nep-cfn New Economics Papers
on Corporate Finance
Issue of 2013‒10‒25
five papers chosen by
Zelia Serrasqueiro
University of the Beira Interior

  1. Businesses seized from organized crime groups: their relations with the banking system By Luigi Donato; Anna Saporito; Alessandro Scognamiglio
  2. Small and Medium Enterprises' Access to Finance: Evidence from Selected Asian Economies By Charles HARVIE; Dionisius NARJOKO; Sothea OUM
  3. Ownership structure and acquirers performance: Family vs. non-family firms By Houssam Bouzgarrou; Patrick Navatte
  4. Taxes and the Choice of Organizational Form by Entrepreneurs in Sweden By Edmark, Karin; Gordon, Roger
  5. Nonlinearities in the Relationship between Debt and Growth: Evidence from Co-Summability Testing By Markus Eberhardt

  1. By: Luigi Donato (Bank of Italy); Anna Saporito (Bank of Italy); Alessandro Scognamiglio (Bank of Italy)
    Abstract: This paper analyzes the relations between businesses seized from organized crime and the banking system. The first part of the paper examines legislative developments regarding seized and confiscated assets and highlights the persistence of problem areas despite the efforts to create a systematic framework for measures to combat crime on the economic plane. The analysis of firms’ credit and operational profiles in the second part of the paper finds no evidence that banks, following the confiscation order, impose more onerous terms and conditions with respect to other companies in the same sectors, located in the same geographical areas and having similar operational profiles. This finding appears to be linked to the observation that the deterioration of the main indicators dates back to the years before the confiscation order, presumably in part following preventive action by the banks, prompted as a precaution to reduce their exposure at the first hint of a firm’s involvement in anti-mafia investigations. The paper concludes with implications for policy, taking into consideration the crucial role of expectations, the need to restore firms to healthy conditions through timely planning and the importance of economically efficient operational choices.
    Keywords: requisition, organized crime, bank-firm relationships
    JEL: K42 G32
    Date: 2013–09
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdi:opques:qef_202_13&r=cfn
  2. By: Charles HARVIE (School of Economics, Facutly of Commerce, University of Wollongong); Dionisius NARJOKO (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)); Sothea OUM (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA))
    Abstract: This paper sheds light on the issue of SME financing in selected Asian economies using a unique sample survey. It elaborates on (i) the key sources of external finance for SMEs (ii) the extent to which, if at all, the SME sector as identified by firm size, country and in aggregate for a sample of countries in Asia is systematically disadvantaged, or rationed, with respect to access to external financing, (iii) the key factors contributing to the extent of this rationing, focusing upon firm characteristics, owner characteristics and firm performance, and (iv) the importance of financial rationing for SME performance. Our empirical results confirm the salient characteristics of successful SMEs with regard to accessing external funding, their ability to access multiple financial institutions and types of finance, and identifying potential credit rationing or risk premiums imposed by financial institutions on SMEs. The results also reveal how risk premiums affect the innovation capability and exporting activity of SMEs.
    Keywords: small and medium enterprises (SMEs), external financing, rationing, firm characteristics, Asia.
    JEL: G32 L22
    Date: 2013–10
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:era:wpaper:dp-2013-23&r=cfn
  3. By: Houssam Bouzgarrou (CREM - Centre de Recherche en Economie et Management - CNRS : UMR6211 - Université de Rennes 1 - Université de Caen Basse-Normandie); Patrick Navatte (CREM - Centre de Recherche en Economie et Management - CNRS : UMR6211 - Université de Rennes 1 - Université de Caen Basse-Normandie)
    Abstract: This paper investigates the impact of family control on French acquirers' performance.We consider a sample of 239 acquisitions undertaken by French listed companies between January 1997 and December 2006. Comparing both, short-termand long-termperformance,we find that family-controlled firms outperformnon-family firms. We find that the relationship depends on the control level. The higher operating performance of family firms is statistically significant for an intermediate level of control. Around the announcement date, family firms with a high level of control outperform non-family firms. Using the calendar time approach, we find that long-term stock performance of family firms is positive and statistically significant. Robustness tests showthat our findings seem to not be driven by the endogeneity problem. Finally, we find that family wedge, due to the use of the pyramidal structure and the double voting rules, has no statistical significant effect.
    Keywords: Acquisitions ; family firms ; agency theory ; stock performance ; operating performance
    Date: 2013
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-00801736&r=cfn
  4. By: Edmark, Karin (Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN)); Gordon, Roger (University of California)
    Abstract: This paper estimates the role of both tax and non-tax determinants in the choice in Sweden to be a closely-held corporation vs. a proprietorship, using individual data for 2004 to 2008 on owners of closely-held businesses. While lower-income individuals face relatively neutral incentives, higher income individuals face strong tax incentives to be corporate. The data suggest a relatively strong correlation between these tax incentives and the likelihood that a firm is corporate. Many conventional non-tax determinants are confirmed in the data as well.
    Keywords: Self-employment; Entrepreneurship; Taxation of closely-held businesses; Business organizational form
    JEL: G32 G38 H25
    Date: 2013–10–10
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:0982&r=cfn
  5. By: Markus Eberhardt
    Abstract: This paper employs novel time series methods to investigate the presence of nonlinearities in the long-run relationship between public debt and growth, analysing annual series for the United States, Great Britain, Japan and Sweden from the 1800s to 2008. We find only limited evidence for a nonlinear long-run relationship in these countries and further cannot support the notion that the equilibrium debt-growth relationship is identical across countries. Both results weaken the case for a common 90% or indeed any common debt/GDP threshold recently popularised by the work of Reinhart and Rogoff (2010) and others.
    Keywords: economic growth; public debt; nonlinearity; summability, balance and co-summability
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:not:notcfc:13/06&r=cfn

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