To read this content please select one of the options below:

Auditing and credit granting to SMEs: an integrative perceptual model

Estefanía Palazuelos (Business Administration, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain)
Ángel Herrero Crespo (Business Administration, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain)
Javier Montoya del Corte (Business Administration, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain)

Managerial Auditing Journal

ISSN: 0268-6902

Article publication date: 23 September 2019

Issue publication date: 8 January 2020

608

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to develop an integrative model of credit granting to small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) incorporating the loan officers’ perceptual factors about SMEs (risk and trust) and accounting information (quality and usefulness). Moreover, the role of auditing on credit granting has been studied.

Design/methodology/approach

The structural equation modelling (SEM) approach is used to test the joint effect of explanatory variables. Empirical evidence is obtained from a questionnaire administered to 471 bank loan officers in Spain. The questions are asked for both audited and not-audited firms.

Findings

The results obtained confirm that perceived risk and trust have a significant influence on the probability that SMEs can get access to credit and obtain better financing conditions. Additionally, this research supports the relevance of presenting high-quality accounting information, as it increases information usefulness for loan officers, which improves the perceived risk and trust on SMEs and leads to better credit granting. There are no significant differences on the model between the sub-groups of audited and not-audited SMEs, although the valuations are significantly better for the former.

Research limitations/implications

This study shows the need to consider subjective variables to understand properly the cognitive process underlying credit-granting decisions.

Practical implications

This research has relevant implications for the management of relationships between SMEs and banks.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the previous literature by proposing an integrative model of the variables that affect loan officers’ lending decision to SMEs, considering the influence of perceptual variables such as risk and trust, as well as the evaluation of the information available.

Keywords

Citation

Palazuelos, E., Herrero Crespo, Á. and Montoya del Corte, J. (2020), "Auditing and credit granting to SMEs: an integrative perceptual model", Managerial Auditing Journal, Vol. 35 No. 1, pp. 152-174. https://doi.org/10.1108/MAJ-12-2018-2118

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles