The Post‐Mao economic reform in China: A Korean view

Abstract

Previous studies that were concerned with the impact of depreciation of the ringgit on the Malaysian trade balance employed data either between Malaysia and rest of the world or between Malaysia and each of her major trading partners. Specifically, the bilateral trade balance between Malaysia and the US is shown to be insensitive to the real bilateral ringgit–dollar rate. In this article we wonder if disaggregating trade flows between Malaysia and the US by commodity could help us to discover any significant effects that the real exchange rate could have. We consider 101 industries that export from US to Malaysia and 17 industries that import from Malaysia. While majority of the industries showed short-run sensitivity to the real bilateral exchange rate, short-run effects lasted into the long run almost in half of the industries in both group.     

Do Private Tutoring Expenditures Raise Academic Performance? Evidence from Middle School Students in South Korea

To shed light on the effectiveness of educational inputs for student outcomes, this paper examines the effect of private tutoring expenditures on the academic performance of middle school students in South Korea. To address endogeneity, the paper uses instrumental variables, first‐difference, propensity‐score matching and nonparametric bounding methods. We apply these methods to a panel dataset from South Korea, the Korea Education Longitudinal Study. The results show that the true effect of private tutoring remains, at most, modest. Instrumental variables (first‐difference) estimates suggest that a 10‐percent increase in expenditure raises a test score by 0.03 standard deviations or 1.1 percent (0.002 standard deviations or 0.08 percent). Matching estimates imply that the same amount of increase in expenditure leads to a 0.33 to 0.72 percent higher average test score. The tightest bounds of the effect of tutoring reveal that a 10‐percent increase in expenditure improves the test score by a low of 0 to a high of 2.01 percent, while statistical tests fail to rule out zero effects. The modest effects of private tutoring found in the present study are comparable to the effects of public school expenditures on test scores and earnings estimated in previous studies.     

No-Arbitrage ROM simulation

Ledermann et al. (2011) propose random orthogonal matrix (ROM) simulation for generating multivariate samples matching means and covariances exactly. Its computational efficiency compared to standard Monte Carlo methods makes it an interesting alternative. In this paper we enhance this method׳s attractiveness by focusing on applications in finance. Many financial applications require simulated asset returns to be free of arbitrage opportunities. We analytically derive no-arbitrage bounds for expected excess returns to be used in the context of ROM simulation, and we establish the theoretical relation between the number of states (i.e., the sample size) and the size of (no-)arbitrage regions. Based on these results, we present a No-Arbitrage ROM simulation algorithm, which generates arbitrage-free random samples by purposefully rotating a simplex. Hence, the proposed algorithm completely avoids any need for checking samples for arbitrage. Compared to the alternative of (potentially frequent) re-sampling followed by arbitrage checks, it is considerably more efficient. As a by-product, we provide interesting geometrical insights into affine transformations associated with the No-Arbitrage ROM simulation algorithm.     

CEO特征与国际化战略——来自中国制造业上市公司的证据

在中国较为特殊的公司治理和管理环境中,CEO对企业战略决策具有重大影响。同时,由于中国权力距离较大,与国外相比CEO在企业中发挥的作用可能更为重要。基于高层梯队理论,本文探讨CEO年龄、教育程度和任期对国际化战略的影响。有别于基于发达国家的研究结论,实证研究表明：（1）CEO教育程度与国际化程度显著负相关,教育程度高的CEO倾向于规避国际化战略带来的高风险。（2）CEO年龄与国际化程度呈正U型关系。CEO年龄越小越有动机从事国际化经营,另一方面,CEO年龄越大经营管理经验和社会资本越丰富,这两方面的共同作用使CEO年龄与国际化程度呈正U型关系。（3）CEO任期与企业国际化程度显著正相关。CEO任期越长越有利于打造和谐、高效的高管团队,从而提升上市公司的国际化程度。     

Top management team incentive heterogeneity,strategic investment behavior,and performance: A contingency theory of incentive alignment

Research summary : We develop and test a contingency theory of the influence of top management team (TMT) performance‐contingent incentives on manager–shareholder interest alignment. Our results support our theory by showing that although TMTs engage in significantly higher levels of acquisition investment when their average incentive levels increase, investors' responses to those large investments are generally negative. More importantly, however, we further find that within‐TMT incentive heterogeneity conditions that effect, such that investors evaluate TMTs' large acquisition investments more positively as the variance in those top managers' incentive values increases. Thus, within‐TMT incentive heterogeneity appears to increase manager–shareholder interest alignment, in the context of large acquisition investments. Managerial summary : We find that as the average value of TMTs' incentives increase, relative to their total pay, they invest more in acquisitions and investors' respond negatively to the announcement of those deals. However, we further show that investors respond more positively to acquisitions announced by TMTs whose members' incentive values vary (some TMT members hold higher incentives and others hold lower). Results imply that when TMT members hold differing incentives levels, they approach investments from divergent perspectives, scrutinize those investments more heavily, and make better decisions, relative to TMTs with similar incentives. They also suggest that boards seeking tighter manager–shareholder interest alignment may benefit from introducing variance into TMT members' incentive structures, as doing so appears to create divergent preferences that can improve team decision making. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

生态旅游视域下的岷江上游贫困山区生态安全评价

[目的]构建科学合理的评价指标体系,准确评价生态旅游影响下的区域生态安全状况,是推动少数民族山区实现旅游资源环境与区域社会、经济协同发展的前提和基础。[方法]以岷江上游贫困山区为例,应用灰色系统理论与熵值赋权法相结合,基于压力—状态—响应模型,构建生态旅游视域下的区域生态安全评估指标体系,并将评估指数与经济收入状况及贫困人口分布进行空间耦合。[结果](1)区域当前处于较安全水平,生态旅游开发适度;(2)综合评估指数与城镇居民可支配收入增长率、旅游收入对国民经济增长的贡献率呈正相关,且城镇居民在旅游开发中受益与机会较农牧民多;(3)综合评估指数与贫困人口比重呈负相关,与农牧民纯收入增长率没有必然联系。[结论]区域脱贫能够改善当地的生态安全状况,适度生态旅游开发是区域脱贫的有效手段,但应注重扶持农牧民在旅游业中的参与度,增加其旅游收益。     

Market Integration and Market Efficiency under Seasonal Tariff Rate Quotas

Switzerland applies seasonal tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for the import of many fruits and vegetables during the domestic harvest season. We examine how this system affects the relationship between Italian and Swiss tomato prices and test for physical market integration and spatial equilibrium conditions over time. We use detailed, transaction‐based data on trade flows and trade costs and estimate an extended parity bounds model, following Barrett and Li (2002). We confirm that in the summer season, when TRQs are in place, markets are inefficient. While quota holders receive positive rents, the marginal rents for importers without quota shares are negative. This inhibits trade flows above the in‐quota import quantity allowed by TRQs. Hence, despite leading to inefficiencies and creating rents for importers, seasonal TRQs are effective in protecting domestic production against competing imports.     

Heavy lies the crown? How job anxiety affects top executive decision making in gain and loss contexts

Research summary: Despite abundant anecdotal evidence that many top executives experience anxiety in their jobs, the upper echelons literature has remained largely silent on the organizational implications of executive job anxiety. In this study, we theorize that job anxiety will cause executives to (1) create a social buffer against threats by surrounding themselves with supportive decision‐making teams, and (2) pursue lower‐risk firm strategies. We further argue that these effects will vary depending upon whether strategic decisions occur in gain versus loss contexts. We test our ideas using a novel multisource, multimethod approach that includes data from 84 top executives of large organizations, their decision‐making teams, their friends and families, and archival sources. Results from an analysis of 154 major strategic decisions provide general support for our theory. Managerial summary: Although many top executives experience anxiety in their jobs, some struggle more with anxiety than others. Our paper is the first to focus on how job anxiety affects executives' decisions. We analyze 154 major strategic decisions made by 84 top executives of large organizations in a range of industries, collecting data from personal interviews with executives and surveys of their decision‐making teams, spouses, and friends. We find that anxious executives take fewer strategic risks, especially when things are going well. We further argue that anxious executives focus more on “buffering” themselves from threats, and find that they surround themselves with close supporters when times are tough. Our results demonstrate a pattern through which anxiety causes top executives to focus more heavily on avoiding potential threats. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Remittances and misery index in Turkey: is there a link?

This study tests the long run relationship between remittances and misery index in Turkey over the 1975–2011 period, using bounds testing approach. The results indicate that remittances and misery index are co-integrated. The misery index appears to have positive impact on remittance inflows in both short and long run, supporting altruism theory in remittance sending behaviour in Turkey.