Major customer network structure and supplier trade credit

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Sian (Sherwin) Jhang ◽  
Hung-Chung Su ◽  
Ta-Wei (Daniel) Kao
Keyword(s):  
Trade Credit ◽  
Network Integration ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Structural Position ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Segment Disclosure ◽  
Customer Segment ◽  
Credit Network

PurposeThis study investigates how a firm's structural embeddedness, the structural position in a supply network that consists of major customers, influences the acquisition of supplier trade credit. Specifically, this study examines how network interconnectedness, network integration and network independence of a firm affect its ability to acquire supplier trade credit.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilizes financial data from Compustat to build a longitudinal dataset of manufacturing firms from 1998 to 2013. Customer segment disclosure data are used to construct firm-level network variables. A fixed effect regression approach is used for estimation.FindingsThe study results show that network interconnectedness is negatively associated with supplier trade credit, while network integration is positively associated with supplier trade credit. Network independence does not influence the extent of supplier trade credit. The post hoc analysis shows that the effects of the hypothesized factors vary under different product categories and credit ratings.Originality/valueThis study broadens the supply chain finance literature by showing how a firm's embedded network structural position can influence its ability to obtain supplier trade credit.

Do generous trade credit terms provide a competitive edge?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmytro Osiichuk ◽  
Paweł Wnuczak
Keyword(s):  
Product Differentiation ◽  
Trade Credit ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Growth Enhancement ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Segmented Markets ◽  
Industry Competition ◽  
Dynamic Panel Regression

PurposeThe authors document a persistent negative link between contemporaneous trade credit provision and subsequent firm-level operating performance.Design/methodology/approachTextual analysis of firms' profile descriptions is used to study the role of market segmentation and product differentiation in intermediating the nexus between trade credit and corporate performance. The paper relies on dynamic panel regression modeling to investigate the postulated empirical relationships. This approach allows to address endogeneity issues and to test a number of different model specifications.FindingsDespite fueling short-term sales growth, the more generous trade credit terms are found to be associated with lower post hoc margins and declining overall business profitability. The market share is not affected by firms' proclivity to provide trade credit suggesting that the latter may not be effectively used as a long-term growth enhancement strategy. Firms' similarity to their competitors is found to play a salient role in altering the magnitude of the discovered negative relationship.Originality/valueThe authors find that the intensity of intra-industry competition measured by firms' similarity to their competitors magnifies the discovered negative trade credit-performance nexus. Therefore, generous trade credit may play a more important role in solidifying client–supplier relationships on the more segmented markets with a higher degree of product differentiation.

scholarly journals Religion, national culture and cross-country differences in the use of trade credit

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-370
Author(s):  
Markus Mättö ◽  
Mervi Niskanen
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Trade Credit ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether religion or national culture can explain previously observed cross-country variation in trade credit. Design/methodology/approach Using the firm-level SME data from 35 European countries, religion and cultural factors of Hofstede and Schwartz, the authors provide new evidence on the determinants of the cross-country variation in trade credit. Findings The results indicate that religion and national culture are associated with trade credit. The authors find that the levels of trade credit are higher in Catholic countries than in Protestant ones and that peoples’ religiousness has an impact on trade credit only in Catholic countries. The authors also find that Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, such as power distance and uncertainty avoidance, are positively associated with trade credit. Practical implications Overall, authors’ findings indicate that religion and national culture are important determinants of trade credit management, and that the association between commonly used cultural values and trade credit depends on the religious, legal, and financial environment. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to research the relationship between national culture and trade credit.

The finance of innovation in Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misraku Molla Ayalew ◽  
Zhang Xianzhi ◽  
Demis Hailegebreal Hailu
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Trade Credit ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Innovative Firms ◽  
Finance Innovation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how firms in developing countries finance innovation. Notably, the study seeks to investigate whether innovative firms exhibit financing patterns different from those of non-innovative ones. It also examines the effect of financing sources on firm’s probability to innovate. Design/methodology/approach The study utilizes firm-level data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey. From 28 African countries, 11,173 firms have been included in the sample. A statistical t-test is used for two independent samples and logistic regression models. Findings The results show that innovative firms, specifically innovative small- and medium-size firms exhibit financing patterns different from non-innovative peers. Further analysis indicates that there is no statistically significant difference between the financing patterns of innovative and non-innovative large firms. In Africa, innovation is mostly financed using internal sources and bank finance. Equity finance and bank finance have shown a higher effect followed by internal finance, finance from non-bank financial institutions and trade credit finance on firms’ probability to innovate. Practical implications The management of innovative firms should reduce dependency on short-term and retained earning financing and increase the use of long-term instruments improve innovation performance. Social implications A pending policy task for African leaders is to design and evaluate reforms to create a strong financial sector that willing to support the innovation process. Originality/value This study contributes to the existent literature on finance of innovation by examining how firms finance innovation activities in developing countries. This study provides evidence on how innovative firms exhibit financing patterns different from non-innovative ones from developing countries.

Manufacturing network integration and culture: an institution-based view

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maricela C. Arellano ◽  
Cristina Sancha ◽  
Torbjørn Netland ◽  
Cristina Gimenez Thomsen
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Institutional Environments ◽  
Network Integration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Manufacturing Network ◽  
The Relationship

PurposeIn pursuit of increased competitiveness, global manufacturers often seek tighter integration among the plants in their production networks. However, this is a challenging task because plants are dispersed across multiple institutional environments. Although the literature provides abundant evidence of how formal institutional environments affect the integration among plants, little is known about the role of the informal institutional environment – such as culture. In this study, the authors investigate the relationship between different dimensions of culture and manufacturing network integration.Design/methodology/approachThe authors combine survey data from the most recent International Manufacturing Strategy Survey with secondary data that capture cultural dimensions. They then analyze the responses from 581 assembly plants in 21 countries obtained from the survey using a multilevel regression model.FindingsThe study results show that plants located in masculine and long-term-oriented national cultures are associated with lower levels of integration with other plants. The results for the other four Hofstede dimensions of national culture were not statistically significant. At the level of organizational culture, the authors found that a collaborative plant environment positively relates to higher levels of network integration. They did not find statistically significant evidence for the relationship between cultural or geographical distance and network integration.Practical implicationsThis research provides managers with practical insights into the types and combinations of cultural environments that affect the integration of plants in a global network. This knowledge is useful for informing effective integration strategies and tactics.OriginalityThe authors provide new, empirical evidence of the relation between the informal institutional environments of a plant and its integration in a manufacturing network. Drawing on an institution-based view, they contribute to the literature on manufacturing networks by discussing and testing empirically the role of national and organizational culture in network integration.

Access to finance and firm innovation

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
MccPowell Sali Fombang ◽  
Charles Komla Adjasi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Trade Credit ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Access To Finance ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Firm Innovation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Firm Level Data

Purpose The study aims to examine the importance of access to finance in firm innovation by using firm-level data from the World Bank enterprise survey (WBES) on selected African countries. Design/methodology/approach This study utilises firm-level data from the WBES database and computes aggregate innovation index by using multiple correspondent analysis. The authors then apply instrumental variable models (to control for possible endogeneity between innovation and finance) to assess the link between finance and innovation. Findings The research finds that finance in the form of overdraft overwhelmingly drives innovation in all selected countries – Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. Trade credit enhances innovation among firms in Nigeria, South Africa and Cameroon, while asset finance drives innovation amongst firms in Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa. Practical implications Policy incentives such as tax breaks could be put in place for financial intermediaries that have shown proof of extending loans to financially constraint firms to enable them to innovate. Furthermore, different financial institutions such as microfinance institutions can be supported to increase credit to enterprises. Partnerships with organisations willing to fund firms and support start-ups should be encouraged. One of such support mechanisms could be specialised schemes such as a credit guarantee scheme to encourage and secure lending to enterprises to promote innovation. Originality/value This paper provides empirical insights into how finance enhances innovation in African enterprises. It also shows how different finance structures (overdraft, asset finance and trade credit) affect firm innovation in different African countries.

Trade credit and the speed of leverage adjustment

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ala’a Adden Abuhommous
Keyword(s):  
Trade Credit ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Bank Loans ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Good Opportunity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Leverage Ratio ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of trade credit on the speed of adjustment (SOA) of short-term leverage. Bankruptcy cost is higher for over-levered firms, generating a good incentive to use trade credit as a lower cost substitute; hence, firms adjust capital more quickly. Design/methodology/approach Firm-level data are used from five countries, in two different economic orientations, during the period 2000–2017: bank-oriented economies include France, Germany and Japan, and market-oriented economies include the UK and the USA. First, using the two-step GMM the study estimates the target short-term leverage ratio. Then, it examines the impact of trade credit on the SOA of the actual leverage towards the target leverage ratio. Findings It finds a positive impact of a low amount of trade credit (high capacity) on the SOA for over-levered firms. This is in line with the substitution effect, where the bankruptcy cost is higher for over-levered firms, which leads them to substitute bank loans with trade credit. Research limitations/implications The study uses data from publicly traded firms; data from non-listed and small firms may be considered as a good opportunity for future research. Practical implications The policy implication that can be derived from the empirical results is that firms’ management should recognise the relationship between trade credit and deviation from target short-term leverage. During periods of high short-term leverage firms should use trade credit as a source of finance when adjusting the short-term leverage towards the target ratio. Originality/value This study is the first to examine the influence of trade credit on the SOA.

scholarly journals Stakeholder perception of the determinants of audit committee effectiveness in a developing economy: evidence from the Libyan banking sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulhakim M. Masli ◽  
Musa Mangena ◽  
Ali Meftah Gerged ◽  
Donald Harradine
Keyword(s):  
Audit Committee ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
National Level ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Survey Responses

PurposeThis study distinctively explores the firm-level and national-level determinants of audit committee effectiveness (ACE) in the Libyan banking sector (LBS).Design/methodology/approachA mixed-methods approach has been employed to enhance the quality of the collected data and reduce the risk of bias. Five groups of actors in the Libyan banking sector were surveyed, including board members, AC members, executive managers, internal auditors and external auditors, further to interviewing a representative sample of these groups. In total, 218 survey responses were gathered, and 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted.FindingsThe study results show that AC authority, financial expertise and diligence are positively and significantly attributed to ACE, although AC independence and resources are not significantly related to ACE. The authors find that the legal and regulatory environment, government intervention, and the accounting and auditing environment are perceived as important and associated with ACE regarding national-level factors. These findings are strongly supported by semi-structured interviews and suggest that both firm-level and national-level factors are essential in understanding ACE in Libya's banking sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe study’s evidence reiterates the vital need for more concentrated work to integrate governance, legislative and regulatory reforms to ensure the effectiveness of ACs as a key corporate governance (CG) mechanism in developing economies.Originality/valueThis study extends the literature relating measures of AC inputs and outputs by examining the perception of stakeholders to understand both the firm-level and national-level factors that affect ACE in a single institutional setting. Additionally, this work adds to the limited number of recent studies examining the role of ACs in the banking sector in developing economies.

Heritage-based value of a corporate brand: antecedents and effects on the firm’s financial value

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Woonsun Paek ◽  
Hyerin Ryu ◽  
Sunkyu Jun
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Corporate Brand ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Corporate Brands ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to show that a corporate brand with a long history coupled with relevance to the present obtains heritage-based value in society and the second aim is to examine a boundary condition in which the heritage-based value of a corporate brand increases the firm’s financial value. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted to investigate when and how a corporate brand obtains its heritage-based value in society and archival analysis was conducted to analyze the relationship between the heritage-based value of a corporate brand and the firm’s financial value. Findings The longevity of a corporate brand increased its heritage-based value, particularly when the brand was perceived to be temporally continuous, through the enhancement of authenticity perception and the heritage-based value had a positive effect on the firm’s financial value for younger firms. Research limitations/implications This study extends the benefits of the heritage association of a corporate brand to the firm level but has a limitation in its cross-sectional method. Practical implications The study results justify monetary costs incurred in the course of developing and cultivating a brand’s heritage association. Originality/value It is believed that this study is the first quantitative research examining the relationship between the heritage-based value of corporate brands and firms’ financial value.

International evidence on the determinants of trade credit provision

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 484-498
Author(s):  
Matt Hill ◽  
Katerina Hill ◽  
Lorenzo Preve ◽  
Virginia Sarria-Allende
Keyword(s):  
Trade Credit ◽  
Publicly Traded ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Macroeconomic Conditions ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Geographical Regions ◽  
Financial Credit ◽  
Pooled Sample

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine whether the level of financial credit available in a country influences the level of trade credit provided to customers.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examine the association between the supply of trade credit and the availability of country-level private financial credit using multivariate regression models that account for country-level heterogeneity, macroeconomic conditions and firm-specific characteristics. The data set is a pooled sample of publicly traded firms incorporated in 66 countries.FindingsSupporting the re-distributional view of trade credit, robust results suggest that suppliers incorporated in countries with increased access to financial credit provide increased trade credit to their customers. Further results indicate significant differences in trade credit usage across geographical regions. Consistent with existing research using samples of US firms, the use of trade credit is correlated with firm-level measures of financial constraints and product market dynamics.Originality/valueThe authors provide one of the first studies to examine differences in trade credit extension across a large number of countries.

Tax compliance of financial services firms: a developing economy perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doreen Musimenta ◽  
Sylvia Naigaga ◽  
Juma Bananuka ◽  
Mariam Ssemakula Najjuma
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Financial Services ◽  
Tax Compliance ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Compliance Costs ◽  
Tax Morale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Financial Services Firms

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the contribution of tax morale, compliance costs and tax compliance of financial services firms in Uganda. Design/methodology/approach This study is cross-sectional and correlational and adopts firm-level data collected using a questionnaire survey of 210 financial services firms in Uganda from which usable questionnaires were received from 152 financial services firms. Findings Tax morale and compliance costs contribute up to 20.6 per cent of the variance in tax compliance of the financial services firms. Tax morale and tax compliance are positively and significantly associated. Results further indicate that compliance costs and tax compliance are positively and significantly associated. National pride and trust in government and its legal systems as dimensions of tax morale independently are significantly associated with tax compliance. Results also indicate that administration costs and specialist costs as dimensions of compliance costs individually are significantly associated with tax compliance. Research limitations/implications This study results should be generalized with caution, as they are limited to the financial services firms in Uganda. Originality/value Whereas there has been a number of studies on tax compliance in both developed and developing countries, this is the first study on the African scene to examine the contribution of tax morale and compliance costs on tax compliance of financial services firms in a single suite. It is unbelievable that the financial services firms, especially commercial banks which are highly regulated by the central bank in many developing countries, can afford to report tax payables year after year.

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