Exploring the decline in trade credit investment

2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1375-1391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Harris ◽  
Scott Roark

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify three factors leading to the observed decline in trade credit offered from publicly traded firms. Design/methodology/approach The study conducts firm fixed effect regressions testing the relationship between cash flow volatility and firm investment in trade credit. The relationship is further examined with all firms separated into two groups, based on SIC codes, designating if they are in industries that traditionally offer higher amounts of trade credit. Findings The proportion of US firms that has traditionally extended the most trade credit has been decreasing over time, contributing to part of the decline in trade credit offered. Increases in cash flow volatility have also contributed to decreasing investment in trade credit. The negative relationship with cash flow volatility is greatest amongst firms that traditionally place the highest value on trade credit. Firms with access to credit, proxied by investment grade debt ratings, do not experience the same decline in trade credit offered. Practical implications Firms that value the ability to extend trade credit may maintain their level of investment in trade credit, even with increased risk of cash flow volatility, by maintaining a comparative advantage in access to credit. Originality/value This study extends prior findings by providing three previously unexplored explanations for the decline in offered trade credit seen in the USA. The changing make-up of publicly traded firms, a market-wide increase in cash flow volatility, and access to credit all play an important role in observed declines of trade credit investment.

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Harris ◽  
Scott Roark ◽  
Zhe Li

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the relation between cash flow volatility and trade credit offered by firms in developing Asian economies.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducts country fixed effect regressions testing the relationship between cash flow volatility and firm investment in trade credit. The relationship is then examined with all firms separated into two groups based on firm size, and then again comparing the relation before and after the 2008 finasncial crisis.FindingsHigher levels of cash flow volatility are negatively related to the amount of trade credit offered. The negative relationship with cash flow volatility is greater amongst smaller firms that may have less access to external sources of capital. Additionally, the negative relationship is greater following the 2008 financial crisis.Practical implicationsTrade credit plays an important role in the business process, particularly in developing economies. However, these firms may not be able to maintain their investment in trade credit when experiencing greater levels of cash flow volatility. These results are especially pronounced after the 2008 financial crisis and for small firms.Originality/valueThis study identifies an important connection between cash flow volatility and firm investment in trade credit among firms in developing Asian economies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 1201-1215
Author(s):  
Mark A. Tribbitt ◽  
Yi Yang

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between board dependence, antitakeover provisions and their influence on corporate entrepreneurship (CE). Design/methodology/approach The study uses agency theory as a framework to expand on the board dependence–CE relationship by injecting the moderating role of antitakeover provisions to the model. Using data collected from 350 publicly traded firms, a panel regression analyses was conducted on both innovation and venturing components of CE. Findings The findings of this study show a negative relationship between board dependence and CE. Further this study shows that such a negative relationship becomes weaker when higher levels of antitakeover provisions are injected into the model. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted using a sample of large publicly traded firms within the information and manufacturing sectors, and so our findings may not be generalizable to firms in other contexts. Further, other variables representing CE (e.g. new product introductions) may add to this line of research in the future. Practical implications Understanding the role of board of directors within a firm may help foster CE throughout the organization. Originality/value This study expands on existing research by incorporating the influence of environmental factors (e.g. antitakeover provisions) and examining the relationship between corporate governance and CE using both measures of innovation and venturing.


2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 178-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subramanian Rama Iyer ◽  
Joel T. Harper

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test whether investors take flight to safety when sentiment is low. In other words, do safe firms perform better than risky firms following periods of low sentiment. Design/methodology/approach Using cash flow volatility and the percent of bullish investors as proxies for risk and investor sentiment the paper tests the relationship between sentiment and returns conditional on risk this performance. Second, a cross-sectional analysis is conducted based on individual firm characteristics and sentiment to explain annual returns. Findings The paper finds that there is a negative relationship between investor sentiment and the return of risky companies, which is contrary to prior studies. All told, risky companies perform worse following periods of high investor sentiment. Originality/value This paper presents evidence contrary to extant literature and that there is no concerted flight to safety. Investor sentiment has little influence on safe stocks.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Taylor Hartsema ◽  
Chris Harris ◽  
Zhe Li ◽  
Thibaut G. Morillon

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify whether the rise in intangible asset investment is related to trade credit investment and whether this relationship is driven by financial constraint and other firm factors.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducts fixed effect regressions testing the relationship between trade credit investment and intangible asset levels. The relationship is further examined for all firms based on product type, financial constraint and sales growth.FindingsThere is a negative relationship between investment in trade credit and the level of intangible assets as a proportion of total assets. This negative relationship is largely explained by firms in industries that traditionally utilize more trade credit, firms with financial constraints and firms with low sales growth.Practical implicationsThe level of investment in intangible assets continues to rise, while investment in trade credit is declining. This paper is the first to identify whether these trends could be related and to provide some explanation why.Originality/valueThis study is the first to link investment in trade credit with investment in intangible assets. There is a negative relationship that is most pronounced for firms that typically offer more trade credit, that are experiencing financial constraint and that are experiencing low growth.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robinson James

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the influence of organisational politics on work engagement and the moderator effect of positive framing on this relationshipDesign/methodology/approachData were collected from 241 public sector employees in Sri Lanka through a structured questionnaire and analysed with partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS_SEM).FindingsThe results indicated that organisational politics negatively influenced employees' work engagement, positive framing positively influenced engagement and weakened the negative relationship between politics and engagement.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that organisation and individuals must take the necessary steps to enhance work engagement. Organisations must be transparent in all activities to avoid employees' negative perception. Also, organisations need to take steps to recruit employees with positive framing or develop this competency through training and development. Individuals also need to take necessary steps to frame the work environment positively to enhance their engagement in work.Originality/valueThis study extends the literature by being the first to examine the positive framing as a moderator in the relationship between politics and engagement. This study found that positive framing as a resource reduced the harmful effect of organisational politics on engagement and suggested positive framing can be considered as a resource in the future investigation of the job demand–resource model.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 986-1002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-chun Lin ◽  
Angela Shin-yih Chen ◽  
Yu-ting Lai

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the impact of career plateau (hierarchical and job-content plateau) on internal employability, and to investigate psychological contract breach as a moderator on the relationship between career plateau (hierarchical and job-content plateau) and internal employability. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected by distributing paper-based questionnaires to 521 workers in private banking sectors in Taiwan. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine the results of the relationships. Findings The results supported the idea that career plateau (hierarchical and job-content plateaus) could be a significant antecedent of internal employability. Psychological contract breach significantly moderated the negative relationship between career plateau (hierarchical and job-content plateau) and internal employability. Specifically, the negative relationship between career plateau and internal employability will be stronger for employees who perceive a higher level of psychological contract breach. Practical implications These findings can help human resource practitioners gain a better understanding of the value of applicable approaches as an influence on a plateaued employee’s perception of internal employability, and to facilitate a positive employer–employee relationship, which could foster both a successful career for an individual and a prosperous performance for the organization that employs them. Originality/value Career plateau have been aroused variety issues in HR practice, but employability and psychological contract breach have barely been discussed with career plateau. This study empirically establishes the correlation between career plateau and internal employability as well as shown that psychological contract breach would decrease the plateaued individual’s willingness to stay in the current organization. Thus, the career plateau may provide organizations with a helpful perspective on one’s career development. Building substantial relationships between employees and employers lead to better human capital for organizations as it deals with rapidly changes in the real world.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Sahyouni ◽  
Mohammad A.A. Zaid ◽  
Mohamed Adib

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how much liquidity banks create and how liquidity creation changed over time in the MENA countries and to examine the soundness of banks in these countries based on the CAME rating system, in addition to investigating the relationship between CAME ratios and liquidity creation of these banks.Design/methodology/approachThe study regresses the CAME ratios together with other control variables to model liquidity creation. The robustness of the results is evaluated by using a different measure of liquidity creation and by excluding the observations of the Islamic banks.FindingsThe results show that the CAME rating system, as an indicator of bank soundness, is negatively related to bank liquidity creation. Specifically, capital adequacy, management efficiency and earning ability ratios affect the on-balance sheet components of liquidity creation, while asset quality ratio affects its off-balance sheet component.Practical implicationsThe paper offers insights to regulators and banks managers in terms of better understanding of the negative relationship between CAME rating system and bank liquidity creation.Originality/valueThis paper sheds more light on the relationship between bank soundness and liquidity creation by using the ratios of the CAMEL rating system as an indicator of bank strength and soundness.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmytro Osiichuk ◽  
Paweł Wnuczak

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-370
Author(s):  
Markus Mättö ◽  
Mervi Niskanen

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 1272-1291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Forte ◽  
José Miguel Tavares

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature on the relationship between debt and firms’ performance, by focusing on the influence of the institutional framework on this relationship and on the role of macroeconomic variables in explaining performance. Design/methodology/approach The present work is based on a large sample of 48,840 manufacturing firms from nine European countries covering the 2008–2013 period and uses a fixed effects model. Findings Results show that the impact of debt on a firm’s performance depends on the measure of debt (short-term debt positively affects a firm’s performance, whereas long-term debt presents a negative relationship) and that the institutional framework is indeed affecting the relationship between debt and a firm’s performance: the positive effect of debt on a firm’s performance tends to be higher the greater the “efficiency of the legal system” and the greater the “credit market regulation.” Macroeconomic variables also play a key role in explaining performance. Originality/value Unlike most of the existing studies, which focus only on the relationship between debt and firms’ performance in a single country, the present work uses a sample of firms from nine countries with the purpose of filling a research gap and bringing new empirical evidence to this research area.


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