The Debt Structure of SMEs: An Optimization Model

Andrea Moro, Mike R. Lucas and Uwe G. Grimm
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Andrea Moro: University of Leicester, UK
Mike R. Lucas: The Open University Business School, UK
Uwe G. Grimm: The Open University, UK

Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance, 2012, vol. 16, issue 1, 87-108

Abstract: The existing finance literature is inadequate with respect to its coverage of the debt structure of small and medi-um sized enterprises (SMEs). In addition, the role of trust in accessing finance for such enterprises is under-investigated. This paper presents a mathematical model for optimizing the debt structure of SMEs that, since SMEs are often equity constrained, focuses on optimizing debt structure by minimizing its cost. The model is then extended by incorporating the level of trust that suppliers and bank managers have in the enterprise. The extended model, suggests that the higher the level of trust that bank managers and suppliers have in the SME, the more short-term finance an SME can obtain and should use.

Keywords: SMEs; Capital Structure; Trade Credit; Bank Debt; Trust (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G21 G32 M13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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