in time effects as a result of the Mexican peso crisis, and to determine whether the age‐effect profile in the variance of Taiwanese log consumption is concave or convex.     

Estimating Euler equations with noisy data: two exact GMM estimators

In this paper we exploit the specific structure of the Euler equation and develop two alternative GMM estimators that deal explicitly with measurement error. The first estimator assumes that the measurement error is log‐normally distributed. The second estimator drops the distributional assumption at the cost of less precision. Our Monte Carlo results suggest that both proposed estimators perform much better than conventional alternatives based on the exact Euler equation or its log‐linear approximation, especially with short panels. An empirical application to the PSID yields plausible and precise estimates of the coefficient of relative risk aversion and the discount rate. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A stock-flow consistent macro-econometric model of the UK economy—part II

This paper is the second of a series of two which describe the estimation and simulation of a stock-flow consistent macro-economic model of the UK economy. The first part (Davis, 1987) surveyed the theoretical literature on stock-adjustment dynamics, criticized existing UK forecasting models for omitting many potential stock-flow interactions and gave an outline of the model which is constructed here. The estimation and simulation results suggest that variables encapsulating such stock-flow effects are frequently significant in the estimation of key equations, and that their inclusion may make a sizeable difference to the simulation properties of a model.     

Regime shifts in stock–flow I(2)–I(1) systems: the case of US fiscal sustainability

In the last two decades, fiscal sustainability has been tested through the use of non‐stationary time series analysis. Two different approximations can be found in the literature: first, a univariate approach that has focused on the stochastic properties of the stock of debt and, second, a multivariate one that has focused on the long‐run properties of the flows of expenditures and revenues, i.e., in the stochastic properties of the deficit. In this paper we unify these approaches considering the stock–flow system that fiscal variables configure. Our approach involves working in an I(2) stochastic processes framework. Given the possibility of the existence of regime shifts in the sustainability of US deficit that the literature has pointed out, we develop a new statistic that can be applied to test several types of I(2) cointegration and multicointegration relationships allowing for regime shifts. To test for these kinds of changing long‐run relationships we propose the use of a residual‐based Dickey–Fuller class of statistic that accounts for one structural break. We show that consistent estimates of the break fraction can be obtained through the minimization of the sum of squared residuals when there is I(2) cointegration. The finite sample performance of the proposed statistic is investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. The econometric methodology is applied to assess whether the US fiscal deficit and debt are sustainable. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Inference in panel data models under attrition caused by unobservables

This paper concerns identification and estimation of a finite-dimensional parameter in a panel data-model under nonignorable sample attrition. Attrition can depend on second period variables which are unobserved for the attritors but an independent refreshment sample from the marginal distribution of the second period values is available. This paper shows that under a quasi-separability assumption, the model implies a set of conditional moment restrictions where the moments contain the attrition function as an unknown parameter. This formulation leads to (i) a simple proof of identification under strictly weaker conditions than those in the existing literature and, more importantly, (ii) a sieve-based root-n$n$ consistent estimate of the finite-dimensional parameter of interest. These methods are applicable to both linear and nonlinear panel data models with endogenous attrition and analogous methods are applicable to situations of endogenously missing data in a single cross-section. The theory is illustrated with a simulation exercise, using Current Population Survey data where a panel structure is introduced by the rotation group feature of the sampling process.     

Positive effects of ageing and age diversity in innovative companies – large‐scale empirical evidence on company productivity

This article investigates how age diversity within a company's workforce affects company productivity. It introduces a theoretical framework that helps integrate results from a broad disciplinary spectrum of ageing and diversity research to derive empirically testable hypotheses on the effects of age diversity on company productivity. It argues that first the balance between costs and benefits of diversity determines the effect of age diversity on company productivity, and that second the type of task performed acts as a moderator. To test these hypotheses, it uses a large‐scale employer–employee panel data set. Results show that increasing age diversity has a positive effect on company productivity if and only if a company engages in creative rather than routine tasks.     

‘I Like How You Think’: Similarity as an Interaction Bias in the Investor–Entrepreneur Dyad

Investigating the factors that influence venture capital decision‐making has a long tradition in the management and entrepreneurship literatures. However, few studies have considered the factors that might bias an investment decision in a way that is idiosyncratic to a given investor–entrepreneur dyad. We do so in this study. Specifically, we build from the literature on the ‘similarity effect’ to investigate the extent to which decision‐making process similarity (shared between the investor and the entrepreneur) might bias or otherwise impact the investor's evaluation of a new venture investment opportunity. Our findings suggest venture capitalists evaluate more favourably opportunities represented by entrepreneurs who ‘think’ in ways similar to their own. Moreover, in the presence of decision‐making process similarity, the impacts of other factors that inform the investment decision actually change in counter‐intuitive ways.     

CREDIBLY IDENTIFYING SOCIAL EFFECTS: ACCOUNTING FOR NETWORK FORMATION AND MEASUREMENT ERROR

Understanding whether and how connections between agents (networks) such as declared friendships in classrooms, transactions between firms, and extended family connections, influence their socio‐economic outcomes has been a growing area of research within economics. Early methods developed to identify these social effects assumed that networks had formed exogenously, and were perfectly observed, both of which are unlikely to hold in practice. A more recent literature, both within economics and in other disciplines, develops methods that relax these assumptions. This paper reviews that literature. It starts by providing a general econometric framework for linear models of social effects, and illustrates how network endogeneity and missing data on the network complicate identification of social effects. Thereafter, it discusses methods for overcoming the problems caused by endogenous formation of networks. Finally, it outlines the stark consequences of missing data on measures of the network, and regression parameters, before describing potential solutions.     

Teamwork: a case study on development and performance

The most popular model of team development in Dutch socio-technical literature is a linear approach, which states that teams develop in four successive phases. A method for defining the particular phase a team is in was developed a number of years ago and was recently used in a large-scale survey at Volvo's cab manufacturing plant in Umeå (northern Sweden). Thirty-seven semi-autonomous teams were studied at this plant during a seven-month period. This paper examines the development of the teams and addresses the effects of team development on overall team performance. The aspect of team development was correlated to both performance in terms of quality of working life (QWL) and business performance (BP), which is an empirically unexplored field within team literature. The linear phase approach of team development could not be proved. Nevertheless, teams were found to develop in four important areas, with each aspect significantly affecting team performance.     

Simplified Alonso–Mills–Muth model with a monopoly vendor

One important but unrealistic assumption in the simplified Alonso–Mills–Muth (AMM(0)) model is that the composite good is ubiquitous and thus there is zero shopping cost for residents. This paper assumes that the composite good is only sold by a monopoly vendor inside the city and hence a shopping cost is inevitable for residents. It is shown that the vendor will locate at the city boundary in equilibrium. In contrast to the symmetric land rent pattern in the AMM(0) model, the current AMM(k) model offers an asymmetric land rent pattern in equilibrium. Moreover, this paper shows that a rent-maximizing government either regulates the vendor to locate at the central business district (CBD) (when income is high) or does not enact any regulation (when income is low).     

Related variety and firm heterogeneity. What really matters for short-run firm growth?

ABSTRACT

In recent years, two concepts have become key elements in economic geography: related variety and firm heterogeneity. The first one predicts that knowledge spillovers within a region/local system occur among firms operating in ‘different but related’ sectors. The second one assumes that knowledge spillovers can occur among ‘different’ firms belonging to the same localised sector/industrial cluster. Using a sample of 27,817 Italian manufacturing firms observed during the period 2010–2013, this paper analyses the role played by related variety and within-sector firm heterogeneity on short-run employment growth. The results suggest that both related variety and within-sector firm heterogeneity have a positive effect, although the latter has a higher impact than the former. These results confirm the role played by related variety, but identify firm heterogeneity as a potential additional source of local knowledge spillovers.     

在负信用期允许情况下供应商最优信用期决策

在许多采购活动中,买家被允许经过一段时间后再付货款,而在这段时间内买家并不需要支付任何利息费用．这段时间被称为信用期（credit period）。国内外有许多关于这个问题的研究。然而。如今负信用期逐渐兴起,即供应商先收款后发货,尤其是在网络交易或者供应链中处于强势地位的供应商很多采用了这种方式。文章研究了基于负信用期条件下的供应商最优信用期决策。 首先．假设商品的终端需求对价格是敏感的,即其价格需求弹性小于-1。其次．采用Stackelberg模型来界定买家与供应商的关系,即供应商先制定其策略,买家再根据供应商的策略做出反应进而做出自己的决策。然后通过建立模型分别给出供应商提供正信用期和负信用期时供应商和买家为了使得各自利润最大化的决策制定方法。通过数学算例得出供应商做出的最优信用期决策随着条件变化而变化．并通过灵敏度分析．找出影响供应商做出决策的一些重要因素。     

Some issues of supply management integration

The study explores the factors contributing to an integration project concerning global supply management. Four factors based on the literature are defined and hypotheses established accordingly. The relationships between the defined factors and supply management integration are analysed by means of linear regression analysis using data from 100 Finnish firms. The results of the analysis are discussed in the light of a case study from the forest industry. Thus, both methodological and data triangulation are applied. Skilful internal cooperation is found to be the main positively influencing factor. According to the results of linear regression analysis, internationality, strategic status and financial value of supply management have no significant influence on integration. However, the findings from the case study do suggest that a readiness for change among supply management staff and environmental forces plays a considerable role in global supply management integration.