Working capital management and firm performance in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 546-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Ren ◽  
Nan Liu ◽  
Hongyan Yang ◽  
Youzhi Xiao ◽  
Yijun Hu
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Chinese Economy ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ownership Structures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between working capital management (WCM) and firm performance in the context of the Chinese economy. Specifically, it investigates the effects of ownership structures as an internal factor and of institutional environments (IE) as an external factor shaping this relationship. Design/methodology/approach The study applies two-way fixed effect regression models to a sample of Chinese listed manufacturing firms for the period of 2010 to 2017. WCM is measured by cash conversion cycles (CCC); profitability is measured by core profit ratios; ownership structures are classified based on state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and non-SOEs; and IEs are measured from dimensions of factor markets (FM) and legal systems (LS). Findings First, the results show a negative relationship between CCC and firm performance. Second, the negative relationship between CCC and profitability is significant for non-SOEs but not for SOEs. Third, both the FM and LS strengthen the negative association between CCC and profitability. Fourth, the moderating effect of FMs and LSs is evident for non-SOEs only. The results hold when using alternative measures of WCM and profitability and while controlling for additional variables. Originality/value The current study shows that while WCM has a significant effect on the profitability of Chinese firms, such an effect greatly depends on the ownership structures and IE involved. The results thus offer important implications in helping the Chinese government create better IEs and in allowing manufacturing firms to improve upon their WCM practices.

Financial constraints and optimal working capital – evidence from an emerging market

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav S. Chauhan ◽  
Pradip Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Financial Constraints ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Partial Adjustment ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cash Conversion Cycle ◽  
Systematic Feature

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.

scholarly journals Effect of Working Capital Management on Firm Performance: The Role of Ownership Structure

2019 ◽  
Vol IV (I) ◽  
pp. 75-83
Author(s):  
Shams ur Rahman ◽  
Khurshed Iqbal ◽  
Aamir Nadeem
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Fixed Effect Model ◽  
Managerial Ownership ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Inventory Turnover

Current study investigates the effect of working capital management on firm performance with the moderating role of ownership structure. A random sample of 77 firms for the period 2011-2015 was selected. By using fixed effect model the study demonstrated statistically significant negative relationship of leverage, average collection period and quick ratio on firm performance, while current ratio, account payable and inventory turnover found with positive significant effect on Firm Performance. Further, the effect of working capital on firm performance was positively affected by Institutional ownership and negatively affected by Managerial ownership. Thus, the results suggest that the owner/manager needs to manage their limited resources efficiently for the improvement of profitability. It is also advised that investor and shareholder pay attention to the level of institutional and managerial ownership at the time of investment..

Working capital management and firm’s valuation, profitability and risk

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Le
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Firm Valuation ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of working capital management on firm valuation, profitability and risk.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a panel data set of 497 firms covering the period 2007 to 2016. The authors test the effects of working capital management on firm valuation, profitability and risk using the panel data methodology that includes firm and year fixed effects regressions.FindingsThe authors find a significantly negative relationship between net working capital (NWC) and firm valuation, profitability and risk. The results suggest that, in managing working capital, firm managers must make a trade-off between their objectives for profitability and risk control. Working-capital management is of particular importance in firms with less access to capital; it is also important when firms are expanding their investments during periods of economic recovery.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature in several ways. First, to my knowledge, it provides the most comprehensive investigation, to date, on the relationship between working capital management and firm valuation, profitability and risk in an emerging market. Second, this study documents the existence of an optimal level of NWC in an emerging market. Third, firm performance, as measured in both market and accounting value, can be improved with efficient working capital management. Finally, the study includes the impact of the business cycle in an analysis of the effects of working capital management on firm performance.

Working capital management, firm performance and nature of business

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-200
Author(s):  
Kumar Sanjay Sawarni ◽  
Sivasankaran Narayanasamy ◽  
Kanagaraj Ayyalusamy
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Age And Growth ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the impact of the efficiency of working capital management (WCM) on the performance of a sample of Indian companies and explore how the nature of the firm's business influences the significance and direction of this impact.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected for the period of 2012–2018 for 414 non-financial firms listed on the Bombay Stock exchange. Fixed-effect regression models were run by taking Tobin's Q and return on equity (ROE) as dependent variables, and net trade cycle (NTC) and its components as explanatory variables in the presence of liquidity, leverage, size, age and growth as control variables. Sample firms were segregated into manufacturing, trading and service groups, and regression models were used for all the groups to understand the effect of the nature of a firm's business.FindingsWCM efficiency has a significant impact on the performance of the sample firms. Non-financial Indian firms deliver better financial performance by maintaining lower NTC. Like NTC, its components also impact firm value and profitability. The results report that the significance of the relationship varies depending upon the nature of the firm's business.Originality/valueThe previous research studies had not used a sample of large number of Indian firms. Unlike previous studies, this study reports the influence of the nature of business on the relationship between WCM and firm performance. Further, this paper also examines how the individual components of working capital influence the performance of Indian firms.

scholarly journals The Moderating Effect of Working Capital Management on the Relationship between Working Capital Determinants and Firm Performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-48
Author(s):  
Ahmad Rizal Mazlan ◽  
Choong Yuen Leng
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Capital Requirement ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Research Framework ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

This research examines working capital management moderating role on the relationship between the key determinants of working capital and firm performance among 282 public-listed manufacturing firms in Malaysia for the period of 2010 to 2014. In this study, working capital management components are categorized into working capital requirement and net liquid balance. The evidence suggests that the relationship between critical determinants of working capital and firm performance is moderated by both working capital requirement and net liquid balance. Further, the results show that the research framework does form a contemporary working capital management model.

Exploring predictors of working capital management efficiency and their influence on firm performance: an integrated DEA-SEM approach

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Seth ◽  
Saurabh Chadha ◽  
Satyendra Kumar Sharma ◽  
Namita Ruparel
Keyword(s):  
Direct Effect ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Performance Model ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Combining Data

PurposeThis study develops an integrated approach combining data envelopment analysis (DEA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) for estimating the working capital management (WCM) efficiency and evaluating the effects of diverse exogenous variables on the WCM efficiency and firms' performance.Design/methodology/approachDEA is applied for deriving WCM efficiency for 212 Indian manufacturing firms over a period from 2008 to 2019. Also, the effect of human capital (HC), structural capital (SC), cost of external financing (CEF), interest coverage (IC), leverage (LEV), net fixed asset ratio (NFA), asset turnover ratio (ATR) and productivity (PRD) on the WCM efficiency and firms' performance is examined using SEM.FindingsThe average mean efficiency scores ranging from 0.623 to 0.654 highlight the firms operating at around 60% of WCM efficiency only, which is a major concern for Indian manufacturing firms. Further, IC, LEV, NFA, ATR revealed direct effect on the WCM efficiency as well as indirect effect on firms' performance, whereas CEF had only a direct effect on WCM efficiency. HC, SC and PRD had no effects on WCM efficiency and firms' performance.Practical implicationsThe findings offer vital insights in guiding policy decisions for Indian manufacturing firms.Originality/valueThis study is the first to identify the endogenous nature of the relationship of HC, SC, CEF, IC altogether with firms' performance, compounded by the WCM efficiency, by applying a comprehensive methodology of DEA and SEM and provides an efficiency performance model for better decision-making.

Do working capital management practices influence investment and financing patterns of firms?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahsan Akbar ◽  
Xinfeng Jiang ◽  
Minhas Akbar
Keyword(s):  
Capital Structure ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investment And Financing ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe present study aims to investigate the impact of working capital management (WCM) practices on the investment and financing patterns of listed nonfinancial companies in Pakistan for a span of 10 years.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on secondary financial data of 354 listed nonfinancial Pakistani firms during the period of 2005–2014. The two-step generalized method of moment (GMM) regression estimation technique is employed to ensure the robustness of results.FindingsEmpirical testing reveals that: excessive funds tied up in working capital have a negative impact on the investment portfolio of sample firms. Besides, a negative relationship between change in fixed assets and excess net working capital posits that, eventually, firms use idle resources tied up in short-lived assets to boost their investment activities. Furthermore, larger working capital levels were associated with higher leverage ratio which indicates that firms with inefficient WCM policies have to rely heavily on long-term debt to meet their short-term financing requirements. Additional results indicate that firms that take more time to sell inventory and convert receivables to cash, make more use of debt. Results of cash management models illustrate that cash-rich firms have lower leverage levels which signal the strong financial health and internal revenue generation capability of such firms.Originality/valueThere is a dearth of empirical studies that examine the implications of WCM decisions on a firm's capital structure. Besides, these studies are only confined to how a WCM policy influences the long-term investment activities of a firm. The research contributes to the extant literature by empirically revealing a link between the WCM practices and the firm's long-range investment and financing patterns. Hence, financial managers shall account for the impact of their short-term financial management decisions on the capital structure of the firm.

scholarly journals The mediating role of board size, philanthropy and working capital management between basic corporate governance factors and firm's performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Naeem Shahid ◽  
Aamir Abbas ◽  
Khalid Latif ◽  
Ayesha Attique ◽  
Safwan Khalid
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Ownership Structure ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sugar Mills ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis study aims to identify the impact of corporate governance on performance of sugar mills. In order to study this relation, a model is constructed in which ownership structure and independent directors are taken as independent variables. Whereas firm performance is analyzed by using proxy variables such as return on asset (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and sales growth. Moreover, size of board, working capital management (WCM) and philanthropy are taken as mediating variables between governance variables and firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThe data of 32 sugar mills listed at Pakistan Stock Exchange for the period of four years (i.e. 2014–2017) is used for this research. Moreover, to investigate the model, generalized least squares statistical method is used to measure the relationship between variables.FindingsThe results revealed that there is significant but positive relationship between independent directors and ROA while ownership structure and ROE have significant but negative relationship. Thus, the board of directors should make it sure that all stakeholders and organizations should increase the nonfamily ownership in firms for better corporate performance. Moreover, philanthropy and WCM mediate the relationship between corporate governance and firms' performance.Practical/implicationsThis research work will be helpful in the corporate governance, and further researchers can conduct their study by considering executive/nonexecutive director and institutional owners as governance variables.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills an identified need to study how Corporate Governance effect the performance of firm.

Investigating the relationship between working capital management and business performance: evidence from the 2008 financial crisis of EU-28

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali İhsan Akgün ◽  
Ayyüce Memiş Karataş
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
2008 Financial Crisis ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The 2008 Financial Crisis ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeThis study examines the relationship between working capital management and business performance.Design/methodology/approachThe relationship between the working capital management and business performance is examined using panel data analysis for a sample of EU-28 listed firms for the period from 2003 to 2012. To examine this relationship, an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression model is used to analyze the data obtained from the sample. The dependent variable consists of three measurements, namely return on asset (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and earnings before interest and taxes margin (EBITM), which are used as proxies for accounting-based measures of performance.FindingsThe authors examined the aforementioned relationship during the 2008 financial crisis. The OLS regression analysis suggests that there is a negative relationship between gross working capital and business performance for code law countries. The results also show that liquidity measures estimated by current ratio have a statistically significant impact on business performance indicated by ROA for all EU countries. The 2008 financial crisis had a significantly negative impact on ROA. Additionally, the findings regarding financial inclusion show a negative relationship between gross working capital and business performance among EU and other performer countries.Practical implicationsOverall, the empirical findings are consistent with Afrifa's (2016), who suggests that cash flow should increase investment in working capital to improve performance indicated by EBITM for old EU members.Originality/valueWhile many empirical studies investigate the relationship between working capital and firm profitability, most do not consider the impact of the 2008 financial crisis apart from Tsurate (2019). The authors examine whether legal origins are important determinants of working capital management policies and business performance. Thus, empirically, the code law countries have a negative relationship between gross working capital, business performance and EBITM.

Assessing working capital management efficiency of Indian manufacturing exporters

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1061-1079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Himanshu Seth ◽  
Saurabh Chadha ◽  
Namita Ruparel ◽  
Puneet Kumar Arora ◽  
Satyendra Kumar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Exogenous Variables ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cash Conversion Cycle ◽  
Time Period

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the relationship between working capital management (WCM) efficiency and exogenous variables of the Indian manufacturing sector along with its sub-industries that are involved in export activities.Design/methodology/approachPanel regression (fixed effects) was used on a sample of 563 Indian manufacturing firms involved in export activities, covering a time period from 2008 to 2018.FindingsIndustry-wise results showed a significant relation of leverage, net fixed asset ratio, profitability, asset turnover ratio, total asset growth rate and productivity with cash conversion cycle (CCC).Research limitations/implicationsFirstly, having taken a sample from a developing economy, the results of our study may be generalizable only among developing contexts. Secondly, the time period taken in this study (2008–2018) has witnessed several economic fluctuations such as recession and demonetization which might differ for the firms or countries in normal conditions.Practical implicationsAn improved working capital model could advance the firms' performance by reducing the CCC of the firm, thereby creating efficiency in WCM. In addition, the results of this study could be helpful for many stakeholders such as working capital managers, debt holders, investors, financial consultants and others for monitoring the firms.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing literature in the relation between WCM efficiency and exogenous variables of the Indian manufacturing firms engaged in the export activities. Moreover, this study is one of the few research studies to investigate this relationship among Indian export firms in different industries, thus filling the gap in similar work done in other countries.

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