Efficient Working Capital Management and its Impact on Business Performance: A case study of Larsen & Toubro

Abstract

A well designed and implemented working capital management is expected to contribute positively to the creation of a firm's value The purpose of this paper is to examine the trends in working capital management and its impact on firms' performance. The trend in working capital needs and profitability of firms are examined to identify the causes for any significant differences between the industries. The dependent variable, return on total assets is used as a measure of profitability and the relation between working capital management and corporate profitability is investigated. The regression results show that high investment in inventories and receivables is associated with lower profitability. The key variables used in the analysis are inventories days, accounts receivables days, accounts payable days and cash conversion cycle. A strong significant relationship between working capital management and profitability has been found in previous empirical work.. The findings also reveal an increasing trend in the short-term component of working capital financing.