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Tangible and intangible sunk costs and the entry and exit of firms in a small open economy: the case of Austria

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  • Werner Holzl

Abstract

The paper provides evidence on the role of sunk costs as mobility barriers. An empirical study of the Austrian manufacturing industry explicitly considers sunk costs related to investment in dedicated intangible assets. The results confirm the relevance of sunk costs as mobility barriers, their symmetry with respect to entry and exit, and show that the influence of sunk costs is robust to aggregation.

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  • Werner Holzl, 2005. "Tangible and intangible sunk costs and the entry and exit of firms in a small open economy: the case of Austria," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 37(21), pages 2429-2443.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:37:y:2005:i:21:p:2429-2443
    DOI: 10.1080/00036840500365850
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    Cited by:

    1. Richard I.D. Harris & Qian Cher Li, "undated". "Export-market dynamics and the probability of firm closure: Evidence for the UK," Working Papers 2008_17, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    2. Werner Hölzl, 2011. "Persistence, Survival and Growth: A Closer Look at 20 Years of High-Growth Firms in Austria," WIFO Working Papers 403, WIFO.
    3. Richard I. D. Harris & Qian Cher Li, 2010. "Export‐Market Dynamics And The Probability Of Firm Closure: Evidence For The United Kingdom," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 57(2), pages 145-168, May.
    4. Pierre Blanchard & Jean-Pierre Huiban & Claude Mathieu, 2012. "The determinants of firm exit in the French food industries," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement, INRA Department of Economics, vol. 93(2), pages 193-212.
    5. Pierre Blanchard & Jean-Pierre Huiban & Claude Mathieu, 2012. "The determinants of firm exit in the French food industries," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement, INRA Department of Economics, vol. 93(2), pages 193-212.
    6. Lilia Cavallari & Stefano D'Addona, 2013. "Business cycle determinants of US foreign direct investments," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(10), pages 966-970, July.
    7. Katja Zajc Kejžar & Nina Ponikvar, 2014. "The effect of industry maturity, turnover and competition on firm survival: evidence from Slovenian firms," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(1), pages 122-136, March.
    8. Rajiv Krishnan Kozhikode, 2016. "Dormancy as a Strategic Response to Detrimental Public Policy," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(1), pages 189-206, February.
    9. Werner Hölzl & Peter Huber & Serguei Kaniovski & Michael Peneder, 2006. "Teilstudie 20: Neugründung und Entwicklung von Unternehmen," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 27459, February.
    10. Karl Aiginger & Gunther Tichy & Ewald Walterskirchen, 2006. "WIFO White Paper: Towards Higher Employment via Economic Growth Based on Innovation and Qualification. Summary," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 28078, February.
    11. Serguei Kaniovski & Michael Peneder & Egon Smeral, 2008. "Determinants of Firm Survival in the Austrian Accommodation Sector," Tourism Economics, , vol. 14(3), pages 527-543, September.
    12. Pierre Blanchard & Jean-Pierre Huiban & Claude Mathieu, 2014. "The shadow of death model revisited with an application to French firms," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(16), pages 1883-1893, June.
    13. Holzl, Werner & Reinstaller, Andreas, 2007. "The impact of productivity and demand shocks on structural dynamics: Evidence from Austrian manufacturing," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 145-166, June.
    14. Martina Lawless, 2010. "Geography and firm exports: new evidence on the nature of sunk costs," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 146(4), pages 691-707, December.
    15. Blanchard, Pierre & Huiban, Jean-Pierre & Mathieu, Claude, 2011. "Productivity, sunk costs and firm exit in the French food industry," 2011 International Congress, August 30-September 2, 2011, Zurich, Switzerland 114526, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    16. Karl Aiginger & Gunther Tichy & Ewald Walterskirchen, 2006. "WIFO-Weißbuch: Mehr Beschäftigung durch Wachstum auf Basis von Innovation und Qualifikation. Zusammenfassung," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 27639, February.
    17. Javalgi, Rajshekhar (Raj) G. & Deligonul, Seyda & Dixit, Ashutosh & Cavusgil, S. Tamer, 2011. "International Market Reentry: A Review and Research Framework," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(4), pages 377-393, August.

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