The Training of Jobseekers by Non‐profit Organizations: An Analysis Based on Data from the Upper Normandy Region of France

There is now an extensive academic literature on non‐profit organizations (NPOs). The hypothesis that these organizations are different from for‐profit organizations (FPOs) is one that is frequently adopted. Nevertheless, a number of recent studies have suggested that many factors may cause NPOs to lose their specificity. The aim of this paper is to assess the influence of these variables empirically with regard to the continuing training sector. Our results lead us to conclude that, while some of these variables do indeed have an impact on the behavior of NPOs, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that they do behave differently from FPOs.     

Estimating Armington elasticities for sawnwood and application to the French Forest Sector Model

Domestic and foreign forest products consumptions are considered imperfectly substitutable in the French Forest Sector Model (FFSM). This assumption is justified by product heterogeneities that depend on production places, by the consumers habits or by the market structure. It leads us to implement the international trade in the FFSM via the Armington's theory of the demand for products distinguished by place of production. In this paper we propose a calibration of Armington's elasticities of substitution between French and foreign forest products. System-GMM estimators are applied to identify robust parameters using a panel data from France customs service.     

Cross-listing and the long-term performance of ADRs: Revisiting European evidence

In this paper, we examine several cross-listing theories employing a sample of over 250 European ADRs representing 19 countries during the 1970–2002 period. We find that, first, though both Levels II and III listings underperform over the 3 years subsequent to the US listing, the determinants of long-term performance are significantly different for the non-IPO and IPO firms. Second, there is a strong support for investor recognition in the non-IPO sample, for window-of-opportunity in the IPO sample, and for bonding in both samples, but little support for the market segmentation hypothesis. Overall, our results support the notion that different cross-listing theories are complementary and not mutually exclusive, in explaining the long-term performance.     

Forecasting French and German long-term rates using a rational expectations model

Forecasting French and German Long-Term Rates Using a Rational Expectations Model. — In this paper, the authors study a forecasting model for long-term rates based on the expectations hypothesis of the term structure. The long-term rate is expressed as an average of expected short-term rates, which are modelled using three models: two univariate models (with stationary and nonstationary rates) and one model in which the short-term rate terminal boundary is specified as a function of agents’ expectations. These approaches are used to forecast French and German long-term rates from 1960 to 1996. The authors find that the model based on agents’ expectations gives the best forecasts, especially for short horizons.     

Viability of pay-as-you-go systems

When the dependency ratio inactive/active increases to intolerable proportions, the question arises as to how and when pay-as-you-go social security systems can be controlled so as to safeguard a decent way of life to everyone. Between uncertainty linked to wages and the interest rate, and room to manœuvre the age of retirement and the immediate transfer from workers to pensioners, not just any route permits this objective. The set of those which do is here delineated (the viability kernel tube), and the operations at any time necessary to control trajectories so as they remain in this set are identified (the regulation map). Finally, the flexibility necessary to avoid failure, from any state reached by the pay-as-you-go system, is inferred in timing and magnitude.     

Does sports activity improve health? Representative evidence using local density of sports facilities as an instrument

Using representative and geocoded data from the Swiss Household Panel and the Swiss Business Census, we estimate the effect of sports activity on health. OLS models show that sports activity significantly decreases overweight, sleeping problems, headaches, back problems, and perceived health impediments in everyday activities and significantly increases health satisfaction. Because sports activity is likely to be misreported and correlated with unobserved determinants of health, we use the number of sports facilities within 6 miles of the individual’s residence as an instrument for sports activity. Although the instrument is powerful in explaining sports activity, the second-stage effects on health are mostly statistically insignificant due to the high SEs of the IV estimates.     

Innovation and project development: an impossible equation? Lessons from an innovative automobile project development

Product development performance has become a key issue for car manufacturers. But innovation seeks to outperform dominant design, whereas project development targets well-defined areas (costs, lead times, quality, etc.). This article provides an analysis of the extent to which innovation is compatible with recent managerial and technical methods (project and multi-project management, co-development, simulation tools and digital mock-ups, etc.). The analysis is based on a recent development project conducted at Renault in which these various techniques were used in an attempt to achieve highly ambitious targets simultaneously in the areas of lead times, costs and innovation. During the course of the project, unexpected design problems revealed failures in co-ordination, monitoring procedures and expertise. We argue that recent project development methods can induce negative effects on collective learning processes and that these effects have managerial implications for innovative developments.     

The Gap between the Theory and Practice of Corporate Valuation: Survey of European Experts

The valuation of companies or their assets is at the heart of most financing and investment decisions. Over the last five decades, academics have developed several simple and sophisticated models for corporate valuation. Yet valuation estimates of a firm or its assets appear to vary widely among practitioners. It is unclear whether these differences arise from practitioners' use of different valuation models or from differences in their assumptions about the inputs used in those models. To provide some insights into this issue, the authors recently surveyed 365 European finance practitioners with CFAs or equivalent professional degrees. They find that almost all survey respondents use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model (along with some version of Relative Valuation that relies on the use of “comparables”). But the estimation methods of such practitioners for almost all inputs in the DCF model, including beta, the equity market risk premium, leverage, cost of debt, and terminal value, vary widely. This can be a serious problem because even small differences in inputs can cause huge variations in valuations. Such differences arise primarily because theory provides little guidance on how to estimate parameters, leaving practitioners to make their own assumptions and judgments. In sum, the authors' findings suggest that the process of estimating valuation parameters can be as important as the choice of the valuation model itself, and requires the serious attention of academics and practitioners. The authors recommend that key valuation parameter estimates be disclosed in financial and valuation reports. Their findings are also relevant to policy makers because the concept of “fair value” plays such a central role in post‐crisis regulation.     

The consequences of earnings management for the acquisition premium in friendly takeovers

This study investigates the effect of earnings management (EM) on deal premiums in friendly takeovers. It examines both accruals and real EM in the year preceding the deal announcement, based on a sample of 578 European firms subject to an acquisition or acquisition attempt between 2005 and 2015. The empirical findings suggest that downward EM is associated with a higher premium offered by the acquirer. The results suggest that income-decreasing accounting choices could be a negotiated strategy between the acquirer and target firms’ managers to clean the balance sheet, reduce the likelihood of litigation, and create a fictive performance through an accrual reversal post-acquisition.