Corporate governance structure and product market competition

This article assesses the effects of the competitive structure of a product market on a firm’s corporate governance structure. Our model demonstrates that shareholders strategically determine the corporate governance structure, including the manager’s stock ownership and his controlling power over the firm, in order to maximize their utility in the product market competition. We find that the manager’s stock ownership is lower and his controlling power over the firm is higher when the firm’s product is more profitable or when competition within the product market is more severe. The inefficiency of the wealth transfer from shareholders to the manager also affects the corporate governance structure.     

Updated trends in US brand-name and generic drug competition

Objective: To provide updated evidence on US trends in: market exclusivity periods (MEPs, time between brand-name drug launch and first generic competitors) for new molecular entities (NMEs); likelihood, timing and number of Hatch-Waxman Act Paragraph IV patent challenges; and generic drug penetration.

Methods: This study used IMS Health National Sales Perspectives^TM US data to calculate MEPs for the 288 NMEs experiencing initial generic entry between January 1995 and December 2014, the number of generic competitors for 12 months afterward (by level of annual sales prior to generic entry), and generic penetration rates. The likelihood, timing and number of Paragraph IV challengers were calculated using data from Abbreviated New Drug Approval (ANDA) letters, the FDA website, public information searches, and ParagraphFour.com.

Results: For drugs experiencing initial generic entry in 2013–2014, the MEP was 12.5 years for drugs with sales greater than $250 million (in 2008 dollars) in the year prior to generic entry ($250 million?+?NMEs), 13.6 years overall. After generic entry, brands rapidly lost sales, with their average unit share being 7% at 1 year for $250 million?+?NMEs, 12% overall. Ninety-four percent of $250 million?+?NMEs experiencing initial generic entry in 2013–2014 had faced at least one Paragraph IV challenge, an average of 5.2 years after brand launch (76% and 5.9 years for all NMEs). NMEs faced an average of 5.1 and 6.2 Paragraph IV challenges per NME, for all and $250 million?+?NMEs, respectively.

Limitations: Analyses, including Paragraph IV calculations, were restricted to NMEs where generic entry had occurred.

Conclusion: The average 2013–2014 MEP of 12.5 years for $250 million?+?NMEs, 13.6 overall remains consistent with prior research. MEPs are lower, and Paragraph IV challenges are more frequent and occur earlier for $250 million?+?drugs. Generic share erosion is also greater, and continues to intensify for both NME types.     

Long-term health economic benefits of sensor-augmented pump therapy vs continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion alone in type 1 diabetes: a UK perspective

Aims/hypothesis:

Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) is an important treatment option for type 1 diabetes patients unable to achieve adequate glycemic control with multiple daily injections (MDI). Combining CSII with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) in sensor-augmented pump therapy (SAP) with a low glucose-suspend (LGS) feature may further improve glycemic control and reduce the frequency of hypoglycemia. A cost-effectiveness analysis of SAP?+?LGS vs CSII plus self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) was performed to determine the health economic benefits of SAP?+?LGS in type 1 diabetes patients using CSII in the UK.

Methods:

Cost-effectiveness analysis was performed using the CORE diabetes model. Treatment effects were sourced from the literature, where SAP?+?LGS was associated with a projected HbA_1c reduction of ?1.49% vs ?0.62% for CSII, and a reduced frequency of severe hypoglycemia. The time horizon was that of patient lifetimes; future costs and clinical outcomes were discounted at 3.5% and 1.5% per annum, respectively.

Results:

Projected outcomes showed that SAP?+?LGS was associated with higher mean quality-adjusted life expectancy (17.9 vs 14.9 quality-adjusted life years [QALYs], SAP?+?LGS vs CSII), and higher life expectancy (23.8 vs 21.9 years), but higher mean lifetime direct costs (GBP 125,559 vs GBP 88,991), leading to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of GBP 12,233 per QALY gained for SAP?+?LGS vs CSII. Findings of the base-case analysis remained robust in sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions/interpretation:

For UK-based type 1 diabetes patients with poor glycemic control, the use of SAP?+?LGS is likely to be cost-effective compared with CSII plus SMBG.     

Cost-effectiveness of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in people with type 2 diabetes in the Netherlands

Aims: Up to 30% of insulin-treated type 2 diabetes patients are unable to achieve HbA1c targets despite optimization of insulin multiple daily injections (MDI). For these patients the use of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) represents a useful but under-utilized alternative. The aim of the present analysis was to examine the cost-effectiveness of initiating CSII in type 2 diabetes patients failing to achieve good glycemic control on MDI in the Netherlands. Methods: Long-term projections were made using the IMS CORE Diabetes Model. Clinical input data were sourced from the OpT2mise trial. The analysis was performed over a lifetime time horizon. The discount rates applied to future costs and clinical outcomes were 4% and 1.5% per annum, respectively. Results: CSII was associated with improved quality-adjusted life expectancy compared with MDI (9.38 quality-adjusted life years [QALYs] vs 8.95 QALYs, respectively). The breakdown of costs indicated that ～50% of costs were attributable to diabetes-related complications. Higher acquisition costs of CSII vs MDI were partially offset by the reduction in complications. The ICER was estimated at EUR 62,895 per QALY gained and EUR 60,474 per QALY gained when indirect costs were included. Conclusions: In the Netherlands, CSII represents a cost-effective option in patients with type 2 diabetes who continue to have poorly-controlled HbA1c despite optimization of MDI. Since the ICER falls below the willingness-to-pay threshold of EUR 80,000 per QALY gained, CSII is likely to represent good-value for money in the treatment of poorly-controlled T2D patients compared with MDI.     

Modeling port competition from a transport chain perspective

This paper considers the competition between two ports involving both hinterland shipments and transhipments. Taking a transport chain perspective including deep-sea, port, feeder and inland transportation, we present a static cost model to examine ports’ relative competitiveness and justify the development of game models. A non-cooperative game model is then formulated for a two-ports-one-ocean carrier system. The optimal ports’ pricing and the carrier’s port-of-call decisions are derived. A centralized supply chain model is then discussed. The game model is further extended to uncertain demand situations. A case study of Southampton and Liverpool ports is provided to illustrate the results.     

北京市现代职业教育体系建设中的纵向衔接问题研究

构建纵向衔接与横向沟通的现代职业教育体系是国家职业教育发展的一项重大战略决策。纵向衔接是建设现代职业教育体系的基础,是搭建不同类型教育与培训“立交桥”的前提。基于北京市现代职业教育体系建设中纵向衔接问题的调查与分析,提出了要以培养学生职业能力为主线,以专业衔接为依托,以课程体系建设为手段,加强现代职业教育体系建设中的纵向衔接。     

国际知识溢出、人力资源开发与区域技术创新关系研究——基于北京、上海、深圳的数据分析

经济新常态下,发展知识密集型经济、提升自主创新能力成为我国经济转型的重要方向。在此背景下,“十三五”规划提出将北京、上海建设成为全球有影响力的科创中心,深圳提出建设国际创新城市。在总结和归纳已有研究的基础上,将薪酬水平、政府教育和就业投入等区域人力资源开发变量引入知识溢出对创新影响的模型中,通过对全国数据进行分析,检验国际知识溢出、研发投入、本土吸收能力对我国创新能力的影响,并分析了人力资源开发对影响创新各变量的调节作用。在实证研究基础上,就我国加强人力资源开发、主动提升国际知识溢出对创新能力的促进作用提出政策建议。     

协同技术创新中的技术互补、资源互补与技术创新能力研究

本文基于柯布--道格拉斯生产函数,结合微观经济学的相关理论,分析了协同技术创新对高技术企业与传统企业生产过程的提升作用。同时,通过实证研究和回归分析,结果表明,高技术企业和传统企业之间的技术互补和资源互补对高技术企业和传统企业的技术创新能力都有着积极显著的影响。     

人民币升值影响我国企业竞争力实证研究

2005年7月汇率改革以来,人民币持续升值,对我国外向型企业的进出口有较大影响。尤其是对作为国民经济支柱产业的汽车行业影响深远,而汽车零部件的进出口额远远多于汽车整车,因此本文选择41家汽车零部件上市公司作为研究对象,通过对相关的面板数据进行检验和回归分析,从而研究人民币升值对于企业竞争力的影响。研究结论表明,人民币升值对企业盈利能力以及营运能力有显著正影响,而对企业成长能力没有显著影响。     

基于生命周期的智力资本对企业创新能力的影响研究

进入知识经济时代后,智力资本成为提高企业创新能力的关键要素。本文以2014年上市制造业企业作为研究对象,分析智力资本与企业创新能力的关系。研究发现,不同的生命周期中,人力资本、结构资本和关系资本对企业创新能力的影响程度不同。其中在成长期时,人力资本和结构资本对企业创新能力影响较大。在成熟期时,人力资本、结构资本和关系资本都正向显著影响企业创新能力。在衰退期时,人力资本和关系资本对企业创新能力影响较大。研究结果可以为上市制造业企业有效实施智力资本的积累,进一步实现企业创新提供借鉴。