The financial state of the most companies was significantly challenged by the last decade. Thus, financial managers must be aware of all factors that can contribute to the firm`s profitability in order to fight unstable economical environment. Working capital management`s effect on profitability has been raised recently and its importance is already known. This thesis aims to dig deeper into the relationship between working capital management and firm`s profitability across different sectors and different time periods. The subject for the empirical analysis are 908 UK manufacturing and 315 construction firms during the period of 2006-2013. The results indicate about the strong negative relationship between working capital, measured as cash conversion cycle (CCC) and gross operating profitability. Thus, it is an indicator that working capital and its characteristics must be included in the firm`s financial planning.

Bank capital has a critical role in banking business the world over. Capital is a principal aspect of regulation and will determine how long a bank remains in business from a regulatory point of view. Its cost and the regulatory amount have an impact on the competitiveness of an institution and will influence the rate of expansion of a bank. The contribution of capital to the profitability and survival of a commercial bank remain an unresolved empirical issue. Prior research on the relationship between capital and profitability has largely focused on developed economies, especially the USA, and Europe. However, the results have been inconclusive. There is no evidence of such kind of a research done to date that focuses on an emerging economy such as South Africa. The seemingly conflicting finding coupled with regulations imposing equity capital adequacy from the Basel 11 Accord present an opportune platform for further research on the relationship between capital and profitability. Using South Africa as a unit of analysis and using the Generalised Methods of Moments (GMM), and Panel Two Stage Least Squares (2SLS) or Pooled IV method as the estimation techniques, this study tested the hypothesis that there is a positive and statistically significant relationship between bank capital and profitability. The results from the study provide evidence of a positive relationship between capital ratio (CAR), return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA) and supported the generally held notion that there is a positive relationship between bank capital and profitability. This research output provided new insights into the long-run impact of bank capital on profitability and survival. From a bank specific strategic decision-making perspective, this would assist financial institutions and investors in tailoring investment decisions in response to policy decisions that relate to bank capital. From the public policy perspective, this would assist both governments and regulators in formulating better- informed policy decisions regarding the importance of bank capital. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management)