Internal Governance and Creditor Governance: Evidence from Credit Default Swaps
Stefano Colonnello
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 6,
2017
Abstract
I study the relation between internal governance and creditor governance. A deterioration in creditor governance may increase the agency costs of debt and managerial opportunism at the expense of shareholders. I exploit the introduction of credit default swaps (CDS) as a negative shock to creditor governance. I provide evidence consistent with shareholders pushing for a substitution effect between internal governance and creditor governance. Following CDS introduction, CDS firms reduce managerial risk-taking incentives relative to other firms. At the same time, after the start of CDS trading, CDS firms increase managerial wealth-performance sensitivity, board independence, and CEO turnover performance-sensitivity relative to other firms.
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Should Forecasters Use Real-time Data to Evaluate Leading Indicator Models for GDP Prediction? German Evidence
Katja Heinisch, Rolf Scheufele
Abstract
In this paper we investigate whether differences exist among forecasts using real-time or latest-available data to predict gross domestic product (GDP). We employ mixed-frequency models and real-time data to reassess the role of survey data relative to industrial production and orders in Germany. Although we find evidence that forecast characteristics based on real-time and final data releases differ, we also observe minimal impacts on the relative forecasting performance of indicator models. However, when obtaining the optimal combination of soft and hard data, the use of final release data may understate the role of survey information.
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27.01.2017 • 10/2017
IWH-Industrieumfrage zum Jahresauftakt 2017: Ostdeutsche Hersteller gehen nach Aufschwung im Jahr 2016 von weiterhin günstigen Geschäftsaussichten aus
Die vom IWH befragten rund 300 Unternehmen des Verarbeitenden Gewerbes Ostdeutschlands gehen nach einem erfolgreichen Geschäftsjahr 2016 zuversichtlich in das neue Jahr. Die Umsätze stiegen im Jahr 2016 meist stärker als vor einem Jahr von ihnen erwartet. Bei den Konsumgüterherstellern war die Umsatzentwicklung besonders erfreulich. In allen Sparten war die Industriekonjunktur mit viel Schwung in das Jahr 2016 gestartet und bremste erst im späteren Verlauf des Jahres etwas ab. Mit Blick auf das Jahr 2017 zeigt sich die überwiegende Mehrheit der befragten Unternehmen aber wieder optimistisch. Die Ertragslage konnte sich im Jahr 2016 im Vergleich zum Vorjahr zwar nicht weiter verbessern, jedoch schafften es mehr Unternehmen, aus der Verlustzone zu kommen. Die Exportunternehmen, die in den Jahren zuvor eine besonders gute Performance gezeigt hatten, konnten diesmal nicht durchweg überdurchschnittlichen glänzen. Das soll im Jahr 2017 wieder aufgeholt werden, wie Umsatz- und Beschäftigungspläne zeigen. Insbesondere die größeren ostdeutschen Industrieunternehmen planen häufig, ihren Personal-bestand zu erhöhen.
Birgit Schultz
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The Effect of Board Directors from Countries with Different Genetic Diversity Levels on Corporate Performance
Manthos D. Delis, Chrysovalantis Gaganis, Iftekhar Hasan, Fotios Pasiouras
Management Science,
No. 1,
2017
Abstract
We link genetic diversity in the country of origin of the firms’ board members with corporate performance via board members’ nationality. We hypothesize that our approach captures deep-rooted differences in cultural, institutional, social, psychological, physiological, and other traits that cannot be captured by other recently measured indices of diversity. Using a panel of firms listed in the North American and UK stock markets, we find that adding board directors from countries with different levels of genetic diversity (either higher or lower) increases firm performance. This effect prevails when we control for a number of cultural, institutional, firm-level, and board member characteristics, as well as for the nationality of the board of directors. To identify the relationship, we use—as instrumental variables for our diversity indices—the migratory distance from East Africa and the level of ultraviolet exposure in the directors’ country of nationality.
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European Bank Efficiency and Performance: The Effects of Supranational Versus National Bank Supervision
Rients Galema, Michael Koetter
T. Beck, B. Casu (eds): The Palgrave Handbook of European Banking, London,
2016
Abstract
This chapter explores European bank efficiency and performance. First, the authors provide an overview of the key estimation methods for efficiency and discuss selected applications to the European banking sector. Second, they apply stochastic frontier analysis to investigate the extent to which the reallocation of supervisory powers is associated with efficiency differences between European banks. In doing so, the discussion focuses particularly on whether direct supervision by the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM) as opposed to national competent authority (NCA) is related to cost and profit efficiency.
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Foreign Funding Shocks and the Lending Channel: Do Foreign Banks Adjust Differently?
Felix Noth, Matias Ossandon Busch
Finance Research Letters,
November
2016
Abstract
We document for a set of Latin American emerging countries that the different nature of foreign funding accessed by foreign and local banks affected their lending performance after September 2008. We show that lending growth was weaker for shock-affected foreign banks compared to shock-affected local banks. This evidence represents valuable policy information for regulators concerned with the stability and well-functioning of banking sectors.
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The Behavioral Impact of Non-Monetary Workplace Characteristics
Sabrina Jeworrek
Schriftenreihe innovative betriebswirtschaftliche Forschung und Praxis,
No. 465,
2016
Abstract
This book investigates the impact of non-monetary workplace characteristics ― i.e. employee voice, task characteristics, and the provision of information ― on workers’ individual decision making and workplace performance. Given the neoclassical assumption of purely self-interested and completely rational utility maximizing individuals, workplace characteristics should be of little interest as long as they are not directly related to payment issues, so that a worker’s utility maximizing effort choice given a fixed wage level remains unaffected. Recent empirical findings, however, suggest that the use of non-monetary incentives might even be the better option to increase work performance. Three out of the four experimental studies covered by this book extend the previous research by providing more reliable insights into field behavior than conventional laboratory experiments. Given e.g. the right to self-determine one’s wage, almost all participants in the laboratory opt for the highest possible wage. Within the context of an inventory taking with 140 assistants, we conducted a natural field experiment and show that most workers ask for rather moderate wages with women being particularly conservative in their demands. Notwithstanding, wage delegation causes workers’ performance to rise and, hence, stresses the relevance of voice at the workplace. Furthermore, we provide evidence that workers also care for the content and the meaningfulness of their tasks. Uselessly exerted effort, for instance, reduces work performance as regards a completely unrelated task in the future. Taken together, the field experimental evidence presented in this book indicates that if employees find a workplace which matches their preferences, it is quite likely to be a beneficial situation not only for the employee but also for the employer. Overall good working conditions can even help workers overlook unequal treatments within the workforce, at least in the short-run and as long as there is a plausible reason for it. An additional laboratory experiment, however, suggests that additional information, e.g. about potential coworkers, might be necessary to make reasonable decisions in accordance with individual preferences.
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Relative Peer Quality and Firm Performance
Bill Francis, Iftekhar Hasan, Sureshbabu Mani, Pengfei Ye
Journal of Financial Economics,
No. 1,
2016
Abstract
We examine the performance impact of the relative quality of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO)’s compensation peers (peers to determine a CEO's overall compensation) and bonus peers (peers to determine a CEO's relative-performance-based bonus). We use the fraction of peers with greater managerial ability scores (Demerjian, Lev, and McVay, 2012) than the reporting firm to measure this CEO's relative peer quality (RPQ). We find that firms with higher RPQ earn higher stock returns and experience higher profitability growth than firms with lower RPQ. Learning among peers and the increased incentive to work harder induced by the peer-based tournament contribute to RPQ's performance effect.
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Taxation and the International Mobility of Inventors
Ufuk Akcigit, Salomé Baslandze, Stefanie Stantcheva
American Economic Review,
No. 10,
2016
Abstract
We study the effect of top tax rates on “superstar” inventors’ international mobility since 1977, using panel data on inventors from the US and European Patent Offices. We exploit the differential impact of changes in top tax rates on inventors of different qualities. Superstar inventors' location choices are significantly affected by top tax rates. In our preferred specification, the elasticity to the net-of-tax rate of the number of domestic superstar inventors is around 0.03, while that of foreign superstar inventors is around 1. These elasticities are larger for inventors in multinational companies. An inventor is less sensitive to taxes in a country if his company performs a higher share of its research there.
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European Firms after the Crisis – New Insights from the 5th Vintage of the CompNet Firm-level-based Database
Elena Ashtari Tafti, Richard Bräuer, Sante De Pinto, Marco Grazioli, Matthias Mertens, Daniel Stöhlker, Marta Tagliabue
,
2016
Abstract
This report intends to shed light on the competitive stance of European firms after the crisis. In line with CompNet cutting-edge approach, we take a firm-level perspective to analyse the competitive position of European firms by drawing from the new vintage of the firm-level-based CompNet database. This micro-level approach allows us to ascertain the extent in which firms performances are heterogeneous across EU, also in relation of possible determinants of such performance.
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