What Drives Eco-Design Innovations in European SMEs?

Building on the natural-resource-based view, and using a sample of 7,165 European SMEs, this chapter investigates the drivers of eco-design innovations among SMEs under three categories: (1) sustainability-oriented firm capabilities, (2) technological capabilities, and (3) access to finance. The findings reveal that sustainability-oriented capabilities achieved through investments into circular economy are the strongest driver of SMEs' eco-design innovations. Firms' technological capabilities are also found to boost their ability to adopt eco-design innovations. While equity finance increases the possibilities for SMEs to devote resources to eco-design, grant finance is interestingly observed to decrease such possibilities. The more traditionally used form of debt finance remains detached from eco-design implementations. The study contributes to a better understanding of how eco-design practices can be broadened within SMEs and highlights policy recommendations in this regard.

Financing Options and Sustainable Small Business Growth in Uganda: An Optimal Model

Small businesses in Uganda continue to lag behind trends in terms of sales turnover profitability, employee growth, while others rarely live to celebrate their first birthday due to various constraints of which financing is at the forefront. This study set out to determine the relationship between various financing options and sustainable small business growth so as to suggest an optimal financing model to ensure sustainable small businesses. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive survey design to analyse a sample of 399 small businesses which were selected using stratified random sampling from Kampala Metropolitan Area. Data were collected using a researcher administered structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics. The relationship between the variables was determined using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficeint. The study established that there is a weak positive significant correlation between traditional debt finance and sustainable small business growth, a strong positive significant correlation between asset-based finance and sustainable small business growth, and a strong positive significant correlation between crowdfunding and sustainable small business growth. The study further established that there is a moderate positive significant relationship between equity finance and sustainable small business growth. The study concluded that improving on the available financing options would improve on the sustainable small business growth. It is recommended that the ideal model for financing small businesses should be the integration of the financing options, but giving priority to; asset based lending, crowdfunding, equity finance and lastly traditional debt finance.

Back to business

Despite the ongoing difficulties facing the early years sector, including an increasing number of closures, the UK market has shown a great deal of resilience. Ben Barbanel, head of debt finance at OakNorth Bank, and Cary Rankin, chief executive of Thrive Childcare and Education, joined Nursery World editor in chief, Liz Roberts, for a frank discussion about the business outlook for the early years sector.

DEBT EQUITY AND SHARE PRICE PERFORMANCE OF MANUFACTURING COMPANIES LISTED IN NIGERIA

This study examined the impact of debt equity ratio on the share price performance of manufacturing firms listed in Nigeria between 2010 and 2019. The study adoptedan ex-post facto research design. A sample size of fifteen (15) listed manufacturing firms was used while panel regression models estimated using fixed effect model and random effect model, while the result of the Hausman test was utilized to select the appropriate model between fixed effect model and random effect model.The findings of the study reveals that the total debt to equity ratio is negative and significant influence on performance of share price {Coef. = -0.009 P-value > 0.05}. Return on Assets is also seen to be positive and significantly influence the performance of share price of listed manufacturing firm in Nigeria {Coef = 2.428 P-value = 0.000}. However, Size of firm {Coef. = -0.019 P-value = 0.344} is seen to have negative but insignificant effect on the performance of share price. The study therefore recommended that firm manager should cautious while using debt finance. Firm manager should consider the consequences of debt finance before making capital structure decision. They are supported to identify the optimum debt level and ensure that they are no use excessive amount of debt in capital structure.

11. Company finance

This chapter considers how companies raise money through a combination of equity and debt finance. It discusses the issuance of shares; share capital; financial assistance by a company for purchase of shares; classes of shares; finance through borrowing; secured loans; registration of charges; priority of charges; remedies of debenture-holders; receivers; position of lenders and debenture-holders; and steps to be taken by a lender to a company.

Financial instruments of the enterprises. Monograph

Over the past decades, developed countries have seen an increasing trend in the importance of the debt finance market in financing investment. With the globalization of global financial markets, this trend has also been evident in emerging markets. However, for domestic companies, the domestic stock market has not yet become a reliable source of capital mobilization, and most enterprises rely on their own funds or attract financial resources in the form of various forms of bank lending. At the same time, the possibilities of effective attraction of investment resources directly in the domestic banking market are limited, as real borrowing rates for many enterprises of the non-oil sector of the economy are significantly higher than the profitability of their business. Different financial instruments of enterprises have different yield orders. If some of them are minimally profitable and perform the function of saving capital, others multiply it by times. The choice of investment strategy determines which securities will fall into the portfolio, in what proportion they will be presented. В течение последних десятилетий в развитых странах наблюдается тенденция роста значимости рынка долговых финансовых инструментов в финансировании инвестиций. В условиях глобализации мировых финансовых рынков данная тенденция проявилась и на формирующихся рынках. Однако для отечественных компаний внутренний фондовый рынок пока не стал надежным источником мобилизации капитала, и большинство предприятий полагается на собственные средства или привлекает финансовые ресурсы в виде различных форм банковского кредитования.