Are multinationals exporting jobs? The case of Taiwan

Does offshore production always result in job exportation? Using firm‐level data for Taiwanese multinationals that allow us to avoid reverse causality issues, this paper finds that while increasing offshore production has a negative impact on the demand for domestic manufacturing workers, this is not the case for domestic research and development workers who are often more skilled. The results also suggest that for Taiwan, there is geographical fragmentation of production activities in such a way that more skilled jobs are maintained domestically and less‐skilled jobs are exported to other developing countries. These findings confirm the prediction of the knowledge‐capital model.     

The French commitment to European monetary integration: A review of the two EMS crises (1981–83, 1992–93)

This paper focuses on the process of exchange rate management during the two European Monetary System(EMS) crises, in 1981–83 and 1992–93, and examines the factors which led the French governments to adhere to the EMS. France's strong franc (franc fort) policy is a useful test case for maintaining national commitment to European monetary integration. The origin of the franc fort policy can be traced back to the exchange rate crisis of 1981–83. By actively supporting European institutions and emphasizing the emergence of a strong and united European common currency, France discovered the way to bolster confidence in her economic policy. Beyond this focal point, political justification and economic rationality became mutually reinforcing, configuring French national preference in European monetary integration. The response of the French government to the EMS crisis of 1992–93 was more consistent compared to the response to the 1981–83 crisis, and reflected the accumulation of loyalty to European monetary integration. This loyalty, however, was made neither from purely economic calculation nor out of normative commitment French European monetary policy reflected the interaction between domestic politics and European monetary integration. The French commitment to the franc fort also was based on domestic political bases such as the existence of a core policy group, a centralized policy‐making structure, and an issue linkage between the franc fort and European integration.     

MUTUAL FUND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION – APPLICATION OF SYSTEM BCC MODEL

For the first time, this research adopts the system BCC model in data envelopment analysis in order to evaluate mutual fund performance and compares the results between the BCC model and the system BCC model. This study is based on the sample of stock funds and balanced funds in Taiwan, with the empirical results summarised as follows. (i) Under the system BCC model, the average score of balanced funds is greater than the average score of stock funds. (ii) There is a significant difference in efficiency scores between the BCC model and the system BCC model, and it is proper to adopt the system BCC model. (iii) The number of major reference sets that have been referenced under the BCC model is larger than under the system BCC model. (iv) If we neglect the distinctions between stock funds and balanced funds, there will be errors on performance assessment. Ultimately, the results reveal that there is a significant difference between the two models. Provided no consideration is made for the funds belonging to two different systems, errors in performance evaluation are inevitable. This research provides investors with both a more accurate and comprehensive evaluation method.     

Revisiting Perceived Risk in the Context of Online Shopping: An Alternative Perspective of Decision‐Making Styles

This study attempts to elaborate the consequences of perceived risk by taking the moderating effects of decision‐making style (i.e., involvement vs. heuristics) into account in the context of online shopping. The integrated model is tested repeatedly in diverse purchasing situations with different Web presentation styles and product categories. The findings indicate that perceived risk toward the Web site/product influences purchasing intention through cognition‐ and affect‐based attitudes. Moreover, the moderating effects of decision‐making style on the relationship between perceived risk and its consequences are conditional. Since perceived risk appears very crucial for promoting online shopping, the results of this study may provide an influential reference for academicians and practitioners when considering the role of perceived risk in Web site marketing. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Dominant markets,staggered openings,and price discovery

This study examines information incorporation and price discovery in closely related markets that witness staggered openings. A theoretical model is presented. In this framework, one market, termed dominant, is the venue where most of the price discovery occurs, and the other is termed secondary. The model predicts heightened volatility and order flow in each market when it opens first compared with when it opens second. The effects are predicted to be more pronounced in the dominant market, and is linked to the process of information incorporation. Tests conducted using futures on crude oil (dominant) and gasoline (secondary), two related markets that witness staggered openings, reveal findings consistent with the model's predictions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark     

Strategic R&D investment,competitive toughness and growth

We show, within a single industry, the possibility that R&D‐investment is non‐monotonically related to competitive toughness: increasing when competition is soft and decreasing when competition is tough. This possibility results from the combination of a Schumpeterian markup squeezing effect discouraging innovation, and a concentration effect spurring innovators. It is obtained in a sectoral model where the number of innovators is random and where non‐successful investors may remain productive. The result is extended to a multisectoral stochastic endogenous growth model with overlapping generations of consumers and firms, the number of which is endogenously determined in the capital market.