Working capital and profitability in mining companies in the Latin American Integrated Market
Abstract
To analyze the relationship between working capital and profitability in mining companies listed on the Latin American Integrated Market (MILA) during the period 2012–2023. Methods:
A quantitative, correlational, longitudinal, and non-experimental approach was adopted. Financial data were obtained from Bloomberg and from the stock exchanges of the countries comprising the Latin American Integrated Market, and were processed using SPSS through normality and Pearson correlation tests. Results: It was determined that the management of cash, inventories, and accounts receivable is not significantly related to profitability indicators such as ROA, ROE, and net margin. In contrast, accounts payable turnover shows a strong, positive, and significant relationship with these indicators. Conclusion: In the mining context of the companies in the MILA sample, accounts payable management is significantly associated with profitability, while other components have a weaker relationship.
Downloads
References
mance. Cogent Economics & Finance, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2087289
Alvarez, T., Sensini, L., & Vazquez, M. (2021). Working Capital Management and Profitability: Evidence from an Emergent Economy. International Journal of Advances in Management and Economics, 32–39. Retrieved from https://www.managementjournal.info/index.php/IJAME/article/view/689
Anton, S. G., & Nucu, A. E. A. (2021). The Impact of Working Capital Management on Firm Profitability: Empirical Evidence from the Polish Listed Firms. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 14(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm14010009
Arreola, J. (2021). Gestión del Capital de Trabajo basado en el Financiamiento Empresarial para el Desempeño Financiero en las Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas Manufactureras México al 2019. [Tesis para obtener el grado de Doctor, Universidad de Guadalajara]. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Guadalajara. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12104/90803
Baños-Caballero, S., García Teruel, P., & Martínez Solano, P. (2014). Working capital management, corporate performance, and financial constraints. Journal Of Business Research, 67(3), 332-338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.01.016
Chitta, S., Soni, H., & Prasad, K. (2023). Gestión óptima del capital circulante: equilibrio entre liquidez y rentabilidad en la gestión financiera. REICE: Revista Electrónica De Investigación En Ciencias Económicas, 11(22), 51–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.01.016
Córdova, F. y Alberto, C. (2018). Medición de la eficiencia en la industria de la construcción y su relación con el capital de trabajo. Revista ingeniería de construcción, 33(1), 69-82. http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-50732018000100069
Cortés, J. L., & Ramírez, D. A. (2023). Gestión del capital de trabajo y desempeño financiero en
empresas latinoamericanas: evidencia empírica desde un enfoque de panel dinámico. Revista Finanzas y Política Económica, 15(2), 201–220. https://doi.org/10.14718/revfinanzpolitecon.2023.15.2.201
otrina-Salvatierra, B., Vicente-Ramos, W., y Magno-Atencio, A. (2020). Administración del capital de trabajo y la rentabilidad de activos de empresas agrarias azucareras del
Perú. Revista Espacios, 41(14). https://ww.revistaespacios.com/a20v41n14/20411428.html
Deari F, Kukeli A, Barbuta-Misu N, Virlanuta FO (2024), Does working capital management affect firm profitability? Evidence from European Union countries. Journal of Economic
and Administrative Sciences, 40(5), 1060–1080. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEAS-11-2021-0222
jaramillo, S. (2016). La correlación entre la gestión del capital de trabajo y la rentabilidad en la industria de distribución de químicos en Colombia durante el periodo 2008 - 2012. Revista Finanzas y Política Económica, 8 (2), 327-347. https://doi.org/10.14718/revfinanzpolitecon.2016.8.2.6
Kiymaz, H., Haque, S., & Choudhury, A. A. (2024). Working capital management and firm performance: A comparative analysis of developed and emerging economies. Borsa İstanbul Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bir.2024.03.004
Koroma, S., & Bein, M. (2024). The Moderating Effect of Economic Policy Uncertainty on the Relationship Between Working Capital Management and Profitability: Evidence from
UK Non-Financial Firms. Sage Open, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241242552
Kukeli, A., Widner, B., Deari, F., Sargsyan, G., & Barbuta-Misu, N. (2025). Firm Profitability and Economic Crises: The Non-Linear Role of the Cash Conversion Cycle. International Journal of Financial Studies, 13(2), 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijfs13020086
Lazarus, R., Lazarus, S. & Gupta, S. (2021). Influence on Corporate Performance by Determinants of Working Capital. Universal Journal of Accounting and Finance, 9(3), 411-423. http://doi.org/10.13189/ujaf.2021.090316
Mardones, J. G. (2022). Working capital management and business performance: evidence from Latin American companies. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 35(1), 3189–3205.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2021.1986675
Morales-Ramos, K. E., Valencia-Nuñez, E. R., Ocaña-Ortiz, A. S., & Armijos-Arcos, F. M. (2025). Working
capital management and financial economic performance of manufacturing SMEs: A PanelMix statistical
model. Heritage and Sustainable Development, 7(2), 867–884. https://doi.org/10.37868/hsd.v7i2.1144
Nastiti, P., Atahau, A. & Supramono, S. (2019). Working capital management and its influence on profitability and sustainable growth. Business: Theory and Practice, 20, 61-68. https://doi.org/10.3846/btp.2019.06
Nguyen, T. H., & Tran, M. P. (2024). Working capital management and firm profitability: Evidence from emerging Asian economies. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 16(2), 150–168. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-03-2023-0105
Pérez, C. E., Rojas, L., & Quispe, M. (2022). Capital de trabajo y rentabilidad del sector minero como efecto de pandemia por COVID-19. Revista Científica de Ciencias Empresariales, 5(2), 45–57. Dialnet. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=8823265
Öztürk, M. & Vergili, G. (2018). The Effects of Working Capital Management on Mining Firm’s Profitability: Empirical Evidence from an Emerging Market. En G. Kucukkocaoglu & S. Gokten (Eds.), Financial Management from an Emerging Market Perspective, InTech, 189-203. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/67898
Hutnaleontina, P., Padnyawati, K., & Dewi, I. (2023). Leverage, liquidity, and working capital efficiency affect manufacturing companies’ profitability on the IDX. Enrichment : Journal of Management, 13(4), 2689-2698. https://doi.org/10.35335/enrichment.v13i4.1631
Pattiasina, V., Patiran, A., Marani, Y., Handayani Tammubua, M. & Marihi, L. (2024).
Analysis of the Implementation of Working Capital Management on Company Profitability. Journal of Multidisciplinary Cases, 4(4), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.55529/jmc.44.23.29
Toušek, Z., Hinke, J., Gregor, B., & Prokop, M. (2023). Importance of Working Capital Management and Its Components for Firm Profitability. Prague Economic Papers, 32(4), 367-388. https://doi.org/10.18267/j.pep.835
Vlismas, O. (2024). The moderating effects of strategy on the relation of working capital management with profitability. Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, 20(2), 276-306. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAOC-01-2023-0005
Copyright (c) 2026 Oscar Alfredo Diaz Becerra, Jazmin Victoria Valenzuela Ventura, Flavia Renatta Palomo Pulache

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The Colombian Journal of Accounting is open access and does not charge for the delivery of the articles, the editorial process and the publication. It can be consulted freely, without the requirement of registration, subscription or payment. The authors of the articles are creditors of all the authors' rights and retain the publication rights without restrictions. The author and third parties are allowed to read, download, copy, reproduce, distribute, communicate and create from the article, as long as the credit is attributed to the author(s), the initial publication is recognized in the Colombian Journal of Accounting and for non-commercial purposes. This journal provides free access to its content under the principle of making research available to the public free of charge, which fosters a greater exchange of global knowledge.

All the papers is licenced by Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0.
