Working Capital Management, Macroeconomic Impacts, and Firm Profitability: Evidence from Indian SMEs

The present study investigates the relationship between working capital management and SME profitability. It also analyzes the impact of macroeconomic impulses on firm profitability through efficient management of working capital in the case of Indian small and medium scale enterprises over the time period spanning from 2010 to 2017 using Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) regression models. The study concludes the negative relationship of account receivables together with a positive relationship of inventories and account payables with SME profitability. It implies the firm managers can maximize SME’s profitability by converting the credit sales to cash as early as possible, by increasing the days of accounts payable and following a conservative inventory management strategy. Changes in economic growth and commercial bank advances to small scale industries are the key macroeconomic determinants that are impacting SME profitability. The results from this paper may guide the firm managers to shape their working capital management strategies to maximize profitability. Policymakers may find the study interesting to identify the macroeconomic parameters that significantly influence Indian SMEs.