Strategic Approaches in Corporate Financial Management in Response to Economic Uncertainty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70076/simj.v2i4.58Keywords:
financial management, policy uncertainty, corporate strategy, investment, capital structureAbstract
Economic policy uncertainty arising from fiscal, monetary, and regulatory fluctuations poses significant challenges to corporate financial decision-making. Financial managers are therefore required to maintain business stability and sustainability amid dynamic and unpredictable conditions. This study examined financial management strategies adopted by companies in response to economic policy uncertainty and analyzed their theoretical and practical implications. Using a descriptive qualitative approach through a literature review, data were collected from scientific journals, academic books, and reports published by international financial institutions. The findings reveal that companies tend to implement conservative and flexible strategies, including increasing cash reserves, reducing leverage, diversifying business and operational activities, and utilizing financial derivatives for risk mitigation. Firms also tend to delay large-scale investments and rely more heavily on internal financing. These responses reflect corporate efforts to cope with heightened policy risk and support the relevance of trade-off theory, pecking order theory, and signaling theory in corporate financial decision-making under uncertainty. Overall, adaptive and risk-anticipative financial management strategies have become crucial for enhancing corporate resilience and flexibility. This study contributes both conceptually and practically to the development of stronger corporate financial policies in the face of global and domestic economic uncertainty
References
Baker, S.R.; Bloom, N.; Davis, S.J. Measuring economic policy uncertainty. Q J Econ 2016, 131(4), 1593–1636.
World Bank. Global Economic Prospects: Slowing Growth and Persistent Uncertainty; World Bank: Washington, DC, USA, 2023.
OECD. Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India 2023: Reviving Tourism Post-Pandemic; OECD Publishing: Paris, France, 2023.
Bank Indonesia. Laporan Perekonomian Indonesia 2023; Bank Indonesia: Jakarta, Indonesia, 2024.
Brigham, E.F.; Ehrhardt, M.C. Financial Management: Theory and Practice, 14th ed.; Cengage Learning: Boston, MA, USA, 2014.
Gitman, L.J.; Zutter, C.J. Principles of Managerial Finance, 14th ed.; Pearson Education: Boston, MA, USA, 2015.
Campello, M.; Graham, J.R.; Harvey, C.R. The real effects of financial constraints: Evidence from a financial crisis. J Financ Econ 2010, 97(3), 470–487.
BKPM. Realisasi Investasi Triwulan IV 2023; Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal: Jakarta, Indonesia, 2024.
Bartram, S.M.; Brown, G.W.; Conrad, J. The effects of derivatives on firm risk and value. J Financ Quant Anal 2011, 46(4), 967–999. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022109011000275
Chen, Y.; He, Z.; Zhang, S. Corporate hedging and financial performance during global uncertainty. J Corp Finance 2021, 70, 102056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2021.102056
Wang, Y.; Wang, L. Corporate governance quality and firm resilience to economic policy shocks. Int Rev Financ Anal 2023, 85, 102501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102501
Xu, H.; Zhang, J.; Lin, M. Digital transformation and financial resilience: Evidence from Chinese listed companies. Technol Forecast Soc Change 2023, 188, 122289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122289
Deloitte Insights. Thriving through Uncertainty: Strategic Responses to Policy Volatility; Deloitte Development LLC: New York, NY, USA, 2022. Available online: https://www2.deloitte.com
Arifin, M.; Pratama, R. Pengaruh ketidakpastian kebijakan terhadap investasi sektor manufaktur di Indonesia. J Ekonomi Pembangunan Indones 2024, 25(1), 1–15.
Gitman, L.J.; Zutter, C.J. Principles of Managerial Finance, 15th ed.; Pearson Education: Boston, MA, USA, 2022.
Zhang, Y.; Lin, B.; Zhou, Y. Economic policy uncertainty and corporate liquidity management: Evidence from China. Financ Res Lett 2020, 33, 101200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2019.06.001
Luo, Y.; Wang, Q.; Xi, W. Corporate financial resilience and policy uncertainty: Evidence from listed firms. J Corp Finance 2022, 74, 102244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2022.102244
Arouri, M.; El Ghoul, S.; Guedhami, O. ESG performance and firm resilience to economic policy uncertainty. J Bus Ethics 2023, 188(3), 689–712. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05145-3
Li, S.; Yang, Y. Financial reporting quality and firm response to policy uncertainty. Account Finance 2019, 59(3), 1901–1929. https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.12312
Caldara, D.; Iacoviello, M.; Molligo, P.; Prestipino, A.; Raffo, A. The economic effects of trade policy uncertainty. J Monet Econ 2020, 109, 38–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmoneco.2019.06.001
Nguyen, L.H.; Phan, H.V. Economic policy uncertainty and firm profitability: Evidence from emerging markets. Emerg Mark Rev 2022, 52, 100880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ememar.2022.100880
Barua, S.; Managi, S. Derivatives use and firm performance under uncertainty: Evidence from global manufacturing firms. Int Rev Econ Finance 2022, 76, 344–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2021.06.010
Brogaard, J.; Detzel, A.; Taboada, A.G. Political uncertainty and household finance. Rev Financ Stud 2020, 33(9), 4000–4047. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhaa024
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Smart International Management Journal

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


