Working capital management, corporate performance, and financial constraints

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 332-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Baños-Caballero ◽  
Pedro J. García-Teruel ◽  
Pedro Martínez-Solano
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahmida Laghari ◽  
Ye Chengang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between working capital management and corporate performance with financial constraints. Design/methodology/approach This study uses large panel sample of Chinese listed firms over the period 2005–2015 using system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator that controls unobserved heterogeneity of individual firms well and GMM methodology is robust to address endogeneity issues. Findings Empirical evidence finds inverted U-shaped relationship between working capital and corporate performance and exhibits similar evidence for financially constrained firms. Evidence shows impact of high sales and discounts on early payments at low level of working capital and dominance of opportunity cost and cost of external finance at high level of working capital. The findings of the results show that optimal working capital level of financially constrained firms is relatively lower due to high cost of external capital and debt rationing. The results also indicate that on average NET is significantly lower for firms with Tobin’s Q>1 than firms with Tobin’s Q=1, and suggest that aggressive working capital management is significantly and positively associated with higher corporate values. Originality/value This paper is among few that complement the existing literature by providing evidence that inverted U-shaped relationship between working capital management and corporate performance also exists in the context of Chinese listed non-financial firms. Exclusively, the relationship of working capital and corporate performance with linkage of financial constraints is scant in the context of Chinese listed non-financial firms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav S. Chauhan ◽  
Pradip Banerjee

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the existence of an optimal or target level of working capital for the Indian manufacturing firms, and whether firms intensely follow the target or not. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses cash conversion cycle as a measure of net working capital and employs partial-adjustment dynamic panel models to test its target-following behavior. Findings The empirical results show that there is no evidence of systematic target-following behavior of working capital for the Indian manufacturing firms. The results hold true even after dividing the sample into four groups depending on the sign and magnitude of deviation. The results further show that lack of target-following tendency is not quite influenced by varying firm-specific characteristics and, therefore, seems to be a systematic feature across firms in India. Research limitations/implications Scarcity of such working capital management studies across emerging economies, facing several financial constraints, limits the comparison of findings. Future studies should be conducted to confirm the results. Practical implications The findings imply that even though an optimal working capital might exist, emerging market firms may not be able to actively pursue it on account of several financial constraints and managerial considerations. Originality/value The study contributes to the scant existing literature on the target-following behavior of working capital management in the Indian manufacturing firms, representing a typical emerging market facing several financial constraints.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 343-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Salehi ◽  
Nadia Mahdavi ◽  
Saeed Zarif Agahi Dari ◽  
Hossein Tarighi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between access to financial resources, working capital with surplus stock returns and value of the company in Iran. Design/methodology/approach The study population consists of 728 observations and 91 firms listed on the Tehran stock exchange during an eight-year period between 2009 and 2016. The statistical model used in this study is a multivariate regression model; further, the statistical technique used to test the hypotheses is panel data. Findings The results saw a negative and significant linkage between changes in cash and stock’ excess returns, whereas no meaningful association between changes in working capital and stock surplus returns was seen. In other words, an Iranian rial (Iran’s currency) invested in working capital worth less on average than a rial held in cash. Furthermore, the authors realized that in an inflationary economy, firms mainly pay more dividends so as to illustrate better their financial position and also to attract more investors’ trust. The results also indicated that the final value of working capital in the companies that are faced with financial constraints is more than companies that are not faced with financial constraints. Subsequently, after the elimination of the effects of inflation on stock returns, it was found there is not any significant association between the stock’s real return and firm value. Practical implications This is one of the most comprehensive research works in Iran that simultaneously surveys the impacts of access to finance and working capital on firm value. This research warns corporate managers to pay more attention to the importance of keeping cash to finance and manage working capital for profitability and sustainability of their company’s operations. Surely, by understanding the relationship between cash holdings, working capital management and stock surplus return, investors will be able to make appropriate decisions about the optimal choice of funds. Originality/value What really will fascinate other scholars about this paper is the time period of the study because there were unprecedented sanctions against Iran market and many manufacturing industries were in financial strain. Without hesitation, the paper will make aware investors and stakeholders of this fact that cash holdings will be a good way in reducing the corporate financial problems in emerging markets, particularly those markets face financial sanctions like Iran.


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