Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Abstract This paper aims to provide empirical researchers with an overview of the methodological issues that arise when estimating total factor productivity at the establishment level, as well as of the existing (parametric and semiparametric) techniques designed to overcome them. Apart from the well-known simultaneity and selection bias; attention is given to methodological issues that have emerged more recently and that are related to the use of deflated values of inputs and outputs (as opposed to quantities) in estimating productivity at the firm level, as well as to the endogeneity of product choice. Using data on single-product firms active in the Belgian food and beverages sector, I illustrate the biases introduced in traditional TFP estimates and discuss the performance of a number of alternative estimators that have been proposed in the literature. Terms of use: Documents in

We analyze the relationship between firm-level innovation activities and firms' propensity to start exporting for firms in a small open economy. We measure innovation by innovative effort (R&D) as well as by innovative output (product and process innovation). After carefully correcting for endogeneity and selection issues, the evidence points to firms self-selecting into innovation in anticipation of their entry into export markets, rather than product and process innovation triggering entry into the export market. These results suggest that governments can foster firm-level innovation through trade liberalization.exports, R&D, product innovation, process innovation, self-selection,

This article intends to further unravel the relationship between employee turnover and organizational performance. We test a complex non-linear relationship between turnover and performance, integrating different theoretical views (i.e. theories on human and social capital, operational disruptions and organizational learning) and using polynomial regressions. Based on organizational routines theory, we also consider the role of turnover volatility, i.e. the turbulence in turnover across time. To this end, we make use of longitudinal data of Belgian firms over a period of 10 years (1999-2008). Our results confirm the complex non-linear relationship such that organizations' labor productivity increases at low levels of turnover, reaches a peak and decreases afterwards in a negatively attenuated fashion. Moreover, turnover volatility is negatively associated with labor productivity, suggesting that organizations find it especially difficult to deal with strong and frequent changes in turnover across time. Finally, volatility also moderates the relationship between employee turnover and labor productivity. The higher turnover volatility, the less outspoken the positive results of small amounts of turnover. At high levels of turnover, firms with medium volatility suffer the most negative effects. Both research and practical implications of these findings are considered.

Large multi-product firms dominate international trade flows. Using novel linked production and export data at the firm-product level, we find that the overwhelming majority of manufacturing firms export products that they do not produce. Three quarters of the exported products and thirty percent of export value from Belgian manufacturers are in goods that are not produced by the firm, so-called Carry-Along Trade (CAT). The number of CAT products is strongly increasing in firm productivity while the number of produced products that are exported is weakly increasing in firm productivity. We propose a general model of production and sourcing at multi-product firms and explore new demand-and supply-side modeling features capable of generating predictions consistent with the empirical findings. Looking at export price data and anecdotal evidence, we find particular support for the presence of demand-scope complementarities.