The Role of Cost Structure in Working Capital Management in theIndian Sugar Industry

Abstract

This study examines the role of cost structure in working capital management for sugar manufacturing companies in India. The study uses fixed-effects panel regression models and the sample for the study included fifteen listed sugar manufacturing companies for the period 2008-18. The key results of the study were that employee expenditure has significant positive impact on the current ratio, the payables cycle, and the cash conversion cycle, and significant negative impact on the total assets turnover ratio and the fixed assets turnover ratio and that sales/administrative expenditure has significant positive impact on the total assets turnover ratio, the fixed assets turnover ratio, and the inventory turnover ratio, and significant negative impact on the inventory cycle and the cash conversion cycle. The results suggest that the cost structure variables of employee expenditure and selling/administrative expenditure may play a mediating role between firm-level variables and working capital variables, with direct and indirect effects; whereas the cost structure variables of raw materials expenditure and power/fuel expenditure may not play such a mediating role. These direct and indirect effects may be tested using structural equation methods in subsequent studies.