IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2022i1p230-d1012900.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Conflict between Technology and Scale: Evidence from China’s Wooden Furniture Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Meng Lin

    (School of Economics and Business Administration, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China)

Abstract

The Chicago School believes that more efficient firms will earn higher profits, leading to higher market concentration. How does this apply to situations in specific industrial environments? The output value and import and export volume of China’s wooden furniture industry rank among the highest in the world, but the industry’s profit growth rate is decreasing. Is this phenomenon caused by a problem in the growth mode of the industry itself? It is especially important to understand the real characteristics of the industry. The purpose of this study is to discover the characteristics and trends of China’s wooden furniture industry and to clarify the direction of the future development of the industry. Market concentration index, data envelopment analysis and Engel-Granger cointegration test were applied to this study respectively. Based on the theory of industrial organization, this study conducted an empirical analysis in three stages. The results show that China’s wooden furniture industry is still a labor-intensive industry, the increase in market concentration mainly depends on the expansion of the labor force, and there is a conflict between industrial technological progress and scale expansion. It has also been confirmed in theory that the market structure is affected by efficiency. However, the way and degree of impact depend on the level of industrial development. This study can provide a reference for the formulation and adjustment of macro policies for industrial development, improve the understanding of industry characteristics and trends at the enterprise level to help enterprises achieve transformation, and offer international and domestic investors a reference point for investment decisions at the market level. This study combines macro-level "industry" with micro-level "enterprise" to make the study more comprehensive and systematic, and fills in the gaps in related research in the field.

Suggested Citation

  • Meng Lin, 2022. "The Conflict between Technology and Scale: Evidence from China’s Wooden Furniture Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:230-:d:1012900
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/230/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/1/230/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Berger, Allen N, 1995. "The Profit-Structure Relationship in Banking--Tests of Market-Power and Efficient-Structure Hypotheses," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 27(2), pages 404-431, May.
    2. Schmalensee, Richard, 1987. "Collusion versus Differential Efficiency: Testing Alternative Hypotheses," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 399-425, June.
    3. Joaquín Maudos Villarroya, 1996. "Market structure and performance in Spanish banking using a direct measure of efficiency," Working Papers. Serie EC 1996-12, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    4. Alfranca, Oscar & Voces, Roberto & Herruzo, A. Casimiro & Diaz-Balteiro, Luis, 2014. "Effects of innovation on the European wood industry market structure," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 40-47.
    5. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November.
    6. Smirlock, Michael, 1985. "Evidence on the (Non) Relationship between Concentration and Profitability in Banking," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 17(1), pages 69-83, February.
    7. Engle, Robert & Granger, Clive, 2015. "Co-integration and error correction: Representation, estimation, and testing," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 39(3), pages 106-135.
    8. Diaz-Balteiro, Luis & Casimiro Herruzo, A. & Martinez, Margarita & Gonzalez-Pachon, Jacinto, 2006. "An analysis of productive efficiency and innovation activity using DEA: An application to Spain's wood-based industry," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 8(7), pages 762-773, October.
    9. Hendry, David F., 1995. "Dynamic Econometrics," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198283164.
    10. Davidson, James E H, et al, 1978. "Econometric Modelling of the Aggregate Time-Series Relationship between Consumers' Expenditure and Income in the United Kingdom," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 88(352), pages 661-692, December.
    11. Rhoades, Stephen A., 1985. "Market share as a source of market power: Implications and some evidence," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 343-363, December.
    12. Peter C. B. Phillips & Bruce E. Hansen, 1990. "Statistical Inference in Instrumental Variables Regression with I(1) Processes," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 57(1), pages 99-125.
    13. Peltzman, Sam, 1977. "The Gains and Losses from Industrial Concentration," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(2), pages 229-263, October.
    14. Demsetz, Harold, 1973. "Industry Structure, Market Rivalry, and Public Policy," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 16(1), pages 1-9, April.
    15. Andrews, Donald W K, 1991. "Heteroskedasticity and Autocorrelation Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimation," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 59(3), pages 817-858, May.
    16. Nanang, David M., 2000. "A multivariate cointegration test of the law of one price for Canadian softwood lumber markets," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(3-4), pages 347-355, December.
    17. Lambson, Val Eugene, 1987. "Is the Concentration-Profit Correlation Partly an Artifact of Lumpy Technology?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(4), pages 731-733, September.
    18. La, Le & Mei, Bin, 2015. "Portfolio diversification through timber real estate investment trusts: A cointegration analysis," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 269-274.
    19. Romer, Paul M, 1987. "Growth Based on Increasing Returns Due to Specialization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 77(2), pages 56-62, May.
    20. Kuen-Horng Lu & Min-Li Yang & Feng-Kai Hsiao & Hsin-Yi Lin, 2007. "Measuring the operating efficiency of domestic banks with DEA," International Journal of Business Performance Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 9(1), pages 22-42.
    21. R. D. Banker & A. Charnes & W. W. Cooper, 1984. "Some Models for Estimating Technical and Scale Inefficiencies in Data Envelopment Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(9), pages 1078-1092, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tuncay elik & Muhittin Kaplan, 2016. "Testing the Structure-Conduct-Performance Paradigm for the Turkish Banking Sector: 2008-2013," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 6(4), pages 1625-1631.
    2. Sellers-Rubio, Ricardo & Más-Ruiz, Francisco J., 2009. "Efficiency vs. market power in retailing: Analysis of supermarket chains," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 61-67.
    3. Allen N. Berger & David B. Humphrey, 1994. "Bank scale economies, mergers, concentration, and efficiency: the U.S. experience," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 94-23, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    4. Jalal D. Akhavein & Allen N. Berger & David B. Humphrey, "undated". "The Effects of Megamergers on Efficiency and Prices: Evidence from a Bank Profit Function," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1997-09, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), revised 10 Dec 2019.
    5. Fu, Xiaoqing (Maggie) & Heffernan, Shelagh, 2009. "The effects of reform on China's bank structure and performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 39-52, January.
    6. Wenyi Chu & Chien-Nan Chen & Chuang-Hung Wang, 2008. "The market share--profitability relationships in the securities industry," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(6), pages 813-826, July.
    7. E. W. Chirwa, 2003. "Determinants of commercial banks' profitability in Malawi: a cointegration approach," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(8), pages 565-571.
    8. Ihsan Isik & M. Kabir Hassan, 2003. "Efficiency, Ownership and Market Structure, Corporate Control and Governance in the Turkish Banking Industry," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(9‐10), pages 1363-1421, December.
    9. Tan, Yong, 2017. "The impacts of competition and shadow banking on profitability: Evidence from the Chinese banking industry," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 89-106.
    10. Moses Nyangu & Nyankomo Marwa & Ashenafi Fanta & Latacz-Lohmann Uwe, 2022. "The Dynamics of Bank Concentration, Competition and Efficiency in the East African Community," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 21-49, March.
    11. Abdul Latif Alhassan & Michael Lawer Tetteh & Freeman Owusu Brobbey, 2016. "Market power, efficiency and bank profitability: evidence from Ghana," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 71-93, February.
    12. Outreville, 2015. "The market structure-performance relationship applied to the Canadian wine industry," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(18), pages 1486-1492, December.
    13. Khan, Habib Hussain & Kutan, Ali M. & Naz, Iram & Qureshi, Fiza, 2017. "Efficiency, growth and market power in the banking industry: New approach to efficient structure hypothesis," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 531-545.
    14. J-L Hu & C-Y Fang, 2010. "Do market share and efficiency matter for each other? An application of the zero-sum gains data envelopment analysis," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 61(4), pages 647-657, April.
    15. Coccorese, Paolo, 2009. "Market power in local banking monopolies," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(7), pages 1196-1210, July.
    16. Waleerat Suphannachart & Peter Warr, 2011. "Research and productivity in Thai agriculture," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 55(1), pages 35-52, January.
    17. Shin, Dong Jin & Kim, Brian H.S., 2013. "Bank consolidation and competitiveness: Empirical evidence from the Korean banking industry," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 41-50.
    18. Berger, Allen N. & Demsetz, Rebecca S. & Strahan, Philip E., 1999. "The consolidation of the financial services industry: Causes, consequences, and implications for the future," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(2-4), pages 135-194, February.
    19. Qichang Ye & Zongling Xu & Dan Fang, 2012. "Market structure, performance, and efficiency of the Chinese banking sector," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 45(4), pages 337-358, November.
    20. Joaquin Maudos, 1998. "Market structure and performance in Spanish banking using a direct measure of efficiency," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 191-200.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2022:i:1:p:230-:d:1012900. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.