Corporate Governance and the Goal of the Firm: In Defense of Shareholder Wealth Maximization

This essay is based on my keynote address at the 2016 annual meeting of the Eastern Finance Association. I propose that misunderstandings about the traditional model of corporate governance, with its emphasis on shareholder wealth maximization, contribute to negative societal attitudes about corporations. I discuss the implications of shareholder wealth maximization for other corporate stakeholders, the dangers of deviating from shareholder wealth maximization, and the roles that the media and the government play in the governance of corporations.     

会计师事务所内部治理：理论基础与机制创新

声誉、客户资源以及人力资本是会计师事务所的关键资源,也是事务所治理的主要对象.进入权是审计师控制和使用自身人力资本及其关键性非人力资本的能力.关键资源的控制和保留机制是事务所内部治理的关键所在,这一机制主要包括:决策权配置机制、剩余收益分配机制、授权机制以及合伙人遴选与退出机制.模型分析进一步表明,以进入权为基础的治理机制有利于事务所内部资源的优化配置,能够对审计师专用性人力资本投资形成有效激励.     

Technology adoption and accumulation in a vintage-capital model

We present a model of capital accumulation and technology adoption in a vintage-capital framework. The model is an infinite-horizon/infinite-dimensional optimal control model: the firm employs a continuum of technologies (a continuum of heterogeneous capital goods). Capital goods are technology specific, their technology is related to vintage and technology progress. The entrepreneur maximizes the profits obtained by employing a continuum of technologies under the assumption of constant returns to scale and bearing adjustment costs for gross investments. The diffusion of a new technology is established by allowing the entrepreneur to invest in vintage capital goods.     

内部治理、外部环境与农村家族式中小型企业成长

家族式中小企业组织是中国农村社会变革和发展进程中一项制度变迁和制度创新,与农村环境具有天然的契舍性,文章首先对其进行了界定分析了其特征,然后从内部治理和外部环境两个方面,对影响我国农村家族式中小型企业成长的因素进行研究,认为农村中小家族企业“家族化治理”的制度合理性和历史局限性是融为一体的,外部环境因素也对农村家族式中小企业的发展起到决定作用,政策建议提升农村家族企业家的综合素质,实施企业文化创新,改善农村外部环境。     

高管机会主义品行与公司信息披露决策

文章构建相应策略识别了高管机会主义品行,并探究其对公司信息披露决策的影响。研究结果表明,高管的机会主义品行会显著增加公司信息披露违规、真实盈余管理行为;提升公司选择非国际"四大"会计师事务所的概率,并支付更高的审计费用。随着高管机会主义水平上升,公司更有可能作出上述决策。进一步地,国有产权能在一定程度上抑制高管机会主义品行对信息披露质量的负面影响,却显著增加了公司应计盈余管理;当高管机会主义水平较高时,国有产权也无法发挥有效治理作用。从经济后果看,高管的机会主义品行能被资本市场识别,并显著减损公司未来价值。     

产品市场势力能降低股票市场的异质信念吗——基于A股市场的实证研究

基于2001年至2009年A股市场的数据,本文检验了Peress(2010)提出的产品市场势力降低股票市场异质信念水平的推断,并分析了Miller(1977)提出的影响股票市场异质信念的因素。我们发现产品市场势力不仅不能降低反而可能会提高股票市场异质信念的水平。在将异质信念分解为异质先验导致的异质信念,渐进信息流动、有限注意导致的异质信念后,这种提高主要表现在对后者的提高上。该结果意味着产品市场势力可能因为提高了异质信念水平而促进了股票市场的交易,从而为交易异象的解释提供了新的思路。此外,实证结果显示上市公司的业务集中度、机构持股可以降低异质信念水平,而上市公司的已上市时间、市场中股票数量对于异质信念的影响与已有的理论分析并不完全一致。     

机构交叉持股对企业价值的影响

基于2007-2018年中国A股上市公司数据,本文考察了机构交叉持股对企业价值的影响及其作用机制。研究发现,机构交叉持股显著提高了企业价值,在考虑内生性问题和替换主要变量后结论依然较为稳健。交叉持股机构投资者能够成为更加积极的监督者,主动参与公司治理,缓解代理问题,同时促进同行业企业间产品市场协作,改善企业的产品市场表现,进而提升企业价值。此外,相比其他类型的投资者,长期、独立以及稳定型的交叉持股机构投资者对企业价值的促进作用更显著,进一步印证了监督治理渠道的作用。机构交叉持股推动产品市场协作,主要是通过提高企业创新能力和营业利润率。本文结论证实了机构交叉持股的正向协同效应,对完善中国资本市场制度体系和促进企业可持续发展具有重要意义。     

基于Web服务的异构数据库信息互用系统

异构数据库的集成是数据库界的一个研究热点,根据异构数据库的功能需求自行研制了1个异构数据库信息互用系统。该系统采用以Web服务组件为中心的3层分布式体系结构,Web服务组件完成全局查询语句的分解、翻译等工作,将Web服务引入本系统大大提高了系统的可管理性、可伸缩性和可维护性。     

State enforceability of noncompete agreements: Regulations that stifle productivity!

Noncompete agreements (also known as covenants not to compete [CNCs]) are frequently used by many businesses in an attempt to maintain their competitive advantage by safeguarding their human capital and the associated business secrets. Although the choice of whether to include CNCs in employment contracts is made by firms, the real extent of their restrictiveness is determined by the state laws. In this article, we explore the effect of state‐level CNC enforceability on firm productivity. We assert that an increase in state level CNC enforceability is detrimental to firm productivity, and this relationship becomes stronger as comparable job opportunities become more concentrated in a firm's home state. On the other hand, this negative relationship is weakened as employee compensation tends to become more long‐term oriented. Results based on hierarchical linear modeling analysis of 21,134 firm‐year observations for 3,027 unique firms supported all three hypotheses.     

The impact of privatization on efficiency and profitability

Over the past three decades, China has undergone tremendous economic and social change as a consequence of the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy. This paper examines a key feature of this transition – the privatization of the state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) – through both a theoretical model and empirical analysis. Using newly collected primary data from a variety of sources, we study how privatization of listed SOEs affects employment, wages, profits and other aspects of economic performance at the firm level. Our major finding is that privatization results in substantial downsizing of employment, increased labour productivity and rising profitability.