Corporate Performance in Jordan: A Macro Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this study is to de ter mine and an a lyze cor porate per for mance in Jor dan dur ing the pe riod 1989-1996. Four mod els have been spec i fied to test and an a lyze cor po rate per for mance at the macro level. The find ings have re vealed that earn ing per share (EPS) and stock prices are found to be the better mea sures of cor po rate per formance at the macro level. These mea sures were found to be af fected basi cally by or ga ni za tional vari ables, fol lowed by lead er ship vari ables. The pa per thus chal lenges the view that the poor cor po rate per for mance is at trib uted to en vi ron men tal and man a ge rial vari ables, as these variables were found to have no ma jor ef fect on cor po rate per for mance in Jor dan.     

The effects of social ratings on firm value

This paper examines, in a short-term perspective, the effects of Vigeo social ratings announcements on the firm's shareholder value. From an event study on a large sample of European firms, we show that the announcement of ratings generates a strong positive stock market reaction regardless of whether the rating is good or bad. This finding underlines the relevance of ratings and reveals the value effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR). We also find that the overall rating has no impact on shareholders’ wealth. We highlight that specific CSR dimensions drive the value effects. Some are value enhancing and others value destroying. Our study complements the literature on the complex links between socially responsible practices and firm value. It gives arguments to measure properly the benefits and risks associated with non-financial factors, and to integrate them into asset pricing models and allocation processes.     

公司法定代表人竞合的影响及对策简析

我国《公司法》经过修订之后,在法定代表人制度的规定中仍存在一些不足之处,比如本文即将论述的法定代表人竞合问题,对这些问题的思考及解决对我国经济将有深远的意义。     

OPTIMAL CORPORATE LENIENCY PROGRAMS*

This study characterizes the corporate leniency policy that minimizes the frequency with which collusion occurs. Though it can be optimal to provide only partial leniency, plausible sufficient conditions are provided whereby the antitrust authority should waive all penalties for the first firm to come forward. It is also shown that restrictions should be placed on when amnesty is awarded, though it can be optimal to award amnesty even when the antitrust authority is very likely to win the case without insider testimony.     

金融危机下政府干预经济之经济法视野分析

金融危机下,各国经济出现全面下滑,政府积极采取措施干预经济,努力摆脱金融危机的笼罩。经济法是调整政府在干预本国经济活动中所形成的经济关系的法律规范的总称。政府干预经济应遵循经济法律规范的规定,依法干预本国经济。政府应从宏观和微观两个方面,主要运用财政、税收、金融和价格等间接手段干预经济。政府干预经济应控制在合理限度内,遵循社会公共利益原则、经济安全原则和适度干预原则,依据一定的标准实施干预。     

Does Gibrat’s Law Hold? Evidence from Canadian Retail and Manufacturing Firms

This paper investigates the validity of Gibrat’s Law holding for firms in manufacturing and retail trade sectors. The object is to expand our knowledge of Gibrat’s Law to include non-manufacturing firms. A unique longitudinal firm-level database, which contains information on Canadian incorporated establishments, enables the inter-industry comparison. The findings of the analysis are that Gibrat’s Law is violated in both manufacturing and retail sectors. Violations of Gibrat’s Law for both sectors include (i) growth rates that depend on firm size (ii) growth variability that depends on firm size and (iii) a negative persistence of firm growth. Finally, age effects or selection effects are not the causes of these violations.      

论商事仲裁法律关系——西方观点和我国的借鉴与协调

英美法系与普通法系认为商事仲裁相关的法律关系为服务合同关系。从立法理念上来看,我国确认了商事仲裁的服务性质。但在具体制度设计方面,《仲裁法》至少在字面上并未遵循这种理念,因此需要对其进行立法解释,从而使之协调。     

Human resource management, corporate governance structure and corporate performance in Korea: a comparative analysis of Japan, US and Korea

This paper investigates the influences of human resource management (HRM) and corporate governance structure on the corporate performance in Korean firms. Prior to the Asian economic crisis, large Korean firms mostly followed the Japanese style HRM paradigm where the practice of lifetime employment is guaranteed. However, in the aftermath of the crisis, they have pursued structural downsizing and changed their paradigm more towards the US HRM paradigm where inter-firm mobility becomes prominent in the flexible labor market. The empirical evidence introduced in this paper affirms the argument that the first step towards a HRM paradigm shift in Korea should be the establishment of an efficient corporate governance structure. This implies that a simple switch from the Japanese HRM paradigm to the US model may not improve corporate performance unless the change is accompanied by a solution to the problems posed by the minority controlling structure of Korean companies. The implications of this study for guiding policy in developing countries having labor market rigidities and underdeveloped corporate governance is clear. Corporate governance systems may provide an appropriate starting point for the development of any policies aimed at building an efficient human resource management system and a flexible labor market.     

Who controls Allianz?

With cross-ownership among firms a separation between dividend rights on common stocks and voting rights may occur. This paper proposes a method to trace control rights in a company that is based purely upon accounting identities and the underlying data on cross-ownership relations among firms and privately held shares. Examples show that under cross-ownership, control and ownership of dividend rights may be entirely separated, and multiple equilibria may exist in such economies. The proposed methodology is then applied to the conglomerate around the German ‘Allianz’ group.     

Minutes of Business Meeting,December 30, 1953

Corporations institutionalize managerial and professional positions in a hierarchical pyramid in which many young professionals begin work at a lower and wider level of the pyramid where positions are numerous. However, as the professionals start climbing up the pyramid in their careers, the number of positions rapidly declines at higher levels. The pyramid gets narrower as the professionals climb up into fewer and fewer positions. Since they usually either move up or out in their career climb, as the young professionals begin aging, more and more of them are forced out to look for jobs elsewhere or eventually, to retire. This article develops a simple model that shows how this particular way of organizing work results in premature retirement and aging for many workers. Alternative ways of organizing work are discussed in which premature aging and retirement do not take place. Furthermore, a number of implications are explored and various projections made all of which show that the so-called future crisis in the Social Security and Medicare Systems in the United States is exaggerated. If reform is really needed, what is called for is adjustment in the way work is organized, not abandonment of security for the elderly.