Pecking Order Theory of Capital Structure: Empirical Evidence for Listed SMEs in India

The purpose of our study is to empirically examine the relevance of pecking order theory (POT) in explaining the capital structure choices made by the listed small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging capital markets. To do so, we use panel data regression on five years of data from 2015 to 2019 of 82 listed SMEs in India. In pursuit of robust results to test the theory, the study uses three econometric models: pooled ordinary least squares (pooled OLS), fixed effects (FE) regression and two-stage least squares (2SLS). Profitability, liquidity, growth, tangibility and non-debt tax shield are the independent variables, size is the controlled variable and financial leverage is the dependent variable. The pooled OLS and FE models provide biased estimates due to the presence of endogeneity. The 2SLS estimates overcome endogeneity in the explanatory variable non-debt tax shield by using tangibility as an instrument. The 2SLS provides a substantial improvement over pooled OLS and FE results. The results indicate that the explanatory variables, namely, profitability, liquidity, non-debt tax shield and size, support the POT. However, the growth and tangibility do not support the POT for listed SMEs. Overall, the results of our study are inclined towards the POT, suggesting that ease of access takes priority in financing decisions by SMEs. Careful consideration of country-specific factors will allow the results to be generalized to other emerging capital markets.

A Literature Review of Net Profit Margin

Net profit margin is one indicator of the company's financial performance. Net profit margin on cruise industries, for example, exhibit consistently robust growth trends for the leading cruise players, over 2016–2019, contrary to most commercial shipping market segments that experienced abrupt and persistent revenue declines since the outbreak of 2008 global financial crisis, cruise shipping has seen a robust resistance and relatively rapid recovery. Spurred by the growing importance of institutional investors, capital markets in emerging economies experience rapid growth. Specifically, equities ownership in emerging capital markets have tripled since the early 1990s. Another factor attracting equities investment involves institutional investors who offer potential for increased monitoring in the invested firms. The objective of this research is to determine the factors associated with net profit margin. I presented a literature study using systematic literature review of relevant publications and as a result of this process, 18 articles are included and then examined the bibliographical references to check the validity of the inquiry and to avoid any potential omissions. I identify several variables that affect and affected by net profit margin.

Financing and supervisory effects of credit ratings: evidence from mergers and acquisitions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how credit ratings affect corporate financial behavior from the perspective of merger and acquisition (M&A) decisions. The goal is to test the financing and supervisory effects of credit ratings and study the economic consequences of credit ratings in the context of China. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies over the 2008–2017 period, this paper empirically examines the effect of credit ratings on firms’ M&A decisions. The authors used a probit model for regression when they tested the effect of credit rating on M&A likelihood and a tobit model when they tested the effect of credit rating on M&A intensity. Findings First, rated enterprises tend to make more acquisitions compared with non-rated enterprises, consistent with the hypothesis that credit ratings alleviate financing constraints. Second, high-rated enterprises are more cautious toward M&As due to concerns about preserving their ratings, which indicates that credit ratings also play a supervisory role in the M&A process. Additional tests show that enterprises reduce M&A activity after a rating downgrade to avoid further deterioration in their ratings; this further supports the supervisory role of credit ratings. Originality/value This paper adds incremental evidence to the literature on the impact of credit ratings on corporate financial behavior and extends the literature on the factors influencing M&As. The authors provided empirical evidence from emerging capital markets for the financing and supervisory effects of credit ratings and provided theoretical guidance for promoting the stable, long-term development of China’s credit rating industry.

Do audit committee characteristics improve financial reporting quality in emerging markets? Evidence from Iran

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the association between certain audit committee characteristics like independence and financial expertise with financial reporting quality (FRQ) of the firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE).Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes the 558 firm-year observations from companies listed on the TSE during the years 2012–2017, and the study’s hypotheses were tested using multivariate regression model based on panel data.FindingsThe authors find that audit committee independence has no significant effect on corporate FRQ, whereas audit committee's financial expertise significantly improves firms' FRQ. In other words, higher financial expertise of an audit committee can lead to an increase in its FRQ. The findings of the study are robust to alternate measures of FRQ, individual analysis of the research hypotheses for each year and endogeneity problem.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze the association between audit committee characteristics and FRQ in emerging capital markets, and so, the findings of the study not only extend the extant theoretical literature concerning the audit committee in developing countries including emerging capital market of Iran but also help investors, managers, capital market regulators, policymakers and audit profession regulators to make informed decisions.