What does consolidation mean for performance? Concentration, competition, and defense contracting outcomes

How does industrial concentration influence performance outcomes in government contracting? This paper hypothesizes that concentration influences contract performance directly, as well as indirectly through reducing competition for contract awards. Tests of these hypotheses on a large dataset of US defense contracts reveal nuanced results. Increasing concentration is directly associated with a higher likelihood of contract terminations, and remains the same even after accounting for levels of competition (suggesting competition does not mediate the influence of concentration on this performance indicator). Contrary to expectations, higher competition is associated with a higher rather than a lower likelihood of terminations. Concentration is not associated with the incidence of cost ceiling breaches, and competition resulting in single (rather than multiple) offers is associated with a lower likelihood of a breach. When a breach has occurred, however, higher concentration is associated with larger breaches sizes, and higher competition with smaller breach sizes. Combined, these results partially support concerns about a connection between concentration, market power, and diminished performance incentives but suggest that the nature of these relationships depends upon the indicator of contract performance being considered.

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The Relation between Cost Shifting and Segment Profitability in the Defense-Contracting Industry

The Accounting Review ◽

10.2308/accr.2002.77.4.949 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 77 (4) ◽

pp. 949-969 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Annie S. McGowan ◽

Valaria P. Vendrzyk

Keyword(s):

Market Power ◽

Government Contracts ◽

Cost Shifting ◽

Defense Contractors ◽

Defense Contracting ◽

Government Work ◽

Defense Contracts

We test the conjecture from prior research that defense contractors' excess profitability in the 1980s stemmed from their ability to shift common overhead costs to government contracts that typically allow cost reimbursement or price renegotiation (Rogerson 1992; Thomas and Tung 1992; Lichtenberg 1992). Although we confirm prior evidence that defense contractors enjoyed abnormally high profitability on their government work in the 1984–1989 period (a period of relatively low competition for defense contracts), we find no evidence that this excess profitability is attributable to cost shifting. In addition, we find no evidence that the Top 100 defense contractors (firms that likely wield above-average market power) are able to use cost shifting to exploit a lack of competition in the industry. Our results suggest that, contrary to the conjectures in prior research, the unusually high profitability reported on government contracts in 1984–1989 is more likely attributable to nonaccounting explanations than to cost shifting.

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Using numbers that do not count: how the latent functions of performance indicators explain their success

10.31235/osf.io/vf9yn ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Shirley Kempeneer ◽

Wouter Van Dooren

Keyword(s):

Performance Indicators ◽

Performance Indicator ◽

Stress Test ◽

Banking System ◽

Performance Outcomes ◽

Improve Performance ◽

Risk Regulation ◽

European Banking ◽

Performance Results ◽

Risk Managers

Performance indicators have had to endure severe criticism. They are said to lack accuracy, encourage gaming and ultimately fail to improve performance. Yet, despite their well-documented weaknesses, performance indicators abound in governance. This article asks under which conditions performance indicators can improve performance outcomes, despite these proven weaknesses and dysfunctions. Our case study is the stress test of the European banking system, a high-profile performance indicator used for risk regulation. Based on interviews with risk managers in Belgian banks as well as staff at the European Central Bank, the European Banking Authority and the National Bank of Belgium, we find that the process of calculating the stress test improves performance outcomes in itself. It does so by fostering banks’ capacity to self-regulate, tying into Foucault’s notion of governmentality. As such, practitioners and academics should not only pay attention to how performance results can be used, but also examine how the process of calculating the performance indicator might be designed to improve performance outcomes latently.

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Impact of contract bundling and consolidation on defense acquisition system and defense industrial base: The case of the u.s. department of the navy

Journal of Public Procurement ◽

10.1108/jopp-15-01-2015-b001 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 1-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Max V. Kidalov

Keyword(s):

Acquisition System ◽

Fiscal Year ◽

Defense Acquisition ◽

Industrial Base ◽

Defense Contracting ◽

Business Goals ◽

Good Government ◽

Department Of The Navy ◽

Defense Contracts ◽

The U.S

Despite Congressional and Presidential emphasis on reducing bundling and consolidation of defense contracts, recent studies cast doubt on whether such practices are problematic for small contractors or the defense acquisition system. Those studies proposed that bundling and consolidation are generally positive tools to procure best value. This paper tests these propositions by examining relevant U.S. Department of the Navy (DON) contracts for Fiscal Year 2010, when Congress reported record bundling and consolidation in U.S. defense contracting. Specifically, the paper looks to performance of Navy and Marine Corps buying commands in meeting small business goals and other good-government objectives such as competition, performance-based acquisitions, preference for commercial suppliers, and support for the U.S. defense industrial base. The paper recommends improvements in targeted good-government practices as measures to reduce bundling and consolidation.

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Quantifying Vocal Power: Correlation of Whole-Body Anaerobic Power to Vocal Function Measures

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00110 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (8) ◽

pp. 2597-2608

Author(s):

Emily N. Snell ◽

Laura W. Plexico ◽

Aurora J. Weaver ◽

Mary J. Sandage

Keyword(s):

Fundamental Frequency ◽

Forced Vital Capacity ◽

Vital Capacity ◽

Anaerobic Power ◽

Performance Outcomes ◽

Sound Level ◽

Whole Body ◽

Vocal Function ◽

Laryngeal Diadochokinesis ◽

High Sound

Purpose The purpose of this preliminary study was to identify a vocal task that could be used as a clinical indicator of the vocal aptitude or vocal fitness required for vocally demanding occupations in a manner similar to that of the anaerobic power tests commonly used in exercise science. Performance outcomes for vocal tasks that require rapid acceleration and high force production may be useful as an indirect indicator of muscle fiber complement and bioenergetic fitness of the larynx, an organ that is difficult to study directly. Method Sixteen women (age range: 19–24 years, M age = 22 years) were consented for participation and completed the following performance measures: forced vital capacity, three adapted vocal function tasks, and the horizontal sprint test. Results Using a within-participant correlational analyses, results indicated a positive relationship between the rate of the last second of a laryngeal diadochokinesis task that was produced at a high fundamental frequency/high sound level and anaerobic power. Forced vital capacity was not correlated with any of the vocal function tasks. Conclusions These preliminary results indicate that aspects of the laryngeal diadochokinesis task produced at a high fundamental frequency and high sound level may be useful as an ecologically valid measure of vocal power ability. Quantification of vocal power ability may be useful as a vocal fitness assessment or as an outcome measure for voice rehabilitation and habilitation for patients with vocally demanding jobs.

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Outcomes: Promoting Reflective Practice Using Performance Indicator Questionnaires

Perspectives on Administration and Supervision ◽

10.1044/aas20.2.64 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 64-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Mary Pat McCarthy

Keyword(s):

Clinical Education ◽

Performance Indicator ◽

Clinical Skills ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Clinical Practicum ◽

Self Reflection ◽

Healthcare Settings ◽

Language Pathology ◽

Traditional Performance ◽

The University

This article details the process of self-reflection applied to the use of traditional performance indicator questionnaires. The study followed eight speech-language pathology graduate students enrolled in clinical practicum in the university, school, and healthcare settings over a period of two semesters. Results indicated when reflection was focused on students' own clinical skills, modifications to practice were implemented. Results further concluded self-assessment using performance indicators paired with written reflections can be a viable form of instruction in clinical education.

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Executive Functions and Clinical and Academic Outcomes in Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2020_persp-19-00143 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 1221-1230

Author(s):

Jane Roitsch ◽

Kimberly A. Murphy ◽

Anastasia M. Raymer

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

Academic Outcomes ◽

Graduate Program ◽

Performance Outcomes ◽

Future Research ◽

Speech Language Pathology ◽

Grade Point ◽

Praxis Ii ◽

Language Pathology ◽

Preliminary Study

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate executive function measures as they relate to clinical and academic performance outcomes of graduate speech-language pathology students. Method An observational design incorporating correlations and stepwise multiple regressions was used to determine the strength of the relationships between clinical outcomes that occurred at various time points throughout the graduate program (clinical coursework grades throughout the program and case study paper scores at the end of the program), academic outcomes (graduate grade point average and Praxis II exam in speech-language pathology scores), and executive function (EF) scores (EF assessment scores, self-reported EF scores). Participants were 37 students (36 women, M age = 24.1) in a master's degree program in speech-language pathology at a southeastern U.S. university during the 2017–2018 academic year. Results Findings of this preliminary study indicated that a limited number of objective EF scores and self-reported EF scores were related to clinical and academic outcomes of graduate speech-language pathology students. Conclusion As results of this preliminary study suggest that EF tests may be related to clinical and academic outcomes, future research can move to study the potential role of EF measures in the graduate admissions process in clinical graduate programs such as speech-language pathology.

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