Is gold an efficient store of value?

Summary. Gold and tobacco have both been used as commodity money. One difference between the two is that gold yields utility, on account of its beauty, without diminishing its quantity. Tobacco yields utility when it is consumed. If this were the only difference, Received: January 2, 2001; revised version: February 22, 2002 Correspondence to: J. Geanakoplos     

Operating performance changes associated with corporate mergers and the role of corporate governance

We find that corporate governance characteristics of acquiring firms (board ownership, board size, and block-holder control) have an economically and statistically significant impact on operating performance changes following mergers. We also show that dispersion of intra-board ownership stakes is an important but heretofore overlooked factor when judging the influence of ownership on the outcomes of corporate choices. Finally, we present evidence that suggests the market sometimes under- or overreacts to merger news when initially revaluing merger partners but corrects any miscalculation following the consummation of the merger.     

An empirical analysis of alternative parametric ARCH models

This paper presents empirical evidence on the effectiveness of eight different parametric ARCH models in describing daily stock returns. Twenty‐seven years of UK daily data on a broad‐based value weighted stock index are investigated for the period 1971–97. Several interesting results are documented. Overall, the results strongly demonstrate the utility of parametric ARCH models in describing time‐varying volatility in this market. The parameters proxying for asymmetry in models that recognize the asymmetric behaviour of volatility are highly significant in each and every case. However, the ‘performance’ of the various parameterizations is often fairly similar with the exception of the multiplicative GARCH model that performs qualitatively differently on several dimensions of performance. The outperformance of any model(s) is not consistent across different sub‐periods of the sample, suggesting that the optimal choice of a model is period‐specific. The outperformance is also not consistent as we change from in‐sample inferences to out‐of‐sample inferences within the same period. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Does it pay to venture abroad? Exporting behavior and the performance of firms in Indian industry

Using contemporary data for a firm-level sample of over 600 Indian firms, this paper investigates the impact that an export-orientation has on the profitability of the firms studied. The results, based on a two-stage least squares method, establish a positive and significant relationship between firms' levels of exports and profitability. For firms from developing and transition economies like India it does pay to venture abroad, and the ability to sell goods overseas has a significant impact on firms' economic performance. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

采用双网络结构的压缩视频超分辨率重建

在实际应用中,为了节省带宽和方便存储,图像和视频通常被下采样和压缩,而降质的图像与视频无法满足人们的实际需求。针对这一问题,采用了一种双网络结构的超分辨率重建方法,首先建立下采视频与压缩后的低分辨率视频的映射关系,然后建立质量增强的压缩视频与原始视频的映射关系,最终在输出端可以得到质量提升的视频帧。在网络中,采用密集残差块来提取压缩视频中丰富的局部分层特征,并结合全局残差学习恢复视频中的高频信息。在压缩环节,采用高性能视频编码来验证所提算法的有效性。实验结果表明,相比于主流的视频编码标准和先进的超分辨率重建算法,所提方法能有效提升编码视频的率失真性能。     

The ‘Triple-alliance’ perspective for new industry creation: Lessons from the flat panel industry in Taiwan

This paper describes how the development of the microelectronics industry in Taiwan has followed an evolutionary path that eventually led to the formation of the ‘Triple-alliance’. The ‘Triple-alliance’ model postulates that a nation's industrialization is fundamentally underpinned by the arrangement of three distinct institutions: state bureaucracy, domestic business groups and multinational corporations. The paper delineates the role of each participating institution in the context of Taiwan's microelectronics industry, and discusses the interaction between domestic and foreign institutions to demonstrate how the alliance facilitates the transfer and absorption of technology. Using the creation of the flat panel display industry in Taiwan as an example, the paper shows that understanding the interactions among these three institutions is essential for uncovering how technology-intensive industries are created in late-industrializing countries. The paper adopts an evolutionary approach in tracing how the web of linkages and alliances among these three institutions has led to the successful creation of Taiwan's technology-intensive flat panel display industry.     

Product classifications,consumer characteristics,and patronage preference for online auction

An important unanswered question in the area of Internet auctions is what dynamics influences consumer preferences for shopping on these online auctions. Two key aspects of studying what sells on the Internet auctions are (a) the characteristics of products to be purchased and (b) consumer characteristics. This research focuses on the relationship between product purchase preference, prior experience, and socioeconomic characteristics for the online auction participants. It uses product classification theory rooted in information economics and marketing. The study results are based on a US national sample of online auction participants. The findings suggest that product class affects online auction patronage, yet socioeconomic characteristics may not be as influential as once perceived. The online merchants can benefit from the inquiry to improve auctions for search, experience, and credence goods. The five key contributions of the findings add value to the theory and practice of consumer behavior.     

Early‐Stage of Innovations: Selection System Criteria for Funding U.S. Biotech SMEs

The focus of this paper is small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the U.S. biotechnology industry and how they compete for financial resources during the early stages of innovation development. We utilize selection system theory, which describes how selectors use reputation‐based information about selectees as decision factors when making investments. Our findings suggest that there are different predictive variables for SME categories and the types of investors attracted to these categories, which is consistent with selection system theory. We extend prior studies by providing context to early‐stage innovation investment funding within an environment characterized as having a long development cycle and representing high uncertainty.     

Equilibrium pricing and advertising strategies for nondurable experience products in a dynamic duopoly

The quality of many consumer nondurable goods or services is sufficiently complex or obscure that consumers cannot completely verify the true quality in a single usage. For such ‘experience’ products or services, the accumulated consumer consumption experience of a brand is an important determinant of its sales or market share. The market share of a brand is in turn directly influenced by its own and the competitive price and advertising strategies, given the different levels of quality (among other factors). In this paper, we investigate the impact of the aggregate consumption experience on the firm's dynamic pricing and advertising strategies by developing a formal game-theoretic model of a dynamic duopoly. The model of competition does not yield explicit closed-form expressions for the dynamic price and advertising paths of the two firms. Hence, we simulate the equilibrium paths using a discrete-time algorithm. Our simulation results provide interesting insights into the dynamic equilibrium price and advertising paths, under a variety of realistic competitive scenarios.