Open AccessHow does capital structure change product-market competitiveness? Evidence from Chinese firms
Author(s) -
Li Li,
Zixuan Wang
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0210618
Subject(s) - leverage (statistics) , capital structure , business , industrial organization , product market , monetary economics , debt , economics , market economy , finance , machine learning , computer science , incentive
Finance research shows capital structure has an important effect on the product-market competitiveness of firms. Our paper documents an asymmetric effect of capital structure on firms’ competitiveness in a sample of Chinese firms. Firms whose capital structure is characterized by a low leverage but rapid leverage growth has a dominant position in their product market. The industry average leverage ratio is also a critical factor influencing firms’ competitiveness. High debt levels hinder firms’ competitiveness. The influence of capital structure on firms’ product-market competitiveness varies based on the extent of industry concentration. In highly concentrated industries, high leverage level and slow leverage growth suppress firms’ competitiveness to a larger extent compared with industries with low concentration.