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Import Competition and the Composition of Firm Investments

Author

Listed:
  • Fromenteau, Philippe
  • Schymik, Jan
  • Tscheke, Jan
Abstract
We study how foreign competition affects the composition of investments inside firms. A parsimonious model predicts that firms have an incentive to shift their investments towards more short-term assets when exposed to tougher competition. Using data on expenditures of listed US companies into various asset classes with different lifespans, we document empirical evidence that is consistent with this prediction. Over a fifteen year period between 1995 and 2009, the rise in import competition is associated with a reduction of the firm-specific asset lifespan by about 4.5% on average. We additionally exploit the Chinese WTO accession as an exogenous shock in firm expectations about future exposure to competition.

Suggested Citation

  • Fromenteau, Philippe & Schymik, Jan & Tscheke, Jan, 2016. "Import Competition and the Composition of Firm Investments," Discussion Papers in Economics 29654, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:lmu:muenec:29654
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    File URL: https://epub.ub.uni-muenchen.de/29654/1/Paper.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sanford, Anthony & Yang, Mu-Jeung, 2022. "Corporate investment and growth opportunities: The role of R&D-capital complementarity," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    import competition; firm investment behavior; investment life-span; shorttermism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • F36 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Financial Aspects of Economic Integration
    • F65 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Finance
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General
    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis

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