What kind of firm benefits more from financial hedging, the focused or diversified? In fact, the benefit of financial hedging depends on diversification policies. By analyzing the interaction between financial hedging and corporate diversification in a theoretical model for a financially constrained firm, we find that focused firms have relatively higher marginal value of hedging in general static environment. However, dynamic analysis results show that an important synergy between financial hedging and diversification would reverse this result. Exercising corporate diversification policies has direct negative effect on liquidity and operating risk, thereby increasing the marginal value of financial hedging. As a result, it is possible that their relationship is complementary in a dynamic environment since these tools increase firm value in different channels. This suggests that firms could use financial hedging in the process of diversification if it is possible. Our findings also emphasize the importance of risk management capabilities which is hardly observable but contributes much to firm value.
Internal flexibility aids in risk management and has a broader application than hedging instruments. This paper demonstrates how optimal hedging policies are affected by it. We develop a dynamic risk management model to capture financial and operational decisions. We first show that internal flexibility reduces the marginal value of hedging instruments. As a result, optimal financial hedging is selective and dependent on investment opportunities. These opportunities account for the majority of the difference between hedged and unhedged firms. By incorporating internal flexibility, the model becomes more realistic but also generates a complex interaction between financial hedging and marketing strategy. During the growth phase, hedging instruments are partially substitutive but have a synergistic effect on investment. In the mature or declining phase, the remedial effect of marketing strategy maintains investment, thereby increasing operating risk and the marginal value of financial hedging. These results are applicable to firms free of agency conflicts and provide a solid theoretical basis for future empirical tests. We advise that scholars thoroughly examine internal flexibility and development stages in the process.
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