IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/oaefxx/v3y2015i1p1006477.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Trade-off-theory vs. pecking order theory and the determinants of corporate leverage: Evidence from a panel data analysis upon French SMEs (2002–2010)

Author

Listed:
  • Philippe Adair
  • Mohamed Adaskou
  • David McMillan

Abstract

We test the assumptions of trade-off theory (TOT) and pecking order theory (POT) regarding corporate leverage. The dependent variable being the debt ratio, we apply a linear model upon a balanced panel data-set of 2,370 French SMEs over the period 2002–2010. In accordance to TOT, trade credit acts as a signal to creditors who have no private information about the firm and access to credit relies on guarantees. The relationship between corporate leverage and the profitability of SMEs as well as growth opportunities support POT. However, the relationship between corporate leverage and the age of SMEs, as well as their size, remains inconclusive with respect to both theories.

Suggested Citation

  • Philippe Adair & Mohamed Adaskou & David McMillan, 2015. "Trade-off-theory vs. pecking order theory and the determinants of corporate leverage: Evidence from a panel data analysis upon French SMEs (2002–2010)," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 3(1), pages 1006477-100, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:oaefxx:v:3:y:2015:i:1:p:1006477
    DOI: 10.1080/23322039.2015.1006477
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/23322039.2015.1006477
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/23322039.2015.1006477?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 look for a different version below or search for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. repec:bla:jfinan:v:43:y:1988:i:3:p:567-91 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Chittenden, Francis & Hall, Graham & Hutchinson, Patrick, 1996. "Small Firm Growth, Access to Capital Markets and Financial Structure: Review of Issues and an Empirical Investigation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 8(1), pages 59-67, February.
    3. N. Berger, Allen & F. Udell, Gregory, 1998. "The economics of small business finance: The roles of private equity and debt markets in the financial growth cycle," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(6-8), pages 613-673, August.
    4. Dirk Brounen & Abe de Jong & Kees Koedijk, 2004. "Corporate Finance in Europe: Confronting Theory with Practice," Financial Management, Financial Management Association, vol. 33(4), Winter.
    5. Barberis, Nicholas & Thaler, Richard, 2003. "A survey of behavioral finance," Handbook of the Economics of Finance, in: G.M. Constantinides & M. Harris & R. M. Stulz (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Finance, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 18, pages 1053-1128, Elsevier.
    6. 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.
    7. Nikolaos Daskalakis & Maria Psillaki, 2007. "Do country or firm factors explain capital structure? Evidence from SMEs in France and Greece," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 87-97.
    8. Leary, Mark T. & Roberts, Michael R., 2010. "The pecking order, debt capacity, and information asymmetry," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(3), pages 332-355, March.
    9. Myers, Stewart C. & Majluf, Nicholas S., 1984. "Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 187-221, June.
    10. Harris, Milton & Raviv, Artur, 1991. "The Theory of Capital Structure," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(1), pages 297-355, March.
    11. Stewart C. Myers, 2001. "Capital Structure," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 15(2), pages 81-102, Spring.
    12. Berger, Allen N. & Udell, Gregory F., 1990. "Collateral, loan quality and bank risk," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 21-42, January.
    13. Harris, Milton & Raviv, Artur, 1990. "Capital Structure and the Informational Role of Debt," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 45(2), pages 321-349, June.
    14. James S. Ang, 1991. "Small Business Uniqueness and the Theory of Financial Management," Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance, Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management, vol. 1(1), pages 1-13, Spring.
    15. Petersen, Mitchell A & Rajan, Raghuram G, 1994. "The Benefits of Lending Relationships: Evidence from Small Business Data," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 49(1), pages 3-37, March.
    16. Stewart C. Myers & Nicholas S. Majluf, 1984. "Corporate Financing and Investment Decisions When Firms Have InformationThat Investors Do Not Have," NBER Working Papers 1396, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Psillaki, Maria & Tsolas, Ioannis E. & Margaritis, Dimitris, 2010. "Evaluation of credit risk based on firm performance," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 201(3), pages 873-881, March.
    18. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    19. Besanko, David & Thakor, Anjan V, 1987. "Collateral and Rationing: Sorting Equilibria in Monopolistic and Competitive Credit Markets," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 28(3), pages 671-689, October.
    20. 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.
    21. Frank, Murray Z. & Goyal, Vidhan K., 2003. "Testing the pecking order theory of capital structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 217-248, February.
    22. Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1969. "A Re-Examination of the Modigliani-Miller Theorem," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(5), pages 784-793, December.
    23. Myers, Stewart C., 1977. "Determinants of corporate borrowing," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(2), pages 147-175, November.
    24. repec:bla:jfinan:v:43:y:1988:i:1:p:1-19 is not listed on IDEAS
    25. Scott Holmes & Pam Kent, 1991. "An Empirical Analysis of the Financial Structure of Small and Large Australian Manufacturing Enterprises," Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance, Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management, vol. 1(2), pages 141-154, Winter.
    26. Miller, Merton H, 1977. "Debt and Taxes," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 32(2), pages 261-275, May.
    27. Brounen, D. & de Jong, A. & Koedijk, C.G., 2004. "Corporate Finance In Europe Confronting Theory With Practice," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2004-002-F&A, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    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. Takács, András, 2024. "A tőkestruktúra és a piaci érték közötti kapcsolat a hazai kis- és középvállalati szektorban [The relationship between capital structure and market value in the domestic small and medium-sized ente," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(9), pages 915-929.
    2. Henry Mugisha & Job Omagwa & James Kilika, 2021. "Capital structure, market conditions and financial performance of small and medium enterprises in Buganda Region, Uganda," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 10(3), pages 276-288, April.
    3. Hariem Abdullah & Turgut Tursoy, 2021. "Capital structure and firm performance: evidence of Germany under IFRS adoption," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 379-398, February.
    4. Thi Hong Hoang & Călin Gurău & Amine Lahiani & Thuy-Luu Seran, 2018. "Do crises impact capital structure? A study of French micro-enterprises," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 181-199, January.
    5. Raja Zekri Ben Hamouda & Faouzi Jilani, 2023. "Impact of the Global Financial Crisis and the Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution on the Corporate Capital Structure: Evidence from Four Arab Countries," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 13(6), pages 124-134, November.
    6. Philippe Adair & Mohamed Adaskou, 2020. "Credit Rationing and Mature French SMEs: A Disequilibrium Model," World Journal of Applied Economics, WERI-World Economic Research Institute, vol. 6(1), pages 55-72, June.
    7. Li, Xinqian & Zhang, Jing & An, Duo, 2024. "Banking crises and corporate trade credit: The role of creditor protection," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    8. Kanika Sachdeva & Abhishek Agarwal, 2023. "Factor influencing leveraging decision of Indian companies: evidence from panel data analysis," International Journal of Business and Globalisation, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 35(1/2), pages 134-146.
    9. Nenubari John Ikue & Joseph Osaro Denwi & John Akin Sodipo & Linus B. Enegesi, 2022. "Bank-specific performance indicators, macroeconomic variables and capital adequacy of Nigerian banking industry," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 11(6), pages 288-299, September.
    10. Monika Rakos & Janos Szendrak & Laszlo Erdey & Peter Miklos Komives & Veronika Fenyves, 2022. "Analysis of the Economic Situation of Energy Companies in Central and Eastern Europe," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 12(4), pages 553-562, July.
    11. Anton Miglo, 2020. "Financing of Entrepreneurial Firms in Canada: Some Patterns," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-27, August.
    12. Thi van Hoang & Călin Gurău & Amine Lahiani & Thuy-Luu Seran, 2017. "Do crises impact capital structure? A study of French micro-enterprises," Post-Print hal-03608784, HAL.
    13. Philippe Adair & Mohamed Adaskou, 2019. "Credit rationing and French mature SMEs: A disequilibrium model (2002-2010)," Erudite Working Paper 2019-02, Erudite.
    14. Philippe Adair & Mohamed Adaskou, 2017. "The capital structure of French SMEs and impact of the financial crisis: A dynamic panel data analysis (2002-2010)," Working Papers hal-01667313, HAL.
    15. Bukalska Elżbieta, 2019. "Testing trade-off theory and pecking order theory under managerial overconfidence," International Journal of Management and Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of World Economy, vol. 55(2), pages 99-117, June.
    16. Veronika Fenyves & Károly Pető & János Szenderák & Mónika Harangi-Rákos, 2020. "The capital structure of agricultural enterprises in the Visegrad countries," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 66(4), pages 160-167.
    17. Abdullah, Hariem & Tursoy, Turgut, 2021. "Capital structure and firm performance: a panel causality test," MPRA Paper 105871, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Valeriya Valer’evna Metel’skaya, 2021. "Correlation-and-regression analysis of the influence of macroeconomic factors on capital structure of Russian corporations under crisis conditions," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-34, December.
    19. Amanj Mohamed Ahmed & Deni Pandu Nugraha & István Hágen, 2024. "Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Capital Structure Dynamics: Evidence from GCC Economies," Economies, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-18, April.
    20. Francisco Javier Vásquez Tejos & Hernán Marcelo Pape Larre, 2021. "Market Timing and Pecking Order Theory in Latin America," Revista Finanzas y Politica Economica, Universidad Católica de Colombia, vol. 13(2), pages 345-370, 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. Philippe Adair & Mohamed Adaskou, 2017. "The capital structure of French SMEs and impact of the financial crisis: A dynamic panel data analysis (2002-2010)," Working Papers hal-01667313, HAL.
    2. Mário Santos & António Moreira & Elisabete Vieira, 2014. "Ownership concentration, contestability, family firms, and capital structure," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 18(4), pages 1063-1107, November.
    3. Philippe Adair, 2014. "Théorie du compromis versus Théorie du financement hiérarchique : une analyse sur un panel de PME non cotées," Post-Print hal-01667235, HAL.
    4. Maria Psillaki & Nikolaos Daskalakis, 2009. "Are the determinants of capital structure country or firm specific?," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 33(3), pages 319-333, October.
    5. Philippe Adair & Mohamed Adaskou, 2020. "Credit Rationing and Mature French SMEs: A Disequilibrium Model," World Journal of Applied Economics, WERI-World Economic Research Institute, vol. 6(1), pages 55-72, June.
    6. Thi Hong Hoang & Călin Gurău & Amine Lahiani & Thuy-Luu Seran, 2018. "Do crises impact capital structure? A study of French micro-enterprises," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 181-199, January.
    7. Nikolaos Daskalakis & Eleni Tsota, 2023. "Reintroducing Industry Effects in Capital Structure Determination of SMEs," Business & Entrepreneurship Journal, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 12(2), pages 1-4.
    8. Francisco Sogorb- Mira, 2002. "How Sme Uniqueness Affects Capital Structure: Evidence From A 1994-1998 Spanish Data Panel," Working Papers. Serie EC 2002-18, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    9. Attiya Yasmin Javid & Qaisar Imad, 2012. "A Decomposition Analysis of Capital Structure: Evidence from Pakistan’s Manufacturing Sector," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 17(1), pages 1-31, Jan-June.
    10. Schauten, M.B.J. & Spronk, J., 2006. "Optimal Capital Structure: Reflections on Economic and Other Values," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2006-074-F&A, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    11. Rana El Bahsh & Ali Alattar & Aziz N. Yusuf, 2018. "Firm, Industry and Country Level Determinants of Capital Structure: Evidence from Jordan," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 8(2), pages 175-190.
    12. Ahmed Nahar Al Hussaini, 2018. "Factors Affecting Debt to Equity Mixture in Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman," International Journal of Asian Social Science, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 8(12), pages 1204-1218, December.
    13. Satish Kumar & Riya Sureka & Sisira Colombage, 2020. "Capital structure of SMEs: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(4), pages 535-565, November.
    14. Anton Miglo, 2012. "Managers versus Students: New Approach in Improving Capital Structure Education," Journal of Education and Vocational Research, AMH International, vol. 3(11), pages 353-369.
    15. Vivien Beattie & Alan Goodacre & Sarah Jane Thomson, 2006. "Corporate Financing Decisions: UK Survey Evidence," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(9‐10), pages 1402-1434, November.
    16. Sardo, Filipe & Serrasqueiro, Zélia & Armada, Manuel Rocha, 2022. "The importance of owner loans for rebalancing the capital structure of small knowledge-intensive service firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    17. Francisco Sogorb- Mira & José Lopez- Gracia, 2003. "Pecking Order Versus Trade-Off: An Empirical Approach To The Small And Medium Enterprise Capital Structure," Working Papers. Serie EC 2003-09, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    18. Brian Lucey & Colm KEarney & Ciaran MacAnBhaird, 2012. "Culture and capital structure in small and medium sized firms," The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series iiisdp419, IIIS.
    19. Niluthpaul Sarker & Roushanara Islam, 2021. "Issues on Bank’s Capital Structure and Profitability: A Developing Country Context," International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 0(1), pages 86-104.
    20. Martinsson, Gustav, 2009. "Finance and R&D Investments - is there a debt overhang effect on R&D investments?," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 174, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.

    More about this item

    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:taf:oaefxx:v:3:y:2015:i:1:p:1006477. 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: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/OAEF20 .

    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.