This paper analyzes how capital structure and product market competition affect the firms' choice between outsourcing with long term contracts and outsourcing to the spot market. When outsourcing to the spot market firms are exposed to price uncertainty, whereas a long term contract allows them...

This paper investigates the level of customer mobility in the Portuguese financial system based on new survey data. We find that customers deal, on average, with more than one bank, and own several financial products. The results show that 46.9 per cent of customers had never switched bank in...

This paper investigates the effect of capital structure on a firm's choice between vertical integration and outsourcing. We model the production decision in a Principal-Agent framework and show that suppliers use debt as a strategic instrument to collect the surplus from outsourcing as their...

This paper empirically examines the determinants of sovereign credit ratings using panel data of a sample of 86 countries for 1993-2013. It further investigates whether the countries' average credit rating differs for crisis and non-crisis periods, as well as for the different regions where the...

This paper tests empirically the performance of three structural models of corporate bond pricing, namely Merton (1974), Leland (1994) and Fan and Sundaresan (2000). While the first two models overestimate bond prices, the Fan and Sundaresan model reveals an extremely good performance. When...

We present a real options model of a firm's make-or-buy decision under demand uncertainty. "Making" is subject to decreasing returns to scale, fixed costs and capital investment. "Buying" happens at a fixed price and requires no investment. Three distinct procurement regimes endogenously arise:...

This study aims to analyze the influence of the entrance of low-cost carriers in the Azores in terms of the determinants of the number of overnight stays and the choice of accommodation type. Different methods of statistical analysis were used for the empirical study. Estimates were considered...

Satisfied and committed employees play a major positive role in business performance in today's globalized and competitive landscape. This paper contributes to the literature on the empirical determinants of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, drawing on a rich micro dataset for 36...

This study aims to analyze the influence of the entrance of low-cost carriers in the Azores in terms of the determinants of the number of overnight stays and the choice of accommodation type. Different methods of statistical analysis were used for the empirical study. Estimates were considered...