Abstract
This study investigated different companies’ capital structures using a comparative approach in a developing country (Iran) and a developed country (Australia). The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting the capital structure based on the company's characteristics in Iran and Australia. The main characteristics of the companies used in this research are mainly based on the variables used in Pecking order theory and the Trade-off theory namely tangibility, firm size, profitability, and business risk. Three other variables including liquidity, asset utilization ratio and speed of adjustment were also investigated. Two indicators of total debt ratio and long-term debt ratio have been used as corporate leverage index. The population of this study included 178 Iranian companies listed on Iran's stock exchange and 187 Australian companies listed on Australia’s stock exchange from 2009 to 2015. To test the hypotheses, Panel data and Eviews software were used. To ensure robustness of the results, the speed of adjustment was estimated using GMM and OLS (with fixed and random effects).The results of this study showed that dynamic trade-off theory could better explain the changes in capital structure in Iran and Australia. The results also revealed significant differences in factors affecting the capital structure in Iran and Australia.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
