IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/metrik/v24y2013i1p77-87.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Working capital management and firm profitability

Author

Listed:
  • Thorsten Knauer
  • Arnt Wöhrmann

Abstract

Managing a firm’s current assets and liabilities (working capital management) is highly relevant to the success of that firm. While the short-term liquidity effects of working capital management are straightforward to derive, it is an empirical question how it affects firm profitability. This short survey paper consolidates the empirical literature on the association between working capital management and firm profitability. This state of the art analysis provides evidence of positive effects of accounts receivable management and inventory management on profitability. However, results for the effects of accounts payable management on profitability are driven by reverse causality. Finally, this paper highlights critical aspects of prior research and points to avenues for future research. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Thorsten Knauer & Arnt Wöhrmann, 2013. "Working capital management and firm profitability," Metrika: International Journal for Theoretical and Applied Statistics, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 77-87, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:metrik:v:24:y:2013:i:1:p:77-87
    DOI: 10.1007/s00187-013-0173-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s00187-013-0173-3
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00187-013-0173-3?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. Jyrki Niskanen & Mervi Niskanen, 2006. "The Determinants of Corporate Trade Credit Policies in a Bank‐dominated Financial Environment: the Case of Finnish Small Firms," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 12(1), pages 81-102, January.
    2. Opler, Tim & Pinkowitz, Lee & Stulz, Rene & Williamson, Rohan, 1999. "The determinants and implications of corporate cash holdings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 3-46, April.
    3. Marc Deloof, 2003. "Does Working Capital Management Affect Profitability of Belgian Firms?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3‐4), pages 573-588, April.
    4. Marc Deloof, 2003. "Does Working Capital Management Affect Profitability of Belgian Firms?," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3-4), pages 573-588.
    5. Wang, Yung-Jang, 2002. "Liquidity management, operating performance, and corporate value: evidence from Japan and Taiwan," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 159-169, April.
    6. Kim, Chang-Soo & Mauer, David C. & Sherman, Ann E., 1998. "The Determinants of Corporate Liquidity: Theory and Evidence," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 33(3), pages 335-359, September.
    7. Michael S. Long & Ileen B. Malitz & S. Abraham Ravid, 1993. "Trade Credit, Quality Guarantees, and Product," Financial Management, Financial Management Association, vol. 22(4), Winter.
    8. Katrien Kestens & Philippe Van Cauwenberge & Heidi Vander Bauwhede, 2012. "Trade credit and company performance during the 2008 financial crisis," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 52(4), pages 1125-1151, December.
    9. Hawawini, Gabriel & Viallet, Claude & Vora, Ashok, 1986. "Industry influence on corporate working capital decisions," MPRA Paper 44894, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Benjamin S. Wilner, 2000. "The Exploitation of Relationships in Financial Distress: The Case of Trade Credit," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(1), pages 153-178, February.
    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. Roma Rys-Jurek, 2021. "Working Capital Management vs Profitability in Agricultural Holdings (in the Context of Integration for “Old” and “New” EU Members)," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 173-187.
    2. Terje Berg & Emil Gustafsson & Ranik Raaen Wahlstrøm, 2024. "Cost management and working capital management: ebony and ivory in perfect harmony?," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 207-233, June.
    3. Muhammad Amin Hasan & Ali Sajid & Aman Abbas Ghouri & Talal Ahmed Khan, 2023. "Re-Examining Working Capital Management and Firm Performance Nexus: Does Investment Policy Matter?," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 5(3), pages 269-278.
    4. Mai, Nhat Chi, 2022. "Capital Raising and Management of Vietnamese Small and Medium Sized Enterprises after Integrating into Global Economy," OSF Preprints dv68m, Center for Open Science.
    5. Tan, Hua & Iqbal, Nadeem & Wu, Zhengzhong, 2022. "Evaluating the impact of stakeholder engagement for renewable energy sources and economic growth for CO2 emission," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 999-1007.
    6. Ala’a Adden Abuhommous & Tareq Mashoka, 2018. "A dynamic approach to accounts receivable: the case of Jordanian firms," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 8(2), pages 171-191, June.
    7. Nguyen An Thanh Hong & Nguyen Tuan Van, 2018. "Working Capital Management and Corporate Profitability: Empirical Evidence from Vietnam," Foundations of Management, Sciendo, vol. 10(1), pages 195-206, September.
    8. Faisal Mahmood & Dongping Han & Nazakat Ali & Riaqa Mubeen & Umeair Shahzad, 2019. "Moderating Effects of Firm Size and Leverage on the Working Capital Finance–Profitability Relationship: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-14, April.
    9. Brandenburg, Marcus, 2016. "Supply chain efficiency, value creation and the economic crisis – An empirical assessment of the European automotive industry 2002–2010," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(P3), pages 321-335.
    10. Hassan, M. Kabir & Aysan, Ahmet Faruk & Kayani, Umar Nawaz & Choudhury, Tonmoy, 2023. "Working capital as a firm performance savior? Evidence from Scandinavian countries," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    11. Veronika Kajurova & Dagmar Linnertova, 2018. "The Impact of Loose Monetary Policy on the Competitiveness of Czech Firms," ACTA VSFS, University of Finance and Administration, vol. 12(1), pages 43-73.
    12. Olaoye & Clement Olatunji & Adeboboye & Roseline, 2019. "Working Capital Management and Performance of Industrial and Consumer Goods Firms in Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 11(3), pages 35-45.
    13. Sujan Chandra Paul & Md. Asiqur Rahman & Jiasmin, 2021. "Current Assets, Current Liabilities and Profitability: A Cross Industry Analysis," Journal of Asian Business Strategy, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 11(1), pages 55-68, June.
    14. Ran An & Wentao Li & Di Wang & Yanyan Wang & Lisheng Yu, 2023. "Do Key Audit Matters Affect Operating Activities? Evidence from Inventory Management," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 59(1), pages 300-339, March.
    15. Ioan Batrancea & Ioan-Dan Morar & Ema Masca & Sabau Catalin & Liviu Bechis, 2018. "Econometric Modeling of SME Performance. Case of Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, January.
    16. Lingesiya Kengatharan & W. S. Sanoli Tissera, 2019. "Do Corporate Governance Practices Influence Working Capital Management Efficiency? Evidence From Listed Manufacturing Companies in Sri Lanka," Research in World Economy, Research in World Economy, Sciedu Press, vol. 10(3), pages 205-216, December.
    17. Sharif N. Ahkam & Khairul Alom, 2019. "Liquidity, Level of Working Capital Investment, and Performance in an Emerging Economy," International Journal of Business and Economics, School of Management Development, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, vol. 18(3), pages 307-328, December.
    18. Brandenburg, Marcus, 2017. "A hybrid approach to configure eco-efficient supply chains under consideration of performance and risk aspects," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 58-76.
    19. 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.
    20. M N, Nikhil & S Shenoy, Sandeep & Chakraborty, Suman & B M, Lithin, 2023. "Is the Nexus Between Capital Structure and Firm Performance Asymmetric? An Emerging Market Perspective," MPRA Paper 119669, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 17 Nov 2023.
    21. Max M. Weber & Peter Kokott, 2024. "Organizational Resilience and the Attention-Based View of the Firm—Empirical Evidence from German SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-24, May.
    22. Hahn, G.J. & Brandenburg, M. & Becker, J., 2021. "Valuing supply chain performance within and across manufacturing industries: A DEA-based approach," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    23. Joseph Brian Cumbie & John Donnellan, 2017. "The Impact of Working Capital Components on Firm Value in US Firms," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(8), pages 138-150, August.

    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. Afrifa, Godfred & Tingbani, Ishmael, 2017. "Working Capital Management, Cash Flow and SMEs’ Performance," MPRA Paper 82894, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Oct 2017.
    2. Chauhan, Gaurav Singh, 2019. "Are working capital decisions truly short-term in nature?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 238-253.
    3. Grzegorz Zimon & Dominik Zimon, 2020. "Quality Management Systems and Working Capital SMEs in GPO—A Case of Poland," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-13, October.
    4. Duong Phuong Thao Pham & Thi Cam Ha Huynh, 2020. "The Impact of Trade Credit Investment on Manufacturing Firms' Profitability: Evidence from Vietnam," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 68(4), pages 775-796.
    5. Dary, Stanley K. & James, Harvey S., 2019. "Does investment in trade credit matter for profitability? Evidence from publicly listed agro-food firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 237-250.
    6. Afrifa, Godfred Adjapong & Gyapong, Ernest & Monem, Reza M., 2018. "Product differentiation, market dynamics and the value relevance of trade payables: Evidence from UK listed firms," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 235-253.
    7. Enqvist, Julius & Graham, Michael & Nikkinen, Jussi, 2014. "The impact of working capital management on firm profitability in different business cycles: Evidence from Finland," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 36-49.
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. Markus Mättö & Mervi Niskanen, 2021. "Role of the legal and financial environments in determining the efficiency of working capital management in European SMEs," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(4), pages 5197-5216, October.
    11. 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.
    12. 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.
    13. Chang, Chong-Chuo, 2018. "Cash conversion cycle and corporate performance: Global evidence," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 568-581.
    14. Woo Sung Kim, 2016. "Determinants of Corporate Trade Credit: An Empirical Study on Korean Firms," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 6(2), pages 414-419.
    15. 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.
    16. Grzegorz Zimon & Hossein Tarighi & Mahdi Salehi & Adam Sadowski, 2022. "Assessment of Financial Security of SMEs Operating in the Renewable Energy Industry during COVID-19 Pandemic," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-18, December.
    17. 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.
    18. Thapa, Priya Darshini Pun, 2013. "How does profitability get affected by working capital management in food and beverages industry?," MPRA Paper 50926, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Malik, Zafar Ullah & Iqbal, Athar, 2012. "Affect of Working Capital Management on Firms Profitability in Sugar Industry of Pakistan," MPRA Paper 41436, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Godfred Adjapong Afrifa & Ahmad Alshehabi & Ishmael Tingbani & Hussein Halabi, 2021. "Abnormal inventory and performance in manufacturing companies: evidence from the trade credit channel," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 56(2), pages 581-617, February.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Management accounting; Working capital management; Cash conversion cycle; Profitability; M10; G30; G32;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M10 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - General
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

    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:spr:metrik:v:24:y:2013:i:1:p:77-87. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.