The fourth volume in this research series contains nine papers. Following the tradition of the earliest volumes, it is similar in style to first three volumes and illustrates ongoing research thrusts on a variety of financial economics issues that are germane to working capital management. The papers have been logically divided into the following three parts.

* Part I of the volume focuses on the issues covering short-term interest rates, short-term financial management, and cash balance model.

* Part II contains three papers that examine the issue of trade credit analysis under a competitive pricing situation and an environment in which the level of sales fluctuates.

* Part III departs from the traditional discussions on working capital management in that it explores dividend payouts and tax environment changes as a source of concern to treasury (and financial) managers.