Working Capital Management and Firms' Profitability in the Midst of an Economic Crisis

Author(s):  
Dimitris Axiotis ◽  
Alina Hyz ◽  
Petros Kalantonis

The purpose of this article is to identify the relationship between working capital management and corporate performance in adverse economic circumstances. The results show positive relationship between profitability and cash conversion cycle, firm's size, growth and leverage and negative relationship between profitability and components of cash conversion cycle. Analysing the impact of the crisis it can observe that the companies can increase their profitability by reducing the period of credit granted to customers. The significance of this study stems from the fact that it sheds light for the desirable firms' policy during the period of financial constraints. Prior research on this subject has looked into various issues related to the linkage between working capital management and profitability, however, none has examined what this relationship looks like following a prolonged economic crisis.

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 71-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meryem Bellouma

Working capital is an important component in the financial decision of the company. An optimal working capital management is reached through a trade off between profitability and liquidity. This study aims to provide empirical evidence about the effects of working capital management on the profitability of 386 Tunisian export SMEs observed from 2001 to 2008. The results of fixed and random effects models show a negative relationship between corporate profitability and the different working capital components. This reveals that Tunisian export SMEs should shorten their cash conversion cycle by reducing the number of days of accounts receivable and inventories to increase their profitability.


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.


Author(s):  
Tarik Hossain

This research aims to analyze the impact of efficient working capital management on the profitability of the manufacturing firm in Bangladesh. Fifty-two manufacturing companies listed with Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) have been selected randomly from 2012 to 2017. Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) are used as indicators of profitability, while the inventory conversion period (ICP), the average collection period (ACP), the average payment period (APP), and the Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) are used as the independent variables which are used as a measurement of working capital management of the firm. Ordinary Least Squares regression models and Pearson's Correlation are used to establish the relationship between working capital management and profitability. The results revealed a significant negative relation between ROA and CCC, ACP; a significant negative relationship exists between ROE and CCC, APP. Manufacturing companies can increase profitability by decreasing the cash conversion cycle, average payment period, and average collection period. It also revealed that ICP is also positively related to ROA and ROE. Therefore, this research concludes that efficiently and effectively managing working capital is very important for increasing manufacturing companies' profitability.


Author(s):  
Nadeem Iqbal ◽  
Naveed Ahmad ◽  
Zeeshan Riaz

In this paper secondary data is used for analysis of working capital on profitability. In this research paper we take working capital as independent variable and net operating profit as dependent variable. We have found a significant negative relationship between net operating profitability and the average collection period, inventory turnover in days, average payment period and cash conversion cycle for a sample of Pakistani firms listed on Karachi stock exchange. Previous theoretical research predicts negative relationship between cash conversion cycle and corporate profitability. The results of regression indicate that the coefficient of account receivable is negative; that is, the increase or decrease in average collection period wills significantly affect the profitability of the firm. According to inter-item correlation matrix the relationship of account receivables, account payables and inventory with profit shows positive relationship but cash conversion cycle, financial debt and financial assets shows negative relationship with profitability. Inventory shows the positive relationship with dependent variable which proves that working capital management has a positive effect on firm’s probability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-35
Author(s):  
Ebrahim Mansoori ◽  
Masood Elyasi ◽  
Rahim Mohammadi

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of working capital management on stock price crash risk. The sample includes 103 Iranian firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2013 to 2017. Panel data analysis with fixed effect estimation has been used to analyze the relationship between working capital management and stock price crash risk. Cash conversion cycle, working capital requirement, current, and quick ratios were applied as comprehensive measures for working capital management, and Hutton’s model was applied as a measure for stock price crash risk. The results indicate that there is a negative relationship between working capital indicators and stock price crash risk. Therefore, managers can use working capital strategies to decrease the risk of the stock price crash. Furthermore, asymmetry information may, in fact, increase a manager’s incentive to use working capital strategies to reduce the stock price crash risk.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 206-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nufazil Altaf ◽  
Farooq Shah

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between working capital management and firm performance for a sample of 437 non-financial Indian companies. In addition, this paper examines the impact of financial constraints on working capital management-performance relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on secondary financial data of 437 non-financial Indian companies obtained from CAPITALINE database, pertaining to a period of ten years. This study employs the two-step generalized method of moments (GMM) technique to arrive at results. Findings Results of the study confirm the inverted U-shape relationship between working capital management and firm performance. In addition, the authors also found that the firms that are likely to be more financially constrained have lower optimal working levels. Originality/value Unlike prior studies, which found a linear relationship between working capital management and firm performance, this study provides newer evidence for an inverted U-shaped relation between investment in working capital and firm performance in India. In addition, this study also tests the impact of financial constraints on this relationship. In contrast to the prior studies, this study uses GMM to control the potential problems of endogeneity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-115
Author(s):  
Wasantha Perera ◽  
Pradeep Priyashantha

The Working Capital Management (WCM) has an important role for the firm’s success or failure, because it directly affects the overall business health of the firm. This study examined the impact of WCM on profitability and shareholders’ wealth using 50 companies listed in different sectors on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) for the period from 2010 to 2015. This sample represents 47% of the selected sectors of CSE. The profitability of the company is measured using gross operating profit (GOP) and shareholders wealth measured by Tobin’s Q (TQ) ratio. The WCM is measured using five independent variables namely stock holding period (SHP), debtors’ collection period (DCP), creditors’ settlement period (CSP), cash conversion circle (CCC) and current assets ratio (CAR). Further, three additional variables such as firm size (SIZE), leverage (LEV) and earning yield (EY) are employed as controlling variables to capture the impact of other performance of the companies.The data were analyzed using ordinary least square (OLS) and panel data regression models. These regression models reveal that there is a significant negative relationship between CCC and dependent variables (GOP & TQ). Further, this relationship has been confirmed by the major components of CCC such as SHP, DCP. Firm size also positively and significantly effects on the firm GOP while negatively effects on the TQ. Further, they revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between LEV and TQ. The study finds that the shareholders’ wealth and profitability can be increased through the efficiency of WCM.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Adrianus Dhimas Setyanto ◽  
Ika Permatasari

AbstractThis study aims to determine the effect of working capital management on firm value. Corporate governance is used as a moderating variable in this study to explore the role of corporate governance in the relationship between working capital management with corporate values. Program participants of Corporate Governance Perception Index (CGPI) are used as a sample during the period from 2003 to 2011 and listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX). We were using simple linear regression and the testing of moderating effects were calculated by Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The results showed that the working capital management has an influence on the value of the firm. However, corporate governance variables failed to moderate the relationship between working capital management and enterprise value. It shows that companies and investors in the market still lack concern for the program response and Corporate Governance Perception Index (CGPI) as an assessment of the application of the principles of corporate governance that has been done by the company .Keywords: Working Capital Management, Cash Conversion Cycle, Corporate Governance, Firm Values


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Manar Moffadi Al-Mohareb

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaurav S. Chauhan ◽  
Pradip Banerjee

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.


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