Working capital management is a crucial element in determining the financial performance of an organization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between working capital management (given by cash conversion cycle,...
moreWorking capital management is a crucial element in determining the financial performance of an organization. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between working capital management (given by cash conversion cycle, CCC) and organizational performance (represented by profitability/returns) of manufacturing firms in Eldoret Municipality of Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. A sample of 13 manufacturing firms in the region was used in the study. Historical data on financial performance was collected from the annual financial statements of the sampled firms for a period spanning ten years. More data was also obtained from the managements of these firms through interview schedules and questionnaires. Performance was measured in terms of return on assets and return on equity while cash conversion cycle, current assets to total assets and current liabilities to total assets were used as measures of working capital management. Correlation and regression analysis were used for the analysis. The findings reveal that the working capital management is negatively correlated with return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) consisting the R values of-0.148 and-0.231 respectively. However, these figures are low, implying that there is no significant relationship between CCC and performance measures used in the study. The regression coefficients of cash conversion cycle (CCC) relating to return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) were-0.007 and-0.018 respectively. This confirms the negative relationship between working capital management and performance measures. KEY WORDS: Cash Conversion Cycle; Performance; Return on Assets; Return on Equity; Working Capital. 1.0 Introduction/Background Eldoret Municipality is the headquarters of Uasin Gishu County, one of the 47 counties of the republic of Kenya. The county is not only an agricultural region, but also an industrial hub. Uasin Gishu County covers has a surface area of about 3,328 Km 2 and extends between longitude 34° 50′ and 35 ° 37′ east, and between latitude 0° 03′ south and 0° 55′ north. It falls under the altitude of 1,500m to 2,700m above sea level. The county shares common borders with Trans Nzoia County to the north, Elgeyo-Marakwet County to the east, Baringo County to the southeast, Kericho and Nandi Counties to the south, and Kakamega County to the northwest. Eldoret Municipality boosts various types of manufacturing firms. These cut across different sectors ranging from textile industry, milk processing, timber treatment, paper manufacture, steel industry, soft drink manufacturing, to food processing. Over the years, some of the large and well known manufacturing firms within the region such as Raymond Woolen Mills, KCC Milk Processors, Rivatex Cotton Mills, and East Africa Tanning Extract Company have collapsed due to a variety of reasons which includes mismanagement. An example of mismanagement is normally reflected in poor working capital management. Working capital is the lifeline of any organization. Success of every business is revolves around how well it manages its working capital. Working capital management is considered to be a very important element in analyzing the organizations' performance while conducting day to day operations, and by which balance can be maintained between liquidity and profitability. Working capital management is a managerial accounting strategy focusing on maintaining efficient levels of both components of working capital (that is, current assets and current liabilities) in respect to each other. Working capital management ensures that a company has sufficient cash flow in order to meet its short-term debt obligations and operating expenses. Implementing an effective working capital management system is an excellent way for many companies to improve their earnings. The two main aspects of working capital management are ratio analysis and management of individual components of working capital. Some of the key performance ratios of a working capital management system are the liquidity ratio, inventory turnover ratio, and the average collection and payment ratios. Ratio analysis helps the management to identify areas of focus, such as inventory management, cash management, accounts receivable and payables management.