Working Capital Management for multinational corporations

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: A = 1, International University in Germany Bruchsal (School of Business Administration), language: English, abstract: Working Capital Management's [hereafter abbreviated WCM] accepted purpose has been the management of a firm's current assets and current liabilities in a way that achieves the optimum balance between liquidity and profitability. On the one hand, obviously, a high level of net working capital implies funds invested in current assets that increase a firm's liquidity but reduces its returns, because current assets are less profitable than long-term assets. On the other hand, however, a low level of net working capital results in increased profitability, since funds are put to better use, but increases the firm's risk of technical insolvency. The bottom line is that any suboptimal level of net working capital in the end reduces the return to shareholders by lowering the firm's value (Gitman, 2000, p. 616). However, '[t]he 'collect early, push out the product and pay late' attitude, familiar to many treasurers, squeezes both customers and suppliers and [...] is increasingly recognized as short -term and potentially damaging to business' (Hall, 2002, p. 29). Therefore, it is of supreme importance to understand the complex and not openly visible ties of working capital and its components to a company's strategy and operations, rather than treating WCM as an isolated task. WCM for multinational corporations is in its core very similar to purely domestic WCM. However, in the international realm there exist a few essential differences that add complexity. Consider 'the impact of currency fluctuations, potential exchange controls, and multiple tax jurisdictions [...], in addition to the wider range of short -term financing and investment options available' (Shapiro, 2005, p. 516). This paper will discuss the main components of WCM (international cash management, accounts receivables/payables, etc.) as well as the implications of managing working capital in the international sphere, while taking into consideration a more profound approach to WCM that goes beyond the superficial understanding of working capital as an isolated item solely under the control of the finance or treasury department. [...]