Working capital management and profitability of listed manufacturing firms in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kofi Amponsah-Kwatiah ◽  
Michael Asiamah
Keyword(s):  
Inventory Management ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Cash Conversion Cycle

PurposeThis study examines the effect of working capital management on profitability of listed manufacturing firms in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a quantitative research approach within the causal research design using a balance panel of 20 manufacturing listed firms from 2015 to 2019.FindingsThe study reveals that inventory management, account receivables, account payables, cash conversion cycle, current asset, current ratio and firm size have positive effects on return on assets (ROA) and return on return on equity(ROE) whilst leverage affects them negatively.Research limitations/implicationsThe study only covers 20 manufacturing firms generally due to data unavailability. However, the outcome has useful information for manufacturing firms.Practical implicationsThe study brings to light effective ways of improving the profitability of manufacturing firms through policies.Social implicationsThe findings are beneficial to manufacturing firms and countries for the purpose of improving performance of firms and welfare of the people through direct and indirect chain effects of increasing investments, remunerations and scales of production.Originality/valueThis study adds insights into the existing literature on working capital management namely methodology, effects of components on profitability of manufacturing firms and socioeconomic implications- evidence from Ghana.

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.

Working capital management practices in India: survey evidence

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kent Baker ◽  
Satish Kumar ◽  
Sisira Colombage ◽  
Harsh Partap Singh
Keyword(s):  
Inventory Management ◽  
Enterprise Resource Planning ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cash Conversion Cycle

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the working capital management (WCM) practices adopted by Indian firms listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Design/methodology/approach Using a questionnaire, the authors gather data from 110 financial managers and use various statistical techniques to test for statistical significance. Findings The evidence shows that the majority (54.5 percent) of sample firms follow a moderate approach in financing their activities, which involves a trade-off between liquidity and profitability. Respondents tend to use an informal approach for WCM and consider receivables management as the most important component of WCM. In terms of WCM monitoring and financial measures, respondents mainly consider the cash conversion cycle and net working capital. Indian firms tend to use centralized cash management and rely heavily on material requirement planning (MRP) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) for proper inventory management. Research limitations/implications Tests involving firm size, foreign sales, and average age do not differ significantly between the NSE-listed firms and the sample firms. This evidence lessens concerns of non-response bias and the ability to generalize the findings to Indian firms. Originality/value By updating and extending previous research on WCM, this study fills a gap in the literature by providing insights into practices adopted by Indian firms in managing WCM and its components.

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.

scholarly journals Cash Conversion Cycle and Profitability, Evidence from Jordan

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Manar Moffadi Al-Mohareb
Keyword(s):  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Theoretical Aspect ◽  
Practical Aspect ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Cash Conversion Cycle ◽  
Amman Stock Exchange ◽  
The Impact

This study investigates the impact of working capital management and its components on profitability as a practical aspect, and how is compatible with the theoretical aspect. Besides, it examines other financial factors that may affect profitability by using a sample of Jordanian manufacturing firms listed in the Amman Stock Exchange for the period (2016-2018). Theoretically, manufacturing firms that have been studied have current assets over half of their total assets. Therefore, the working capital management role will be clearer on firm profitability.Practically, the results indicate that there is a significant relationship between the cash conversion cycle, which is considered as a proxy of working capital management, and profitability of the manufacturing firms. This provides an opportunity to create value for shareholders by decreasing receivable accounts and inventory, enhancing the profitability of the firms and reducing the collection period and by adopting effective credit policy.

Modifying the cash conversion cycle: revealing concealed advance payments

2014 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna-Maria Talonpoika ◽  
Sari Monto ◽  
Miia Pirttilä ◽  
Timo Kärri
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Data ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Remarkable Effect ◽  
Cash Conversion Cycle ◽  
Accounts Payable ◽  
Business Practitioners

Purpose – The cash conversion cycle (CCC) is widely used in the academic studies of working capital management and supply chain efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a modification of this measure that takes into account advance payments as a component of operational working capital. Design/methodology/approach – A new measure, the modified cash conversion cycle (mCCC) is introduced and tested with empirical data of companies in Helsinki Stock Exchange. Findings – The mCCC reveals the real efficiency of operational working capital in companies that receive advance payments to a remarkable extent. Research limitations/implications – The mCCC can be used in empirical analysis in academic studies. In this paper, the empirical data are used only for testing the mCCC. The paper concerns received advance payments, but the mCCC can also be extended also to other components of operational working capital ignored by the traditional CCC. Practical implications – The paper offers insights into the variations of CCC for class teachers, and business practitioners, particularly financiers, who deal with operational working capital, cash flow predictions and calculations. Originality/value – There are current items that may have a remarkable effect on operational working capital, but traditionally only inventories, accounts receivable and accounts payable are discussed. The authors argue that also other current items should be taken into account, if they affect the efficiency of operational working capital. The new mCCC is encouraged to be used instead of the CCC when observing working capital management.

Working capital management and firm profitability: a meta-analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harsh Pratap Singh ◽  
Satish Kumar ◽  
Sisira Colombage
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Cash Conversion Cycle ◽  
Prior Literature ◽  
Narrative Literature Review ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study is to quantitatively aggregate the findings of prior literature on the effect of working capital management (WCM) on corporate profitability using the meta-analysis technique developed by Hunter et al. (1982). Design/methodology/approach A set of 46 research articles that directly studied the relationship between WCM, and profitability was analyzed for the purpose. In addition to overall meta-analysis, a detailed subgroup study was also conducted to test whether the differences in results are due to moderating effects related to different profitability proxies, economic development of a specific country and size of the firms under study. Findings The findings of this meta-analysis confirm that WCM is negatively associated with profitability, which means an aggressive WCM policy leads to higher profitability. Overall, and in all the subgroup studies, the cash conversion cycle was found to be negatively associated with profitability. Originality/value Unlike narrative literature review papers, this meta-analysis provides quantitatively aggregate evidence on the relationship of WCM and firms’ profitability. To the best of authors’ knowledge, no previous meta-analysis paper is published on the topic.

Working capital management and managerial talent

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nacasius U. Ujah ◽  
Augustine Tarkom ◽  
Collins E. Okafor
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Financial Constraints ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cash Conversion Cycle ◽  
Managerial Talent

PurposeTalented managers arguably remain quintessential to firm value and performance. While the literature offers evidence for the long-term orientation of talented managers, there is a paucity of evidence on the short-term performance of managers. Here, we examine the relationship between managerial talent and working capital management (WCM).Design/methodology/approachThis study primarily employs a panel fixed-effect method controlling for firm-year and firm-industry for non-financial and non-utility firms for the years 1980 through 2016. Also, the authors control of potential bias that may impact the result. These controls include social capital, financial constraints and tests for endogeneity and spurious correlation.FindingsThe authors find the association between managerial talent and WCM to be positive and significant. The results indicate that talented managers have a higher cash conversion cycle. The empirical evidence still holds after controlling for social capital, religiosity and financial constraints. Also, the evidence still holds by employing an interaction term between Tobin's Q as a proxy for investment opportunities and talented managers.Practical implicationsThe finding may lend credence to executive contracts. Human nature, by default, is only vested on a net benefit for self-aggrandization. Self-aggrandization can be evident through structures in managerial contracts. These contracts usually tie consequences to long-term growths. If a benefit is offered based on short-term operational goals, talented managers may do more to the management of working capital.Originality/valueIn the managerial talent literature, talents reflect a holistic picture of one that can succeed in both the short-term and long-term goals of a company. Here, the authors show that talented managers are inefficient in meeting short-term goal – working capital management. Thus, the authors add to the research by providing evidence that talented managers are myopic.

scholarly journals Working capital management: evidence from Norway

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakim Lyngstadaas ◽  
Terje Berg
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Capital Management ◽  
Working Capital ◽  
Return On Assets ◽  
Working Capital Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cash Conversion Cycle ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence of whether working capital management (WCM) has an effect on the profitability of small- and medium-sized Norwegian firms. Design/methodology/approach – The data comprise 21,075 Norwegian small- and medium-sized enterprises and 84,300 observations made between 2010 and 2013. Panel data regressions were applied with fixed effects and a two-stage least squares analysis was employed to control for endogeneity. Findings – The results indicate that reducing cash conversion cycle will increase profitability. Even though endogeneity may exist, this does not affect the results from the previous analysis. Similar results are also obtained when industry-specific effects are controlled for, supporting the robustness of the results. The relevance of quadratic dependencies of the profitability on independent variables was also identified and suggests a decreasing trend of return on assets with increasing values of the WCM’s characteristic variables. Research limitations/implications – Drawing on similar studies, this study confirms that WCM is relevant for firms’ profitability. Practical implications – The practice of aggressive working capital policy in Norwegian firms is confirmed by the results of this study. Originality/value – This study contributes to the current research on the relationship between WCM and profitability by using a large dataset to add further robustness to results, and thus verifying whether or not the results in previous studies may be confirmed or not. Moreover, this is the first published study about this relationship among Norwegian firms in different industries, thus filling a gap in similar research conducted in other European countries.

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.

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.

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