Many businesses are faced with liquidity problems for various reasons. This is especially true for small businesses, since most must operate with fewer sources of both short and long term financing than larger firms. Where less financing is available, more assets must be held in liquid form to meet daily transactions and emergency requirements. Larger firms, that have better access to both the money and capital markets, can afford to hold fewer current assets and meet cash requirements just as quickly and efficiently through borrowing.

Many studies have compared various characteristics of large and small business firms. For example, recent studies have documented the “small firm effect”. These articles have indicated a tendency for small companies to exhibit greater risk‐adjusted stock returns than large companies. Other research has focused on comparing the financial aspects of small and large firms. These previous studies found a positive relationship between size and liquidity as measured by the current and quick ratios. Little, however, has been written in recent years that compares the liquidity characteristics of small and large firms.