Title: The impact of leverage and other key variables on business performance: evidence from Greece

Authors: Panagiotis G. Liargovas; Konstantinos S. Skandalis

Addresses: Department of Economics, University of Peloponnese, Terma Karaiskaki Street, Tripolis 221 00, Greece ' School of Politics and Economics, Claremont Graduate University, 160 East Tenth Street, Claremont, CA 91711, USA

Abstract: This paper uses firm level panel data to investigate, empirically, the effects of leverage and other key variables on the financial performance of business in the Greek economy during the period 1997–2004; a period during which Greek firms were making adjustments to meet the requirements of the new environment of Economic Monetary Union. The study examines the effect of leverage in combination with other strategic determinants on business financial performance in the case of industrial firms, which have to survive in the environment of Eurozone and the market of 300 million consumers. Results show that leverage in parallel with export activity, location and investments significantly affect firm performance in a relatively small market which inevitably suffers from the sharpen competitive pressures taking place throughout Europe.

Keywords: financial performance; leverage; panel data; key variables; business performance; Greece; Economic and Monetary Union; EMU; European Union; EU; strategic determinants; industrial firms; euro area; economy; eurozone; single currency; currencies; consumers; export activity; geographic location; investments; firm performance; small markets; competitive pressures; Europe; economics; business research.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEBR.2012.047423

International Journal of Economics and Business Research, 2012 Vol.4 No.4, pp.472 - 484

Published online: 25 Nov 2014 *

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