Political Influence of Firms in the Tradables and Non‐Tradables Sectors: A Cross‐Country Analysis

Recent theoretical studies have shown that firms lobby government agencies to influence the structure of trade policies. This article empirically examines whether firms classified as either exporting or import‐competing (i.e. firms in the tradables sector) have differential levels of political influence relative to domestic firms that only produce non‐traded goods (i.e. firms in the non‐tradables sector). We use a rich firm‐level, cross‐sectional dataset from the World Business Environment Survey to achieve this objective. Results from the analysis reveal that exporting or import‐competing firms do have more political influence relative to domestic firms that neither export nor produce import‐competing goods. Market structure, firm age, firm size, government ownership, and dependence on public infrastructure also affect the extent of political influence that firms have.     

The impact of IQ and EQ on pre-eminent achievement in organizations: implications for the hiring decisions of HRM specialists

In this study, IQ and EQ determinants of pre-eminent achievement in organizations were explored to help HRM specialists in selecting more appropriate job applicants, having potential for outstanding performance in their career paths. Several EQ elements were proved the most important in the achievement. However, IQ elements still play a very important role in superior performance. Results also exhibit that correlation of IQ and EQ levels of superior performers is significant and strong. In conclusion, HRM specialists have to test both IQ and EQ in the hiring process, to create a high-performing workforce in their organizations.     

Disclosure tone management and labor unions

By analyzing the influence of labor unions on the narrative content of corporate disclosures, we provide empirical evidence that managers deflate the tone of earnings press releases in order to convey to unions a less optimistic image of firm financial performance. We find that the tone of the qualitative information in earnings press releases is significantly less optimistic as the degree of unionization increases, and particularly when financial performance is strong. The results of quasi‐natural experiments suggest that labor unions causally affect the use of tone deflation, and the deflation is stronger during labor negotiations. Our findings also indicate that labor unions lead to a significant weakening of the signaling value of the tone of earnings press releases in predicting future performance.     

Measuring Takeover Premiums in Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions: Insights from Turkey

We investigate whether the merger announcement dates provided in a popular mergers and acquisitions (M&A) database, SDC, serve as accurate event dates for estimating the wealth effects of mergers on target firms located in Turkey. We find that 74 percent of SDC’s merger announcement dates are preceded by merger-related events such as merger rumors, target firms’ search for potential acquirers, and early-stage merger negotiation announcements. Target cumulative abnormal return (CAR) estimates around these early dates are almost twice as large as the CAR estimates around SDC’s merger announcement dates. We argue that our findings have implications for the recently flourishing cross-border M&A literature.     

Relative importance of sticky prices and sticky information in price setting

The relative importance of price and information stickiness in price setting to model and explain inflation dynamics is investigated in this study. A structural model of inflation is developed and used which combines two different models of price setting behavior: the sticky price model of the New Keynesian literature and the sticky information model of Mankiw and Reis. In a framework similar to the Calvo model, I assume that there are two types of firms. One type of firm chooses its prices optimally through forward-looking behavior—as assumed in the sticky price model. It uses all available information when deciding on prices. The other type of firm sets its prices under the constraint that the information it uses is “sticky”—as assumed in the sticky information model. It collects and processes the information necessary to choose its optimal prices with a delay. This leads to the sticky price–sticky information (SP/SI) Phillips curve that nests the standard sticky price and sticky information models. Estimations of this structural model show that both sticky price and sticky information models are statistically and quantitatively important for price setting. However, the sticky price firms make up the majority of the firms in the economy. The results are robust to alternative sub-samples and estimation methods.     

PRICE SEARCH,CONSUMPTION INEQUALITY AND EXPENDITURE INEQUALITY OVER THE LIFE ‐CYCLE

We differentiate consumption from expenditure by incorporating price search decision into an otherwise standard life‐cycle model. We first analytically show that, under very general conditions, poorer households search more and pay lower prices compared to wealthier ones. As a result, consumption inequality is smaller than expenditure inequality, and the gap between them increases over the life‐cycle. Next, using a plausibly calibrated model, we find that life‐cycle increase in consumption inequality is about 30% lower than the increase in expenditure inequality. Price search provides an insurance mechanism against income shocks and increases the welfare of a newborn by 3.9%.     

The Contractionary Short‐Run Effects of Nominal Devaluation in Developing Countries: Some Neglected Nuances

This article extends the model developed by Krugman and Taylor (1978 Krugman, P. and Taylor, L. 1978. Contractionary effects of devaluation. Journal of International Economics, : 445–56. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar]) to take into account interesting features of the evolving structure of global trade. The growing presence of transnational production chains and differential pricing behaviour of exports destined for industrial and developing countries are accommodated. Individual country and panel data pass‐through estimates derived from several econometric approaches are provided to justify the latter extension. The likelihood of contractionary short‐run effects of devaluations is shown to be positively related to: 1) the proportion of a country’s exports destined for other developing countries; and 2) the presence of transnational corporations (TNCs) in either the export or home goods‐producing sector. Unlike the Krugman‐Taylor case, devaluation will generally have a contractionary impact even if: 1) trade is initially balanced; 2) consumption behaviour does not differ between wage and profit earners; and 3) the government sector has a high marginal propensity to consume in the short run. The resulting policy implications underline the need to take into account these increasingly important nuances of international trade while designing exchange rate policies for developing countries.     

Greenfield Entry Strategy of Multinational Enterprises in the Emerging Markets: Influences of Institutional Distance and International Trade Freedom

This article addresses greenfield entry strategy of multinational enterprises in emerging markets by analyzing the influences of formal and informal institutional distance as well as international trade freedom. The empirical analysis is based on a sample of 263 greenfield market entries in manufacturing sector undertaken by Finnish firms during 1990–2013. The study results revealed that high formal and informal institutional distances led to the preference of greenfield JVs. The study also found that high level of international trade freedom moderates the influences of formal and informal institutional distances on greenfield entry strategy.     

Acquisition Entry Strategy of Nordic Multinational Enterprises in China: An Analysis of Key Determinants

ABSTRACT

This article addresses the key determinants of acquisition entry strategy (i.e., the choice between full versus partial acquisition) of Nordic multinational enterprises (MNEs) in China. Although general establishment and entry mode strategies have been a highly researched area in international business studies, acquisitions as a specific entry strategy and its different aspects have been scarcely researched. Therefore, the current study aims to fill the gap in literature by analyzing determinants of acquisition entry strategy based on three important theoretical bases: transaction cost economics, resource-based view, and institutional theory. Our study is one of the first to analyze acquisition entry strategy of MNEs from all four Nordic economies (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) in China during 1987 through 2012, and this unique empirical context adds further value to the study findings. The empirical results show that high target country experience, high cultural distance, high level of product diversification, and subsidiary location in institutionally developed and open cities of China were positively associated with choice of full acquisitions by Nordic MNEs. On the other hand, high industry research and development intensity and timing of acquisition led to the choice of partial acquisitions by the investing Nordic MNEs.     

The Moderated Influence of Ethical Leadership,Via Meaningful Work,on Followers’ Engagement,Organizational Identification,and Envy

This study examines a proposed model whereby ethical leadership positively influences the level of meaning followers experience in their work, which in turn positively impacts followers’ levels of work engagement and organizational identification, as well as reduces their levels of workplace envy. We further hypothesized that cognitive reappraisal strategies for emotional regulation would moderate the ethical leadership–meaningful work relationship. The model was tested in a stratified random field sample of 440 employees and their direct supervisors in the aviation industry in Turkey. Results based on data collected at two points in time showed that ethical leadership has a significant and positive direct effect on engagement and organizational identification, as well as indirect effects on those two outcomes through meaningfulness. Finally, results show that ethical leadership has a significant negative direct effect on workplace envy. Further, results showed that cognitive reappraisal emotion regulation strategy positively moderates, i.e., strengthens, the relationship between ethical leadership and meaningful work.