A multivariate statistical analysis of the characteristics of problem firms in Hong Kong

This paper presents a two-group discriminant analysis of the characteristics of problem firms in Hong Kong. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the common financial characteristics which distinguish problem firms from nonproblem firms.Benjamin Y.K. Tai is a Professor at the Department of Accountancy, California State University, Fresno. Lawrence S.T. Tai is a Lecturer at the Department of Accounting & Finance, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.     

Household Behavior with Imperfect Labor Markets

A household model with differential asset endowments and idiosyncratic transactions costs in accessing labor markets is developed to (1) explain membership of farm households to alternative labor regimes (sellers, employers, or self-sufficient in labor), (2) test for recursivity between production and consumption decisions selectively by labor regime, and (3) identify the determinants of differential labor productivity across labor regimes. The model is applied to a 1994 household survey of the Mexican land reform sector.     

Sacred alliance or pact with the devil? How and why social enterprises collaborate with mainstream businesses in the fair trade sector*

Abstract

This paper uses institutional theory to highlight different patterns of cross-sector collaboration from the perspective of social enterprises. Specifically, it explores how and why social enterprises interact with mainstream businesses and to what extent their collaboration patterns reflect a vision of how their social mission should be implemented and institutionalized. The empirical analysis is derived from a qualitative study of ‘fair trade’ – a hybrid model created by social enterprises and using market mechanisms to support small-scale producers in developing countries and to advocate for changes in international trading practices. The findings highlight three strategies used by fair trade social enterprises to manage their interactions with mainstream businesses: sector solidarity, selective engagement, and active appropriation. This paper suggests that each strategy is motivated by a different vision of how best to articulate the social mission of fair trade via specific types of collaborations. It also notes how each vision has a distinct pattern of institutionalization at the field level. This paper adds to the emergent literatures on social enterprise and social entrepreneurship, fair trade, cross-sector collaboration and hybrid organizing.     

A study of biotechnology start-ups undergoing leadership change: Antecedents of change and endogenous performance consequences

One of the most important decisions that a new biotechnology firm faces is whether to replace its founding CEO, who often has been involved with the invention of the firm's core technology, with a more professional manager, who has broader commercialization skills to help the firm to grow into a viable business. In this paper, we argue that leadership change away from the founding CEO is influenced strongly by the interests of key stakeholders and that the endogeneity inherent in the change (or non-change) influences firm performance. As the context surrounding decision-making changes from pre-patent to post-IPO, key stakeholders often may not view what is best for the firm and best for self-interest in the same way. Using data on change in leadership at 135 U.S. biotechnology equipment firms, we find evidence that the context in which decisions are being made influences which of the various competing interests will take precedence. The results further confirm the importance of controlling for endogeneity in decision-making when examining firm performance.     

eBay的品牌管理

eBay的想法是让不同的人进入市场。从而把这个市场变得有效。同时也因为经济的开放。提供一个公平竞争的环境和机会,把不同的人喜欢的不同的东西给连接起来。eBay是历史最长的世界范围的网上交易市场。我们给世界各地所有的人提供一个可以自由贸易的平台。你只要坐在家里,就可以买到你想要的世界上的产品,同时也可以足不出户。卖掉你所要销售的产品。     

Steel safeguards and the welfare of U.S. steel firms and downstream consumers of steel: a shareholder wealth perspective

Abstract.  This paper analyses the steel safeguards applied during 2001–3. Results reveal that for shareholders of U.S. steel companies safeguards generated positive 'abnormal' returns of approximately 6%. The cancellation of the safeguards resulted in wealth gains of about 5%. Steel shareholders experienced negative abnormal returns of −5% in response to the WTO ruling that the U.S. had violated WTO law. Our results are consistent with the neoclassical view that producers gain at the expense of consumers. Also, findings indicate that downstream-consuming firms that diversify production in NAFTA countries avert some trade policy risk associated with higher steel costs caused by safeguard protection.