3- Business Finance Flashcards
The needs for funds
- SHORT-TERM NEEDS
- LONG-TERM NEEDS
- START-UP CAPITAL
- EXPANSION
SHORT-TERM NEEDS
Once a business starts trading it will earn revenue. This money can be used
to meet the costs of the business .
sometimes the revenue may not cover all expenditure. So the business will need to borrow money, it called short-term finance; this is because it is usually repaid within one year.
LONG-TERM NEEDS
Businesses often raise money and take much longer than one year to repay what is owed. This is called long-term finance.
Some long-term finance comes from the owners. This is called capital
START-UP CAPITAL
Funds are most needed when first setting up a business.
EXPANSION
Once a business is established, the owners often want to expand.
INTERNAL SOURCES OF FINANCE
- PERSONAL SAVINGS
- RETAINED PROFIT: profit held by a business rather than returning it to the owners and which may be used in the future
- SELLING ASSETS: An established business may be able to sell some unwanted assets to raise finance. For example, machinery, land and buildings
EXTERNAL SOURCES OF FINANCE
finance obtained from outside the business
The main sources of short-term finance
- bank overdraft : agreement with a bank where a business spends more money than it has in its account (up to an agreed limit)
- trade payables : buying resources from suppliers, such as raw materials and components, and paying for them at a later date, usually within 30 to 90 days.
- credit cards : are popular because they are convenient, flexible and avoid interest charges if accounts are settled within the credit period.
some examples of long-term finance
- LOAN CAPITAL: The amount borrowed, and interest, must be repaid in regular instalments over a fixed period.
- Unsecured bank loans: Some businesses may find it difficult to get an unsecured bank loan. This is because they present too much risk for banks. Interest rates are higher for unsecured loans compared to secured loans.
- Mortgages : A mortgage is a long-term loan and the borrower must use land or property as security.
- Debenture: long-term security yielding a fixed rate of interest, issued by a company and secured against assets
- HIRE PURCHASE : buying specific goods with a loan, often provided by afinance house
- SHARE CAPITAL : share capital is an important source of external finance.
The sale of shares can raise very large amounts of money. - VENTURE CAPITAL: specialist investors (individuals or companies) who provide money for business purposes, often to new businesses
- CROWD FUNDING : where a large number of individuals (the crowd) invest in a business venture using an online platform and therefore avoiding using a bank
THE IMPORTANCE OF CASH
- TO PAY SUPPLIERS, OVERHEADS AND EMPLOYEES: Abusiness always needs cash to pay important bills, Businesses also need cash to pay for overheads, such as rent, electricity, insurance and telephone charges.
- TO PREVENT BUSINESS FAILURE: If a business runs out of cash, it may become insolvent. This means that the business cannot pay its debts. This would usually result in the business closing down.
cash flow forecast
prediction of all expected receipts and expenses of a business over a future time period, which shows the expected cash balance at the end of each month
cash inflow
flow of money into abusiness
cash outflow
flow of money out of a business
NET CASH FLOW
The difference between cash inflows and cash outflows
closing cash balance
amount of cash that the business expects ot have at the end of each month (takes into account the cash inflows and cash outflows)
WHY ARE CASH FLOW FORECASTS IMPORTANT?
- IDENTIFYING CASH SHORTAGES
- SUPPORTING APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING
- HELP WHEN PLANNING THE BUSINESS
- MONITORING CASH FLOW
fixed costs
costs that do not vary with the level of output
variable costs
costs that change when output levels change
total costs
fixed cost and variable cost added together
total revenue
money generated from the sale of output. It is price multiplied by quantity
break-even point
level of output where total costs and total revenue are exactly the same: neither aprofit nor aloss is made
break-even chart
graph that shows total cost and total revenue; break-even point is where total cost and total revenue intersect
margin of safety
amount of output available to be sold above the break-even point where the business makes a profit