Existing theories of a firm’s optimal capital structure seem to fail in explaining why many healthy and profitable firms rely heavily on equity financing, even though benefits associated with debt (like tax shields) appear to be high and the bankruptcy risk low. This holds in particular for...

After publishing its first report in September 1997, the Own Funds Working Group, in agreement with the European Committee of Central Balance Sheet Offices, decided to continue its work in order to gain a better understanding of the differences in financing structures between countries. To this...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to instruct upper level business students on the intricacies of the debt-equity choice with the emphasis on showing the interrelation of this choice with the plowback-payout choice. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is designed around a...