Managing working capital efficiency in Turkish agribusinesses and the impact of globalization: insights from an emerging market

Abstract

The efficiency of working capital is a major determinant of firm profitability. So, the grasp of working capital dynamics is extremely important for managers, but also for policy makers, since inefficient working capital management is an important source of industrial sickness. This study focuses on the profitability impacts of working capital policies of Turkish agribusinesses, and aims to investigate the potential effects of globalization on these interrelated relationships. The findings obtained from pooled panel analyses demonstrate that Turkish agribusinesses can enhance their profitability and value by adopting a conservative working capital policy through lengthening the cash conversion cycle up to an optimal level. Besides, globalization is found to deteriorate their efficiency and profitability where economic globalization seems to have the highest impact raising questions on the effectiveness of Turkish agribusinesses in coping with competition. Thus, both the managers and the policy makers should concern with the competitiveness impacts of globalization.