D24 - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; CapacityNávrat zpět

The aim of the presented research is to quantify the costs of unemployment in the Czech Republic in the years before start of the 2020 exogenous crisis. The costs of unemployment are quantified as direct costs and induced costs. The research method is based on the con- struction of the average unemployed. I identify his/her average income level, length of unemployment and age, as well as level of education. The analysis also quantifies the economic effectiveness of hypothetical economic policy measures in maintaining employment.

The paper estimates the elasticity of substitution between capital and labour under biased technical change in the manufacturing sector in the Czech Republic. We use a dataset covering the period 1995-2019 and a 2-digit industry level, from NACE10 to NACE33. We find industry-level elasticities to be 0.19 and 0.94; therefore, labour and capital seem to be gross complements rather than substitutes across all manufacturing sectors. In the core industries of the Czech manufacturing sector, the elasticity is below average. Even if these core sectors have high and increasing labour costs (except NACE29, where the labour costs are below average), they do not replace labour with capital at a higher pace. This cannot be explained by the direction of technological bias because it is not capital-augmenting. On the other hand, our findings are in line with the literature, as most studies on transition countries report low estimates for the elasticity.

Foreign investment has been an important source of capital formation in transition countries but has caused the division of economies into foreign- and domestic-owned sectors. This paper explores the persistence of dual economy in the Czech Republic as well as the relationship between labour productivity and components used in the income approach to GDP calculation. Analysing the dataset of 20,900 firms operating in the Czech Republic in 2015, the paper presents evidence that higher levels of foreign investment are associated with significant labour productivity and wage differentials. Lower unit labour costs in foreign enterprises are consistent with higher level of investment of foreign-owned firms. Our model shows that differences in the degree of capital intensity are the driving force for the level of unit labour costs (i.e. factors are substitutes concerning the factor payments).

Index number theory interprets the task of measuring productivity change as examining changes between two one-year periods (or other partial time instances). Nonetheless, in practice there arises a need to assess how productivity fared between two periods consisting of several years (or several partial time instances) and what drove its change. The paper focuses on such situations and has two interlinked goals. On the one hand, the paper formulates a methodology for measuring productivity change based on the Hicks-Moorsteen index and on the decomposition into basic determinants after Diewert and Fox. On the other hand, it demonstrates its usability in investigations of trends in productivity of the Slovak banking sector in the area of financial intermediation between the period 2005-2008 and the period 2009-2016. The results point to an improvement in financial intermediation productivity for most banks and an sector-wide upward shift in the production possibility frontier.

This paper considers alternative approaches to the analysis of Laffer curve. The traditional analysis of Laffer curve is based on panel data methods, which were originally developed for microeconomics data with tax to GDP ratio as dependent variable. The main problem of using this approach presents the cross-sectional dependency of macroeconomics data, whose estimation may be biased and potentially inconsistent. The estimation of cross-sectional dependency using robust methods is inappropriate as well, because tax revenue is function of many variables, hence we lose too many degrees of freedom. We propose alternative approach with complex dependent variable, which measures not only tax to GDP ratio, but also effectiveness of corporate tax collection. The complex variable is constructed via DEA method and proposed approach is applied on panel containing observations of 20 EU members in period from 2000 to 2013. We conclude, that while the Laffer hypothesis is not empirically supported the tax rate is statistically significant factor in tax collection efficiency.

We analyze how efficiency of firms in the Czech Republic is affected by their size, age, competition, capital structure, ownership types, and global financial crisis. We employ the stochastic frontier approach, use a large and detailed dataset, and cover time span 2001-2012. While effects of firm characteristics are small, the effects of ownership are economically substantial. We show that majority owners are most contributive with respect to firm's efficiency when compared to other categories we analyze. Minority owners with legally grounded power are able to impose significant efficiency improvement. The effect of the foreign ownership is strongest when foreign owners control firms with less than majority of voting power. Minority owners sharing the control do not seem to contribute to efficiency. The impact of crisis is not balanced but can be regarded as marginally positive in general. The firms' characteristics change only a little. In contrast, worsening impact of the crisis is evidenced for controlling ownership categories. Minority owners exhibit a limited disciplining effect to improve efficiency after the crisis, though.

Investors' decisions are not based only on the statutory tax rate in the country, but also on a range of other aspects, such as depreciation of fixed assets, treatment of foreign source income, property taxes paid by firms, as well as treatment of dividends paid by companies and taxes on wealth and capital gains at the level of individuals. These aspects are incorporated into the model created by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW). This model provides a comprehensive look at the issue of tax competition, therefore the paper deals with describing and explaining its construction. The benefit is description of the effective average tax rate (EATR) in the Slovak conditions, evaluation of its development and changes by the different types of assets and the ways of financing, as well as forecasting its level based on the change in the corporate income tax rate. The indicator, which represents the level of capital taxation, is complicated to determine. EATR means the significant progress on this issue.

This paper analyzes the technological efficiency of companies in the European Union (EU). Our extensive database covers more than 4 million firm/year observations from many EU countries including both manufacturing and service sectors in 2001-2007. Methodologically we apply a model of a stochastic production productivity frontier. We show that: the economic signifikance of company age is negligible, the higher the debt the greater the efficiency, bigger companies are less efficient, and a medium-level concentration of the market benefits companies. Majority ownership, in contrast, does not lead to higher efficiency, but a combination of majority and minority ownership has a positive disciplinary influence leading to higher efficiency. As to the origins of ownership, it does not seem that foreign-(co-)owned companies imply greater efficiency in old European countries, whereas foreign ownership is a significant driver of efficiency in new EU members through FDI.

The paper discusses particular issues of recognition and behaviour of fixed and variable costs in the cost model based on integration of advances in microeconomics and business economics. In the first part, analysis of cost drivers in cost modelling is focused. Following results of discussion analytical approaches to modelling of cost drivers are enhanced. In the second part, causes and effects of cost remanence problem in cost model are considered and cost remanence problem is distinguished from other parallel features of cost behaviour in the cost model.

We employ a large panel data set and analyze efficiency in the Czech firms during 1998-2007. We investigate how their efficiency evolves over time and how it is affected by ownership structures. Methodologically we employ a panel version of a stochastic production frontier model. We distinguish several categories of the ownership concentration by domestic owners and through foreign direct investments (FDI). Our results show that concentrated and foreign ownership impact efficiency positively in general. This results confirm benefits of the foreign direct ownership on the microeconomic level. Further, we show cases when majority ownership does not necessarily constitute improvements in efficiency. We also analyze effect of ownership coalitions and bring detailed new evidence on how ownership structures and industry sectors affect firms' efficiency.

In this paper the microeconomic cost theories are presented as a basic solution for company management in crisis situations. Though the crisis management must be in compliance with accounting legislation. The present accounting methodologies are practiced for last twenty years so they can be analyzed for their strength and weakness. The same is true for managerial accounting and controlling even though their form, organization, and specialization are determined by accounting units themselves. This paper concentrates not only on an assessment of the relations between the rightful legislation and the managerial accounting but also on methods used in company practice currently.

We analyze the extent of the integrated state control over the privatized companies in the Czech Republic during the decade of 1995-2005. During this period, the integrated potential of the state to control companies had a pyramid-like form. Even though the pyramid control was not fully utilized, the state owned the golden shares that significantly improved state ability to control companies. Our findings suggest that state control in the period under research is correlated with decreasing, or even negative performance of companies. The efficiency of the state-owned companies was much lower than that of the privately owned. The inability of state agencies to cooperate and inefficient state administration are the most probable explanations behind our findings.

The qualitative changes in surroundings for companies operation are calling for necessity of assertion new tools and method, which will help to increase the quality of decision making and firm evaluation. To these tools belong scenarios and Monte Carlo simulation. The aim of the article is to describe these tools, their common features and differences, advantages and disadvantages. Further results and benefits of application of Monte Carlo simulation in risk analysis of investment project from economic practise are demonstrated.

This paper deals with the recent empirical phenomenon of intraindustry trade, i.e. trade in similar goods between similar countries. It treats this phenomenon from the point of view of the theory of structure of production, highlighting the importance of sequential nature of production and heterogeneity and specificity of factors of production, as developed by Carl Menger, Eugen von Boehm-Bawerk and their followers of the so-called Austrian school of economics. Simple theory of production structure, along the lines of Austrian economics, is presented and a useful tool for the analysis of intraindustry trade is developed. In the following discussion we make the case for vertical intraindustry specialization, complex manufactured goods and sliced-up production chains across countries. The reader immediately observes the importance of Austrian production structure theory for the analysis of intraindustry trade. We accordingly apply the concepts of the structure of production on intraindustry trade and analyze, in particular, the time- and place-aspects of international production. Finally, we show the relevance of our approach to intraindustry trade for the analysis of business cycle synchronization and Optimum currency areas theory.

Efficiency of hospitals belongs among frequently discussed topics of public policy. This paper deals with a nonparametric model for efficiency evaluation of hospitals - data envelopment analysis (DEA). DEA evaluates efficiency of production units with the help of mathematical programming. DEA specifies the production frontier as the most pessimistic piecewise linear envelopment of the data. In case that a hospital is inefficient DEA determines the sources of inefficiency and defines corresponding target values. In this study, authors analyze the sample of 22 Czech acute-care hospitals with the constant-returns-to-scale model (the CCR model) and the variable-returns-to-scale model (the BCC model). The data comes from regional yearbooks of the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic (ÚZIS ČR). A fundamental problem of evaluation in health care is a definition of inputs and outputs, especially a measurement of case-mix of patients. Interpretation of the results is described on one selected hospital (Hospital of Prachatice). One hospital was identified as efficient by the CCR model and six hospitals were efficient according to the BCC model.

This study is devoted to analysis of different aspects of world oil market development and its role in further growth of individual national economies, especially in connection with the ever intensifying globalization process. The study shows individual aspects and parts of the oil market, be it production and consumption of crude oil, its territorial dislocation, including EU, and also an analysis of the impact that has the development of oil consumption on economical results of individual national economies. In the first place it analyses the connections with the growth of competition ability of companies. Further research is devoted to the establishment of crude oil price and to the most important aspects on which depends the price creation process. Supply and demand factors are also analyzed. The study comes to a conclusion that the biggest obstacle in using the crude oil will not be its availability, at least in the short run, but the ever fast increasing price. This high price will enable the use of oil only to such companies and countries that will be able to implement the oil in the production process with very high efficiency. Such conditions satisfy only products and services that are based on unique technical and scientific know-how, with high added value, or in such areas of national economies where the use of oil is unenviable.

The study examines the resources of economic growth in the Czech Republic in the course of years from 1992 until 2004. Using the growth accounting method, it analyses the contribution of individual factors to economic growth. Special attention is given to total factor productivity, which, apart from labour, also includes a fixed capital stock at constant prices. Compared to the previous period, the acceleration of the growth of total factor productivity decisively contributed to the speeding up of economic growth in the years 1999-2004. Furthermore, the study examines growth resources in six national economy sectors and analyses the contribution of individual sectors to the growth of macroeconomic total factor productivity. The analysis has shown that namely industry, transport, communications, and other services were involved in the speeding up of the growth of macroeconomic total factor productivity. A comparison of the dynamics of total factor productivity of the CR and EU-15 at the macroeconomic level has shown that while in 1992-1998, the growth of total factor productivity was slower in the CR, after 1998, it was faster (in 1999-2004, the average annual growth rate in the CR was 2.2% and 0.6% in EU-15). In the years 1996-2004, for which revised data are available for the CR, the average annual growth rate of total factor productivity in the CR was 1.5%, compared to 0.7% in EU-15. The analysis indicated that since 1999, total factor productivity in the CR has been converging to the EU-15 level, accelerating in 2003 and 2004, thereby achieving 63% of the EU-15 level in 2004.

The study presents a current approach to investments evaluation based on the real option theory. Each investment can be materialized through different possibilities, described as real options. It is possible to evaluate the price of real option by utilization of the described model. The real option classification is not steady yet. The real option analysis does not replace the standard techniques (the net present value approach) although they are very important complements - as shown at the end of this article. Real options is at modern approach to capital budgeting.

The topic of this paper is concerned in a possibility of connection of the micro- economics theory and the business economics theory. The goal of the submitted paper is an implementation of an economic efficiency as a microeconomic component to the business economics with a regard for an economic practice of companies in the Czech Republic. I use an analogy of the microeconomics and the business economics concept of total revenues and total costs to this implementation. The main of the text is reserved to opportunity costs because it is fitting to total economic costs from a point of view of business economics theory and practice is complicated. On basis of accepted analogies I generalize conclusions about an economic efficiency and I think of a product possi- bility frontier in a company too.

This article is oriented on the analyses of the development of the mergers and acquisition process. The author shows the main reason and motivations of expansion MA and its influence on the globalization of the world economy. This activity is (in the time and the territory) very different and heterogeneous. The leading players of his process are the multinational corporations, however, the value of deals of SME's is going up, too. In the last years these activities concern to the change of strategy of MNC's, first of all to the supporting of cooperation among them. The latest period is under the increasing pressure of the development of the international production sharing and production cooperation. The final result of this process is creating to a new sharing of the economic power in the worldvide framework, as a whole and influencing all regions, the emerging markets not shows off.

The paper deals with models and methods for evaluation of efficiency and performance of production units. Especially, it aims at data envelopment analysis (DEA) models, which are based on the definition of efficiency as the ratio of outputs produced by the unit on the one hand and inputs spent in the production process on the other hand. Standard data envelopment analysis models divide the units into inefficient and efficient ones but they make it not possible to classify the efficient units. That is why the paper deals with several definitions of super efficiency that are bases for classification of efficient units. The models are illustrated on a numerical example. The proposed approaches are applied in assessing the efficiency of branches of a Czech bank. Computer solution of DEA models and future research is discussed in conclusions.

Trade performance of EU-candidate countries in 1996 - 2000 is assessed in terms of specialization deepening and widening. The process of technology catching-up is analyzed from quantitative and qualitative aspects. The former stresses the tendency towards increasing geography and product concentration, which brings higher sensitivity to industry specific external demand shocks, the latter points to the limited skills and technology intensities within the segments of international production value chains located in the EU-candidate countries. The remarkable technology catch-up visible in trade statistics therefore mostly relies on external sources of knowledge and technology, as the innovation capacity in transition economies remains low. Without an adequate development of national knowledge and technology base the potential of qualitative spillovers accompanying FDI remains limited and the (cost-based) comparative advantage turns out to be rather short-lived.