This paper investigates the efficiency of German engineering firms and its change over time. As these firms had been successful in the past in terms of being market-leader, it is expected that the majority of the firms works efficiently. To analyze this question Farrell’s technical efficiency...

This paper aims to examine the relative efficiency of German engineering firms using a sample of roughly 23,000 observations between 1995 and 2004. As these firms had been successful in the examination period in terms of output- and export-growth, it is expected that a majority of firms is...

This paper addresses the relationship between the utilization of temporary agency workers by firms and their competitiveness measured by unit labor costs, using a rich, newly built, data set of German manufacturing enterprises. The analysis is conducted by applying different panel data models...

Die Bedeutung der Zeitarbeit hat in Deutschland in den zurückliegenden Jahren kontinuierlich zugenommen. Inwiefern die Nutzung dieses Instruments die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit der betreffenden Unternehmen erhöht, ist Gegenstand der vorliegenden Studie. Für Unternehmen des verarbeitenden Gewerbes...

Boone (2008a) proposes a new competition measure based on Relative Profit Differences (RPD) that, from its theoretical properties, proves to be more robust than the Lerner-Index. However, the proof of the empirical practicability and robustness of the Boone-Indicator is missing. To fill this...

Boone (2008a) proposes a new competition measure based on Relative Profit Differences (RPD) with superior theoretical properties. However, the empirical applicability and robust-ness of the Boone-Indicator is still unknown. This paper aims to address that question. Using a rich, newly built,...

Der deutsche Maschinenbau ist seit langem sowohl national als auch international sehr erfolgreich. Wie in kaum einem zweiten Sektor dominieren zudem mittelgroße Unternehmen. Eine erste Analyse des DIW Berlin zeigt, dass sich dieser Erfolg nicht auf eine volle Ausschöpfung vorhandener...

The German mechanical engineering industry, dominated by medium-sized companies, is greatly successful - both on the domestic and on the international market. A first analysis conducted by DIW Berlin reveals that this success cannot be attributed to a better exploitation of potential...

This paper addresses the relationship between the utilization of temporary agency workers by firms and their competitiveness measured by unit labor costs, using a rich, newly built, data set of German manufacturing enterprises. The analysis is conducted by applying different panel data models...

A growing proportion of employees are working under fixed-term contracts. This paper empirically analyzes whether this strategy actually improves firm productivity. To this end, a large dataset of German manufacturing firms and various panel data models are used in order to reveal the expected...