Abstract Using national account data, we define corporate balance sheet adjustment episodes as periods during which major increases in non-financial corporations’ net lending/ borrowing are experienced. An analysis of such episodes in Germany and Japan, and a more systematic exploration of a...

The performance, management, and risk exposure of financial institutions operating in rural and agricultural markets determine the cost of agriculture’s ongoing access to financial capital. The evolution of general banking and agricultural finance research contributions in the structure,...

The considerable attention given to flexible methods of production and work organization as a fundamental determinant of achieving international levels of competitiveness in the manufacturing industry (and of late, in service industries also) in the wake of Japanese dominance over the past two...

Concerns itself with the growth prospects for the West African fishing industry, decides that attempts to reform marketing in isolation from the system of financing will be unsuccessful. Wonders what can be done to identify constraints to trade, and this involves more than a mere understanding...

Using a sample of Malaysian non-life insurers over the period 2000-2007, I develop and test a model that explains the expense ratio as a function of output level, line-of-business diversification and other variables. Using various proxies for scale and line-of-business diversification, the...

Summary Using a unique data set on German child care centers, we estimate a long-run multi-product cost function for child care provision in Germanywhile taking into account legal minimal labor input restrictions. For a representative child care center we find economies of scale, a U-shaped...

The results of a study on the cost efficiency of expanding and marketing bank services through branching rather than through the formation of new banks are given. Using detailed cost and bank service output data from a large sample of bank branches across Canada, several issues of interest to...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine evidence indicating the presence of economies of scale among Atlantic City casinos at the property‐level and between multi unit and single unit operators. Design/methodology/approach – The study extended two previous studies by performing a...

This paper explores from a US perspective two size‐related issues that may motivate aspiring franchisees to consider multi‐unit franchising as a superior alternative to the traditional single‐unit approach. First, one of the reasons for multi‐unit franchising might be the enhanced...