A note on closing the windows: Some lessons from queuing theory

Consider two departments of a government each serving customers of a particular type. We explore conditions under which a reorganization leading to both departments serving both types of customers leads to an enhancement of "efficiency" defined in terms of the expected queue size in a stochstic equilibrium.     

Trade policy with endogenous entry revisited

This paper revisits the effects of tariffs and quotas in a competitive setting where three results are thought to hold. These are: that quotas are equivalent to specific tariffs, the form of tariffs—specific or ad valorem—does not matter, and that the way in which a quota is allocated has no real effects as it only affects the allocation of rents, not their size. We show that all three of these results are false when entry/exit is endogenous. Equivalence holds only if the initial level of entry is set at the long-run level under the quota.     

The Impact of Entrepreneurial Orientation,Technological Capability,and Consumer Attitude on Firm Performance: A Multi‐Theory Perspective

Despite the maturing entrepreneurial orientation literature, limited advance has occurred in the theoretical aspect of entrepreneurial orientation–firm performance relationship, and wide‐ranging empirical investigations are few. The authors address these concerns by testing a comprehensive model and by extending the theoretical boundary. Specifically, drawing on dynamic capability theory, core competence perspective, and consumer theories, we argue that technological capability is central for growth and financial performance of an entrepreneurially oriented firm. We introduce a construct called consumer attitude dynamism. We reason that this variable influences the growth of entrepreneurial firms. Our theory and empirical results primarily contribute to the entrepreneurship literature.     

Corporate Takeovers: Mode of Payment, Returns and Trading Activity

This paper examines the impact of takeover bids and, in particular, the method of payment to the shareholders of the target firms on the returns, trading activity and bid-ask spreads of target and bidding firms traded on the London Stock Exchange. It suggests that the shareholders of target firms benefit substantially from takeover activity while the shareholders of bidding firms do not suffer. The combined value of the firms engaged in takeover activity increases by a small percentage during the event period. However, the benefit from a takeover announcement to the shareholders of the target firm varies from year to year and has declined in the recent past. The magnitude of excess returns available to the shareholders is also dependent on the mode of payment. Prices of target (bidding) firms increase (decrease) most if the shareholders of the target firms are given an option to receive payment in shares or in cash. The findings also reveal that during the event period trading activity in target and bidding companies increases depending on the form in which payments to shareholders are made. In response to this increased liquidity, the bid-ask spreads of target and bidding firms decline during the event period.     

Contracting for information under imperfect commitment

We study optimal contracting under imperfect commitment in a model with an uninformed principal and an informed agent. The principal can commit to pay the agent for his advice but retains decision‐making authority. Under an optimal contract, the principal should (i) never induce the agent to fully reveal what he knows—even though this is feasible—and (ii) never pay the agent for imprecise information. We compare optimal contracts under imperfect commitment to those under full commitment as well as to delegation schemes. We find that gains from contracting are greatest when the divergence in the preferences of the principal and the agent is moderate.     

Numeraire choice in agricultural supply analysis

Should the choice of numeraire price for modelling profit functions be arbitrary, or is more careful study needed? Here, the choice of numeraire is examined using tests for models specification and out-of-sample predictive accuracy based on the crop and livestock data obtained from Iowa. The results of this study indicate that, for this data set and functional form, it does indeed make a difference which numeraire you choose. This is in contrast to previous studies which, in general, indicated that the choice of numeraire equation is arbitrary or, more commonly, offered no justification for the netput chosen.     

State and the software: public policies in the shaping of the Indian software sector

This paper attempts to argue that the emergence of a diverse and dominant software (SW) services industry in India is facilitated to a large extent by the range of policies and initiatives undertaken by the Indian State. In addition to a series of sector-specific policy initiatives and promotional schemes, the positive interplay among the trade, technological and tariff policies did contribute to the emergence of the SW services sector. The authors also argue that the overall liberalisation project initiated in the early 1990s, by way of initiating a distinct export orientation to economic thinking, did contribute to the sector's emergence.     

A New Approach to Human Development Index

Human development Index (HDI) was introduced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1990. For the first four years UNDP used the maximum and the minimum values of the data series to standardize the variables. In 1994 the procedure of standardization was modified with the introduction of arbitrary fixed minimum and maximum values for each variable. Both methods have merits and demerits. The present study proposes an alternative measure of estimating HDI which bridges the gap between the methods of computing HDI proposed by the UNDP in 1990 and 1994. This study also incorporates unadjusted per capita real gross domestic product (PCRGDP) instead of adjusted PCRGDP used by the UNDP. The data from the Human Development Report (HDR) 2000 for 174 countries are used to test the robustness of the suggested index and the results are compared to those of the HDI. Also average values for full sample as well as top 20 percent and bottom 20 percent are offered to show the superiority of our method to that of the UNDP's HDI.     

Using spectral analysis and multinomial logit regression to explain households’ choice patterns

Many methods are available to analyze rank-ordered data. We used spectral analysis to identify the most preferred option of Formosan subterranean termites (FSTs) control as ranked by Louisiana homeowners. Respondents were asked to rank four termite control methods from the most preferred option to the least preferred option. Spectral analysis of complete ranked data indicated that the most preferred FST control choice is a relatively cheap ($0.13/square foot) option of a liquid treatment. Similarly, analysis indicated that liquid and bait treatments are the two most desired control choices. Multinomial logit analysis indicated that survey location, household pre-tax income, and knowledge of FSTs determined Louisiana homeowners’ ranking pattern choices.     

Information Asymmetry and Bidders' Gains

Abstract:  Undervalued firms with high information asymmetry may announce takeover bids to attract the attention of investors with a view to increasing the share price through revaluation. Announcement period returns to such bidders should include both revaluation and synergy gains although the revaluation gains should be confined to early bids and decline with the number of bids announced within a reasonable period. Our results offer strong support to these predictions. Undervalued firms with high pre-bid information asymmetry gain the most from early bids and the gains decline with the number of bids announced. These findings are robust to methods of payment, relative size of deals, target status, relatedness of businesses, domicile of target, M&A activities and alternative measures of information asymmetry, and confirm that gains from early bids include revaluation as well as synergy gains, especially in the cases of undervalued firms with high information asymmetry.