IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/prg/jnlpep/v2019y2019i3id681p296-312.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Moderating Impact of Firm Size on the Relationship between Working Capital Management and Profitability

Author

Listed:
  • Ilhan Dalci
  • Cem Tanova
  • Hasan Ozyapici
  • Murad A. Bein

Abstract

This study investigates whether firm size moderates the relationship between cash conversion cycle and profitability over 8-year period for 285 German non-financial firms. The moderated regression results reveal that the relationship between cash conversion cycle and profitability is moderated by firm size. As the firm size gets smaller and the cash conversion cycle gets longer, the returns on assets decreases. When the firm size gets bigger and the cash conversion cycle gets longer, on the other hand, the returns on assets increases. In this context, reducing the length of cash conversion cycle has a positive impact on profitability for only small and medium-sized firms. Accordingly, this study concludes that small and also medium-sized firms, contrary to big firms, should reduce the length of cash conversion cycle in order to increase profitability.

Suggested Citation

  • Ilhan Dalci & Cem Tanova & Hasan Ozyapici & Murad A. Bein, 2019. "The Moderating Impact of Firm Size on the Relationship between Working Capital Management and Profitability," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2019(3), pages 296-312.
  • Handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2019:y:2019:i:3:id:681:p:296-312
    DOI: 10.18267/j.pep.681
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://pep.vse.cz/doi/10.18267/j.pep.681.html
    Download Restriction: free of charge

    File URL: http://pep.vse.cz/doi/10.18267/j.pep.681.pdf
    Download Restriction: free of charge

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.18267/j.pep.681?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Petersen, Mitchell A & Rajan, Raghuram G, 1997. "Trade Credit: Theories and Evidence," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 10(3), pages 661-691.
    2. Robert Pollin & Andong Zhu, 2006. "Inflation and economic growth: a cross-country nonlinear analysis," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(4), pages 593-614.
    3. Hausman, Jerry, 2015. "Specification tests in econometrics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 38(2), pages 112-134.
    4. Baños-Caballero, Sonia & García-Teruel, Pedro J. & Martínez-Solano, Pedro, 2014. "Working capital management, corporate performance, and financial constraints," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 332-338.
    5. A.K. Sharma & Satish Kumar, 2011. "Effect of Working Capital Management on Firm Profitability," Global Business Review, International Management Institute, vol. 12(1), pages 159-173, February.
    6. Smith, Janet Kiholm, 1987. "Trade Credit and Informational Asymmetry," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(4), pages 863-872, September.
    7. Heitor Almeida & Murillo Campello & Michael S. Weisbach, 2004. "The Cash Flow Sensitivity of Cash," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 59(4), pages 1777-1804, August.
    8. Rajan, Raghuram G & Zingales, Luigi, 1995. "What Do We Know about Capital Structure? Some Evidence from International Data," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1421-1460, December.
    9. Scott Shane & Daniel Cable, 2002. "Network Ties, Reputation, and the Financing of New Ventures," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(3), pages 364-381, March.
    10. Darush Yazdanfar & Peter Öhman, 2014. "The impact of cash conversion cycle on firm profitability," International Journal of Managerial Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 10(4), pages 442-452, August.
    11. Sonia Baños‐Caballero & Pedro J. García‐Teruel & Pedro Martínez‐Solano, 2010. "Working capital management in SMEs," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 50(3), pages 511-527, September.
    12. Omo Aregbeyen, 2013. "The effects of working capital management on the profitability of Nigerian manufacturing firms," Journal of Business Economics and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 520-534, June.
    13. Pierpaolo Pattitoni & Barbara Petracci & Massimo Spisni, 2014. "Determinants of profitability in the EU-15 area," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(11), pages 763-775, June.
    14. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    15. Haitham Nobanee & Modar Abdullatif & Maryam AlHajjar, 2011. "Cash conversion cycle and firm's performance of Japanese firms," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 19(2), pages 147-156, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Joseph Antwi Baafi & Eric Effah Sarkodie & John Kwame Duodu & Seyram Pearl Kumah, 2024. "Why Should We Pay Attention to Working Capital Management? A Case of Ghana," Businesses, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-18, March.
    2. Sorin Gabriel Anton & Anca Elena Afloarei Nucu, 2020. "The Impact of Working Capital Management on Firm Profitability: Empirical Evidence from the Polish Listed Firms," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.
    3. Dragan Milić & Tihomir Novaković & Dragana Tekić & Bojan Matkovski & Danilo Đokić & Stanislav Zekić, 2023. "Economic Sustainability of the Milk and Dairy Supply Chain: Evidence from Serbia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-21, October.
    4. Bilgehan TEKİN & Yusuf GÖR, 2022. "Cash conversion cycle and its relationship with profitability as a cash management tool in companies: An application on companies trading in Borsa Istanbul," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania - AGER, vol. 0(3(632), A), pages 113-130, Autumn.
    5. James Ndegwa, 2020. "Effect of Default on Profitability in Kenyan Listed Companies," International Journal of Finance & Banking Studies, Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 9(4), pages 01-10, October.
    6. Wagner Enoc Vicente-Ramos & Marianela Roxana Ames Porras & Roberson Meza Quispe & Miguel Angel Rojas Zacarias, 2020. "Working Capital Management and Return on Assets of Manufacturing Industry of Peru," International Journal of Financial Research, International Journal of Financial Research, Sciedu Press, vol. 11(2), pages 382-389, April.
    7. Sarfraz Hussain & Van Chien Nguyen & Quang Minh Nguyen & Huu Tinh Nguyen & Thu Thuy Nguyen, 2021. "Macroeconomic factors, working capital management, and firm performance—A static and dynamic panel analysis," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-14, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. repec:prg:jnlpep:v:preprint:id:681:p:1-17 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Dalci, Ilhan & Ozyapici, Hasan, 2018. "Working capital management policy in health care: The effect of leverage," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(11), pages 1266-1272.
    3. Abudu Braimah & Yinping Mu & Isaac Quaye & Alhassan Abubakar Ibrahim, 2021. "Working Capital Management and SMEs Profitability in Emerging Economies: The Ghanaian Case," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(1), pages 21582440219, February.
    4. Guido de Blasio, 2005. "Does Trade Credit Substitute Bank Credit? Evidence from Firm‐level Data," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 34(1), pages 85-112, February.
    5. Cristina Martínez-Sola & Pedro García-Teruel & Pedro Martínez-Solano, 2014. "Trade credit and SME profitability," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 561-577, March.
    6. H. Kent Baker & Debidutta Pattnaik & Satish Kumar, 2022. "Trade credit and firm profitability: Empirical evidence from India," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 3934-3953, October.
    7. Nisar Ahmad & Talat Afza & Bilal Nafees, 2017. "Determinants of Trade Credit Extended by Manufacturing Firms Listed in Pakistan," Business & Economic Review, Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar, Pakistan, vol. 9(4), pages 287-314, December.
    8. Sonia Baños-Caballero & Pedro García-Teruel & Pedro Martínez-Solano, 2012. "How does working capital management affect the profitability of Spanish SMEs?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 517-529, September.
    9. Matthew D. Hill & G. Wayne Kelly & Michael J. Highfield, 2010. "Net Operating Working Capital Behavior: A First Look," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 39(2), pages 783-805, June.
    10. Bilgehan TEKİN & Yusuf GÖR, 2022. "Cash conversion cycle and its relationship with profitability as a cash management tool in companies: An application on companies trading in Borsa Istanbul," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania - AGER, vol. 0(3(632), A), pages 113-130, Autumn.
    11. Mariarosaria Agostino & Francesco Trivieri, 2014. "Does trade credit play a signalling role? Some evidence from SMEs microdata," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 131-151, January.
    12. Baños-Caballero, Sonia & García-Teruel, Pedro J. & Martínez-Solano, Pedro, 2014. "Working capital management, corporate performance, and financial constraints," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(3), pages 332-338.
    13. Ha Thi Thuy Van & Dang Ngoc Hung & Vu Thi Thuy Van & Ngo Thanh Xuan, 2019. "Managing Optimal Working Capital and Corporate Performance: Evidence from Vietnam," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 9(9), pages 977-993, September.
    14. Guido De Blasio, 2004. "Does trade credit substitute for bank credit?," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 498, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    15. Falavigna, Greta & Ippoliti, Roberto, 2023. "SMEs’ behavior under financial constraints: An empirical investigation on the legal environment and the substitution effect with tax arrears," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    16. Wali Ullah, 2017. "Evolving corporate governance and firms performance: evidence from Japanese firms," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 1-33, February.
    17. D'Mello, Ranjan & Toscano, Francesca, 2020. "Economic policy uncertainty and short-term financing: The case of trade credit," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    18. Pedro J. García‐Teruel & Pedro Martínez‐Solano, 2008. "On the Determinants of SME Cash Holdings: Evidence from Spain," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(1‐2), pages 127-149, January.
    19. Grau, Alfredo Juan & Reig, Araceli, 2018. "Trade credit and determinants of profitability in Europe. The case of the agri-food industry," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 947-957.
    20. Nico Dewaelheyns & Cynthia Van Hulle, 2010. "Internal Capital Markets and Capital Structure: Bank Versus Internal Debt," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 16(3), pages 345-373, June.
    21. Nigel Driffield & Sarmistha Pal, 2010. "Evolution of capital structure in east Asia—corporate inertia or endeavours?," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 173(1), pages 1-29, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    cash conversion cycle; firm size; small firms; profitability; working capital management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:prg:jnlpep:v:2019:y:2019:i:3:id:681:p:296-312. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Stanislav Vojir (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/uevsecz.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.