Misallocation and reallocation of resources in Vietnamese manufacturing firms

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 1605-1627
Author(s):  
Phuong Thi Nguyen ◽  
Minh Khac Nguyen

PurposeThis research identifies the level of misallocation in Vietnamese manufacturing sector for the period 2000–2015. Meltiz and Polanec dynamic productivity decomposition is used to compare the relative productivity contributions from surviving, entering and exiting firms to aggregate productivity change by the type of ownership. Heckman's two-step model is used to examine the effect of misallocation and industry- and firm-level factors on entry or exit decision and market share of firms in Vietnamese manufacturing sector.Design/methodology/approachThe level of misallocation and efficiency gains in total factor productivity (TFP) are assessed using Hsieh and Klenow (2009) productivity decomposition framework for the period 2000–2015. The dynamic productivity decomposition of Meltiz and Polanec (2015) is used to compare the relative contributions from surviving, entering and exiting firms to aggregate productivity change. The effects of misallocation and other factors on entry or exit decisions and market share of firms are determined by using Heckman choice model.FindingsThe results indicate three main points. Firstly, resource misallocation is found to be highest among state-owned enterprise (SOEs) and low technology industries. TFP is found to 81.2% greater if there is no resource misallocation among firms. Secondly, the aggregate productivity change for the entering, exiting and surviving firms is 35% due to productivity reallocation among three groups. Finally, the decision of entry or exit as well as the market share of firms are influenced by misallocation and industry- and firm-level factors such as Vietnam's WTO entry, tax policy, financial frictions, industrial concentration, technology gap, capital intensity, human capital, scale of firm, time entry and FDI spillovers. The result finds the higher misallocation level is, the lower the probability and market share for a new firm to enter in the industry is.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of the study is that the market is assumed perfectly competitive and the method has only decomposed misallocation of resources to those arising from output and capital distortions. The results of Heckman choice model only clarify on the sub-sample of state-owned enterprises and low technology firms.Originality/valueThe focus of many previous research papers on resource misallocation was generally to look at the level of misallocation in developed countries. However, knowledge about the effect of misallocation and other factors on entry or exit decisions and market share of firms is limited, particularly in the context of developing countries. This paper clarifies the level of misallocation in Vietnamese manufacturing sector and the effect of misallocation and other factors on entry or exit decisions and market share of firms.

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-303
Author(s):  
Phuong Thi Nguyen ◽  
Minh Khac Nguyen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine resource misallocation among Vietnam’s small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector. The paper also aims to consider selective factors on reducing the level of resource misallocation in SMEs. Design/methodology/approach Resource misallocation and efficiency gains in total factor productivity (TFP) are assessed using Vietnam’s annual enterprise survey data for the period 2000–2015 and an appropriate productivity decomposition framework. Findings Resource misallocation is found to be higher among SMEs than large scale enterprises. TFP is found to 116.3 per cent greater if there is no resource misallocation among SMEs. Smaller scale, lower market concentration, trade liberalisation and corruption control are found to be associated with lower level of resource misallocation in SMEs. Research limitations/implications The major limitation of this study is that it has only decomposed misallocation of resources arising from output and capital distortions and that it focusses on selective factors contribution to reducing misallocation level in SMEs. Originality/value Resource misallocation is attracting attention in both developed and developing countries. However, knowledge about resource misallocation among SMEs is limited, particularly in the context of developing countries. This paper assesses the level of resource misallocation among SMEs in Vietnamese manufacturing sector.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haesun Park-Poaps ◽  
Md Sadaqul Bari ◽  
Zafar Waziha Sarker

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the status of technology adoption (TA) among clothing manufacturers in Bangladesh and examine the influences of contextual factors on their TA level. Particularly, the authors examined the effects of export orientation, top management commitment (TMC), competitive pressure (CP), cost of capital (CC) and technical skills (TS).Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from Bangladeshi clothing manufacturer through an online survey. A firm was treated as a unit of analysis.FindingsThe results revealed that the most common technologies adopted were information technology and software related and the least common were automation related. Export orientation negatively influenced while TS and CP positively influenced the level of TA.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the difficulty in obtaining firm level data, data collection did not utilize a random sampling. Only firms that agree to participate were included in the data.Practical implicationsThe authors suggest the Bangladeshi clothing manufacturers to adopt selective technologies that complement the cost leadership strategy rather than immediate differentiation strategy or technology innovations.Social implicationsFocused investment in human capitals and knowledge transfer in Bangladesh, one of the newly classified developing country, should sustain their competitiveness in the global market. Further discussions provide various stakeholders with insights related to trade policies, international aids and the UN's sustainable development agenda.Originality/valueThis study tackles a void that exists in TA research within the labor intensive clothing manufacturing sector, especially in a lower-middle income country, which surprisingly became the second largest clothing supplier today. Unique nature of the sector as an entry to economic development process in connection to the sustainable development concept is discussed to generate implications for practitioners as well as policy makers.


2016 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 943-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel M. David ◽  
Hugo A. Hopenhayn ◽  
Venky Venkateswaran

Abstract We propose a theory linking imperfect information to resource misallocation and hence to aggregate productivity and output. In our setup, firms look to a variety of noisy information sources when making input decisions. We devise a novel empirical strategy that uses a combination of firm-level production and stock market data to pin down the information structure in the economy. Even when only capital is chosen under imperfect information, applying this methodology to data from the United States, China, and India reveals substantial losses in productivity and output due to the informational friction. Our estimates for these losses range from 7% to 10% for productivity and 10% to 14% for output in China and India, and are smaller, though still significant, in the United States. Losses are substantially higher when labor decisions are also made under imperfect information. We find that firms turn primarily to internal sources for information; learning from financial markets contributes little, even in the United States.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jann Lay ◽  
Tevin Tafese

Using a firm-level panel dataset on private small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Viet Nam’s manufacturing sector, this paper examines productivity dynamics of formal and informal firms. We decompose productivity changes into changes within and between formal and informal firms. We assess the contributions of firm entry and exit as well as informal–formal transitions. Our results show that productivity is considerably lower and misallocation more prevalent in the informal than in the formal sector. Yet, formalizing firms in Viet Nam make an important contribution to aggregate productivity growth among manufacturing SMEs, growing faster than other firms and increasing efficiency. We identify two ‘regimes’ of formalization. Until early 2010, more productive (previously) informal firms formalize. Policy changes and accelerated formalization then alter the characteristics of formalizers, as less productive firms become formal. While this formalization wave depresses average formal total factor productivity growth, the overall productivity effect is positive.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Seth ◽  
Saurabh Chadha ◽  
Satyendra Sharma

PurposeThis paper evaluates the working capital management (WCM) efficiency of the Indian manufacturing industries through data envelopment analysis (DEA) and empirically investigates the influence of several exogenous variables on the WCM efficiency.Design/methodology/approachWCM efficiency was calculated using BCC input-oriented DEA model. Further, the panel data fixed effect model was used on a sample of 1391 Indian manufacturing firms spread across nine industries, covering the period from 2008 to 2019.FindingsFirstly, the WCM efficiency of Indian manufacturing industries has been stable over the analysis period. Secondly, the capacity to generate internal resources, size, age, productivity, gross domestic product and interest rate significantly influence WCM efficiency.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the selected study period has observed various economic uncertainties including demonetization and recession, so the scenario might differ in normal conditions or country-wise. Second, the findings might not be generalizable to the developed economies, since the current study sample belongs to a developing economy, which further provides scope for comparative study.Practical implicationsAn efficient model for managing the working capital comprising most vital determinants could enhance the firms' valuation and goodwill. Also, this study would be helpful for financial executives, manufacturers, policymakers, investors, researchers and other stakeholders.Originality/valueThis study estimates the industry-wise WCM efficiency of the Indian manufacturing sector and suggests measures to the concerned parties on areas to focus on and provide evidence on the estimated relationships of firm-level and macroeconomic determinants with WCM efficiency.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Cirera ◽  
Roberto Fattal-Jaef ◽  
Hibret Maemir

Abstract This paper uses comprehensive and comparable firm-level manufacturing censuses from four Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries to examine the extent, costs, and nature of within-industry resource misallocation between heterogeneous production units. This paper finds evidence of severe misallocation in which resources are diverted away from high-productivity firms towards low-productivity ones, although the magnitude differs across countries. Estimated aggregate productivity gains from the hypothetical equalization of marginal returns range from 30 percent in Côte d’Ivoire to 160 percent in Kenya. The magnitude of reallocation gains appears considerably lower when performing the same counterfactual exercise based on the World Bank Enterprise Surveys once the value-added shares of industries are adjusted using the census data. This suggests that linking firm-level survey data to aggregate outcomes requires census-type data or sampling methods that take the true structure of production into account.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 1157-1173
Author(s):  
Maman Setiawan ◽  
Nury Effendi ◽  
Ratni Heliati ◽  
Alfi Syahrin Ario Waskito

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the technical efficiency (TE) of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and its determinants in the Indonesian manufacturing sector covering comprehensive subsectors. Design/methodology/approach This research uses the data from the micro and small industry survey sourced from the Indonesian Bureau of Central Statistics for the period 2010–2015. The TE is estimated using data envelopment analysis (DEA) with bootstrapping approach. The TE is also estimated at the firm-level survey data, classified at the five-digit level of the International Standard Industrial Classification system. In addition, a truncated regression model is applied to estimate the effects of the determinants on the TE. Findings This research finds that there is a low average TE of the MSEs for the subsectors investigated. It is also found that the TE is associated with firm size, location, export orientations on domestic and world markets, firm age, level of technology, and owner education. Originality/value The literature investigating the TE of the MSEs and its determinants is still rare in Indonesia. Most of the previous research limited the studies for specific subsectors and/or specific small regions. Therefore, this research has a contribution in measuring the TE of the MSEs for comprehensive subsectors as well as its relation with the determinants in the Indonesian manufacturing sector. Also, the DEA with bootstrapping approach is applied to estimate the TE of the firms based on each relevant subsector, which is rare in the previous research of the Indonesian MSEs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qayoom Khachoo ◽  
Ruchi Sharma

Purpose The study is an attempt to analyze the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on research and development (R&D) behavior of incumbent firms’, both domestic and foreign, operating in Indian manufacturing sector. FDI inflows into the host country escalates the level of competition compelling domestic as well as existing foreign firms to adjust their spending on R&D. The purpose of this paper is to propose that response of domestic and existing foreign firms to the FDI entry vary, with domestic firms increasing their spending on R&D whereas foreign firms reducing it. Design/methodology/approach Using a rich firm level data set from Indian manufacturing for the period 2000-2012, the study utilizes Heckman’s two- step estimation strategy to estimate the impact of FDI entry on R&D behavior of incumbents. Findings FDI entry significantly increases the tendency of domestic and foreign firms to invest in R&D; however, the impact on R&D intensity for both domestic and foreign firms appears to be minimal. Originality/value The study contributes to the existing literature on two fronts. One, unlike other studies, it examines the impact of FDI entry not only on R&D behavior of domestic firms but also on the R&D behavior of existing foreign firms. Second, it addresses the problem of selection bias that has been largely ignored by majority of empirical studies on R&D.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Segundo Camino-Mogro

Purpose Using a large firm-level data set, this paper examines total factor productivity (TFP) and its determinants in the Ecuadorian manufacturing sector in the period 2007–2018. Design/methodology/approach I analyze the role played by traditional TPF determinants, including internal firm characteristics, international trade activities, financial constraints and competition intensity. I contribute to the literature by presenting quantile regression results. Moreover, I analyze industry patterns, distinguishing between industries according to their technological intensity (following the organisation for economic co-operation and development classification). Findings My results confirm that firm age is positively related to TFP level but negatively related to TFP growth. I also find that being an exporter and an importer at the same time is associated with higher TFP levels and that this effect is higher than when being only an exporter or an importer. Additionally, l find that credit is positively related to TFP levels. Finally, I find that more competition is positively related to productivity in lower quantiles of output. Practical implications The results are the source of tools to propose policy recommendations, which are stated in the present document. Originality/value This paper aims to reopen the debate of firm productivity determinants in a developing country such as Ecuador. The authors use a set of covariates less analyzed in this issue.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-190
Author(s):  
Nguyen Khac Minh ◽  
Phung Mai Lan ◽  
Pham Van Khanh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to measure TFP growth and job reallocation in the Vietnamese manufacturing industry after the Doimoi period. Design/methodology/approach The study uses firm-level panel data from Vietnam’s annual enterprise survey data for 2000–2016 period in the Vietnamese manufacturing industry using Olley–Pakes static and dynamic productivity decomposition methods. Findings The aggregate productivity estimated from the WRDG method increased 2.323 percent, of which over 40 percent is due to the reallocation toward more productive firms. Olley–Pakes dynamic decomposition according to ownership, scale and industry shows that the contribution of private and state-owned firms and the contribution of small and medium firms and large firms to the TFP growth are 133, −33 percent, 58.56 and 41.44 percent, respectively. The within-firm productivity and net entry components are the main reasons for TFP growth rather than reallocation. The results show that the composition of the aggregate TFPs, estimated from WRDG, OP, LP and ACF, is correlated very high (over 80 percent) except for net entry components. Research limitations/implications The major limitation of this study is that the authors compute an aggregate productivity index using actual employment-based shares (still misallocation in labor), rather than optimal employment-based shares (no misallocation in labor). Originality/value Job reallocation between industries is attracting attention in developing countries, especially transition economies. However, knowledge about job reallocation among industries is limited. This paper assesses the level of job reallocation among private and state-owned firms, small and medium firms and large firms in Vietnam.


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