Processes of Financial Management Flashcards
What are the steps of financial planning
- Determing financial needs
- Developing budgets
- Maintaining record systems
- Identifying financial risks
- Establsihing financial controls
What forms basis of financial plan
Situtational analysis
Where does data for analysis come from
The financial statements
What determines a business’s financial needs
- Size of the business
- Current phase of the business cycle
- Future plans for growth and development
- Capacity to source finance – debt and/or equity
- Management skills for assessing financial needs and planning
What is a budget
A plan predicting revenue an expense of a business for a future time period
What does a budget provide
Information in quantitative terms about requirements to achieve a particular purpose
How does a budget act as a control measure
Allows businesses to compare planned performance against actual performance and taking corrective action when needed
What are three types of budgets
- Operating
- Project
- Financial
What is a operating budget
Budget concerned with main activities of a business such as sales
What is a project budget concerned with
- Capital expenditure and R&D
- Includes information on purpose of asset purchase and revenue generated from purchase
What is a financial budget
- Relates to financial data of the business
- Predictions of operating and project budgets are included in the budgeted financial statements
Example of a budgeted income statement
What are record systems mean
The mechanisms that ensure data is recorded & the information provided is accurate, reliable, efficient & accessible
Example of record systems
Paper based journals or electronic
What do record systems store
Data such as sales, expenses, assets, liabilities and customer, supplier and product information
What is a financial risk
The risk that a financial decision will result in a financial loss
If a business cannot meet its financial commitments what will it become
Insolvent
What are the steps to minimise risk
- Profit generated must be sufficient to cover cost of debt as well as increasing profits to justify the risk taken by the business owner.
- Consideration must also be given to the liquidity of a business’s assets à there must be sufficient liquid assets (cash) to cover interest and principal repayments
What are financial controls
Financial controls are the policies and procedures that ensure the plans of a business will be achieved in the most efficient way.
What are exmaples of policies and procedures that ensure business plans are achieved in most efficient way
- Clear authorisation for tasks in the business
- Separation of duties
- Control of cash
- Protection of assets
Examples of controls
- Budgets
- Cash flow statements
- Income statements
- Balance sheets
What is debt finance
Debt finance relates to the short term and long term borrowing from external sources by a business
What is equity finance
Equity finance relates to the internal sources of finance in the busines
What are advantages of debt financing
- Will not dilute current ownership of the business
- Funds are readily available and can be acquired at short notice
- Increased funds should lead to increased earning and profit
- Flexible payments and types of debt are available
- Interest payments are tax deductible
- Profits are not shared with lender of loan
What are advanatges of equity financing
- Capital does not have to be repaid with interest within a set time
- Owners receive returns through both dividend repayments and increase Ii share value
- Flexibility in timing and amount of dividend payments
- Cheaper than other sources of finance as interest does not have to be paid
- Greater potential for growth as owners has a vested interest in success of business
- Low gearing (debt/equity)
What are cost disadvantages of debt financing
- Initial establishment costs and ongoing fees and charges
- Interest has to be paid on funds borrowed
- Repayments often fixed and inflexible
- Security is required by the business
- Amount must be repaid within a set-period
- Creditors have first claim to any money should business go bankrupt
What are cost disadvantages of equity financing
- Increases number of owners, reducing level of control and increasing the sharing of profit and time taken to make decisions
- Longer term it is more expensive than debt à dividends paid to shareholders expect higher ROI
- Long expensive process to obtain funds this way
- Ownership is diluted
- Equity funding is not tax deductible
What are risk disadvanatges of debt financing
- Increased risk since interest, bank charges and govt charges may increase
- Cash flow difficulties may develop causing the business to have difficulties repaying the loan
- If loan is secured, defaulting on loan may lead to loss of asset
The debt `to equity ratio (gearing/leverage) may increase, affecting the solvency and long-term stability of business
What are risk disadvantages of equity financing
- Central control of ownership is reduced, causing a loss of control in decision-making
- Equity holders have voting rights
- High demand for dividend payments to shareholders may reduce level of retained profits
- The business is more open to takeover if a business buys a majority shareholding in the business
What does matching the terms and sources of finance to business purpose
- Businesses must find the source of finance that is most appropriate to fund activities (such as: purchase new equipment, purchase inventory, build new premises, buying a new factory or vehicles) which are required to achieve their financial objectives (e.g. profit growth, increased market share)
What does terms of finance involve
- Short term finance must match short term purpose of finance (e.g. temporary management of cash flow shortfall should be financed by bank overdraft) and
- Long-term finance should be obtained for long term purposes (e.g. expansion of the business overseas or buying a property)
Why should costs of each source of finance be determined
Because the required rate of return that can be expected from the use of the finance (e.g. machine purchase etc), should be balanced against the costs of each source of finance
How does business structure effect source of finance
It Influences decisions about finance
small businesses have fewer opportunities for equity capital for example, than larger businesses
Why should flexibility of funding source be considered
Businesses often require flexibility so that if they have excess funds, borrowings can be paid off more quickly Bank overdrafts for example provide greater flexibility than debentures
What costs of finance should be considered
Set-up costs and interest rates
What is the main way the availablity of finance is determined for businesses
- The higher the credit rating (track record in meeting its financial commitments), the greater number of available sources of finance (banks more willing to supply finance)
- The lower the credit rating, the more limited sources of finance available to a business
What impacts a businesses level of control over sources of finance
Conditions such as security and other restrictions
How does equity financing effect level of control for buisnesses
Further share issue dilutes ownership for existing owners/shareholders and hence voting rights
What are the main financial controls
- Cash-flow statements
- Income statement
- Balance sheet
What is cash flow
The difference between cash inflows (money going into business) and cash outflows (money leaving business)
What does a cash-flow statement record
Cash flow statement specifically records the movement of cash receipts and cash payments that result from transactions over a given time, for example a month
A cash flow statement shows whether a business can…
- generate a favourable cash flow
- pay its financial commitments as they fall due (e.g. interest and repayments of borrowings, accounts payable)
- have sufficient funds for future expansion
- pay drawings to owners or dividends to shareholders
- obtain finance from external sources when needed.
What are the three main categories activities are divided into
- Operating
- Investing
- Financing
What are operating activities in a cash flow statement
Cash inflows and outflows relating to the main activity of the business
What are investing activities in a cash flow statement
Cash inflows and outflows relating to purchase and sale of non-current assets and investments
What are financing activities in a cash flow statement
- Cash inflows and outflows relating to the borrowing activities of the business. Borrowing inflows relate to equity or debt.
- Cash outflows relate to the repayments of debt and cash drawings of the owner or payments of dividends
What is another word for income statement
Profit and loss statement
What does a income statement outline
The level of revenue, cost of goods sold (COGS) and operating expenses and calculates whether a business has made a profit or loss over a particular period of time
What does an income statement help businesses understand
Changes in profit and expenses during reported period of time and can be compared with other businesses and industry standards
What is sales revenue
Money generated from all goods sold
What does cost of goods sold refer to
The business expenses directly tied to the production and sale of a company’s goods and services à represent expenses directly incurred when a transaction takes place
What is equation for COGS
COGS = (opening stock + purchases) – closing stock
What are examples of COGS
Labour directly tied to production, Direct materials, needed for the production of goods and services, taxes on the production facilities
What are expenses
The total operating costs of the business
What do operating expenses refer to
- expenditures that are not directly tied to the production of goods or services
What are examples of operating expenses
Rent, Utilities, Office supplies, Legal costs, Sales and marketing, Insurance
What is gross profit
The profit a company makes after deducting the costs associated with making and selling its products
What is gross profit equation
Gross profit = sale revenue – COGS
What does gross profit assess
A company’s efficiency at using its labour and supplies in producing goods or services and mainly considers variable costs such as labour and materials. Net profit = gross profit – expense
What does net profit represent
How much money a company has after all expenses are paid, including operating expenses, taxes, interest
What is net profit equation
Net profit = gross profit – expenses
Where does net profit fit in a income statement
The last line
What does a balance sheet convey
The financial position of a business at a particular point in time (usually June 30)