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Business Life Cycle and Capital Structure: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Firms

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  • Lin Tian
  • Liang Han
  • Song Zhang

Abstract

This paper uses a panel data-fixed effect approach and data collected from Chinese public manufacturing firms between 1999 and 2011 to investigate the impacts of business life cycle stages on capital structure. We find that cash flow patterns capture more information on business life cycle stages than firm age and have a stronger impact on capital structure decision-making. We also find that the adjustment speed of capital structure varies significantly across life cycle stages and that non-sequential transitions over life cycle stages play an important role in the determination of capital structure. Our study indicates that it is important for policy-makers to ensure that products and financial markets are well-balanced.

Suggested Citation

  • Lin Tian & Liang Han & Song Zhang, 2015. "Business Life Cycle and Capital Structure: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Firms," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 23(2), pages 22-39, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:chinae:v:23:y:2015:i:2:p:22-39
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/cwe.12105
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ajid ur Rehman & Man Wang & Haoyang Yu, 2016. "Dynamics of financial leverage across firm life cycle in Chinese firms: an empirical investigation using dynamic panel data model," China Finance and Economic Review, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 1-22, December.
    3. Aclan Omag, 2016. "Cash Flows from Financing Activities. Evidence from the Automotive Industry," International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, vol. 6(1), pages 115-122, January.
    4. Zanxin Wang & Minhas Akbar & Ahsan Akbar, 2020. "The Interplay between Working Capital Management and a Firm’s Financial Performance across the Corporate Life Cycle," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-16, February.
    5. An Thai & Radu Burlacu, 2022. "Adjustment Speed toward Target Leverage Throughout the Vietnamese Corporate Life Cycle: Under-Versus Over-the-Target Firms," Journal of Business Cycle Research, Springer;Centre for International Research on Economic Tendency Surveys (CIRET), vol. 18(3), pages 315-341, November.
    6. Ahsan Akbar & Minhas Akbar & Wenjin Tang & Muhammad Azeem Qureshi, 2019. "Is Bankruptcy Risk Tied to Corporate Life-Cycle? Evidence from Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-22, January.
    7. ElBannan, Mona A., 2021. "On the prediction of financial distress in emerging markets: What matters more? Empirical evidence from Arab spring countries," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    8. Sultan Sikandar Mirza & Khalil Jebran & Yu Yan & Amjad Iqbal, 2017. "Financing behavior of firms in tranquil and crisis period: Evidence from China," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 1339770-133, January.
    9. Youssef Walid, 2019. "Life Cycle Theory of the Capital Structure: Evidence from Tunisian SMEs," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 9(4), pages 432-449, April.

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