One important financial decision firms are confronted with is the debt policy or capital structure choice. This decision is particularly crucial given the effect it has on the value of the firm. This study has examined the relationship between capital structure and performance of SMEs in Ghana and South Africa during a six-year period, 1998-2003. The empirical results indicate that short-term debt is significantly and negatively related to gross profit margin for both Ghana and South Africa. The results show that long-term debt has a significantly positive relationship with gross profit margin for both countries. The relation between total debt ratio and gross profit margin was found to be significant and negative. The results also reveal a statistically significant and negative association between trade credit and gross profit margin for both Ghana and
South Africa. In the case of Ghana, the results show significantly negative relations between all the measures of capital structure and return on assets. In the South African sample, the results reveal significantly positive relationships between return on assets and short-term debt, and trade credit. However in terms of long-term debt and total debt, the results show statistically significant negative relationship between return on assets and both long-term debt and total debt. The results of this paper also show, for the listed SMEs, statistically significant positive relationship between Tobin’s q and
two measures of capital structure (short-term debt and trade credit) but indicate significantly negative relations between the Tobin’s q and long-term debt, and total debt ratio.
One important financial decision firms are confronted with is the debt policy or capital structure choice. This decision is particularly crucial given the effect it has on the value of the firm. This study has examined the relationship between capital structure and performance of SMEs in Ghana and South Africa during a six-year period, 1998-2003. The empirical results indicate that short-term debt is significantly and negatively related to gross profit margin for both Ghana and South Africa. The results show that long-term debt has a significantly positive relationship with gross profit margin for both countries. The relation between total debt ratio and gross profit margin was found to be significant and negative. The results also reveal a statistically significant and negative association between trade credit and gross profit margin for both Ghana andSouth Africa. In the case of Ghana, the results show significantly negative relations between all the measures of capital structure and return on assets. In the South African sample, the results reveal significantly positive relationships between return on assets and short-term debt, and trade credit. However in terms of long-term debt and total debt, the results show statistically significant negative relationship between return on assets and both long-term debt and total debt. The results of this paper also show, for the listed SMEs, statistically significant positive relationship between Tobin’s q andtwo measures of capital structure (short-term debt and trade credit) but indicate significantly negative relations between the Tobin’s q and long-term debt, and total debt ratio.
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