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Working capital management and firm profitability: a meta-analysis

Author

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  • Harsh Pratap Singh
  • Satish Kumar
  • Sisira Colombage

Abstract

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 Hunteret 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Harsh Pratap Singh & Satish Kumar & Sisira Colombage, 2017. "Working capital management and firm profitability: a meta-analysis," Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 9(1), pages 34-47, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:qrfmpp:qrfm-06-2016-0018
    DOI: 10.1108/QRFM-06-2016-0018
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Nasser A. Alsulayhim, 2019. "The Relationship between Working Capital Management and Profitability," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 12(8), pages 142-152, August.
    2. Muhammad Wahyuddin Abdullah & Rika Musriani & Alim Syariati & Hadriana Hanafie, 2020. "Carbon Emission Disclosure in Indonesian Firms: The Test of Media-exposure Moderating Effects," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 10(6), pages 732-741.
    3. Geyer-Klingeberg, Jerome & Hang, Markus & Rathgeber, Andreas, 2020. "Meta-analysis in finance research: Opportunities, challenges, and contemporary applications," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    4. Jacek Jaworski & Leszek Czerwonka, 2022. "Which Determinants Matter for Working Capital Management in Energy Industry? The Case of European Union Economy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-18, April.
    5. Zbigniew Gołaś, 2020. "Impact of working capital management on business profitability: Evidence from the Polish dairy industry," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 66(6), pages 278-285.
    6. Barros, Victor & Falcão, Pedro Fontes & Sarmento, Joaquim Miranda, 2022. "Are more sustainable firms able to operate with lower working capital requirements?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PB).
    7. Vítor João Pereira Domingues Martinho, 2021. "Bibliometric Analysis for Working Capital: Identifying Gaps, Co-Authorships and Insights from a Literature Survey," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-20, December.
    8. Wetzel, Philipp & Hofmann, Erik, 2019. "Supply chain finance, financial constraints and corporate performance: An explorative network analysis and future research agenda," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 216(C), pages 364-383.
    9. Grzegorz Zimon & Hossein Tarighi, 2021. "Effects of the COVID-19 Global Crisis on the Working Capital Management Policy: Evidence from Poland," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-17, April.
    10. Tarkom, Augustine, 2022. "Impact of COVID-19 exposure on working capital management: The moderating effect of investment opportunities and government incentives," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    11. Jacek Jaworski & Leszek Czerwonka, 2021. "Meta-study on the relationship between profitability and liquidity of enterprises in macroeconomic and institutional environment," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 48(2), pages 233-246, June.

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