How globalization affects the operational efficiency of emerging market firms?: A comparative analysis on Turkish SMEs

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of globalization on the operational efficiency of emerging market firms by concentrating on the financial outcomes of a firm’s main operations through focusing on operating income and cash conversion cycle as well as on their possible causes in an emerging market, Turkey. The findings indicate that globalization significantly deteriorates the operating income and lengthens the cash conversion cycle of Turkish firms. Besides, globalization is found to increase sales of SMEs and decrease sales of large companies significantly and the impact on operating income of large companies is observed to be stronger. Globalization is also found to lead a softening in Turkish firm’s terms of sales and enable Turkish SMEs to benefit from better terms of purchase.