IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/mgtdec/v24y2003i6-7p439-455.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Trade credit and customer relationships

Author

Listed:
  • Barbara Summers

    (Accounting & Finance Division, Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK)

  • Nicholas Wilson

    (Credit Management Research Centre, Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK)

Abstract

Trade credit is an important economic phenomenon, and a variety of theories have been put forward to explain the decisions firms make on credit extension. The ways in which credit can be used as a strategic tool to support corporate objectives has not, however, been fully discussed. The results presented here provide some support for the extant theory on trade credit extension and for recent empirical papers in this area (e.g. Ng et al., 1999; Petersen and Rajan, 1994). However, our results suggest that trade credit granting has a set of subtle and complex motivations over and above those predicted by standard theory. In particular trade credit extension can be used as a many-faceted marketing|relationship management tool and|or as a means of signalling information to the market or to specific buyers about the firm, its products and its future prospects|commitment. Much of credit extension can be seen as customer focused; for example, encouraging frequent purchasers which offer the potential for relationship development or accommodating customers' demand for credit to help finance their production period. The requirements|bargaining power of large customers can influence a firm to extend more credit. Firms will vary terms in anticipation of capturing new business, to attract specific customers and in order to achieve specific marketing aims. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Barbara Summers & Nicholas Wilson, 2003. "Trade credit and customer relationships," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(6-7), pages 439-455.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:mgtdec:v:24:y:2003:i:6-7:p:439-455
    DOI: 10.1002/mde.1041
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1002/mde.1041
    File Function: Link to full text; subscription required
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/mde.1041?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Smith, Janet Kiholm, 1987. "Trade Credit and Informational Asymmetry," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(4), pages 863-872, September.
    2. Schwartz, Robert A., 1974. "An Economic Model of Trade Credit," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(4), pages 643-657, September.
    3. Nadiri, M Ishaq, 1969. "The Determinants of Trade Credit in the U.S. Total Manufacturing Sector," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 37(3), pages 408-423, July.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    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. Daisuke Tsuruta, 2013. "Customer relationships and the provision of trade credit during a recession," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(12), pages 1017-1031, June.
    2. Werner Bönte & Sebastian Nielen, 2010. "Innovation, Credit Constraints, and Trade Credit: Evidence from a Cross-Country Study," Schumpeter Discussion Papers sdp10005, Universitätsbibliothek Wuppertal, University Library.
    3. Ketskeméty, László & Pálinkó, Éva & Szabó, Márta, 2010. "Kereskedelmi hitelt alakító paraméterek a magyarországi feldolgozóipari vállalatok körében [Parameters for commercial credit among Hungary's manufacturing companies]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(11), pages 994-1012.
    4. Frederic Boissay & Reint Gropp, 2007. "Trade Credit Defaults and Liquidity Provision by Firms," Working Paper Series: Finance and Accounting 179, Department of Finance, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.
    5. Van den Bogaerd, Machteld & Aerts, Walter, 2015. "Does media reputation affect properties of accounts payable?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 19-29.
    6. D. Eric Boyd & F. Javier Sese & Sebastian Tillmanns, 2023. "The design of B2B customer references: A signaling theory perspective," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 51(3), pages 658-674, May.
    7. Domenico Delli Gatti & Mauro Gallegati & Bruce Greenwald & Alberto Russo & Joseph Stiglitz, 2009. "Business fluctuations and bankruptcy avalanches in an evolving network economy," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 4(2), pages 195-212, November.
    8. Yangyang Huang & Zhenyang Pi & Weiguo Fang, 2021. "Trade Credit with Barter in a Capital-Constrained Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-15, October.
    9. Delli Gatti, Domenico & Gallegati, Mauro & Greenwald, Bruce & Russo, Alberto & Stiglitz, Joseph E., 2010. "The financial accelerator in an evolving credit network," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 1627-1650, September.
    10. Massimo Omiccioli, 2005. "Trade Credit as Collateral," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 553, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    11. Farah Saerens & Stefanie Ceustermans, 2021. "Abbreviated or Micro-Entity Accounts? Effect of Financial Reporting Format on the Availability of Trade Credit," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-18, July.
    12. Dariusz Nowak & Sławomir Gorczynski, 2020. "A Qualitative Approach to Trade Credit in Business Organisations," Business Management, D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics, Svishtov, Bulgaria, issue 1 Year 20, pages 25-41.
    13. Xing Yu & Huaizhe Chen & Kongzhuo Xiang & Zhongkai Wan, 2021. "Supply chain financing mechanism with guarantee insurance," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(2), pages 308-318, March.

    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. 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.
    2. Rodríguez Rodríguez, O. Mª, 2005. "El crédito comercial en las pymes canarias desde una perspectiva multivariante," Estudios de Economia Aplicada, Estudios de Economia Aplicada, vol. 23, pages 773-816, Diciembre.
    3. 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.
    4. Massimo Omiccioli, 2005. "Trade Credit as Collateral," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 553, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    5. Barbara Summers & Nicholas Wilson, 2002. "An Empirical Investigation of Trade Credit Demand," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2), pages 257-270.
    6. Cristina Martínez-Sola & Pedro J. García-Teruel & Pedro Martínez-Solano, 2013. "Trade credit policy and firm value," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 53(3), pages 791-808, September.
    7. 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.
    8. Paul, Salima & Boden, Rebecca, 2008. "The secret life of UK trade credit supply: Setting a new research agenda," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 272-281.
    9. Bougheas, Spiros & Mateut, Simona & Mizen, Paul, 2009. "Corporate trade credit and inventories: New evidence of a trade-off from accounts payable and receivable," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 300-307, February.
    10. 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.
    11. Ciżkowicz-Pękała Magda, 2017. "Trade credit: a benefit to get, a “must” to give? Motives behind trade credit use in Poland," Financial Internet Quarterly (formerly e-Finanse), Sciendo, vol. 13(4), pages 54-66, December.
    12. Pedro J. García†Teruel & Pedro Martínez†Solano, 2010. "A Dynamic Approach to Accounts Receivable: a Study of Spanish SMEs," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 16(3), pages 400-421, June.
    13. Altunok, Fatih & Mitchell, Karlyn & Pearce, Douglas K., 2020. "The trade credit channel and monetary policy transmission: Empirical evidence from U.S. panel data," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 226-250.
    14. 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.
    15. Mike Burkart & Tore Ellingsen, 2004. "In-Kind Finance: A Theory of Trade Credit," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(3), pages 569-590, June.
    16. Cristina Martínez Sola & Pedro J. García-Teruel & Pedro Martínez Solano, 2012. "Trade credit policy and firm value," Working Papers. Serie EC 2012-01, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas, S.A. (Ivie).
    17. Vivek Astvansh & Niket Jindal, 2022. "Differential Effects of Received Trade Credit and Provided Trade Credit on Firm Value," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 31(2), pages 781-798, February.
    18. Box, Travis & Davis, Ryan & Hill, Matthew & Lawrey, Chris, 2018. "Operating performance and aggressive trade credit policies," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 192-208.
    19. Dary, Stanley, 2017. "Trade Credit Financing In African Agro-Food Manufacturing Industry: Incidence And Motives," 2017 Annual Meeting, February 4-7, 2017, Mobile, Alabama 252850, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    20. Christina Atanasova, 2007. "Access to Institutional Finance and the Use of Trade Credit," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 36(1), pages 49-67, March.

    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:wly:mgtdec:v:24:y:2003:i:6-7:p:439-455. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/7976 .

    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.