2. Working-Capital Level
When calculating net working capital, one can use the capital and property approaches: the first approach is referred to as equity, as the starting point of the calculations includes the company’s fixed capital.
Net working capital = fixed capital − fixed assets
The second way is the property approach, as it starts from current assets [4][6][9][10][11].
Net working capital = current assets − short-term liabilities
The value of working capital can also be calculated using the short- or long-term approach. In the short term, so called on the balance sheet, net working capital (NWC) is the surplus of current assets (CA) over current liabilities (CL). The net working capital calculated on a short-term basis is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Net working capital on a balance-sheet basis. Source: own research.
In long-term, i.e., capital terms, it is a surplus of fixed capital (FC) over fixed assets (FS). The fixed capital is the sum of equity capital (EC) and long-term liabilities (LL). The net working capital calculated on a long-term basis is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Net working capital on a capital basis. Source: own research.
Regardless of how the calculations are made, the result must be the same. Net working capital can be:
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positive,
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negative, or
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equal to zero.
Positive net working capital (PNWC) is when current assets are higher than current liabilities, which is presented in detail in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Positive net working capital. Source: own research.
Positive working capital means the financial security of an enterprise. Current assets are financed with short-term liabilities and with fixed capital. The part of the fixed capital that finances the current assets is called positive net working capital. The positive working capital is the liquidity reserve that provides security for future situations in which cash shortages arise [10][12].
Negative net working capital is when short-term liabilities exceed current assets. It is a dangerous situation for enterprises and it means some problems with the payment of current liabilities.
The situation presented in Figure 4 shows the level of current liabilities that, apart from financing current assets, additionally finance fixed assets. The fixed assets that should naturally be financed with fixed capital are financed with short-term liabilities.
Figure 4. Negative net working capital. Source: own research.
Working capital is equal to zero occurs when current assets equal short-term liabilities, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Zero working capital. Source: own research.
In such a situation, there is no fixed capital to finance the current assets. The fourth possible situation arises when there is no equity capital in an enterprise. The equity is negative. This is an extreme case in entities that have become insolvent and go bankrupt.
The level and size of net working capital can also be determined at the stage of preliminary financial analysis, where the share of fixed assets in the total assets and the share of fixed capital in the total liabilities should be compared. If the share of fixed capitals in the structure of liabilities is higher than the share of fixed assets in total assets, then there is positive net working capital in an enterprise. If the opposite is the case, there is negative net working capital.
The level and size of working capital allow for determining the financial security of an enterprise. If the working capital is at a low level, then short-term liabilities are at a high level in financing current assets. The level of short-term liabilities is reduced through the timely payment of liabilities, which must be caused by the rapid rotation of short-term receivables in days. In order to pay off short-term liabilities, a company must have free cash. Therefore, trade-credit management policy largely impacts the level of net working capital. Trade-credit management appears on the side of receivables from customers, and on the side of liabilities to suppliers. The low level of net working capital is also information about effective management of working capital. Efficient, but risky, as a low level of net working capital can lead to a loss of financial liquidity.
In the case when the working capital is at a high level, it may mean a large involvement of equity in financing current operations. If this is due to additional long-term loans, there are additional financial costs. If the equity capital increases, it should be positively assessed if an enterprise has strong and “healthy” fundamentals for further operation. Every enterprise should be led to this direction. A very good method to increase revenue and profits in small enterprises is the use of group purchases. Enterprises acting together achieve the scale effect, which positively influences the reduction in the prices of purchased goods and materials.