This thesis examines the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm profitability, and how this relationship is affected by economic fluctuations. In the existing literature, the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm profitability has been extensively researched. However, the impact of economic fluctuations on the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm profitability is sparsely researched. To the best of our knowledge, only Enqvist, Graham and Nikkinen (2014) have addressed the impact ofeconomic fluctuations on the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm profitability. This thesis is a replication of their study in another geographical setting, another time period and studying different types of firms. Using a sample of 2,589 firm-year observations of listed Swedish firms for the years 2000-2015, this thesis conducts multiple regression analysis to examine the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm profitability. The findings of this thesis propose that firms can enhance profitability by improving their working capital efficiency. However, the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm profitability does not appear to be significantly affected by economic fluctuations. This thesis contributes to the existing literature by further strengthening the understanding of the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm profitability. In addition, it also adds to the existing literature on the relationship between working capital efficiency and firm profitability in a Swedish context.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-04T11:45:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Elaine_dos_Santos_Terrataca_Almeida.pdf: 606918 bytes, checksum: 2e9a7f842ecec65d009bd2128ef65cd2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-05-09 / In the modern market the companies face several challenges daily. The globalization has reduced the frontiers between the countries, extended the commercial relation, increased the competition, required from the companies more and more quality in their products and services. In this environment many of the companies are able to grow and develop, while others cannot even survive. Most companies in Brazil and of the several other countries around the world are micro and small ones. They represent approximately 99% of the market, and they employ a great number of the world population, and they are considered a solution to unemployment. The mortality rate of the micro and small companies has been the target of attention from several countries and organizations in the world. The OECD - Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, for example, is working with Eurostat - The European Statistical System (The Statistical Office of the European Community), to examine the possibility to realize statistics at the international level in order to get more details about the factors of success, survival and failure of the companies. Brazil has a high mortality rate and one of the reasons is the lack of management capacity of the entrepreneurs. A concern with the creation, development and survival of the micro and small companies can be observed all around the world. The measures to reach this target include the improvement of the management capacity. This research proposes a reflection about the main difficulties of the micro and small companies and their characteristics. The aim of this research is to present management techniques, and to suggest reports models that can be used in commercial micro and small company. / No mercado atual as empresas enfrentam v??rios desafios di??rios. A globaliza????o reduziu as fronteiras entre os pa??ses, expandindo o relacionamento comercial, aumentando a concorr??ncia, e exige das empresas cada vez mais qualidade nos produtos e servi??os prestados. Neste ambiente muitas empresas conseguem crescer e se desenvolver, enquanto outras sequer conseguem sobreviver. A maioria das empresas do Brasil e de v??rios pa??ses do mundo ?? micro e pequena. Tais empresas representam aproximadamente 99% do mercado, empregam grande parcela da popula????o mundial e s??o consideradas como uma das sa??das para diminuir o n??vel de desemprego. A taxa de mortalidade das microempresas e empresas de pequeno porte tem sido alvo de aten????o de v??rios pa??ses e organiza????es mundiais. A OECD - Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (Organiza????o para Coopera????o e Desenvolvimento Econ??mico), por exemplo, est?? trabalhando com a Eurostat - The European Statistical System (Ag??ncia Estat??stica da Comunidade Europ??ia), para examinar a possibilidade de se realizar uma estat??stica em n??vel mundial para obter mais detalhes dos fatores determinantes do sucesso, sobreviv??ncia e fal??ncia das empresas. O Brasil apresenta uma elevada taxa de mortalidade de empresas e uma das causas desta mortalidade ?? a falta de habilidade do pequeno empreendedor para administrar o seu neg??cio. Em v??rios pa??ses do mundo, observa-se que h?? uma preocupa????o com a cria????o, desenvolvimento e sobreviv??ncia das microempresas e empresas de pequeno porte. As medidas efetivadas para atingir esses objetivos incluem a capacita????o gerencial do pequeno empreendedor. Este trabalho de pesquisa prop??e uma reflex??o sobre as principais dificuldades da microempresa e da empresa de pequeno porte e suas caracter??sticas. O objetivo deste trabalho ?? apresentar t??cnicas de gerenciamento e sugerir modelos de relat??rios que possam ser utilizados na microempresa e na empresa de pequeno porte do setor do com??rcio.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T18:39:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertacaoFabioRSLopes.pdf: 2726993 bytes, checksum: 9117835c9f5531f08b0e8c2caa156cbf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-09-26 / nenhum / One of the most common problem faced by the traditional accounting is the delayed in generating information for the decision making in the financial area of the company The accounting in being an important part of the Company s information system must contribute for the wealth maximization of the company through the determination and dissemination of information relating to controllership in order to assist managers do direct the activities of the company This dissertation discuss the difficulties of managers of micro and small companies in relation to working capital in order to maintain its financial health This study is justified by the importance of the subject by considering the participation of these small companies in the Brazilian economy since approximately 98% of existing companies in accordance with the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics IBGE is considered in the category of micro and small companies In this sector of the economy that is very difficult to obtain credit we analyze the purchasing inventory and sales policies related to the necessity of working capital through the development of an actual case in a micro Brazilian company / Um dos problemas mais comuns enfrentados pela contabilidade tradicional é a geração tardia de informações para a tomada de decisões principalmente as informações sobre o equilíbrio financeiro das empresas A contabilidade como parte integrante do sistema de informações empresariais deve contribuir para o processo de maximização da riqueza através da identificação e disseminação de informações e de procedimentos de controladoria que auxiliem o gestor na condução das atividades da empresa tanto em momentos de tranqüilidade quanto em momentos de instabilidade e incerteza Esta dissertação aborda as dificuldades enfrentadas pelos gestores das micro e pequenas empresas para a administração de seu capital de giro e para a manutenção de sua saúde financeira de curto prazo Justifica-se este estudo pela importância do tema para a gestão de curto prazo e pela participação dessas empresas na economia, aproximadamente 98% do total das empresas existentes segundo dados do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística IBGE são consideradas micros e pequenas empresas A administração da necessidade de capital de giro apresenta-se como uma importante ferramenta do processo gestão através da conciliação entre a demanda e oferta de recursos, especialmente para um segmento que carece de fontes de financiamento

Submitted by Elba Lopes (elba.lopes@fecap.br) on 2018-02-24T14:18:42Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Edson Aparecido Cagnin.pdf: 1358457 bytes, checksum: f9cdfae6093d106c7cc15fcdc2964007 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-02-24T14:18:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Edson Aparecido Cagnin.pdf: 1358457 bytes, checksum: f9cdfae6093d106c7cc15fcdc2964007 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-31 / This research studies how internal and external factors impact the management of working capital. We use a sample of 519 publicly-traded companies listed on the S??o Paulo Stock Exchange, considering the period from 2000 to 2015. We find evidence that the external factors, the SELIC base interest rate, and the BNDES System's credit disbursement, impact the companies' working capital level. Our finding comply with previous studies that analyze the internal factors such as, debt level and free cash flow. We find that higher levels of cash flow increase working capital levels, and that companies' debt level does not influence the working capital management. / Esta pesquisa estuda como fatores internos e externos impactam o gerenciamento do capital de giro. Trabalha com uma amostra de 519 companhias de capital aberto listadas na Bolsa de Valores de S??o Paulo, considerando o per??odo de 2000 a 2015. Encontra evid??ncias de que os fatores externos, taxa b??sica de juros SELIC, e desembolso de cr??dito do Sistema BNDES, interferem no n??vel de capital de giro das companhias. Segue estudos anteriores que analisaram os fatores internos, endividamento e fluxo de caixa livre, constatando que n??veis maiores de fluxo de caixa aumentam os n??veis de capital de giro, e que o endividamento das companhias n??o influencia o gerenciamento do capital de giro.

ABSTRACT Title: Working Capital Management in Telecommunication sector: A case study of VGC telecoms Author: Gbenga Segun Akinwande Supervisor: Anders Hederstierna Department: School of Management, Blekinge Institute of Technology Course: Master’s thesis in business administration, 15 credits (ECTS). Background and Problem Discussion: The efficient management of working capital is very vital for a business survival. This is premised on the fact having too much working capital signifies inefficiency, whereas too little cash at hand signifies that the survival of business is shaky. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to study the working capital management in the small and medium scale businesses, using VGC Telecoms Company as a case study, so as to establish factors influencing working capital performance; examine how cash management, inventory management and trade credit management affects working capital management; company effectiveness in converting working capital to ready money; how working capital management impacts on the problem of slow development and to offer recommendations on possible ways of improving working capital management Method: Literatures bordering on different areas of working capital management were reviewed. Thus, this research employed qualitative and quantitative analysis; and semi- structured questions were drafted based on the issues raised from the review of various literatures. In addition, materials from journal articles, textbooks, working papers and industry practitioners are put into consideration. The use of internet and e-mails to send out questions were explored where appropriate. Analysis on the company’s financial statement was carried out in order to verify my findings. Theory: In this research, the theory section looks at various concepts that come up when analyzing the consequences of working capital management for company value and the factors that influence a company’s working capital management performance. I have therefore chosen the most common concept for the theory section. I have also tried to create a theoretical understanding for the company’s sensitivity to a workable WCM policy Analysis: In the analysis of the research findings, I employed qualitative approach to the data analysis whereby the impacts of the poor WCM on the company were discussed in depth. Conclusion: The findings corroborate the postulation of Weston et al that a company’s investment in working capital is a substantial percentage of its total investment. In case of VGC Telecoms, it is as high as 65 percent. An inefficient and ineffective management of this investment will result in slow pace of development and ultimately to the business failure. The performances of the company in the different spheres of working capital management were scored as follows:- • Cash management – 65.4 percent • Inventory management - 78.6 percent • Trade credit management and financing decisions - 60.0 percent This is an average performance of 68 percent. That is, the company’s performance is above average. This is a good performance. The financial statements as interpreted reinforce the validity of this result. The liquidity ratios are high; the collection period is short; and the cash cycle is not quite expansive. This makes it possible to sustain sufficient cash flow for the smooth running of the business. The management of working capital impacts on liquidity, investment portfolio and profitability. All these three factors are decisive in the growth or failure of a business. Hence, good performances in working capital management affects these decisive factors favourably and thus, contribute to growth and success of the business.

Submitted by Riccardo Bozzeda (rbozzeda1@gmail.com) on 2017-10-05T12:41:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tesi_FGV.pdf: 498038 bytes, checksum: f5b53be07d249e12438bff90982a5a14 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Josineide da Silva Santos Locatelli (josineide.locatelli@fgv.br) on 2017-10-05T12:56:00Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tesi_FGV.pdf: 498038 bytes, checksum: f5b53be07d249e12438bff90982a5a14 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-05T16:03:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tesi_FGV.pdf: 498038 bytes, checksum: f5b53be07d249e12438bff90982a5a14 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-09-22 / This paper provides evidence of the effect of Working Capital Management (WCM) on the performance of Latin America companies. The study also investigates whether the effect of WCM on performance differs between ‘small’ and ‘big’ firms. The paper employs Panel data regression analysis on a sample of 117 non-financial firms over an eleven-year period (2005- 2015). The results show that WCM has a convex relationship with performance. However, the results suggest that WCM is relatively more important for the performance of ‘big’ companies than ‘small’ companies. Overall, the study proves that WCM components do affect the performance of Latin America firms. / Este documento fornece evidências do efeito da Gestão de Capital de Trabalho (WCM) sobre o desempenho das empresas da América Latina. O estudo também investiga se o efeito da WCM no desempenho difere entre empresas ‘pequenas’ e ‘grandes’. O artigo emprega análise de regressão de dados do painel em uma amostra de 117 empresas não financeiras ao longo de um período de onze anos (2005-2015). Os resultados mostram que a WCM tem uma relação convexa com o desempenho. No entanto, os resultados sugerem que o WCM é relativamente mais importante para o desempenho de empresas ‘grandes’ do que empresas ‘pequenas’. Em geral, o estudo comprova que os componentes da WCM afetam o desempenho das empresas da América Latina.

The reasons, why doctoral thesis named ?Competitive advantage based on working capital management during the economical recession period? has been compiled, are indentified as follows: ? Due to existing economical recession there is a deficiency of free foreign capital on the market and the price of capital is rapidly growing. ? There are some companies on the market, which are able to maintain the turnover dynamics and their business results (their ROI ratios) are significantly better than a market average. The two objectives of research have been stipulated: ? To prove whether there is a relation between the value of company?s working capital divided by the total turnover in the current period and the change of company?s turnover in the following period. The change of market value average shall be taken into account. ? To prove whether there is a relation between the company?s most liquid assets (receivables and short-term financial assets) divided by the value of total assets in the current period and company?s ROI ratio in the following period. These objectives have been achieved through extensive theoretical research at first, secondly through evaluation of empirical resources from a survey done based on data from 44 German companies connected with building industry between the years 2004 and 2007 and finally, the analysis and synthesis of these resources. The doctoral thesis clarifies the essential targets of working capital management, methods of company?s working capital optimization and reasons, why effective value of working capital could be seen as a source of company?s competitive advantage during economical recession period. The conclusions have pointed out that there is obvious delay of working capital optimization positive effects onto the company?s turnover dynamics and ROI ratios.

Denna studies syfte var att analysera sex nyckeltal och se vilka samband dessa hade på riskbuffert sysselsatt kapital. Studien utfördes på 796 små byggbolag i Sverige under perioden 2009–2016 med hjälp av en binär logistisk regressionsanalys. Som teoretisk referensram användes working capital management och finansiell oro. Studien resulterade i att kapitalets omsättningshastighet, skuldränta och rörelsekapital/totala tillgångar uppvisade signifikanta negativa samband med riskbuffert sysselsatt kapital. Räntetäckningsgrad och avkastning på totalt kapital resulterade i signifikanta positiva samband med riskbuffert sysselsatt kapital. Skuldsättningsgrad resulterade intressant nog i ett icke signifikant negativt samband. Slutligendiskuterades byggbolagens sannolikhet för finansiell oro utifrån respektive nyckeltal. / The aim of this study was to examine the relation between six independent key ratios with riskbuffer on capital employed. The study was conducted on 796 small construction enterprises in Sweden during 2009–2016 with a binary logistic regression model. As theoretical framework, working capital management and financial distress was applied. The study concluded that the capital turnover rate, interest payable and working capital to total assets had significant negative relations with riskbuffer on capital employed. However, the interest cover ratio and return on total assets were both significant positively related withriskbuffer on capital employed. Debt-to-equity ratio resulted interestly enough in a nonsignificant negative relation. Lastly, with regards taken to every respective key ratio, the probability of financial distress among the construction firms was discussed.

Working capital optimization, as an act of balancing liquidity and profitability, presents significant challenges when small businesses lack managerial expertise and access to affordable capital and credit facilities. To remain successful through efficient utilization of working capital, small business leaders need to understand the association between working capital management (WCM), working capital policy (WCP), and business profitability (PFT). Anchored in the cash conversion cycle theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between WCM, WCP, and PFT. The study employed a retrospective secondary analysis of financial data from 2004 to 2013 from a random sample of 176 publicly traded small U.S. manufacturing companies. The regression results incorporating 3 models were significant in predicting profitability in terms of gross operating profit (GOP), return on asset (ROA), and Tobin's q (TBQ). The regression results showed that WCM and WCP were significant predictors of GOP, F (5, 170) = 8.580, p < .000, R2 = .201; ROA, F (5, 170) = 4.079, p < .002, R2 = .107; and TBQ, F (5, 170) = 6.231, p < .000, R2 = .155. The overall result confirmed that WCM and WCP predicted PFT significantly (p < .05). Small business leaders may incorporate working capital optimization practices into overall corporate strategy, thereby aligning working capital needs with the changing business requirements. The implications for positive social change included the potential to provide small business leaders with knowledge of WCM and WCP as drivers of PFT. Profitable businesses may provide employees and communities with better jobs; stock ownership; and development infrastructures such as road, healthcare, and educational facilities.

Bakgrund Rörelsekapitalet är ett företags livsnerv, det kan öppna upp för nya affärsmöjligheter; upprätthålla och förbättra kundrelationer samt föra nya produkter och teknologi till marknaden. Samtidigt kan dess hantering vara avgörande för om företaget riskerar att bli insolvent och gå i konkurs. Hur rörelsekapitalet hanteras är därmed av yttersta vikt för ett företag, då det påverkar företagets lönsamhet, likviditet och risk. Detta borde vara av intresse för investerare som vill maximera sin avkastning och för företagsledare som önskar maximera verksamhetens genererade vinst. Syfte Studiens ämnar analysera vikten av rörelsekapitalets hantering för nyintroducerade svenska företag och hur det påverkar deras finansiella prestation och värdeutveckling i en tid av ekonomisk tillväxt. Metod Detta är en kvantitativ studie med en deduktiv ansats. Finansiella data kommer analyseras över en tidsperiod på fem, fyra eller tre år beroende på när företagen introduceras på börsen vilket gör det till en longitudinell studie. Vidare används korrelationsmatris och regressioner för att analysera variablernas samband och därmed besvara studiens syfte. Slutsats Resultatet pekar på ett negativt samband mellan rörelsekapitalshantering och lönsamhet, positivt samband mellan rörelsekapitalshantering och likviditet samt ett negativt samband mellan rörelsekapitalshantering och värdeutveckling. / Introduction Working capital is the life blood of a company. It is an enabler of business opportunities; a sustainer and improver of businessrelations and also an envoy of new products and technology. The management of working capital decides if a company might become insolvent or even file for bankrupcy. How the working capital is managed is therefore of utmost importancet to a company, since it detirmines the company's performance, liquidity and risk. Hence, it should be of import to prospect investors that want to maximize the return of the investment and also decision makers who wishes to maximize the operational profits. Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the importance of efficient working capital management and its effect on financial performance and firm value for Swedish IPO companies during an economic boom. Methodology This is a quantiative study utilizing a deductive approach. Financial data is analysed over a period of five, four or three years depending on when the IPO occured, which classifies this as a longitudinal study. A correlation matrix and regressions will be used to establish the relationships between the variables and thereby fulfill the purpose of the study. Findings The resuslts indicate a negative correlation between CCC and profitability, a positive correlation between CCC and liquidity and a negative correlation between CCC and Tobin's Q.