LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED CONSTRUCTION ENTERPRISES DURING CRISIS - THE CASE OF CROATIA

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of liquidity management on the profitability of small and medium-sized Croatian enterprises during the economic crisis of 2008 and the crisis caused by COVID-19 and provide empirical evidence of the effects of liquidity management on profitability.

Methodology: The collected data were analyzed using the methods of descriptive statistics, chain and base indices as well as Spearman’s correlation coefficient, while the normality of the distribution of the selected sample of small and medium-sized enterprises was examined with the Shapiro-Wilk W test.

Results: According to the research results, the economic crisis in the period from 2008 to 2014 had more pronounced negative effects on liquidity management of the observed companies than the economic crisis in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusion: The research results showed that liquidity management and achieving adequate profitability in times of crisis are very important for small and medium-sized construction companies because their total assets are dominated by short-term assets, while short-term liabilities are their dominant source of funding so better education in the field of finance is recommended in order to understand the use of their own and others sources of funding.