The impact of China's imports on European Union industrial employment

As the EU's biggest supplier of imported goods and a second trading partner, China has become an increasingly important actor on the global economic scene. This paper reports new evidence through analyzing whether the EU labour market is affected by exposure to imports from China. Drawing on a panel dataset of 27 EU countries, over the 2003–2013 period, and using the pooled mean group estimator, the results show that imports from China have a negative effect on industrial employment. This result holds separately for the all analyzed categories: all products, manufactured products as well as for the sub‐groups.     

Does rising import competition harm local firm productivity in less advanced economies? Evidence from the Vietnam's manufacturing sector

This paper examines whether rising import penetration has an effect on the productivity of domestic firms. The study uses data on a 10-year unbalanced panel of firms in the manufacturing sector in Vietnam from 2000 to 2009. Panel and instrumental variable methods are used to control firm heterogeneity and endogeneity of import penetration. We find statistically significant and negative effects of import competition on local firms’ productivity, but the effect in terms of magnitude is economically small. Further investigation shows no clear evidence of variations in the effects by firm size and technological level. However, we find that rising import penetration is associated with the likelihood of firm death.     

Involuntary excess reserves,the reserve requirements and credit rationing in China

Using a sample of 95 banks that covers the period 2000–2011, this article examines Chinese banks’ credit lending behaviour in response to the changes in the reserve requirement ratio in the presence of involuntary excess reserves (IERs) in the banking system. The study finds that Chinese banks with positive IERs one period after a reserve requirement shock experience a significantly increased credit supply in response to an increase in reserve requirement ratio. However, the reserve requirements have no significant impact on the credit supply in Chinese banks that have negative IERs one period after a reserve requirement shock. This article sheds lights on the effectiveness of Chinese monetary policy, which uses reserve requirements as the primary tool to sterilize excess liquidity and restrain credit expansion.     

Measuring scale efficiency from a parametric hyperbolic distance function

This paper shows how scale efficiency can be measured from an arbitrary parametric hyperbolic distance function with multiple outputs and multiple inputs. It extends the methods introduced by Ray (J Product Anal 11:183–194, 1998), and Balk (J Product Anal 15:159–183, 2001) and Ray (2003) that measure scale efficiency from a single-output multi-input distance function and from a multi-output and multi-input distance function, respectively. The method developed in the present paper is different from Ray’s and Balk’s in that it allows for simultaneous contraction of inputs and expansion of outputs. Theorems applicable to an arbitrary parametric hyperbolic distance function are introduced first, and then their uses in measuring scale efficiency are illustrated with the translog functional form.     

Does corporate governance influence firm performance? Quantile regression evidence from a transactional economy

This study examines the impact of corporate governance structures on firm performance using a unique sample of 478 non-financial companies listed on the two main Vietnamese stock exchanges. Given the contrasting existing empirical results, we adopt the method of quantile regression (QR) and report some robust and significant negative relationship between board independence/Chief Executive Officer duality and firm performance. These findings seem rather corroborate the agency theory. Furthermore, the use of QR may be more insightful than estimating the mean effect of the response variable.     

Rise and Fall of Multinational Enterprises in Vietnam: Survival Analysis Using Census Data during 2000–2011*

This study examined the survival of multinational enterprises (MNE) in Vietnam during 2000–2011 using Cox hazard models. The characteristics and ownership structure of firms and the nationality of foreign partners are found to be associated with the probability of firm exit, with a firm having greater capital share of foreign partners surviving longer. An efficient local government requiring less time for bureaucratic procedures and inspections is found to be associated with a lower probability of MNE exiting. Meanwhile, transparency in business regulations and predictability in implementing central government policies accelerate the survival of highly competitive MNE.     

A behavioral analysis of web sharers and browsers in Hong Kong using targeted association rule mining

With the widespread use of Internet technology, electronic word-of-mouth [eWOM] communication through online reviews of products and services has a strong influence on consumer behavior and preferences. Although prior research efforts have attempted to investigate the behavior of users regarding the sharing of personal experiences and browsing the experiences of others online, it remains a challenge for business managers to incorporate eWOM effects into their business planning and decision-making processes effectively. Applying a newly proposed association rule mining technique, this study investigates eWOM in the context of the tourism industry using an outbound domestic tourism data set that was recently collected in Hong Kong. The complete profiles and the relations of online experience sharers and travel website browsers are explored. The empirical results are useful in helping tourism managers to define new target customers and to plan more effective marketing strategies.     

Differential market valuations of board busyness across alternative banking models

Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting - This study comparatively assesses the influence of board busyness (i.e., multiple directorships of outside directors) on stock market valuations of...     

A microeconometric analysis of housing and life satisfaction among the Vietnamese elderly

This study examines the relationship between housing and subjective well-being among the Vietnamese elderly, using data from the 2011 Vietnam Ageing Survey. Our regression analysis reveals that permanent housing and better amenities are major factors contributing to housing satisfaction and life satisfaction. Notably, we find that housing satisfaction has a strongly positive impact on life satisfaction and the impact is stronger after controlling for endogeneity problems. Thus, the finding confirms that housing is an important life domain and as a result, housing satisfaction is a strong predictor of life-satisfaction judgments. The findings might suggest that people made a rational choice when they invested a large amount of resources in their houses with notable well-being gains. Also, another implication here is that policies and programs to assist poor families in moving out of temporary accommodation or improving housing amenities are likely to be beneficial in improving well-being for the poor elderly.

     

Micro-processes of Moral Normative Engagement with CSR Tensions: The Role of Spirituality in Justification Work

Journal of Business Ethics - Although CSR scholarship has highlighted how tensions in CSR implementation are negotiated, little is known about its normative and moral dimension at a micro-level....