Examining the generalizability of research findings from archival data

This initiative examined systematically the extent to which a large set of archival research findings generalizes across contexts. We repeated the key analyses for 29 original strategic management effects in the same context (direct reproduction) as well as in 52 novel time periods and geographies; 45% of the reproductions returned results matching the original reports together with 55% of tests in different spans of years and 40% of tests in novel geographies. Some original findings were associated with multiple new tests. Reproducibility was the best predictor of generalizability-for the findings that proved directly reproducible, 84% emerged in other available time periods and 57% emerged in other geographies. Overall, only limited empirical evidence emerged for context sensitivity. In a forecasting survey, independent scientists were able to anticipate which effects would find support in tests in new samples

Examining the generalizability of research findings from archival data

This initiative examined systematically the extent to which a large set of archival research findings generalizes across contexts. We repeated the key analyses for 29 original strategic management effects in the same context (direct reproduction) as well as in 52 novel time periods and geographies; 45% of the reproductions returned results matching the original reports together with 55% of tests in different spans of years and 40% of tests in novel geographies. Some original findings were associated with multiple new tests. Reproducibility was the best predictor of generalizability—for the findings that proved directly reproducible, 84% emerged in other available time periods and 57% emerged in other geographies. Overall, only limited empirical evidence emerged for context sensitivity. In a forecasting survey, independent scientists were able to anticipate which effects would find support in tests in new samples

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS AND INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE: A ROMANIAN PERSPECTIVE

Our paper uses statistical tools with the aim of empirically investigating the institutional determinants of foreign direct in- vestments (FDI) in Romania. The analysis is focused on the public policies that are relevant from the FDI perspective between 2002 and 2012; more specifically, we direct our approach towards identifying the manner in which state controlled instruments can be employed in order to increase the country’s performance in terms of attracting FDI. The variables we use are the inflows of FDI to Romania, on one hand, and the set of Worldwide Governance Indicators of the World Bank on the other hand

Orthogonal and unitary tensor decomposition from an algebraic perspective

\u3cp\u3eWhile every matrix admits a singular value decomposition, in which the terms are pairwise orthogonal in a strong sense, higher-order tensors typically do not admit such an orthogonal decomposition. Those that do have attracted attention from theoretical computer science and scientific computing. We complement this existing body of literature with an algebro-geometric analysis of the set of orthogonally decomposable tensors. More specifically, we prove that they form a real-algebraic variety defined by polynomials of degree at most four. The exact degrees, and the corresponding polynomials, are different in each of three times two scenarios: ordinary, symmetric, or alternating tensors; and real-orthogonal versus complex-unitary. A key feature of our approach is a surprising connection between orthogonally decomposable tensors and semisimple algebras—associative in the ordinary and symmetric settings and of compact Lie type in the alternating setting.\u3c/p\u3

The Eastern European Automotive Industry in A Post-Pandemic World: What Drives Performance?

The automotive industry is one of the key drivers of economic growth in countries in Central and South-Eastern Europe, with contributions of up to 15% of gross domestic product. At the same time, the automotive industry is at the heart of key transformations: new technologies on the horizon at the verge of the global “green deal”; supply chain uncertainties because of the effects of pandemics in Asia; and unpredictable demand side factors ranging from purchasing power to consumer preferences. These aspects, coupled with large, fixed investments and costly distribution channels, put the industry at the core of (radical) change initiatives. Ahead of these changes, our paper investigated the presence of firm, industry, and country effects on the profitability of firms in the automotive industry in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European countries, considering different industry definitions and firm size. We found that firm effects are significant for profitability variation across companies, but differ in intensity based on the size of the company, which signals that firm size matters significantly as a driver of operational profitability, as it is converted into sustained competitive advantages. While industry effects bear very little significance for profitability variation in the automotive industry, our most surprising finding was that country effects are important for profitability and have more of an impact for smaller companies. This may be the consequence of “historical” factors that led to large Original Equipment Manufacturers setting up their manufacturing facilities in the region, but also of specific economic policies in the form of state aid addressed to the automotive industry. Keywords: automotive industry, profitability, Central and South-Eastern Europe, variance components, industry effects, country effect

Corruption and Organised Crime Signalling Indicators for Foreign Investors as Applied to Eastern European Countries

The former communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe and, implicitly, their economies, went through specific and sometimes asymmetric developments since the fall of the “iron curtain” at the end of the 1980s. During those years, they faced many challenges to create a secure and predictable economic environment for individuals and businesses, local or foreign. We propose a framework that considers legal, social, and economic indicators which can be used by foreign investors to make wise and efficient business decisions. Our main purpose is to expand the traditional economic analysis framework and enrich it with new institutional and societal indicators from the social, quality of life and legal layers of research. This new landscape could offer relevant information on vulnerabilities that could favour organized crime and corruption in some Central and Eastern European countries, a factor that foreign investors may need to address before deciding to invest in the region. Keywords: foreign direct investments, organised crime, corruption, economic vulnerabilities, GD

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTS AND INSTITUTIONAL PERFORMANCE: A ROMANIAN PERSPECTIVE

Abstract: Our paper uses statistical tools with the aim of empirically investigating the institutional determinants of foreign direct investments (FDI) in Romania. The analysis is focused on the public policies that are relevant from the FDI perspective between 2002 and 2012; more specifically, we direct our approach towards identifying the manner in which state controlled instruments can be employed in order to increase the country's performance in terms of attracting FDI. The variables we use are the inflows of FDI to Romania, on one hand, and the set of Worldwide Governance Indicators of the World Bank on the other hand