IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/zbw/espost/242973.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Workforce size adjustment as a strategic response to exchange rate shocks: A strategy tripod application to Chinese firms

Author

Listed:
  • He, Xinming
  • Rizov, Marian
  • Zhang, Xufei

Abstract

How firms use workforce size adjustment as a strategic response to external shocks such as exchange-rate fluctuations is an important but not yet fully understood topic. To address the void in the literature, we apply the strategy tripod theoretical framework, which sees the external shocks as an industrial impact, the budget constraints as an institutional force, and the firm leverage as an organisational capability to examine the firms’ strategic response in terms of workforce size adjustment in the Chinese economy context. Based on longitudinal data of Chinese manufacturing firms, our analysis finds that facing exchange rate shocks, firms with hard budget constraint are more responsive in adjusting their workforce than firms with soft budget constraint. Furthermore, highly levered firms, with hard budget constraint, will adjust their workforce more aggressively than firms with less debt in their financial structure.

Suggested Citation

  • He, Xinming & Rizov, Marian & Zhang, Xufei, 2021. "Workforce size adjustment as a strategic response to exchange rate shocks: A strategy tripod application to Chinese firms," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 138, pages 203-213.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:242973
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/242973/1/final-12.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Moser, Christoph & Urban, Dieter & di Mauro, Beatrice Weder, 2010. "International competitiveness, job creation and job destruction--An establishment-level study of German job flows," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(2), pages 302-317, March.
    2. Dai, Mi & Xu, Jianwei, 2017. "Firm-specific exchange rate shocks and employment adjustment: Evidence from China," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 54-66.
    3. Gerald Yong Gao & Janet Y Murray & Masaaki Kotabe & Jiangyong Lu, 2010. "A “strategy tripod” perspective on export behaviors: Evidence from domestic and foreign firms based in an emerging economy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(6), pages 1090-1091, August.
    4. Robert C. Feenstra & Shang-Jin Wei, 2010. "Introduction to "China's Growing Role in World Trade"," NBER Chapters, in: China's Growing Role in World Trade, pages 1-31, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Manova, Kalina & Yu, Zhihong, 2016. "How firms export: Processing vs. ordinary trade with financial frictions," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 120-137.
    6. Song, Sangcheol, 2015. "Exchange rate challenges, flexible intra-firm adjustments, and subsidiary longevity," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 36-45.
    7. Jose Manuel Campa & Linda S. Goldberg, 2001. "Employment Versus Wage Adjustment And The U.S. Dollar," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(3), pages 477-489, August.
    8. Marian Rizov, 2008. "Corporate Capital Structure And How Soft Budget Constraints May Affect It," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(4), pages 648-684, September.
    9. J. Kornai & E. Maskin & G. Roland, 2004. "Understanding the Soft Budget Constraint," Voprosy Ekonomiki, NP Voprosy Ekonomiki, issue 11.
    10. Brandt, Loren & Li, Hongbin, 2003. "Bank discrimination in transition economies: ideology, information, or incentives?," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 387-413, September.
    11. Nicolas Berman & Philippe Martin & Thierry Mayer, 2012. "How do Different Exporters React to Exchange Rate Changes?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 127(1), pages 437-492.
    12. Patricio Duran & Nadine Kammerlander & Marc van Essen & Thomas Zellweger, 2016. "Doing More with Less : Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms," Post-Print hal-02312103, HAL.
    13. Boris Kaiser & Michael Siegenthaler, 2016. "The Skill‐biased Effects of Exchange Rate Fluctuations," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 0(592), pages 756-780, May.
    14. Robert C. Feenstra & Chang Hong, 2010. "China's Exports and Employment," NBER Chapters, in: China's Growing Role in World Trade, pages 167-199, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Nucci, Francesco & Pozzolo, Alberto Franco, 2010. "The exchange rate, employment and hours: What firm-level data say," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(2), pages 112-123, November.
    16. Patricio Duran & Nadine Kammerlander & Marc van Essen & Thomas Zellweger, 2016. "Doing More with Less : Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms," Post-Print hal-02276703, HAL.
    17. Mike W Peng & Denis Y L Wang & Yi Jiang, 2008. "An institution-based view of international business strategy: a focus on emerging economies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(5), pages 920-936, July.
    18. Robert C. Feenstra & Shang-Jin Wei, 2010. "China's Growing Role in World Trade," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number feen07-1.
    19. Li-Qun Wei & Chung-Ming Lau, 2008. "The impact of market orientation and strategic HRM on firm performance: the case of Chinese enterprises," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 39(6), pages 980-995, September.
    20. Feenstra, Robert C. & Wei, Shang-Jin (ed.), 2010. "China's Growing Role in World Trade," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226239712, August.
    21. Bae, Kee-Hong & Kang, Jun-Koo & Wang, Jin, 2011. "Employee treatment and firm leverage: A test of the stakeholder theory of capital structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 130-153, April.
    22. Bowe, Michael & Saltvedt, Thina M., 2004. "Currency invoicing practices, exchange rate volatility and pricing-to-market: evidence from product level data," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 281-308, June.
    23. Elaine Hutson & Simon Stevenson, 2010. "Openness, hedging incentives and foreign exchange exposure: A firm-level multi-country study," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(1), pages 105-122, January.
    24. Sharpe, Steven A, 1994. "Financial Market Imperfections, Firm Leverage, and the Cyclicality of Employment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(4), pages 1060-1074, September.
    25. Guofu Tan & Justin Yifu Lin, 1999. "Policy Burdens, Accountability, and the Soft Budget Constraint," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 426-431, May.
    26. Meghana Ayyagari & Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Vojislav Maksimovic, 2010. "Formal versus Informal Finance: Evidence from China," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(8), pages 3048-3097, August.
    27. Rizov, Marian, 2005. "Transition and enterprise restructuring: the role of budget constraints and bankruptcy costs," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 129-134, January.
    28. Rui Hao & Zheng Wei, 2010. "Fundamental causes of inland–coastal income inequality in post-reform China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 45(1), pages 181-206, August.
    29. Rajan, Raghuram G & Zingales, Luigi, 1995. "What Do We Know about Capital Structure? Some Evidence from International Data," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1421-1460, December.
    30. Elfstrom, Manfred & Kuruvilla, Sarosh, 2014. "The changing nature of labor unrest in China," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 65141, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    31. Megginson, William L. & Ullah, Barkat & Wei, Zuobao, 2014. "State ownership, soft-budget constraints, and cash holdings: Evidence from China’s privatized firms," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 276-291.
    32. Ighravwe, D.E. & Oke, S.A., 2014. "A non-zero integer non-linear programming model for maintenance workforce sizing," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 204-214.
    33. Xufei Zhang & Xiaoxuan Liu, 2012. "How Responsive are Chinese Exports to Exchange Rate Changes? Evidence from Firm-level Data," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(10), pages 1489-1504, October.
    34. Sea-Jin Chang & Jay Hyuk Rhee, 2011. "Rapid FDI expansion and firm performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 42(8), pages 979-994, October.
    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. Bo Gao & Jing Ma & Zheng Wang, 2021. "The employment and wage effects of export VAT rebates: evidence from China," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 157(2), pages 347-373, May.
    2. Izumi Yokoyama & Kazuhito Higa & Daiji Kawaguchi, 2018. "Adjustments of regular and non-regular workers to exogenous shocks: Evidence from exchange rate fluctuation," Bank of Japan Working Paper Series 18-E-2, Bank of Japan.
    3. Campbell, Douglas L., 2020. "Relative Prices and Hysteresis: Evidence from US Manufacturing," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    4. Liu, Yu & Sah, Nilesh & Ullah, Barkat & Wei, Zuobao, 2020. "Financing patterns in transition economies: Privatized former SOEs versus ab initio private firms," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    5. Firth, Michael & Malatesta, Paul H. & Xin, Qingquan & Xu, Liping, 2012. "Corporate investment, government control, and financing channels: Evidence from China's Listed Companies," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 433-450.
    6. Han, Haozhe & Wang, Xingjian, 2023. "Monetary policy uncertainty and corporate cash holdings: Evidence from China," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    7. Mallick, Sushanta & Marques, Helena, 2016. "Pricing strategy of emerging market exporters in alternate currency regimes: The role of comparative advantage," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 68-81.
    8. Megginson, William L. & Ullah, Barkat & Wei, Zuobao, 2014. "State ownership, soft-budget constraints, and cash holdings: Evidence from China’s privatized firms," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 276-291.
    9. Lin, Faqin & Hu, Cui & Fuchs, Andreas, 2019. "How do firms respond to political tensions? The heterogeneity of the Dalai Lama Effect on trade," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 73-93.
    10. Jiang, Wei & Zeng, Yeqin, 2014. "State ownership, bank loans, and corporate investment," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 92-116.
    11. Mao, R., 2018. "A Firm-Level Reappraisal of Real Exchange Rate Undervaluation in China s Agricultural Exports and Growth," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 276987, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Huimin Guo & Zheyao Pan & Gary Gang Tian, 2021. "State ownership and the risk‐reducing effect of corporate derivative use: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(5-6), pages 1092-1133, May.
    13. Campbell, Douglas L. & Lusher, Lester, 2019. "The impact of real exchange rate shocks on manufacturing workers: An autopsy from the MORG," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 12-28.
    14. Chen, Zhiyuan & Li, Yong & Zhang, Jie, 2016. "The bank–firm relationship: Helping or grabbing?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 385-403.
    15. Ansgar Belke & Ulrich Volz, 2020. "The Yen Exchange Rate and the Hollowing Out of the Japanese Industry," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 371-406, April.
    16. Campbell, Douglas L., 2013. "Relative Prices, Hysteresis, and the Decline of American Manufacturing," MPRA Paper 51723, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Hu, Cui & Parsley, David & Tan, Yong, 2021. "Exchange rate induced export quality upgrading: A firm-level perspective," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 336-348.
    18. Guo, Kai & Ke, Bin & Tang, Song, 2023. "Private firms' financial constraints and share pledging by controlling shareholders of publicly listed firms: Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    19. Arthur Korus, 2016. "Currency Overvaluation and R&D Spending," EIIW Discussion paper disbei218, Universitätsbibliothek Wuppertal, University Library.
    20. Mai Dao & Ms. Ruo Chen, 2011. "The Real Exchange Rate and Employment in China," IMF Working Papers 2011/148, International Monetary Fund.

    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:zbw:espost:242973. 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: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/zbwkide.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.