Open AccessTHE STAGES OF FIRM LIFE CYCLE AND CAPITAL STRUCTURE RATIOS FOR COMPANIES OF INDUSTRY
Author(s) -
Mirosław Wasilewski,
Joanna Żurakowska
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
polityki europejskie, finanse i marketing/zeszyty naukowe szkoły głównej gospodarstwa wiejskiego w warszawie. polityki europejskie, finanse i marketing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2544-0640
pISSN - 2081-3430
DOI - 10.22630/pefim.2020.23.72.21
Subject(s) - capital structure , pecking order theory , maturity (psychological) , business , life cycle hypothesis , shareholder , equity (law) , debt , monetary economics , finance , economics , macroeconomics , corporate governance , psychology , developmental psychology , political science , law
This paper presents research on the dependency between the particular stages of a firm’s life cycle and selected capital structure ratios. The findings are in line with the pecking order theory of capital structure, stating that early stages of a firm’s life cycle should be characterised by the tendency for financing through debt. However, this stands in opposition to both the trade-off theory, and the research conducted on several Polish companies. The enterprises in their stages of introduction and growth were characterised by a substantially lower level of total assets to shareholders' equity ratio in their sources of finance, when compared to those in the shake-out stage. The companies in their growth stage were marked by a significantly higher level in the share of long-term commitments in sources of finance, as compared to the enterprises in their maturity, shake-out and decline stage. Also, the introduction stage showed a significantly higher level in the share of short-term commitments in sources of finance, in comparison with those being in their growth, maturity, and shake-out stage.