Product diversification, business structure, and firm performance in Taiwanese property and liability insurance sector

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 486-499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen-Ying Lee
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Product Diversification ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Business Structure

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze product diversification, business structure and insurer performance with a comprehensive look at the property-liability (P/L) insurance operations. Design/methodology/approach Using a panel data, this study employs an ordinary least squares regression model, fixed effects model and random effects model to examine the impact of product diversification and business structure on the performance of P/L insurers. The study assesses insurer performance using both risk-adjusted return on assets and risk-adjusted return on equity. Findings The study finds that product diversification is significantly negatively related to the performance of P/L insurers. The results are consistent with the diversification discount theory. The empirical results reveal that business lines have significant impacts on firm performance, particularly on the lines of fire and marine insurances. Furthermore, the interaction between product diversification and firm size implies that product diversification significantly increases the performance of large-sized insurance firms. Originality/value The study provides some valuable insights into the effects of diversification and business structure on the performance of P/L insurers in a developing country. The study’s findings suggest that management of P/L insurers should clarify their objectives and carefully assess the company’s resources when dealing with product diversification and business structure. The results have practical implications for the financial services industry in Taiwan.

Diversification, family involvement and firm performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 663-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuela Delbufalo ◽  
Sara Poggesi ◽  
Simone Borra
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Family Involvement ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Product Diversification ◽  
Geographic Diversification ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Italian Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of product and geographic diversification on the performance of Italian manufacturing firms and evaluate the moderating role of family involvement. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses have been tested by using a fixed-effects panel data regression model. Findings – Results show a linear relationship between product diversification and firm performance and an inverted U-shaped relationship between geographic diversification and firm performance. Moreover, when considering the status of the family firm, family ties have a negative moderating role on the performance of companies that are product and internationally diversified. Originality/value – By providing theoretical explanations and empirical evidence, the study extends the diversification-performance research by testing this relationship in an unexplored context (i.e. Italy), and by identifying a still not well explored contingency factor (i.e. family involvement). In doing so, diversification and family involvement literatures are brought together and the results show the importance of the type of owner regarding the impact of product and international diversification on firm performance.

Legal family, cultural dimensions, and FDI

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 285-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Steigner ◽  
Marian K. Riedy ◽  
Antonina Bauman
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Source Country ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Legal Origin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interaction between legal origin and cultural distance and its impact on foreign direct investment (FDI) flows into the OECD. Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least squares regression analysis is used to evaluate FDI flows into OECD countries between 2003 and 2012. Estimations use fixed effects and clustered standard errors. Findings FDI flows from civil to common law countries are greater than vice versa. Further, cultural distance impacts FDI flows depending on the legal origin of the source country. Specifically, more FDI flows from civil and common law countries, when the host country has a higher (lower) power distance (individualism) score. Civil law countries send more FDI into countries with higher masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and indulgence scores and with lower long-term orientation scores. The opposite is the case with common law source countries. The findings remain robust for various changes to the sample selection. Research limitations/implications The concepts of cultural distance and legal origin have been criticized. However, neither concept has been rejected; rather, both concepts persist as robust empirical research tools. Practical implications Scholars, managers and investors can gauge the impact of cultural distance on FDI flows based on the legal family of the source country. Further, policy makers might want to consider rebranding their countries in terms of cultural perceptions to show the attractiveness of specific cultural dimensions to foreign companies and investors. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that jointly investigates FDI, legal origin and national culture.

Audit committee effectiveness and family firms: impact on performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 1021-1034
Author(s):  
Jihad Al-Okaily ◽  
Salma Naueihed
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Family Firm ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Minority Shareholders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relationship between audit committee characteristics and firm performance, and whether family ownership and involvement moderate the latter relationship. Design/methodology/approach Following Anderson and Reeb (2003), this paper estimates a two-way fixed effects model. A sub-sample analysis is used by first examining the impact of audit committee effectiveness on firm performance only in non-family firms and then only in family firms. A fully interacted model was also analyzed in the robustness tests. Findings This paper finds that the audit committee characteristics of size, expertise and meeting frequency are positively and significantly related to non-family firm performance, while insignificantly related to family firm performance. Research limitations/implications The evidence reported in this paper may be of use for regulators and policy makers pondering corporate governance reforms, as well as for investors, managers and minority shareholders concerned with firm performance and valuation. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to examine the moderating effect of family control and involvement on the relationship between firm performance and audit committee effectiveness in terms of size, expertise and meeting frequency.

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET ON TRADE IN EDUCATION

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 833-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina TAY
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Education For All ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Analyse Data ◽  
Time Frames ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the Internet impacts trade in education. Divided into three time frames – 2000 to 2006, 2007 to 2012 and 2000 to 2012, data on 189 countries was used to compare the impact of different intensities of the Internet access on trade in education. This research uses the following methods to analyse data: pooled ordinary least squares regression, fixed-effects model and random effects model. Results suggest that the Internet facilitates trade in education, the impact of which is between 16.4% and 21% for every 0.01% increase in Internet access. Larger countries and countries that share a common language show a highly significant impact of the Internet on trade in education for all three time frames at 0.01%. However, economic health of a country does not necessarily imply greater trade. This study finds mixed results for fixed (wired) broadband over the three time frames. The results explain between 63.2% and 74.9% of the impact of the Internet on trade in education. Finally, the results of this study strongly suggest that improving Internet access in a country will stimulate trade in education.

Irrigation investment in China: trends, correlates and impacts

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei He ◽  
Yaojiang Shi ◽  
Renfu Luo ◽  
Linxiu Zhang ◽  
Natalie Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Irrigated Area ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Sown Area

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe trends in irrigation investment in China’s rural villages in the 2000s, identify the types of villages in which investment occurred and examine whether this investment had an impact on agricultural land. Design/methodology/approach – This study makes use of longitudinal survey data from a nearly nationally representative sample of 101 villages spread across five provinces. The outcome variables are cultivated area, sown area and effectively irrigated area, and ordinary least squares regression and fixed effects models are used for the analysis. Findings – In spite of sustained investments into irrigation from 1998 to 2011, there has been almost no impact on agricultural land. Cultivated area and sown area have fallen across all five sample provinces while effectively irrigated area remains largely unchanged. The authors also show that there is no relationship between investment into irrigation and agricultural land. Irrigation facilities also have the lowest rate of rural resident satisfaction of any of the major public services provided. Research limitations/implications – More research is needed to understand the impact of irrigation investment on crop yields and water savings. Practical implications – Policymakers may need to rethink the current pattern of investment into irrigation. Originality/value – This is the first study to quantitatively model the impact of investment into irrigation at the village level all over China.

The impact of executives’ perceptions of environmental threats and organizational slack on innovation strategies

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengyuan Wang ◽  
Biao Luo ◽  
Yong Liu ◽  
Zhengyun Wei
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Organizational Slack ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
Innovation Strategies ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The paper aims to study the relationship between executives’ perceptions of environmental threats and innovation strategies and investigate the moderating effect of contextual factor (i.e. organizational slack) on such relations. It proposes a dualistic relationship between executives’ perceptions of environmental threats and innovation strategies, in which different perceptions of environmental threats will lead to corresponding innovation strategies, and dyadic organizational slack can promote such processes. Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on a survey with 163 valid questionnaires, which were all completed by executives. Hierarchical ordinary least-squares regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses proposed in this paper. Findings The paper provides empirical insights about that executives tend to choose exploratory innovation when they perceive environmental changes as likely loss threats, yet adopt exploitative innovation when perceiving control-reducing threats. Furthermore, unabsorbed slack (e.g. financial redundancy) positively moderates both relationships, while absorbed slack (e.g. operational redundancy) merely positively influences the relationship between the perception of control-reducing threats and exploitative innovation. Originality/value The paper bridges the gap between organizational innovation and cognitive theory by proposing a dualistic relationship between executives’ perceptions of environmental threats and innovation strategies. The paper further enriches innovation studies by jointly considering both subjective and objective influence factors of innovation and argues that organizational slack can moderate such dualistic relationship.

Quality financial inclusion and its determinants in South Africa: evidence from survey data

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kudakwashe Joshua Chipunza ◽  
Ashenafi Fanta
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Financial Products ◽  
Data Limitations

PurposeThe study measured quality financial inclusion, a more comprehensive measure of financial inclusion, and examined its determinants at a consumer level in South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThis study leveraged on FinScope 2015 survey data to compute a quality financial inclusion index using polychoric principal component analysis. Subsequently, a heteroscedasticity consistent ordinary least squares regression model was employed to assess determinants of quality financial inclusion.FindingsThe empirical findings indicated that gender, education, financial literacy, income, location and geographical proximity determine quality financial inclusion. These findings could inform policymakers and financial services providers on how quality financial inclusion can be promoted through tailoring financial products for various socio-demographic groups.Research limitations/implicationsDue to data limitations, the study was confined to South Africa and did not capture digital financial inclusion. Hence, future studies could replicate the study in Sub-Saharan Africa's context and compute an index that captures digital financial inclusion.Practical implicationsThese findings could inform policymakers and financial services providers on how quality financial inclusion can be promoted through tailoring financial products for various socio-demographic groups.Originality/valueThis study proposed a more comprehensive measure of quality financial inclusion from a demand-side perspective by accounting for important dimensions that include diversity, affordability, appropriateness and flexibility of financial products and services.

Audit committee characteristics and the moderating effect of Malaysian code of corporate governance on IPO liquidity

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amal Mohammed Al-Masawa ◽  
Rasidah Mohd-Rashid ◽  
Hamdan Amer Al-Jaifi ◽  
Shaker Dahan Al-Duais
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Initial Public Offerings ◽  
Audit Committee ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Code Of Corporate Governance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to investigate the link between audit committee characteristics and the liquidity of initial public offerings (IPOs) in Malaysia, which is an emerging economy in Southeast Asia. Another purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of the revised Malaysian code of corporate governance (MCCG) on the link between audit committee characteristics and IPO liquidity. Design/methodology/approach The final sample consists of 304 Malaysian IPOs listed in 2002–2017. This study uses ordinary least squares regression method to analyse the data. To confirm this study’s findings, a hierarchical or four-stage regression analysis is used to compare the t-values of the main and moderate regression models. Findings The findings show that audit committee characteristics (size and director independence) have a positive and significant relationship with IPO liquidity. Also, the revised MCCG positively moderates the relationship between audit committee characteristics and IPO liquidity. Research limitations/implications This study’s findings indicate that companies with higher audit committee independence have a more effective monitoring mechanism that mitigates information asymmetry, thus reducing adverse selection issues during share trading. Practical implications Policymakers could use the results of this study in developing policies for IPO liquidity improvements. Additionally, the findings are useful for traders and investors in their investment decision-making. For companies, the findings highlight the crucial role of the audit committee as part of the control system that monitors corporate governance. Originality/value To the authors’ knowledge, this work is a pioneering study in the context of a developing country, specifically Malaysia that investigates the impact of audit committee characteristics on IPO liquidity. Previously, the link between corporate governance and IPO liquidity had not been investigated in Malaysia. This study also contributes to the IPO literature by providing empirical evidence regarding the moderating effect of the revised MCCG on the relationship between audit committee characteristics and IPO liquidity.

Board gender diversity: performance and risk of Brazilian firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Mastella ◽  
Daniel Vancin ◽  
Marcelo Perlin ◽  
Guilherme Kirch
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Firm Risk ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Female Presence ◽  
Board Gender Diversity ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to intend to check if female board representation affects performance and risk and to analyse the evolution of the demographic aspects of the presence of women on boards in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a sample of 150 Brazilian publicly traded companies from 2010–2018, with different measures of firm performance, firm risk and women’s presence on the board. The study approach is based on a set of ordinary least squares, quantile and panel data regressions. Findings The presence of women on the board has a positive effect on all of our accounting and market performance measures. However, the result of the impact on risk is not conclusive. The study also found that the number of females on the board has a more significant effect at the lower levels of firm performance measured by return on equity, but at the higher levels when measured by Tobin’s Q. Regarding return on assets, the more significant effect happened on the extremes of the performance distribution. The study findings point that market investors place more value in female presence on the board than in director positions. Originality/value By estimating the impact of women’s presence on the boards of directors in firm performance and risk, this study aimed to verify this impact in different aspects of the company. In addition, the authors did so in a sample with many years, making it possible to evaluate the historical evolution of the feminine presence in the boards of administration as well as in the groups of directors, assisting Brazilian legislators with new evidence about the possible impacts of Draft Law 7179/2017.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT ON PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IN EU MEMBER STATES

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (0) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alma Mačiulytė-Šniukienė ◽  
Kristina Matuzevičiūtė
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Education Expenditure ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
The Impact

In this research, we investigate the impact of human capital on labour productivity in European Union member states using panel data analysis. Results of the paper are estimated using the Pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) and Fixed effects model (FEM). The results show that human capital is positively significant in improving the growth of labour productivity in the EU. Our estimates also suggest that the impact occurs after three times lags in case of education expenditure.

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