About the Event
What impact has the recent US-China trade war had on the market value of Chinese listed firms? In this seminar, Jane Lu, Chair Professor of the Department of Management at the City University of Hong Kong, discussed her forthcoming Journal of Management paper examining this question with a multidimensional view of “event space” and its impact on firms in times of crisis.
Abstract
Event Space and Firm Value – Chinese Listed Firms in the US-China Trade War
Although past studies in crisis management usually have taken a geography-focused approach to study how physical proximity increases firms' exposure to a crisis, this study draws on event system theory and proposes that independent of firms' geographic locations, an event can have multiple spatial directions and proximities to the firms in the event space. To further unpack the effects of event space, we develop an integrated framework that considers how the event space interacts with entity attributes—which are found to help firms cope with external challenges affecting their market value. Using the shock of the 2018 US-China trade war on listed firms in China's stock market, we find that the trade war has significantly reduced the market value of firms that have spatial proximity to the product market (i.e., firms that belong to target industries) and to the geographic market (i.e., firms that export to the United States) in event space. This negative effect also spills over onto peer organizations with business activities related to target industries or the United States. Moreover, there are differential moderating effects from entity attributes, such as corporate political connections and corporate social responsibility, on the different event spatial directions, pointing to the distinct natures of event spatial directions. This study introduces a novel, multidimensional view of event space and uses it to develop an event space model for geopolitical events, and in so doing, we complement extant work on the role of crises in shaping corporate strategy and performance.
Reference: Lu, J. W., Zhou, X. (2023). Event space and firm value: Chinese listed firms in the US–China trade war. Journal of Management. 1-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063231162089
About Jane Lu
Jane Lu is Chair Professor at the Department of Management, City University of Hong Kong. Her work has appeared in Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, and Journal of International Business Studies, among other leading journals. She served as Editor-in-Chief of Asia Pacific Journal of Management (2016-2018). She is currently a Senior Editor of Journal of World Business and a Consulting Editor of Journal of International Business Studies. She received her MBA from China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and Ph.D. from the Ivey School of Business, Western University.
Jane started her academic career at the National University of Singapore where she was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. She served as James Riady Chair Professor in Asian Business and Economics and Director of the Centre for Asian Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne (2013-2017), and Parkland Chair Professor of Strategy and Director of the Centre for Emerging Market Studies at CEIBS (2017-2019), prior to joining CityU. Jane's research centers on the intersection between organization theory and strategy, focusing on international and non-market strategies. Her earlier research investigates broad-level issues that underlie the international strategy of a firm, as well as specific strategic questions, such as how to make a successful foreign entry into a country, or how to manage successfully in a foreign country. Her recent research continues this line of research but focuses on emerging market firms and their non-market strategies.
About the Nardone Family Seminar Series
Made possible by a gift from David R. Nardone, this seminar series brings scholars and practitioners to Northeastern University to share insights on emerging markets.