Trade and product market policies in upstream sectors and productivity in downstream sectors: Firm-level evidence from China

This paper explores the heterogeneous productivity impact of trade, product market and financial market policies over the last decade in China. The paper makes a critical distinction between downstream and upstream industries, focusing on the indirect effects of regulation in upstream industries on firm performance in downstream manufacturing industries. We identify the differential effect of these policies on firm productivity growth depending on how far incumbents are relative to the technological frontier. Trade and product market reforms are found to deliver stronger gains for firms that are closer to the industry-level technological frontier, while the reverse holds for financial market reforms. The key conclusion that can be derived from the empirical analysis is that further product, trade and financial market reforms would bring substantial gains in China and could therefore speed up the convergence process. Taken at face value, the empirical estimates would imply that aligning product, trade and financial market regulation to the average level observed in OECD countries would bring aggregate manufacturing productivity gains of respectively 9%, 3% and 6.5% after 5 years.     

两岸加入WTO后之影响与因应

两岸加入WTO ,对原属高关税保护或非高关税贸易障碍保护或以内需市场为导向的产业 ,面临的国际竞争压力较大 ,反之 ,则较小。两岸加入WTO ,将共同面向国际市场竞争 ,因此 ,应扬长避短 ,灵活经营 ,从政策和措施上进行应对 ,以增强国际市场的竞争力。     

Impacts of International Greenfield Investment on Firm Valuation

Our study examines the announcement effects of 343 international greenfield investments by 289 U.S. firms for their impact on shareholder wealth. This paper develops five hypotheses based on the positive‐multinational‐network hypothesis. The evidence indicates that market reactions to announcements by firms entering developing countries are more favorable than those entering developed countries. In addition, the results show that the wealth effect for firms entering a host country for the first time is greater than for those that are already operating within the country. As for the long run, greenfield firms have shown improvement in their operating performance and stock performance. Copyright © 2012 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Terrorism and the Invisible Hook

This article investigates and compares the root causes of transnational terrorism and piracy. In order to accomplish this, we construct a novel data set that catalogues terrorist activity and piracy over the years 1992–2008, paying particular attention to the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean since 1991. These data are then merged with other information detailing the economic, political, and security posture of each organization during the same period so that we can examine the relationship between economic prosperity, security, terrorism, and piracy. The main conclusion is that terrorism is mostly unrelated to economic conditions, while piracy responds to both economic payoffs and military deterrents.     

Stock price informativeness and analyst coverage

We examine whether more analyst coverage translates into more informative stock prices and apply this to both developed and emerging markets. We measure price informativeness using the association between current stock returns and future earnings. We argue that more informative stock prices contain more information about future earnings. Results indicate that analysts' activities do not contribute to the impounding of future earnings information into current stock prices, in accordance with the view that analysts are outsiders who do not have full access to firm‐level information. We also find that analysts specialize according to industry and that “industry expertise” is limited to developed countries. Overall, our evidence is consistent with the explanation that analysts focus on gathering and mapping industry‐ and market‐level information (macroeconomic information) into stock prices. Copyright © 2013 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Face Value: Information and Signaling in an Illegal Market

Economists argue that rich information environments and formal enforcement of contracts are necessary to prevent market failures when information asymmetries exist. We test for the necessity of formal enforcement to overcome the problems of asymmetric information by estimating the value of information in an illegal market with a particularly rich information structure: the online market for male sex work. We assemble a rich data set from the largest and most comprehensive online male sex worker Web site to estimate the effect of information on pricing. We show how clients of male sex workers informally police the market in a way that makes signaling credible. Using institutional knowledge, we identify the specific signal male sex workers use to communicate quality to clients: face pictures. We find that there is a substantial return to the signal in this market. The findings provide novel evidence on the ability of rich information environments to overcome problems of asymmetric information without formal enforcement mechanisms.     

The Use of Electronic Brokerage Systems in China: A Modified e‐Commerce Model

I applied the DeLone and McLean (2004) information systems success model to the use of electronic brokerage systems in China. Several modifications to the model are proposed, including the addition of specific measures of customer perceptions concerning both the perceived costs and benefits of using such systems. Structural equation modelling revealed that the DeLone and McLean (2004) model is not a good representation of those who use electronic brokerage systems for cross‐national transactions, but that the modified model is a good fit for all customers. Copyright © 2011 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of stock split handling rules on returns: Evidence from Canada

Canadian and US stock split handling rules differ. In the US, buying shares is inconvenient before the ex‐date. In Canada, sellers face a miniscule probability of a big loss if the split is cancelled between the ex‐date and payable date. On the ex‐date, Canadian stock returns are positive and the proportion of seller‐initiated trading declines. After the payable date, returns are negative and the proportion of seller‐initiated trading increases. For cross‐listed shares, effects of US and Canadian rules are offsetting as returns are insignificant. We conclude that rules associated with a remote possibility of large losses affect investor behaviour. Copyright © 2010 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

用友ERP-U8(V8.61)财务软件实验教学质量提升的思考

我国会计电算化教育提出“基础理论必须够用为度,注重实践能力培养”的要求,各高校财会类专业会选择不同的财务软件进行实验教学.由于学生首次接触软件的学习,基本都参照教材操作步骤进行操作,对模块中一些重要参数缺乏理解,对模块之间的联系缺乏系统的思考,因此只要遇到实际问题就找不到解决的办法.在此以用友ERP - U8( V8.61)财务软件实验教学为例,提出教学中常采用的一些办法,以期对用友ERP - U8实验课程质量的提升有所帮助.     

Industrial firms' new product strategies

This research examines the impact of the firm's product innovation strategy on performance results. A total of 19 strategy dimensions were uncovered, which capture the specific elements of firms innovation strategies. Three dimensions of performance, independent of each other, were also identified and were found to be closely linked to the strategy adopted. For a high-impact new product program, an aggressive strategy emphasizing sophisticated technologies, heavy R&D spending, and a focused program was found appropriate. In contrast, a conservative strategy featuring avoidance of new markets and new product classes and a close synergy with the firm's technological resources resulted in a high success rate program. Finally, a high overall performance was the outcome of a balanced strategy: technologically aggressive, market oriented, and synergistic.