IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ibn/ibrjnl/v9y2016i10p13-24.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Which One is More Efficient? German or Japanese Automobile Industry: A Meta-frontier with Technology Gap Comparison

Author

Listed:
  • Yi-Cheng Liu
  • Ying-Hsiu Chen

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to compare the cost efficiency of the automobile industry in Germany and Japan during the period of 1980–2014 by applying the Meta-Frontier Cost Function. Despite the constant competition and the global automobile industry crisis during 2008-2010, only a few existing studies compare the efficiency of the industry cross countries. However, these all fail to address various types of technology adopted and the environment faced by automakers across countries. The meta-frontier model became a recognized and useful tool to evaluate technical efficiency of firms applying dissimilar technologies. Overall, the results signify that the cost efficiency of the German automobile industry by average is better than that of the Japanese one and the German one uses more superior production technique though it was lower the Japanese one in the 1980s. The difference reversed in the 1990s and has been enlarging since the 1990s to the end of the observation period.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi-Cheng Liu & Ying-Hsiu Chen, 2016. "Which One is More Efficient? German or Japanese Automobile Industry: A Meta-frontier with Technology Gap Comparison," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(10), pages 13-24, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:ibn:ibrjnl:v:9:y:2016:i:10:p:13-24
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ibr/article/view/53933/33435
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ibr/article/view/53933
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Melvyn A. Fuss & Leonard Waverman, 1986. "The Extent and Sources of Cost and Efficiency Differences Between U.S. and Japanese Automobile Producers," NBER Working Papers 1849, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Ito, Keiko, 2004. "Foreign ownership and plant productivity in the Thai automobile industry in 1996 and 1998: a conditional quantile analysis," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 321-353, April.
    3. Fried, Harold O. & Lovell, C. A. Knox & Schmidt, Shelton S. (ed.), 1993. "The Measurement of Productive Efficiency: Techniques and Applications," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195072181.
    4. Fuss, Melvyn & Waverman, Leonard, 1990. "The extent and sources of cost and efficiency differences between U.S. and Japanese motor vehicle producers," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 219-256, September.
    5. Bos, J.W.B. & Schmiedel, H., 2007. "Is there a single frontier in a single European banking market?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 2081-2102, July.
    6. Chen, Zhuo & Song, Shunfeng, 2008. "Efficiency and technology gap in China's agriculture: A regional meta-frontier analysis," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 287-296, June.
    7. Altunbas, Yener & Evans, Lynne & Molyneux, Philip, 2001. "Bank Ownership and Efficiency," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 33(4), pages 926-954, November.
    8. M. Denny & J. Bernstein & M. Fuss & S. Nakamura & L. Waverman, 1992. "Productivity in Manufacturing Industries, Canada, Japan and the United States, 1953-1986: Was the 'Productivity Slowdown' Reversed?," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 25(3), pages 584-603, August.
    9. Altunbas, Yener & Liu, Ming-Hau & Molyneux, Philip & Seth, Rama, 2000. "Efficiency and risk in Japanese banking," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(10), pages 1605-1628, October.
    10. Laurent Weill, 2004. "Measuring Cost Efficiency in European Banking: A Comparison of Frontier Techniques," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 133-152, March.
    11. Kontolaimou, Alexandra & Tsekouras, Kostas, 2010. "Are cooperatives the weakest link in European banking? A non-parametric metafrontier approach," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(8), pages 1946-1957, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yi-Cheng Liu & Ying-Hsiu Chen, 2012. "A Meta-frontier Approach for Comparing Bank Efficiency Differences between Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand," Journal of Applied Finance & Banking, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 2(6), pages 1-10.
    2. E. Avisoa, 2016. "European banks’ technical efficiency and performance: do business models matter? The case of European co-operatives banks," Débats économiques et financiers 25, Banque de France.
    3. Chrysovalantis Gaganis & Iftekhar Hasan & Fotios Pasiouras, 2013. "Efficiency and stock returns: evidence from the insurance industry," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 429-442, December.
    4. Lee, Chi-Chuan & Huang, Tai-Hsin, 2017. "Cost efficiency and technological gap in Western European banks: A stochastic metafrontier analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 161-178.
    5. Md Zobaer Hasan & Anton Abdulbasah Kamil & Adli Mustafa & Md Azizul Baten, 2012. "Stochastic Frontier Model Approach for Measuring Stock Market Efficiency with Different Distributions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(5), pages 1-9, May.
    6. Francesco Aiello & Graziella Bonanno, 2018. "On The Sources Of Heterogeneity In Banking Efficiency Literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 194-225, February.
    7. Beccalli, Elena & Anolli, Mario & Borello, Giuliana, 2015. "Are European banks too big? Evidence on economies of scale," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 232-246.
    8. Kerstens, Kristiaan & O’Donnell, Christopher & Van de Woestyne, Ignace, 2019. "Metatechnology frontier and convexity: A restatement," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 275(2), pages 780-792.
    9. Huang, Tai-Hsin & Chen, Ying-Hsiu, 2009. "A study on long-run inefficiency levels of a panel dynamic cost frontier under the framework of forward-looking rational expectations," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(5), pages 842-849, May.
    10. Carlos P. Barros & Qi Bin Liang & Nicolas Peypoch, 2014. "Technical Efficiency in the Angolan Banking Sector with the B-convexity Model," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 82(3), pages 443-454, September.
    11. Chi‐Chuan Lee & Tai‐Hsin Huang, 2019. "What Causes The Efficiency And The Technology Gap Under Different Ownership Structures In The Chinese Banking Industry?," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 37(2), pages 332-348, April.
    12. Huang, Tai-Hsin & Chiang, Dien-Lin & Tsai, Chao-Min, 2015. "Applying the New Metafrontier Directional Distance Function to Compare Banking Efficiencies in Central and Eastern European Countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 188-199.
    13. Beccalli, Elena, 2004. "Cross-country comparisons of efficiency: Evidence from the UK and Italian investment firms," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(6), pages 1363-1383, June.
    14. Francesca Battaglia & Vincenzo Farina & Franco Fiordelisi & Ornella Ricci, 2010. "The efficiency of cooperative banks: the impact of environmental economic conditions," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(17), pages 1363-1376.
    15. Mike G. Tsionas & Konstantinos N. Baltas, 2022. "On identifying risk-adjusted efficiency gains or losses of prospective mergers and acquisitions," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 318(1), pages 619-683, November.
    16. Ihsen Abid & Mohamed Goaied, 2017. "Benchmarking Banking Efficiency Using a Meta-Profit Function," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 15(1), pages 45-74, March.
    17. Richard Simper & Maximilian J.B. Hall & Wenbin B. Liu & Valentin Zelenyuk & Zhongbao Zhou, 2014. "How Relevant is the Choice of Risk Management Control Variable to Non-parametric Bank Profit Efficiency Analysis?," CEPA Working Papers Series WP122014, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    18. Luca Casolaro & Giorgio Gobbi, 2004. "Information technology and productivity changes in the Italian banking industry," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 489, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    19. Bos, J.W.B. & Schmiedel, H., 2007. "Is there a single frontier in a single European banking market?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 2081-2102, July.
    20. Baharin, Roziana & isa, zaidi, 2018. "Box Cox- Fourier Flexible Functional Forms in Stochastic Metafrontier Analysis: The Cost Efficiency of the Insurance Industry in Malaysia," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 52(1), pages 135-144.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    meta-frontier cost function; technology gaps; automobile industry; Germany; Japan;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ibn:ibrjnl:v:9:y:2016:i:10:p:13-24. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Canadian Center of Science and Education (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cepflch.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.