scholarly journals The impact of cash conversion cycle on firm profitability

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 442-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darush Yazdanfar ◽  
Peter Öhman

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to seek to investigate the impact of cash conversion cycle (CCC) on performance (i.e. profitability) in Swedish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) over the 2008-2011 period. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses a seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) model to analyse cross-sectional panel data covering 13,797 SMEs operating in four industries. Findings – The study provides empirical evidence that CCC significantly affects profitability. In addition, the firm-level control variables size, age, and industry affiliation significantly affect firm profitability. These findings imply that managers could increase firm profitability by improving their working capital management. Research limitations/implications – The present study is limited to a sample of Swedish SMEs in four industries; further research could examine the generalizability of these findings to other countries and industries. Practical implications – Improved working capital policy could improve firm profitability by reducing the firm's CCC, thereby creating additional firm value. In addition, the results can be used for other purposes, including monitoring of firms by auditors, debt holders, and other stakeholders. Originality/value – The present study contributes to the literature by employing a SUR model to analyse a comprehensive cross-sectoral sample in a high-tax environment. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study to address this issue in the Swedish context based on a large data set covering SMEs in various industries.

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amr Ahmed Moussa

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze and identify key factors affecting working capital behavior of companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange. Design/methodology/approach Working capital requirement and cash conversion cycle were used to proxy working capital behavior. The study explored nine main factors widely discussed in previous research to explain working capital behavior: operating cash flow, growth opportunities, performance, firm value, age, size, leverage, economic conditions and industry type. The study employed a panel data analysis for 68 listed Egyptian industrial firms for the period 2000–2010. Different techniques of the generalized method of moments were used to test the validity of the research hypotheses. Findings The results show that working capital behavior is affected by various factors related to firm characteristics, economic conditions and industry type. Originality/value This study provides financial managers with a better understanding of the impact of different internal and macroeconomic factors on working capital behavior in an emerging market, such as Egypt’s.


2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darush Yazdanfar ◽  
Peter Öhman

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of trade credit as a funding source on profitability among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach – A large cross-sectional panel data set covering 15,897 Swedish SMEs in five industry sectors from 2009 to 2012 was analysed using several statistical techniques. Findings – The study provides empirical evidence that the use of trade credit significantly and negatively affects firm profitability, indicating that SMEs with lower accounts payable are more profitable. Furthermore, liquidity level and firm size are positively related to profitability, while firm age is negatively related to profitability. Practical implications – If firms rely, or are forced to rely, too heavily on accounts payable as a funding source, their long-term profitability could be jeopardized. An efficient financing policy should make the costs related to the use of trade credit more transparent. Thus, firm managers could explicitly use trade credit agreements with their suppliers to control the costs related to this particular financial source. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to focus on the impact of trade credit on profitability in the Swedish context, where SMEs are encouraged to use trade credit as a funding source. In addition, the study is based on an extensive sample of SMEs across several industry sectors.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehdi Barati ◽  
Hadiseh Fariditavana

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to first assess how the US healthcare financing system is influenced by income variation. Then, it examines whether or not the impact of income variation is asymmetric.Design/methodology/approachFor the analyses of this paper, the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model is implemented to a data set covering the period from 1960 to 2018.FindingsThe results provide evidence that major funding sources of aggregate healthcare expenditure (HCE) respond differently to changes in income. The results also imply that the effect of income is not always symmetric.Originality/valueMany studies have attempted to identify the relationship between income and HCE. A common feature of past studies is that they have only focused on aggregate HCE, while one might be interested in knowing how major funders of aggregate HCE would be affected by changes in income. Another common feature of past studies is that they have assumed that the relationship between income and HCE is symmetric.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebenezer Agyemang Badu ◽  
Ebenezer Nyarko Assabil

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the connection between board composition and value relevance of financial information in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a panel data of 144 firm-year observations of listed firms in Ghana.FindingsThe study finds that a higher fraction of independent directors is associated with lower firm value. The study further finds that board size is positively related to firm value, whereas duality is negatively associated with firm value.Practical implicationsThe practical implication of this paper is that investors and regulators should be mindful that specifying governance composition should not only be based on “so-called” codes of best practices but also the level of the country's or the sector's development and local institutional structures.Originality/valueThis study uses five different measurements of market share and considers the impact of the provision of the Code of Best Practices in Ghana.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Moudud-Ul-Huq

Purpose This paper aims to empirically investigate the impact of bank diversification on performance and risk-taking behavior. The analysis uses an unbalanced panel data set covering the period between 2007 and 2015 for a total of 1,397 banks from ASEAN-5 and BRICS economies. Design/methodology/approach Dynamic panel generalized method of moments (GMM) has been used primarily to examine the relationship between bank diversification on performance and risk-taking and later, validate the core results by incorporating two-stage least squares (2SLS). Findings Similar to the results of previous studies based on the developed economy, this study also confirms the hypothesis of the portfolio diversification. The key robust result is that the benefits from revenue and assets diversification are heterogeneous and the BRICS banks achieve higher benefit from using both diversification strategies. On the other hand, ASEAN-5 banks fail to show the significant advantage from assets diversification. Among the diverse sources of income, interest is not a major determinant of efficiency and bank’s stability, while ASEAN-5 banks should foster commission and others income as mechanisms for diversification benefit in the region. Originality/value A few studies are available in the current literature which examines the impact of revenue and assets diversification on either bank performance or risk-taking in the developed economy’s context. However, very few studies are found that examine the relationship between bank diversification, performance and risk-taking together. Moreover, to the best of the author’s knowledge, there is a dearth of literature on this topic that built on the comparative analysis between two regions, i.e. ASEAN-5 and BRICS. As a result, the empirical results of this research provide useful information to the stakeholders so that they can enhance bank diversification strategy and implement them successfully by considering the other factors.


Author(s):  
Walter Gachira ◽  
Washington Chiwanzwa ◽  
Dingilizwe Jacob Nkomo ◽  
Runesu Chikore

Working capital is essential for the day-to-day operations of a firm. The study examines the impact of working capital management on the profitability of non-financial firms listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE). Using panel data methodology, the direction and extent of the impact of working capital management on profitability is scrutinised. The regression analysis is based on a panel sample of 39 non-financial firms listed on the ZSE from 2009 to 2013, the period under which the Zimbabwean economy has been operating under the multicurrency system. It was found that there is a positive relationship between debtors’ days and firm’s profitability, a negative relationship between creditors’ days and profitability and a positive relationship between firm’s cash conversion cycle and its profitability. There is some negative relationship between current ratio and profitability, while inventory turnover days and profitability are positively related. Debt to asset ratio as a control variable has a significant negative relationship with firm value and profitability. The results of the study show that for the companies included in the sample, there are mixed effects of the components of working capital on firm performance. Managers can thus create value for shareholders by taking note of the existence of such relationships and take measures that enhance firm profitability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Le

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 191-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Strifler

Purpose This purpose of this paper to examine how profit sharing depends on the underlying profitability of firms. More precisely, motivated by theoretical research on fair wages and unionized labor markets, profit sharing is estimated for six different profitability categories: positive, increasing, positive and increasing, negative, decreasing and negative or decreasing. Design/methodology/approach The paper exploits a high-quality linked employer–employee data set covering the universe of Finnish workers and firms. Endogeneity of profitability and self-selection of firms in different profitability categories are accounted for by an instrumental variables approach. The panel-structure of the data is used to control for unobserved heterogeneity (spell and individual fixed effects). Findings Profits are shared if firms are profitable or become more profitable. The wage-profit elasticity varies between 0.03 and 0.13 in such firms. However, profits are not shared if firms make losses or become less profitable. There is no downward wage adjustment. Research limitations/implications Because of the instrumental variables approach the question of external validity arises. Further empirical research on profit sharing with an explicit focus on firm profitability is warranted. The results of the paper indicate a connection between rent sharing and wage rigidity, as suggested by union and fair wage theory. Originality/value This is the first paper to consistently estimate the extent of profit sharing depending on the underlying profitability of firms.


Author(s):  
Kumar Sanjay Sawarni ◽  
Sivasankaran Narayanasamy ◽  
Kanagaraj Ayyalusamy

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zihan Nie ◽  
Nico Heerink ◽  
Qin Tu ◽  
Shuqin Jin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of adopting certified food production on chemical fertilizer and pesticide use in China. Design/methodology/approach The authors estimate fixed effect models to track the changes in agrochemical consumption at household level over time and evaluate the effect of certified food production, using an unbalanced panel data set covering 4,830 households in six provinces over the period 2005–2013. Findings On average, the authors do not find significant effects of certified food production on either chemical fertilizer or pesticide consumption among Chinese farmers. The effects are heterogeneous across villages, but the heterogeneous effects show no clear pattern that is consistent with different types of certification. The findings are robust to the use of alternative panel structure and certification indicators. The lack of knowledge about certification among farmers, the price premium and differences in regulation enforcement across regions may explain why the authors do not find negative effects on agrochemical use. Practical implications This study suggests that careful inspections and strong enforcement of certified food production is needed to ensure that the environmental goals of certified food production can be achieved and the reputation of certification in China can be improved. The inspection of certification producers and the enforcement of current regulations should be stricter for the further healthy development of certified food production in China. Originality/value This study is the first attempt to systematically evaluate the impact of food certification on the use of agrochemicals in Chinese agriculture.


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