|
on Corporate Finance |
| By: | Grakolet Gourene (Economic Commission for Africa, North Africa Office, Morocco and Université Jean Lorougnon Guédé in Côte d’Ivoire); Zuzana Brixiova Schwidrowski (Economic Commission for Africa, North Africa Office, Morocco and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia); Jiri Balcar (VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic); Lenka Johnson Filipova (VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic) |
| Abstract: | Family-owned firms account for majority of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Arab countries, but evidence on the impact of this ownership type on access to credit in the region is scarce. Yet the issue is key for understanding barriers to the emergence of dynamic private sector and growth acceleration. To reduce this knowledge gap, our paper examines links between family ownership and credit constraints faced by SMEs in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia, utilizing the World Bank Enterprise Surveys. We find that while familyowned firms have a higher need for credit than nonfamily-owned firms, they are more likely to be discouraged from applying for it. Due to this self-selection out of credit markets, they are more credit constrained than nonfamily firms, even though their credit application rejection rates are lower. Stronger firm governance, including presence of formal business strategies and improved managerial practices, can encourage family-owned SMEs to apply for credit more often and ease their access to finance. |
| Keywords: | Family-owned SMEs, access to bank credit, firm governance, Arab Countries |
| JEL: | D22 G21 G32 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ldr:wpaper:306 |
| By: | Ferrando, Annalisa; Pál, Rozália |
| Abstract: | The availability of internal and external financing sources significantly influences firms' investments and growth. Even profitable firms with ample financing in normal times can be adversely affected by demand and supply shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis, or the recent tightening of financing conditions. This paper examines the impact of funding difficulties on firms' investment, performance and growth during normal period and periods of external shocks, using a regression adjustment treatment effect approach. We distinguish between structural barriers to external financing and cyclical deteriorations in financing conditions, while controlling for other major investment barriers. The analysis uses survey data collected from the 1 st to 8 th vintage of the European Investment Survey (EIBIS). Empirical evidence shows that micro and small firms, as well as leading innovators, are particularly vulnerable to deteriorating funding conditions. Results indicate that firms lagging in digitalisation and green investments face more of a structural rather than a cyclical financing issue. Consequently, policy support should be oriented towards these structural financing impediments to ensure a fair and faster transformation. |
| Keywords: | SMEs, investment gap, external funding, internal funding, financing constraints, uncertainty, investment barriers, firm performance, growth, digital and green transition |
| JEL: | C83 D22 G32 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:eibwps:308041 |
| By: | Tommaso Oliviero (University of Naples Federico II and CSEF); Sandro Rondinella (University of Calabria); Alberto Zazzaro (University of Naples Federico II, CSEF and MoFiR) |
| Abstract: | Green investment by private companies is essential to sustainable growth paths in advanced economies. Whether, and to what extent, investments by green firms are hampered by lack of external finance is an open question. We estimate the sensitivity of investment to internal finance in firms engaging in green innovation, finding that the elasticity of investment to cash flow is four times less for green than for non-green firms. This result is stronger among smaller firms and robust to alternative definitions of "green firms". Our findings indicate that green firms are less financially constrained, consistent with the growing perception of the importance of the green transition, which potentially affects financial investors outside the company. |
| Keywords: | Green investment; cash flow; external finance; financial constraints |
| JEL: | E22 G30 Q55 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:anc:wmofir:189 |
| By: | Fernando Leibovici; David Wiczer |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the role of credit constraints in accounting for the dynamics of firm exit during the Great Recession. We present novel firm-level evidence on the role of credit constraints on exit behavior during the Great Recession. Firms in financial distress, with tighter access to credit, are more likely to default than firms with more access to credit. This difference widened substantially in the Great Recession while, in contrast, default rates did not vary much by size, age, or productivity. We identify conditions under which standard models of firms subject to financial frictions can be consistent with these facts. |
| Keywords: | firm exit; Great Recession; credit constraints; financial distress |
| JEL: | E32 G01 |
| Date: | 2024–09–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:fedawp:99194 |
| By: | Mr. Salih Fendoglu; Ms. TengTeng Xu |
| Abstract: | The startup ecosystem in Japan has seen gradual growth, supported by the government’s recent "Startup Development Five-Year Plan" and a significant interest from overseas venture capital. This paper lays out the startup financing ecosystem in Japan, with comparison to international peers, and studies potential drivers of startup financing and their relevance for startups’ performance. The results, based on country-level aggregate analysis, underscore the critical role of firm dynamism and entrepreneurship in supporting capital investment and firm valuations. Further analyses at the firm level suggest that equity funding helps startups innovate, grow, and successfully exit. Moreover, the impact of funding on the likelihood of a successful exit appears to be higher in cultures that seem to reward risk taking. |
| Keywords: | Startups; venture capital; Japan; firm dynamics |
| Date: | 2024–12–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2024/246 |
| By: | Lavery, Paul; Spaliara, Marina-Eliza; Görg, Holger |
| Abstract: | This paper examines whether private equity (PE)-backed companies are better able to remain active on export markets compared to similar non-PE firms, when hit by a negative shock. We look at two such recent shocks, namely the global financial crisis (GFC) and COVID-19 pandemic. We construct two matched samples, one for each crisis period, to assess the resilience of exporting under PE ownership in recessionary periods. We then explore how improvements in working capital management allow PE-backed firms to engage in international activities and maintain their export relationships relative to similar, non-PE-backed firms. Our results show that the export activities of PE-backed firms are significantly more resilient to the effects of the GFC but less pronounced following COVID-19. PE investment enhances working capital management, which in turn improves the persistence in export markets at the onset of the crises. |
| Keywords: | Private equity buyouts, exporting, working capital, recessions |
| JEL: | F14 G01 G32 G34 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:306864 |
| By: | Eichenauer, Vera; Köppl, Stefan; Köppl-Turyna, Monika |
| Abstract: | In this paper we analyze the effects of investment screening on cross-border venture capital investments in Europe between 2007 and 2022. The data we work with is originally based on PRISM data which has been extended by Eichenauer and Wang and which we combine with deal data from Preqin to assess investment activity. Our results point to unintended negative effects: while the number of actually blocked deals has remained very low, the associated uncertainty and an increase in transaction costs have led to a significant decline in cross-border deals. The effects are stronger in the case of financial (i.e. 'non-strategic') investors, for late-stage venture capital deals, and for deals with investors from non-OECD countries. Moreover, we observe changes in the size of deals and their structure. This has profound policy implications for the financing of innovation in Europe. |
| Abstract: | In dieser Arbeit untersuchen wir die Auswirkungen von Investitionsscreenings auf grenzüberschreitende Venture-Capital-Investitionen in Europa zwischen 2007 und 2022. Die zugrunde liegenden Daten basieren auf den PRISM-Daten, die von Eichenauer und Wang erweitert wurden, und wurden mit Deal-Daten von Preqin kombiniert, um die Investitionstätigkeit zu analysieren. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen unbeabsichtigte negative Effekte: Obwohl die Zahl tatsächlich blockierter Deals sehr gering bleibt, hat die damit verbundene Unsicherheit sowie die Erhöhung der Transaktionskosten zu einem deutlichen Rückgang grenzüberschreitender Investitionen geführt. Besonders stark sind diese Effekte bei finanziellen (d.h. "nicht-strategischen") Investoren, bei späten Venture-Capital-Deals und bei Investoren aus Nicht-OECD-Ländern. Zudem beobachten wir Veränderungen in der Größe und Struktur der Deals. Diese Ergebnisse haben weitreichende politische Implikationen für die Finanzierung von Innovationen in Europa. |
| Keywords: | cross-border venture capital, investment screening, Europe, transaction costs |
| JEL: | F55 F21 G24 L14 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ecoarp:308092 |
| By: | Giovanazzi, Carmen |
| Abstract: | We analyze the dynamics of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the United States (US) and Germany in the 2000s, drawing on the Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) framework and the concept of internal capitalist diversity. Using SDC Platinum transaction data from 2000 to 2023 and qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews with 28 M&A professionals, we investigate how firm characteristics and institutional frameworks drive M&A activity in both countries. We confirm VoC-based expectations regarding transaction volumes and industry patterns but also highlight the professionalization of M&A functions across large, listed firms, alongside an increasing role of financial acquirers in both markets. While the rise of private equity aligns with the exit-driven strategies of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the US, it raises questions regarding family-owned SMEs in Germany, which prioritize continuity and legacy but increasingly face succession challenges. Our findings suggest a continued hybridization of Germany's stakeholder-oriented corporate governance, integrating shareholder-oriented practices beyond large, listed firms. |
| Keywords: | M&A, Varieties of Capitalism, Financialization, Germany, US |
| JEL: | G34 L2 P52 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:ifsowp:308062 |
| By: | Berg, Florian; Heeb, Florian; Kölbel, Julian |
| Abstract: | This study examines the impact of ESG ratings on fund holdings, stock returns, and firm behavior. First, we show that among five major ESG ratings, only MSCI ESG can explain the holdings of US funds with an ESG mandate. We document that downgrades in the MSCI ESG rating substantially reduce firms' ownership by such funds, while upgrades increase it. However, this response in ownership is slow, unfolding gradually over a period of up to two years. This suggests that fund managers use ESG ratings mainly to comply with ESG mandates rather than treating them as updates to firms' fundamentals. Accordingly, we also find a slow and persistent response in stock returns. For a one-year holding period, downgrades lead to an abnormal return of -2.37%. For upgrades, we find a positive but weaker effect. Yet, the extent to which ESG ratings matter for the real economy seems limited. We find no significant effect of up- or downgrades on firms' subsequent capital expenditure. We find that firms adjust their ESG practices following rating changes, but only in the governance dimension |
| Keywords: | Responsible investing, social impact, ESG ratings, asset prices, corporate investment, corporate governance |
| JEL: | G11 G12 G32 G34 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:safewp:308045 |