Business environment, managerial strategies, and the allocation of decision-making authorities in Swiss Firms

Michael Beckmann () and Kathrin Armbruster ()
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Michael Beckmann: University of Basel
Kathrin Armbruster: University of Basel

Working papers from Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel

Abstract: The allocation of decision-making authorities may be seen as the last link in a causal relationship starting from changes in environment and continuing to business strategy. Changes in task complexity, which can be measured by the introduction of a diversification or an outsourcing strategy, are expected to result in a shift towards a more centralized or decentralized allocation of decision-making authorities. Using nationally representative Swiss firm data, OLS, Propensity Score Matching as well as a combined matching and difference-in-differences approach in order to account for endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity are applied. Estimates using all three approaches show a highly significant positive impact of outsourcing on a decentralized decision rights assignment, whereas a diversification strategy yields no influence. The conclusion therefore is that a lower delegation risk due to a decline in complexity results in decentralized decision-making authorities in Swiss firms.

Keywords: Allocation of decision-making authorities - Diversification - Outsourcing - Average treatment effect; propensity score matching estimators; combined matching difference-in-differences estimator (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 D21 L22 M50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bsl:wpaper:2010/06

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