Cost of capital in an international context: Institutional distance, quality, and dynamics

Cost of debt is a key cognitive anchor for managerial decisions and an important determinant of firm profitability. We extend international management research by analyzing the effects of institutional distance, institutional quality, and their dynamics on the cost of debt in the context of foreign direct investments (FDI). We test our conceptual model on a sample of companies making 3,764 greenfield foreign direct investments from developed into less developed markets. Using hierarchical linear modelling, we show that the financial consequences of internationalizing into countries with weak institutions depend on both the institutional distance between countries, as well as their institutional quality. Furthermore, we find that recent changes in institutional quality form expectations about future development and ultimately influence post investment financing costs

Trojan Horses or Local Allies: Host-country National Managers in Developing Market Subsidiaries

We investigate a multinational corporation's (MNC) decision to appoint host-country national (HCN) managers to foreign subsidiaries based on the institutional context of and familiarity with the host country. HCN managers are commonly associated with specialized knowledge, superior responsiveness, and higher legitimacy. Yet, we argue that local familiarity of HCNs can also be perceived as risky or harmful by MNC parents. We analyze how formal and informal institutions affect the trade-off between positive effects and potential costs associated with HCN managers ("Local allies" vs. "Trojan horses"). We find that legal institutions protect foreign MNCs from potential costs, encourage the use of HCNs and reinforce their benefits. Corruption and corruption distance, however, increase perceived costs associated with HCN managers up to a point at which they outweigh their perceived benefits

Magnetomechanical Four-State Memory

With current non-volatile memory technology approaching intrinsic storage density limits, new data storage technologies are under development. Probe-based storage systems provide alternatives to conventional mass storage technologies. Ni-Mn-Ga, a ferromagnetic shape memory alloy (FSMA), is proposed as a medium for multi-bit storage using scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques. Local modifications of the magnetic stray field were achieved using nanoindentation. Magnetic poles collect within the indentation, which is leveraged to control the magnetic stray field for the patterning of magnetic information. Four magnetic-based memory states are possible due to magnetic field or stress-induced twin rearrangement along two crystal orientations, each with two possible magnetic orientations

Die Wirkung von Private Equity auf das Wachstum und die Internationalisierung

Private Equity-Investoren gehören zu den wohl umstrittensten Akteuren des modernen Wirtschaftslebens. Während die populärwissenschaftliche «Heuschreckendebatte» immer noch zu keinem Ergebnis gekommen ist, hat Private Equity in der Wirtschaftspraxis einen beispiellosen Boom erlebt, der erst durch die Finanzkrise ein vorläufiges Ende gefunden hat. In der Studie wird der Wachstums- und Internationalisierungsbeitrag von Private Equity-Investoren unter Zuhilfenahme qualitativer und quantitativer Methoden kritisch untersucht. Nach einer umfassenden Literaturanalyse führt der Autor eine quantitative Impact-Analyse im österreichischen Markt durch. In einer qualitativen Befragung der Portfoliounternehmen zum Wertschöpfungsbeitrag von Private Equity-Investoren werden anschließend die konkreten Impact-Treiber identifiziert und analysiert

Die Wirkung von Private Equity auf das Wachstum und die Internationalisierung

Private Equity-Investoren gehören zu den wohl umstrittensten Akteuren des modernen Wirtschaftslebens. Während die populärwissenschaftliche «Heuschreckendebatte» immer noch zu keinem Ergebnis gekommen ist, hat Private Equity in der Wirtschaftspraxis einen beispiellosen Boom erlebt, der erst durch die Finanzkrise ein vorläufiges Ende gefunden hat. In der Studie wird der Wachstums- und Internationalisierungsbeitrag von Private Equity-Investoren unter Zuhilfenahme qualitativer und quantitativer Methoden kritisch untersucht. Nach einer umfassenden Literaturanalyse führt der Autor eine quantitative Impact-Analyse im österreichischen Markt durch. In einer qualitativen Befragung der Portfoliounternehmen zum Wertschöpfungsbeitrag von Private Equity-Investoren werden anschließend die konkreten Impact-Treiber identifiziert und analysiert

Intra-industry diversification effects under firm-specific contingencies on the demand side

How do firm-specific, demand-related factors influence the relationship between intra-industry diversification (IID) and performance? Recent findings regarding the performance effects of IID depict a complex picture with curvilinear relationships and several contingencies. However, firm-specific contingencies on the demand side have remained unexplored. We analyze how IID relates to firm performance (market share) in the German automotive industry using panel data between 1999 and 2008. We specifically focus on a firm’s high-quality brand image as a demand-side contingency. We find support for our hypotheses of complex curvilinear relationships as well as for moderating effects of brand quality. Our results have significant theoretical implications for the IID literature.Security: staffonl