IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/applec/v48y2016i18p1647-1654.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Some effects of business environment on retail firms

Author

Listed:
  • Pierre Nguimkeu

Abstract

This paper empirically tests how formal retail entrepreneurs’ perception about the business environment in Cameroon affects the performance of the retail sector. I use business owners’ responses from the 2009 Enterprise Survey to estimate an econometric model that corrects for heteroscedasticity. The results show that regulation costs, corruption, credit constraints, and lack of infrastructure negatively affect the gross margins of firms. In contrast, the competition of the informal sector -- perceived by many formal entrepreneurs as a major constraint -- is positively associated with the gross margins of formal firms. Policy implications are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Pierre Nguimkeu, 2016. "Some effects of business environment on retail firms," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(18), pages 1647-1654, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:48:y:2016:i:18:p:1647-1654
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2015.1105923
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00036846.2015.1105923
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/00036846.2015.1105923?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Harvey, A C, 1976. "Estimating Regression Models with Multiplicative Heteroscedasticity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 44(3), pages 461-465, May.
    2. Anna L. Paulson & Robert M. Townsend & Alexander Karaivanov, 2006. "Distinguishing Limited Liability from Moral Hazard in a Model of Entrepreneurship," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 114(1), pages 100-144, February.
    3. de Brauw, Alan & Mueller, Valerie & Lee, Hak Lim, 2014. "The Role of Rural–Urban Migration in the Structural Transformation of Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 33-42.
    4. Nooteboom, B. & Thurik, A. R., 1985. "Retail margins during recession and growth," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 281-284.
    5. Potjes, Jeroen C. A. & Roy Thurik, A., 1993. "Profit margins in Japanese retailing," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 5(4), pages 337-362, December.
    6. Rajiv Lal & Chakravarthi Narasimhan, 1996. "The Inverse Relationship Between Manufacturer and Retailer Margins: A Theory," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 15(2), pages 132-151.
    7. Eifert, Benn & Gelb, Alan & Ramachandran, Vijaya, 2008. "The Cost of Doing Business in Africa: Evidence from Enterprise Survey Data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 1531-1546, September.
    8. L. ALAN WINTERS & NEIL McCULLOCH & ANDREW McKAY, 2015. "Trade Liberalization and Poverty: The Evidence So Far," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Non-Tariff Barriers, Regionalism and Poverty Essays in Applied International Trade Analysis, chapter 14, pages 271-314, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    9. Nguimkeu, Pierre, 2014. "A structural econometric analysis of the informal sector heterogeneity," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 175-191.
    10. Martin Neil Baily & Robert M. Solow, 2001. "International Productivity Comparisons Built from the Firm Level," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 15(3), pages 151-172, Summer.
    11. Nooteboom, Bart & Kleijweg, Aad & Thurik, Roy, 1988. "Normal costs and demand effects in price setting : A study of retailing," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 999-1011, April.
    12. Roger Betancourt & David Gautschi, 1996. "An international comparison of the determinants of retail gross margins," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 23(2), pages 173-189, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mai Huong Giang & Tran Dang Xuan & Bui Huy Trung & Mai Thanh Que & Yuichiro Yoshida, 2018. "Impact of Investment Climate on Total Factor Productivity of Manufacturing Firms in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    2. Mai Huong Giang & Bui Huy Trung & Yuichiro Yoshida & Tran Dang Xuan & Mai Thanh Que, 2019. "The Causal Effect of Access to Finance on Productivity of Small and Medium Enterprises in Vietnam," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-19, October.
    3. Malik Cahyadin, 2017. "Determinant Factors of Trade Industry Performance in Indonesia: AHP Approach," GATR Journals jber130, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
    4. Florian Horky & Nicola Tretter & Jarko Fidrmuc, 2021. "Are the pandemic and innovation twins? Perceived financial obstacles, innovations, and entrepreneurial success," Economic Research Guardian, Weissberg Publishing, vol. 11(2), pages 236-254, December.

    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. Gelb, Alan & Meyer, Christian J. & Ramachandran, Vijaya, 2014. "Development as diffusion: Manufacturing productivity and sub-Saharan Africa's missing middle," WIDER Working Paper Series 042, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    2. Karaivanov, Alexander & Yindok, Tenzin, 2022. "Involuntary entrepreneurship – Evidence from Thai urban data," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    3. King, Robert P. & Park, Timothy A., 2004. "Modeling Productivity In Supermarket Operations: Incorporating The Impacts Of Store Characteristics And Information Technologies," Journal of Food Distribution Research, Food Distribution Research Society, vol. 35(2), pages 1-14, July.
    4. Philippe Alby & Emmanuelle Auriol & Pierre Nguimkeu, 2020. "Does Social Pressure Hinder Entrepreneurship in Africa? The Forced Mutual Help Hypothesis," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 87(346), pages 299-327, April.
    5. Alan Gelb & Christian J. Meyer & Vijaya Ramachandran, 2014. "Development as Diffusion: Manufacturing Productivity and Sub-Saharan Africa's Missing Middle," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2014-042, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. van Dalen, Jan & Thurik, Roy, 1998. "A model of pricing behavior: An econometric case study," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 177-195, August.
    7. Alan Gelb, Christian Meyer, and Vijaya Ramachandran, 2014. "Development as Diffusion: Manufacturing Productivity and Sub-Saharan Africa’s Missing Middle - Working Paper 357," Working Papers 357, Center for Global Development.
    8. Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg & Nina Pavcnik, 2007. "The Effects of the Colombian Trade Liberalization on Urban Poverty," NBER Chapters, in: Globalization and Poverty, pages 241-290, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Govinda R. Timilsina & John C. Beghin & Dominique van der Mensbrugghe & Simon Mevel, 2012. "The impacts of biofuels targets on land‐use change and food supply: A global CGE assessment," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 43(3), pages 315-332, May.
    10. Hovhannisyan, Vardges & Stiegert, Kyle W. & Bozic, Marin, 2013. "On Endogeneity Of Retail Market Power In An Equilibrium Analysis: A Control Function Approach," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 149830, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. Ural Marchand, Beyza, 2012. "Tariff pass-through and the distributional effects of trade liberalization," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 265-281.
    12. Kym Anderson, 2005. "On the Virtues of Multilateral Trade Negotiations," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 81(255), pages 414-438, December.
    13. Brown, Sarah & Greene, William H. & Harris, Mark N. & Taylor, Karl, 2015. "An inverse hyperbolic sine heteroskedastic latent class panel tobit model: An application to modelling charitable donations," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 228-236.
    14. Atsede Desta Tegegne & Marianne Penker, 2016. "Determinants of rural out-migration in Ethiopia: Who stays and who goes?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 35(34), pages 1011-1044.
    15. Kiatipong Ariyapruchya & Cheerapan O-lanthanasate & Chatsurang Karnchanasai, 2006. "Strengthening the Competitiveness of Thai Firms: What Needs to be Done?," Working Papers 2006-03, Monetary Policy Group, Bank of Thailand.
    16. Brambilla, Irene & Porto, Guido, 2016. "Trade, Poverty Eradication, and the Sustainable Development Goals," ADBI Working Papers 629, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    17. Jenkins, Robin R. & Martinez, Salvador A. & Palmer, Karen & Podolsky, Michael J., 2003. "The determinants of household recycling: a material-specific analysis of recycling program features and unit pricing," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 294-318, March.
    18. Guido Friebel & Matthias Heinz & Miriam Krueger & Nikolay Zubanov, 2017. "Team Incentives and Performance: Evidence from a Retail Chain," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(8), pages 2168-2203, August.
    19. Panayi, Efstathios & Peters, Gareth W. & Danielsson, Jon & Zigrand, Jean-Pierre, 2018. "Designating market maker behaviour in limit order book markets," Econometrics and Statistics, Elsevier, vol. 5(C), pages 20-44.
    20. Guntur Sugiyarto*, 2005. "A Review of: “Ramkishen S. Rajan, Economic Globalization and Asia: Essays on Finance, Trade and Taxation," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(3), pages 397-402.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:taf:applec:v:48:y:2016:i:18:p:1647-1654. 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: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RAEC20 .

    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.