Finance Flashcards
SYLLABUS: What part of the syllabus does strategic role of financial management go under?
Role of financial management
What is the strategic role of financial management?
To plan, monitor and control the allocation of a businesses’ finances in order to link the goals of the business with the resources it has.
What are the objectives of financial management?
Growth, Liquidity, Efficiency, Profitability and Solvency (GLEPS)
What are the internal sources of finance?
Retained profits, Sale of assets and Working Capital
Influences on Financial Management
- Internal sources of finance - retained profits
What are the two types of external sources of finance?
Debt and equity
What are the short-term sources of debt finance?
Overdraft, commercial bills and factoring
What are the long-term sources of debt finance?
Mortgage, debentures, unsecured notes and leasing
What are the two main sources of equity finance?
Ordinary shares and private equity
What are the types of ordinary shares?
New issues, right issues, placements and share purchase plans
What are the financial institutions?
Australian Securities Exchange, Banks, Investment Banks, Superannuation Funds, Life Insurance Companies, Unit Trusts
(ABI’S FLU)
Which government institutions have an influence on financial management?
- Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
- Company taxation
What are the global market influences?
- Global economic outlook
- Availability of funds
- Interest rates
What are the steps in the planning cycle?
- Address the present financial position
- Determine financial needs
- Develop budgets
- Maintain record systems
- Identify financial risks
- Establish financial controls
(ADDMIE)
Which part of the syllabus does the planning cycle cover?
Processes of financial management
- Planning and implementing - financial needs, budgets, record systems, financial risks, financial controls
What are the 3 advantages of debt financing?
- Interest repayments on a loan is tax deductible
- Increased earnings and profits should be result of increased funds
- The bank or lending institution has no say in the way the business is run and does not have any ownership compared to equity finance
What are 3 disadvantages of debt financing?
- Regular repayments need to be made
- Assets can be held as collateral to the lender
- Increased risk as interest rates, bank charges, government charges and the principal have to be repaid
What are 3 advantages of equity financing?
- Less risk as nothing was borrowed
- Cheaper as there are no repayments
- Low gearing (internal resources are used rather than external)
What are 3 disadvantages of equity financing?
- Lower profits and returns for the owner
- Investors may need to be consulted before making big decisions
- The business becomes limited as it can only make money by selling shares. This is expensive and time consuming.
What is the accounting equation for the balance sheet?
Assets = Liabilities + Owner’s Equity
What does the balance sheet show managers?
- The financial stability of the business
- What the business owns and owes
How do you calculate the cost of goods sold?
Cost of Goods Sold = Opening stock + Purchases - Closing Stock
How do you calculate the net profit?
Net profit = Gross Profit - Expenses
What does the Income Statement tell managers?
How much money is being spent compared to how much is coming in and what is leftover as profit.
What does the Cashflow statement show managers?
- The ability of business to pay its’ debts on time
- Cash coming in and cash coming out of the business
- How finance is being used effectively in the business
How do you calculate the current ratio?
Current Assets divided by Current Liabilities
How do you calculate the Gearing ratio?
Total liabilities divided by Total equity
How do you calculate the Gross Profit ratio?
Gross profit divided by Sales times by 100 then expressed as a percentage
How do you calculate the Net profit ratio?
Net profit divided by sales times by 100 then expressed as a percentage
How do you calculate the accounts receivable turnover ratio?
Sales divided by Accounts Receivable, this is expressed as times per year. To express it in days, divide 365 by the figure.
How do you calculate the expense ratio?
Expenses divided by sales times by 100 and then expressed as a percentage.
How do you calculate return on owner’s equity ratio?
Net profit divided by Total equity times by 100 and then expressed as a percentage
What are the limitations of financial reports?
- Normalised earnings
- Notes to financial statement
- Capitalising expenses
- Debt repayments
- Timing issues
- Valuing assets
(2NCDTV)
What is the biggest ethical issue in preparing budgets?
Over-estimating revenues and underestimating costs.
What are the specific areas of ethical concern?
- Asset valuations
- Size of inventory
- Accounts receivable
What are the financial management legal regulations for companies?
- Act in good faith
- Exercise power appropriately
- Exercise reasonable discretion
- Avoid conflicts of interest
What is an audit?
An independent examination of financial records and the procedures used to create them
What are the 3 types of audits?
- Internal audits: conducted by employees
- Management audits: conducted to review the strategic plan
- External audits: conducted by independent specialist firms
What is cash flow?
The movement of cash in and out of the business over a period of time
What are the strategies for managing cash?
- Distribution of Payments
- Discounts for Early Payments
- Factoring
(DDF)
What is Working Capital?
Working Capital indicates the amount of available cash to meet short term debts
Why is controlling current assets important?
To ensure liquidity of a business
What aspects of current assets is controlled to ensure that working capital is managed?
- Cash
- Accounts Receivables
- Inventory
What aspects of current liabilities need to be controlled to ensure management of working capital?
- Accounts payable
- Loans
- Overdrafts
What are the strategies for managing working capital?
- Leasing
- Sale-and-Lease Back
What is profitability management?
Profitability management involves the control of businesses’ costs and revenue
What are 3 things that is being compared in the Comparative Ratio Analysis?
- How the business is performing over time (e.g. Comparing one year’s performance to the previous year/s)
- How the business compares to other businesses within the industry
- Against standard benchmarks
How do you improve profitability?
Sales MUST increase and expenses MUST decrease AT THE SAME TIME
What are fixed costs?
Costs that have to be paid regardless of what is happening
E.g. Salaries, insurance, rent, etc.
What are variable costs?
Costs that change proportionately with the level of operating activity
E.g. The Christmas period would result into an increase in materials and labour
What are the cost controls in profitability management?
- Fixed costs and variable costs
- Cost centres
- Expense minimisation
What are the two types of controls in profitability management?
Cost controls and revenue controls
- These are interdependent strategies ensuring that the businesses’ profitability is maximised
What are the two types of costs associated with cost centres?
Direct costs and indirect costs
What are direct costs?
Direct costs are sourced to a particular area
I.e. The HSIE department would have to pay for a Commerce app by themselves as they are only department in the school that would benefit from it.
What are indirect costs?
Indirect costs are sourced to many projects
I.e. Each of head of department of school would have to contribute towards the payment of a study app as it benefits all of them.
What is a cost centre?
A method of identifying and recording where, and the amount of costs that have been allocated to a particular area.
- Example: Each item that has been purchased are allocated to a certain number - stationery 100, raw materials 201, etc
- This allows the business to see how much money is spent in each area.
How do minimise expenses?
- Expense Minimisation
Focus on reducing costs everywhere
(FORCE)
- By reducing costs and keeping revenues high, profits increase!
Note: BE SPECIFIC!