The impact of board capital and board characteristics on firm performance

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of board capital on the relationship between CEO duality, board dependence, managerial share ownership and performance. We argue that board capital (the ability of board members to perform manager-monitoring activities and to provide advice and counsel to management) varies across board members. Highly qualified board members will be better at monitoring management and constitute a more valuable resource for firms. Based on a sample of U.S. companies listed in the Compustat S&P 500 and using both resource dependence and agency theories, we predict and find that CEO duality and board dependence negatively affect performance and that board capital mitigates the negative effects. We also predict and find that managerial share ownership positively affects performance and that board capital strengthens this positive relationship. The results are consistent with the view that firms benefit from board capital in terms of outside directors' ability to monitor managers and provide advice and counsel to managers.     

OPTIMAL CONSUMPTION AND PORTFOLIO SELECTION WITH INCOMPLETE MARKETS AND UPPER AND LOWER BOUND CONSTRAINTS

We study an optimal consumption and portfolio selection problem for an investor by a martingale approach. We assume that time is a discrete and finite horizon, the sample space is finite and the number of securities is smaller than that of the possible securities price vector transitions. the investor is prohibited from investing stocks more (less, respectively) than given upper (lower) bounds at any time, and he maximizes an expected time additive utility function for the consumption process. First we give a set of budget feasibility conditions so that a consumption process is attainable by an admissible portfolio process. Also we state the existence of the unique primal optimal solutions. Next we formulate a dual control problem and establish the duality between primal and dual control problems. Also we show the existence of dual optimal solutions. Finally we consider the computational aspect of dual approach through a simple numerical example.     

Robust utility maximization for complete and incomplete market models

We investigate the problem of maximizing the robust utility functional . We give the dual characterization for its solution for both a complete and an incomplete market model. To this end, we introduce the new notion of reverse f-projections and use techniques developed for f-divergences. This is a suitable tool to reduce the robust problem to the classical problem of utility maximization under a certain measure: the reverse f-projection. Furthermore, we give the dual characterization for a closely related problem, the minimization of expenditures given a minimum level of expected utility in a robust setting and for an incomplete market.Received: September 2004, Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 62C20, 62O05, 91B16, 91B28JEL Classification: D81, G11I thank Hans Föllmer for his help when writing this paper. Furthermore, I thank Alexander Schied for discussing the topic with me and Michael Kupper and the referees for their helpful remarks.     

国际贸易中绿色壁垒的二重性

绿色贸易壁垒是发达国家以环保和健康为由制定的限制进口发展中国家产品的系列环保法规及技术标准,具有明显的二重性。这是因为它的产生带有主观、客观性,内容包含合理性和歧视性,造成的影响及应对策略也具有二重性。     

发展小城镇的城镇化建设——以社会主义新农村为蓝图

在社会主义新农村的总体规划中,应把小城镇的城市化建设作为我们当今工作中的主题,采取有效的措施和优惠的政策加强中小城镇的建设、发展,以便更好发挥城乡经济的功能,为大城市建设卫星城提供良好的模板.     

Modelling factor demands with SEM and VAR: an empirical comparison

The empirical analysis of the economic interactions between factors of production, output and corresponding prices has received much attention over the last two decades. Most contributions in this area have agreed on the neoclassical principle of a representative optimizing firm and typically use theory-based structural equation models (SEM). A popular alternative to SEM is the vector autoregression (VAR) methodology. The most recent attempts to link the SEM approach with VAR analysis in the area of factor demands concentrate on single-equation models, whereas no effort has been devoted to compare these alternative approaches when a firm is assumed to face a multi-factor technology and to decide simultaneously the optimal quantity for each input. This paper bridges this gap. First, we illustrate how the SEM and the VAR approaches can both represent valid alternatives to model systems of dynamic factor demands. Second, we show how to apply both methodologies to estimate dynamic factor demands derived from a cost-minimizing capital-labour-energy-materials (KLEM) technology with adjustment costs (ADC) on the quasi-fixed capital factor. Third, we explain how to use both models to calculate some widely accepted indicators of the production structure of an economic sector, such as price and quantity elasticities, and alternative measures of ADC. In particular, we propose and discuss some theoretical and empirical justifications of the differences between observed elasticities, measures of ADC, and the assumption of exogeneity of output and/or input prices. Finally, we offer some suggestions for the applied researcher.      

论经济法律关系的二元结构与二重性--一种整体主义解释

经济法律关系是法律关系体系中的一种,是指由经济法调整而产生的经济有机体整体(通常以国家的各种机关为代表)与功能个体(通常指在市场经济中生产经营活动的个人或组织)及功能个体相互间的权利(职权)义务(职责)关系。经济法律关系的显著特性是:二元结构及二重性。二元结构是指,经济法律关系是由两种性质完全不同的权利义务体系构成:其一是,作为社会经济整体代表的经济机关在经济法律活动中形成的权利义务体系;其二是,作为经济功能个体的权利义务体系。二重性是指,经济法主体的同一行为,因其角色二重性,同时处于两重法律关系中,有两重不同的权利义务。     

The dynamics of efficiency and productivity growth in U.S. electric utilities

This study recognizes explicitly the efficiency gain or loss as a source in explaining the growth. A theoretically consistent method to estimate the decomposition of dynamic total factor productivity growth (TFP) in the presence of inefficiency is developed which is constructed from an extension of the dynamic TFP growth, adjusted for deviations from the long-run equilibrium within an adjustment-cost framework. The empirical case study is to U.S. electric utilities, which provides a measure to evaluate how different electric utilities participate in the deregulation of electricity generation. TFP grew by 2.26% per annum with growth attributed to the combined scale effects of 0.34%, the combined efficiency effects of 0.69%, and the technical change effect of 1.22%. The dynamic TFP grew by 1.66% per annum for electric utilities located within states with the deregulation plan and 3.30% per annum for those located outside. Electric utilities located within states with the deregulation plan increased the outputs by improving technical and input allocative efficiencies more than those located outside of states with deregulation plans.

大城市外围地区的二重性特征——以广州市花都区为例

提出了大城市外围地区的概念,认为纳入广州市辖区范围的花都区是典型的大城市外围地区。从产业、人口与城市化、建设用地、区域性大型交通设施等方面分析了花都区作为大城市外围地区二重性的特征,指出其根源在于不同层次政府的发展目标的差异,并据此提出了对策建议。     

Board Antecedents of CEO Duality and the Moderating Role of Country‐level Managerial Discretion: A Meta‐analytic Investigation

CEO duality reduces boards’ monitoring capacity. But governance substitution theory holds that boards of directors who can effectively monitor their CEOs are more likely to adopt the CEO duality governance structure. By examining relationships between board characteristics underlying their monitoring capacity and CEO duality, we bring evidence to bear on governance substitution theory. Further, by applying a managerial discretion theory lens to CEO duality, we extend governance substitution theory to the cross‐country context where institutional features vary in their constraints on managerial discretion. Meta‐analytic results from a dataset of 297 studies across 32 countries/regions provided support for the majority of our predictions. As predicted, board independence and certain types of board human capital were positively related to CEO duality. Unexpectedly, board ownership was negatively related to CEO duality. Additionally, country‐level managerial discretion significantly moderated the board independence‐ and human capital‐duality relationships (but not the board‐ownership‐duality relationship) as predicted.