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Journal of Finance Vol. 38 No. 4 1983

The Effect of Risk on the Firm's Optimal Capital Stock: A Note

Kevin J. Maloney1; William Marshall; Jess B. Yawitz

1 Institute of Banking and Financial Markets School of Business Administration Washington University St. Louis, Missouri 63130

open access

Abstract

In this paper we extend the recent work on the choice of input mix under uncertainty. In particular, we demonstrate that the qualitative nature of the disturbance term, along with the decision sequence, is a crucial determinant of the overall effect of uncertainty on the optimal input mix of a firm. Using general demand and production functions in conjunction with a mean-variance framework for financial valuation, we demonstrate the differential effects of systematic and non-systematic risk on the firm's choice of an optimal input mix. Consistent with earlier work in economics, this analysis demonstrates that uncertainty, regardless of the source, has important implications for the firm's choice of technology.

DOI
10.2307/2328025
Volume
38
Issue
4
Pages
1279
Sources
openalex crossref

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