Sophisticated capital budgeting decisions for financial performance and risk management—a tale of two business entities

Capital budgeting, particularly sophisticated decisions, is key to the financial performance and risk management of firms, yet academic studies have documented their relationship inconsistently. This study employs the fundamentals of resource-based view (RBV) and agency theories to investigate the impact of sophisticated capital budgeting decisions on financial performance and risk management of the firms of two different sizes, classified as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and multinational corporations (MNCs). The empirical data of 590 Indonesian firms from between 2014 and 2023 were obtained and analyzed through the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) technique. The results show that the usage of sophisticated capital budgeting decisions in investment appraisals of classified firms significantly improves their financial performance. Further analyses confirm that although sophisticated capital budgeting decisions are robust in resolving solvency issues, they appear less effective in reducing liquidity risks. The findings also elucidate that sampled firms may realize the financial benefits of sophisticated risk management. The mediation results highlighted that risk management has a significant and positive effect on the relationship between sophisticated capital budgeting decisions and financial performance. The present study contributes to corporate finance by validating the relevance of SCBDs in strategic financial planning and stable investments in firms of different sizes.