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Decompositions of Profitability Change using Cost Functions

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  • Diewert, Erwin

Abstract

Profitability at a period of time is defined as the value of outputs produced by a production unit divided by the corresponding cost. Using some earlier work by O’Donnell, the paper provides a decomposition of profitability growth over two periods into various explanatory factors. The explanatory factors are: the change in the production unit’s cost efficiency, an index of output price growth, returns to scale, technical progress and an index of input price growth. If output prices for the production unit are not available, the paper suggests that marginal costs could be used as prices to weight outputs in each period. Using marginal or average costs to weight outputs leads to a methodology for evaluating the productivity performance of nonmarket production units that is similar to the methodology suggested in the Atkinson report.

Suggested Citation

  • Diewert, Erwin, 2010. "Decompositions of Profitability Change using Cost Functions," Economics working papers erwin_diewert-2010-16, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 13 Jul 2010.
    • Handle: RePEc:ubc:bricol:erwin_diewert-2010-16
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    Cited by:

    1. W. Erwin Diewert & Kevin J. Fox, 2021. "The Difference Approach to Productivity Measurement and Exact Indicators," Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics, in: Christopher F. Parmeter & Robin C. Sickles (ed.), Advances in Efficiency and Productivity Analysis, pages 9-40, Springer.
    2. Agrell, Per J. & Grifell-Tatjé, Emili, 2016. "A dynamic model for firm-response to non-credible incentive regulation regimes," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 287-299.
    3. W. Erwin Diewert & Kevin J. Fox, 2018. "A decomposition of US business sector TFP growth into technical progress and cost efficiency components," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 71-84, October.
    4. Guohua Feng & Chuan Wang, 2021. "Determinants of profitability of community banks in the USA: a cost-frontier-based decomposition approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(6), pages 2969-2992, June.
    5. W. Erwin Diewert & Kevin J. Fox, 2017. "Decomposing Value Added Growth into Explanatory Factors," Discussion Papers 2017-02, School of Economics, The University of New South Wales.
    6. Balk, Bert M. & Zofío, José L., 2020. "Symmetric decompositions of cost variation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 285(3), pages 1189-1198.
    7. E. Grifell-TatjeÌ & C. A. K. Lovell, 2015. "Decompositions of Profitability Change Using Cost Functions: A Comment," CEPA Working Papers Series WP032015, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    8. Balk, B.M. & Zofío, J.L., 2019. "The Decompositions of Cost Variation," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2019-006-LIS, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    9. Thomas von Brasch, 2015. "On measuring the contribution from firm turnover to aggregate productivity growth. Selection on profitability and not productivity," Discussion Papers 819, Statistics Norway, Research Department.
    10. Aparicio, Juan & Zofío, José L., 2023. "Decomposing profit change: Konüs, Bennet and Luenberger indicators," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 87(PB).
    11. Chen, Xiang & Wang, Yujia & Wu, Xin, 2022. "Exploring the source of the financial performance in Chinese banks: A risk-adjusted decomposition approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    12. Feng, Guohua & Wang, Chuan, 2018. "Why European banks are less profitable than U.S. banks: A decomposition approach," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 1-16.
    13. Kumbhakar, Subal C. & Li, Mingyang & Lien, Gudbrand, 2023. "Do subsidies matter in productivity and profitability changes?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Measurement of output; input and productivity; nonmarket sector; cost functions; duality theory; marginal cost prices; technical progress; returns to;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C43 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Index Numbers and Aggregation
    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production
    • H44 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Goods: Mixed Markets
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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