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The Impact of Working Capital Management on Profitability: The Mediating Role of Liquidity in Pakistan’s Textile Sector

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This study investigates the impact of working capital management (WCM) on the profitability of textile firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), with a specific focus on the mediating role of firm liquidity. Pakistan’s textile sector, which contributes approximately 8.5% to GDP, accounts for 46% of total manufacturing output, and generates over 60% of national export earnings, operates under persistent macroeconomic pressures including energy shortages, currency depreciation, volatile cotton prices, and constrained access to short-term financing. The study employs a panel dataset comprising eight PSX-listed textile firms over the period FY2020-FY2024, yielding 40 firm-year observations; the dynamic GMM profitability model uses 30 observations because CCC and ITO data were unavailable for selected firm-years. The primary measures of working capital efficiency are the Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) and Inventory Turnover (ITO), while firm profitability is measured by Return on Assets (ROA) and firm liquidity is captured through the Current Ratio. The empirical results show a positive and significant relationship between CCC and ROA (β = 0.068, p = 0.028), a strong positive relationship between ITO and ROA (β = 1.847, p = 0.015), and a dominant positive effect of liquidity on profitability (β = 28.640, p = 0.002). Firm liquidity partially mediates the relationship between working capital management and profitability, and panel cointegration tests confirm a stable long-run equilibrium among the study variables.

Analyzing the Financial Efficiency and Stability of FMCG Companies in Indonesia: A Study of Inventory Turnover and Debt-to-Equity Ratios

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Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies tend to have rapid shelf turnover. It is identical with financial measurement on its inventory turnover rate. This is because FMCG companies typically have their inventory stored in warehouses in order to fulfill their customers’ fast demands of their products. Hence; when a company has a low inventory turnover; it means that their products are not selling as fast as they should; affecting their inventory management efficiency as well as their expenses. Where a company has successfully balanced their inventory management, a manageable debt-to-equity ratio is also good to avoid excessive financial risk for the company. Company’s solvability depends on how liquid is the company and how well they could pay off its debt; this also relates to how they finance their company which is where the calculation of D/E ratio is useful. This determines whether the company uses equity to finance their operations or instead rely on debt to finance their operational expenses. The result of analysis have shown that companies with high inventory turnover ratio like PT Buyung Poetra Sembada Tbk, PT Tigaraksa Satria Tbk, and PT Akasha Wira International Tbk with a positive net income and high inventory turnover rate tend to have stable and low numbers of D/E ratio while 64.37% of companies in Indonesia still have ITR that is way below nationwide average. A high inventory turnover translates to faster cash flow, allowing these companies to repay debt more quickly and maintain a low D/E ratio. This research will be designed qualitatively by using the quantitative numbers given from companies publicly posted financial statements and annual reports with complementary knowledge from secondary data derived from the company’s website and other resources including reputable journals, mass media, and online articles. Research will then begin with a preliminary analysis to obtain listed FMCG companies in Indonesia, then curate them based on their current inventory and D/E Ratio. Comparison of the companies’ financial performance is done by using their data from the year end 2022; the data obtained will then be calculated to produce numbers of inventory turnover ratio, D/E ratio, and ROA ratio to be able to draw the conclusion from the numbers produced. Three companies with the highest and lowest number of inventory turnover ratio and D/E ratio are then picked along with analyzing their financial statements to determine the companies’ net income. Additional list of some of the biggest FMCG companies in Indonesia is also included in order to be able to see the overall strategy of performance of a company who had been long in the industry. Through the analysis, the correlation of inventory turnover and D/E ratio within the company indeed impact financial performance stability of the company in a way that a lower D/E which means that they will have less financial risk and more stability. Companies can be benefitted to be able to stay stable in the market facing the volatile economic conditions and industry downturns; lower D/E can also mean more flexibility for future investment. Lenders will more likely to lend more money when indeed to the companies who have lower D/E ratio compared to other companies with higher D/E. A high ITR and low DER can make a company  more agile, reduce the burden of interest payments, which eventually will make it easier for the company to invest in profitable opportunities, and lead to  higher ROA.