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International Journal of Scientific Research in ___________________________ Research Paper.
Multidisciplinary Studies E-ISSN: 2454-9312
Vol.8, Issue.4, pp.69-74, April (2022) P-ISSN: 2454-6143
Effect of Firm Age, Size, Tangibility and Profit leverage optimise
Capital Structure in Oman Food Industry
Abilash KM
Department of Commerce, Pachaiyappa’s College, University of Madras, Chennai, India
Author’s Mail Id: abilashraji@gmail.com
Available online at: www.isroset.org
Received: 28/Feb/2022, Accepted: 30/Mar/2022, Online: 30/Apr/2022
Abstract - This study analyses with capital structure determinants of Oman food industry firm’s characteristics during the
period of 2016-2020. This study will be assessing 14 companies which listed in Muscat Securities Market for the period of
5 years. Purpose sampling method has been used for this study. Financial leverage is considered as dependent variable and
size, profit, tangibility and market to book ratio as independent variables. Obtained results shows leverage, size, and profit
level is not good in food industry, whereas tangibility and market-to-book ratio value is good. Companies who have low
profit and show positive correlation between leverage and tangibility should not borrow from market to avoid any
intricacies in future. This study also exhibit that firm leverage has not have any relationship with financial performance of
Oman food industry for selected sample period. Eventually, from this study researcher has observed that profit plays a vital
role in firm development more than its size and tangibility to expand its business functions. It is recommended by this
research that firm managers of Oman food industry should focus more on generating profit activities in operating functions
among other determinants. This research can assist Oman food industry firm managers to initiate preventive action before
implementation of any financing or operating decision in their domain. This study also emphasise with contemporary
literature who experimented with capital determinants in different phase which enhance corporate managers thoughts to
resist any challenges.
Keywords: Capital Structure; Leverage; Size; Muscat Securities Market; Food industry
I. INTRODUCTION
Capital structure is significantly considered as vital
decision for any entity to maximise shareholder wealth
and navigates the firms to finance its assets through by in
form of any investment. In terms of financial decisions,
corporates focus on policies such as income enhancement,
asset management, dividends, and others etc. Mostly,
firms which desire to enrich and enhance the operating
activities with precise fundamental decision and keep the
target to ensure leverage cost and benefits are balanced at
margin. [17] [32] In today’s global environment,
companies are struggling to maintain enough liquidity to
survive in the market due to emerge of novel complication
and finding multiple ways to evade of its contractions. [4]
To expand the size of firm, business requires high capital,
so there are four different methods are used by firm to
acquire high capital which is: from seed investors,
retained earnings, by taking out loans or issuing bonds,
and by selling shares. Mostly the firms often prefer with
the choice of debt and equity to finance their assets. But
also, there are some risks can accompany with this option
which, if the managers proceed with incorrect decision
without any analysis, it can lead to bankrupt. [21] [14]
Companies’ raises finance by many factors such as
existing level of operating leverage, cost of capital, impact
on corporate control, financial distress costs and other tax
implications. Many researchers and financial managers
are curious to investigate about, does value of company
can affect if capital is not being sourced till what extent.
[12] Firms use capital structure as mix of securities to
supply money and make investments in physical assets.
Theories like pecking order theory and trade off theory
plays an intensive role in entity’s financing decisions.
Among two theories some disagreements also exist that
which one has explained better for firm capital structure
decisions. To obtain gain from tax shields, profitable
firms prefer to increase debt in trade off theory. Whereas
profitable entities give more preference on utilize from
internal funds to reduce debt and less significance of using
external funds when retained earnings are insufficient.
[15] To measure firm performance, using indicators such
as Debt ratio, earning per share (EPS), Return on Equity
(ROE), Return on Asset (ROA) as capital structure
variable and some determinants are growth, size, age,
leverage, tangible and market to book ratio. [22][ 11] The
purpose of this research is to investigate below objectives
with 14 listed Oman food industries in muscat securities
market from 2016-2020 using pairwise correlations and
linear regression to identify to examine the firm leverage
can increase financial performance of Oman food industry
and analyse firm size, have any influence of generate
profit for firm development.