Managing Earnings with Intercorporate Investments

Abstract:  We explore to what extent firms deliberately manage their financial reports by exploiting the flexibility of generally accepted accounting principles. Using a sample of Oslo Stock Exchange-listed firms with 20–50% equity holdings in other firms, we find that firms with high financial leverage tend to maximize reported earnings from these investments through their choice between the cost method and the equity method, possibly in an attempt to reduce debt renegotiation costs or to avoid regulatory attention. In contrast, managers do not systematically bias reported earnings to extract private benefits or to signal revised expectations about future cash flows. Firms use different earnings management tools in a consistent way, as the earnings effect of the cost/equity choice is not offset by discretionary accruals.     

Measuring Market Orientation: Exploring a Market Oriented Approach

This paper demonstrates that applications of existing approaches to measuring market orientation are myopic, non-comparative and over-reliant on the views of single respondents. Consequently, a multi-perspective, multi-informant approach for measuring market orientation is generated which focuses on gauging customers', competitors' and intra-organizational members' perceptions of the market orientation of an organization. To evaluate the psychometric properties of this approach an application of this design in a survey of manufacturing industry is subjected to tests for inter-rater reliability, scale reliability, content validity, criterion-related validity and construct validity. The conclusion of this evaluation is that the developed measure is both a reliable and valid means of gauging market orientation. The paper concludes with a series of implications for both theorists and practitioners.     

Does a Switch of Budget Regimes Affect Investment and Managerial Discretion of State-Owned Enterprises? Evidence from Italian Firms

We investigate the investment decisions of Italian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) across budget constraint regimes and carry out a natural experiment that exploits a regime switch in 1987. Drawing on the theory of capital market imperfections, we apply an empirical framework for investment analysis to a panel of manufacturing SOEs in competitive industries. We identify parallels between SOEs and widely held, quoted companies afflicted by agency problems, managerial discretion, and overinvestment. We argue that, in the case of SOEs, the soft budget regime increases managerial discretion, facilitates collusion with vote-seeking politicians, and results in wasteful investment. Consistent with our predictions, we find that the regime switch disciplines SOE's investment behavior. Following a hardening of the budget constraint, managers lose discretion to indulge in collusion and overinvestment. J. Comp. Econ., June 2002 30(4), pp. 787–811. London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom; and CERIS–CNR, Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth, National Research Council, Via Avogadro, 8, 10121 Turin, Italy. © 2002 Association for Comparative Economic Studies. Published by Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: E32, G31, G32, L32, M40.     

人口老龄化背景下农村养老的困境及其路径选择——基于安徽省砀山县的实证分析

在中国农村人口老龄化程度快速发展背景下，中国农村养老面临的形势不容乐观。文章基于对安徽省砀山县农村养老状况的调查，在论述当前农村养老的基本现状以及存在的主要问题的基础上，提出了农村养老保障体系建设应遵循既要使农村社会的养老资源得到充分整合又要体现社会主义新农村建设的要求的基本思路。同时，积极推进农村养老保险制度创新、尽快编织农村最低生活保障“安全网”以及不断完善新型农村合作医疗制度是当前农村养老保障工作的重心。     

我国财政支农的资金效益问题研究

本文通过一系列数据对我国财政支农资金的效益进行分析得出农村居民纯收入的缓慢增长与财政支农资金的快速增加形成了明显反差,我国财政支农资金使用效益不高。针对这样的现状,分析了产生财政支农资金效益不足的原因,并提出相应措施来提高财政支农资金的使用效益。     

基于协整分析的东北区域产业结构优化与金融支持关系研究

基于1978—2003年的统计数据,采用协整关系检验法和格兰杰(Granger)因果检验法对东北地区金融发展与产业结构优化之间的关系进行了实证检验。分析结果表明东北区域产业结构优化与金融发展之间存在长期动态均衡关系及单向因果关系,即金融发展对东北区域产业结构优化具有支持作用,从而为政府经济决策提供了政策依据。     

关于产业集群技术创新的若干问题

产业集群的蓬勃发展带动了我国区域经济迅速发展,但当前我国产业集群中企业创新不足的问题日益显现,阻碍了产业集群的进一步发展,而要强化产业集群技术创新,关键是探寻技术创新的实现路径,整合创新要素,做出有利于推进产业集群技术创新的战略选择.     

职教学生的规范教育

本文对职教学生的规范教育状况进行了分析,就当前如何做好职教学生的规范教育提出了设想,并作了述评。     

西气东输工程用感应加热弯管技术条件探讨

在对国外X70管线弯管技术条件进行调查分析与研究的基础上，对其中的几个关键技术问题包括母管成分，弯管的制造工艺和技术路线，强度与韧性要求，屈强比，Cu污染问题等进行了讨论。一些观点在西气东输感应加弯管技术条件中得到应用。     

宋代妇女奁产权的探讨

奁产,作为女子出嫁时娘家陪嫁的财产,在普遍受到妇女自身重视的同时,国家也制定了相应的法律条文来保障妇女对自己奁产的所有权。宋代是中国古代经济的一个重要发展阶段,经济的繁荣成为社会文明的基础,妇女也具备一定的权利主体资格,享有一定的法律地位。该文主要从宋代的法律文献入手,着重分析宋代妇女的奁产权及其不完整性,以探讨宋代妇女的经济权利及地位。