Liquidity Problems in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

Liquidity problems in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) may slow off economic exchange, increase business expenses, hamper investment process and current business operation and may result in bankruptcy and job losses. In Poland one third of SME goes through temporary liquidity problems. The problems are typical for medium sized enterprises and are rare in micro-sized enterprises. It is due to the forms of payment - micro enterprises usually sell goods and services for cash while medium sized enterprises operate mostly in the prolonged payment system. Enterprises try to cope by not paying their obligations to co-operating businesses and therefore the liquidity problems are shared with business partners and by engaging additional means belonging to the owners or shareholders. One fourth of enterprises (facing liquidity problems) uses credit and one in fifty uses factoring services. Medium sized enterprises relatively more often use credit or factoring while micro sized use additional financing by the owners. The comparative analysis proves that outside financial resources (credit and factoring) indicators in Poland are several times lower than in highly developed countries.