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On the Relationship Between Financial Status and Investment in Technological Flexibility

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  • Marcel Boyer
  • Armel Jacques
  • Michel Moreaux

Abstract

We study the interactions between equity financing and strategic technological flexibility choices of firms facing a threat of costly bankruptcy. We show that a firm's level of financial hardship is an important determinant of the level and type of investment it chooses to make, either a less costly inflexible technology or a more expansive flexible technology. We show that the level of financial hardship has a non-monotonic effect : as the level of equity financing increases, the choice of technology may change and the level of investment may first increase and then decrease or vice-versa, depending on the differential investment cost, the bankruptcy cost, and whether or not the less costly technology is the best reply for an all equity (no debt) firm. The level of external financing (debt) may be used strategically as a non-cooperative collusion way to increase the expected profits of both firms. A firm may also use debt as a commitment device to increase its own expected profit. Nous étudions les interactions entre le financement par actions et les choix de flexibilité technologique des entreprises menacées de faillites coûteuses. Nous montrons que le niveau de crise financière traversée par l'entreprise est un déterminant important dans le choix du niveau et du type d'investissement qu'elle va faire, soit une technologie inflexible moins coûteuse, soit une technologie flexible plus coûteuse. Nous montrons que le niveau de difficulté financière a un effet non monotone : au fur et à mesure que le niveau de financement par actions augmente, le choix technologique peut se modifier et le niveau d'investissement peut tout d'abord augmenter pour diminuer ensuite, ou vice versa, dépendant du différentiel du coût d'investissement, du coût de faillite, et selon que la technologie plus ou moins coûteuse est ou non la meilleure solution pour une entreprise sans dette. Le niveau de financement extérieur (endettement) peut être utilisé stratégiquement comme moyen de collusion non coopérative pour accroître les profits attendus des deux entreprises. Une entreprise peut également utiliser l'endettement comme un outil d'engagement pour accroître son propre profit attendu.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcel Boyer & Armel Jacques & Michel Moreaux, 2002. "On the Relationship Between Financial Status and Investment in Technological Flexibility," CIRANO Working Papers 2002s-14, CIRANO.
    • Handle: RePEc:cir:cirwor:2002s-14
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    File URL: https://cirano.qc.ca/files/publications/2002s-14.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Internal financing; Debt; Technological flexibility; Strategic behavior; Financement interne; Endettement; Flexibilité technologique; Comportement stratégique;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity

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