R&D Reporting Rule and Firm Efficiency

Critics opine that full expensing of research and development (R&D) depresses near-term profits and incentivizes myopic managers to under-invest in R&D, compromising firm efficiency. Advocates of the expensing rule argue that little rigorous research evidence supports the claimed adverse consequences. We examine the impact of the R&D expensing rule on firm efficiency by exploiting an exogenous shock: a shift in the accounting regime in Germany from full expensing to partial capitalization of R&D when it mandated International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) adoption in 2005. We employ Stochastic Frontier Analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis to estimate efficiency for the same German firms before and after the IFRS adoption. We find robust evidence of efficiency improvement in the post-period relative to the pre-period for German R&D firms that report R&D expenditures, and for both early adopters and timely adopters. We also document that financially constrained firms and firms experiencing rapid R&D growth prior to the IFRS adoption show greater efficiency improvement. Moreover, we conduct three falsification tests to make sure our results are not attributable to other accounting changes associated with the IFRS adoption, and find no efficiency improvement for the three control groups (German “no-R&D” sample, U.K. firms, and Australian firms), respectively. We conclude that the change in the R&D reporting rule is the likely catalyst for improvements in efficiency of German R&D firms.

Efficiency and Determinants of Capital Structure in the Greek Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic and Detergent Industries

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between a firm’s capital structure (i.e., leverage) and its operating environment, taking into account firm (i.e., efficiency, asset structure, profitability, size, age and risk) and industry effects. For a sample of Greek pharmaceutical, cosmetic and detergent (PCD) enterprises, firm efficiency was estimated using bootstrapped data envelopment analysis (DEA), and a leverage model was produced using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The findings confirm the significance of firm efficiency (i.e., the franchise-value hypothesis over the efficiency-risk hypothesis) and asset structure on leverage. Efficiency and overall and short-term leverage have a significant negative relationship, indicating that more efficient firms tend to choose a relatively low debt ratio. Pharma firms are more affected since they are less efficient than cosmetics and detergents firms. Furthermore, asset structure and short- and long- term leverage have a significant negative and positive relationship, respectively, indicating that the firms with more tangible assets have less short-term debt and more long-term debt in their capital structure. Cosmetic and detergent firms, which have slightly more tangible assets than pharma firms, appear to be able to substitute high-cost, short-term debt with the low-cost, long-term debt by using such assets as collateral.

Country Governance and Corporate Governance as determinants of Firm Efficiency; Empirical Study of Pakistan

Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) report of 2011 state that financial crises and failure of large corporation is due to weak governance system. Therefore, governments and regulatory bodies are convinced to ensure effective CG practices and strict regulatory requirements must be imposed. The primary aim of this research is to examine the effect of corporate governance both at country and firm-level on the firm’s efficiency of Pakistani listed non-financial firms. The empirical analyses consist of two parts. Initially firm efficiencies such as overall technical efficiency, Pure Technical efficiency and Scale efficiency are measured through Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique over a 10 years’ period from 2008 to 2017.These efficiency scores are used as proxies for firm performance. In the second stage, CGboth at firm and country level are used as independent variables to examine its impact on firm efficiencies scores. The results findings support the theoretical justifications that efficient system of CG and regulatory system ensures disclosures. These disclosures not only enhance accounting information quality but also help in reducing agency cost which in return improve investors protection. Thus, managers tend to take decisions in the best interest of shareholder by utilizing firm resources efficiently and effectively and as a result enhance firm efficiency.

Intellectual capital and firm efficiency of US multinational software firms

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the impact of intellectual capital efficiency on US multinational software companies' performance from 2012 to 2016 by applying data envelopment analysis (DEA).Design/methodology/approachIt adopts a new slacks-based measure (SBM) to obtain a more accurate performance estimation and rank between companies. Regression analysis is used to test the overall IC and each of its elements (Human Capital, Innovation Capital, Process Capital and Customer Capital).FindingsThe univariate result shows that multinational companies are more efficient than non-multinational companies. However, the regression result shows that multinationality can hardly explain the firm efficiency of software firms. Another interesting finding is that intellectual capital has a positive and significant impact on software firm performance in the US human capital influences firm efficiency directly. However, when human capital is combined with the other elements of IC, the contribution of human capital becomes less significant. This is because people may think that innovation capital, process capital and customer capital can replace human capital, but it is not. In short, human capital may affect firm efficiency through other elements of IC (innovation capital, process capital and customer capital) as it is the base of other elements.Research limitations/implicationsThe results show that multinational companies have higher efficiency scores than non-multinational companies. In addition, Intellectual capital has a positive and significant impact on software firm performance in the US human capital influences firm efficiency directly. However, when human capital is combined with the other elements of IC, the contribution of human capital becomes less significant. This is because people may think that innovation capital, process capital and customer capital can replace human capital, but it is not. In short, human capital may affect firm efficiency through other elements of IC (innovation capital, process capital and customer capital) as it is the base of other elements.Practical implicationsOverall, the study highlights the needs of having intellectual capital and its elements (Human Capital, Innovation Capital, Process Capital and Customer Capital) to increase firm efficiency.Originality/valueFirst, the authors use a more comprehensive elements of IC, which are human capital, innovation capital, process capital and customer capital for a better IC measurement. Second, this study makes the first attempt using the DSBM model via DEA to examine the operating efficiency of US multinational software firms.

The post-SOX comparative dynamics of public accounting firm efficiency

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the differences in the efficiency of public accounting firms across both firms and countries in the post-Sarbanes-Oxley world. It also investigates the issues surrounding the dynamics of their efficiency gaps. Design/methodology/approach This study uses four-stage data envelopment analysis to estimate the efficiency of public accounting firms in the USA, the UK and Canada over the period 2008–2015. The ß- and σ- convergence tests are applied to analyze the dynamics of the efficiency gaps across firms and countries. Findings The results show that market competition in the accounting sector increases efficiency. Gross domestic product growth also increases it while inflation decreases it. The analytical results indicate that the lagging public accounting firms are catching up to the leading public accounting firms within the same country, within the Big 4 group and within the non-Big 4 group. They also show that the non-Big 4 groups are catching up to the Big 4 group and that the countries with less efficient accounting firms are catching up to the country with the more efficient accounting firms. Originality/value This study accounts explicitly for the effect of business environmental factors on public accounting firm efficiency. Furthermore, the research also adds to the literature by investigating the comparative dynamics of the efficiency gaps of public accounting firms.