Business Strategy and Firm Performance: The Moderating Role of Product Market Competition

Author(s):  
Rongrong Zhang
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 796-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveed Ahmed ◽  
Talat Afza

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderating role of competitive intensity between the existing relationship of capital structure and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach Using the balanced panel data of listed non-financial firms of Pakistan, the present study adopts both the panel and OLS estimation techniques to draw the inferences. Findings The results exhibit that high debt ratio is harmful for the accounting performance of the selected sample firms of Pakistan. In addition, product market competition negatively moderates the relationship between capital structure and firm performance which suggests that high product market competition can be used as a substitute of debt financing to align the interests of a firm’s managers and shareholders. Practical implications The findings of the research provide evidence for the policy makers/regulators that the sample firms should discourage the high debt financing in the presence of competitive intensity in the product marketplace. Originality/value The core contribution of the current research is to examine the moderating role of product market competition on the leverage–performance relationship because, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no single study has previously explored this relationship in the context of Pakistan.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 4153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usman Sattar ◽  
Sohail Ahmad Javeed ◽  
Rashid Latief

Audit quality (AQ) is a crucial instrument for ensuring transparency and accountability in both the public and private sectors. If the AQ is responsible for the maximization or minimization of profit, then what are the circumstances that make these possible? In this study, we examined the role of the product market competition (PMC) in the relation between the AQ and firm performance (FP). The PMC on the manufacturing firms of Pakistan was divided into two categories—low product market competition (LPMC) and high product market competition (HPMC). This division was calculated using the Herfindahl–Hirschman index (HHI). Then, we used ordinary least squares (OLS), the fixed-effect model, and the generalized method of moment (GMM) to examine the role of PMC on the association between the AQ and FP. The results of the study revealed that the financial performance of firms was enhanced with the quality of the audit. Highly competitive firms demonstrated higher chances to capture the maximum profit and have a positive relationship with FP, while less competitive firms were negatively associated with FP. Furthermore, the HPMC played a vital role in boosting the profit of the firms. On one hand, the connection between the AQ and FP was positively affected by the HPMC. On the other hand, the connection between the AQ and FP was negatively affected by the LPMC. Thus, the findings of this investigation have various implications for owners, investors, shareholders, and governments. This study can help the governments of developing economies to enhance economic conditions by focusing on the industrial sector. This study also contributes to the literature by supporting the agency theory that PMC can mitigate the agency issue between owners and agents.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 1036-1052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Singla ◽  
Shveta Singh

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the monitoring role of board and product market competition in relation to firm performance. Further, this paper analyzes the moderating role of product market competition in influencing the board monitoring and firm value relationship in the context of an emerging economy, India. Design/methodology/approach A large sample of 3,854 firm-year observations has been used over a period of 10 years (2007-2016). Industry and year-fixed effect regression methodology has been used to test the hypothesized relationships. Findings The empirical findings indicate that board monitoring adds negatively to the firm value. The results also indicate that product market competition bears an insignificant moderating effect on the effectiveness of board monitoring in India. However, a more in-depth analysis reveals that product market competition complements the weak board monitoring of business-group firms. Further, the effectiveness of the board monitoring (which is relatively stronger in business-group firms) is weakened by the increased level of product market competition for stand-alone firms. Research limitations/implications A significant negative effect of board independence on the firm value raises the effectiveness of various policies advocating the board independence to strengthen the governance structure of the firms. The findings relating to the moderating role of product market competition for the business-group and stand-alone firms are helpful in understanding the governance behavior of the firms in relation to the external product market competition. Originality/value External governance mechanisms such as the market for corporate control and product market competition have been described as significant corporate governance mechanisms. However, the empirical efficacy of these governance mechanisms has not been explored in a greater detail in the context of the emerging markets. This study aims to address this research gap.


2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 1123-1143
Author(s):  
Omar Farooq ◽  
Zakir Pashayev

PurposeThis paper documents the impact of product market competition on the value of advertising expenditures.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the data for non-financial firms from India and the pooled regression procedure to test their arguments during the period between 2009 and 2018.FindingsThe results show that advertising expenditures of firms operating in sectors with relatively high competition are more valuable than advertising expenditures of firms operating in sectors with relatively low competition. The results of the study are robust across various proxies of advertising expenditures and firm performance. Furthermore, the results also show that the positive impact of product market competition on the value of advertising expenditures is confined only to firms that already have lower agency problems.Originality/valueThe results of the study highlight the importance of product market competition on the value of advertising expenditure in the emerging market setting, where agency problems are supposed to be high.


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