topic 3 part 2 finance Flashcards
starts with ethical issues related to financial reports (reporting practices)
reporting practices as ethical issue related to financial reports
- stakeholders entitled to access bus financial info
- SHs in private company y legally entitled to receive financial reports annually even if sompany small bus & SHs family members
- if pretend profit lower than it should, attempt to defraud ATO which is illegal and unethical - if bus wants to raise additional capital from existing SHs/from bank, understating profit more diff to persuade sources of finance to lend
- if bus decides to sell bus as concern, purchaser needs see financial reports for years prior sale
- under/overstating value of assets counterproductive when potential buyer scrutinise reports
why are financial management strats important (4)
improve bus performance & ensure financial obj met
* every bus regardless size needs to help manage finances & achieve goals
* cash flow management,
* working capital management
* profitability management
* global financial management
cash flow management (strat)
understanding cash flow key to running successful small bus, helps owners anticipate & prepare for future
* cash flow movement cash in & to of bus over PIT
* cash flow problem if more money out than in/money must be paid before cash payments received
* keep records but doesn’t tell what debts & whats owed to you by others need BUDGETS to manage
examples of bus inflows & outflows of cash
INFLOWS:
* sales
* cash payment for accs receivable
* sales of assets
* interest received from investments, loans, etc
OUTFLOWS:
* payments to suppliers (raw materials, finished goods)
* interest on loans
* operating expenses (wages, salaries, raw materiasl, finished goods)
* purchasing assets
* loan repayments
cash flow statements
indicates movement of cash receipts & cash payments resulting from transactions over PIT, identify trends & useful predictor of change
* prepare forecast to estimate amt money expect to flow in & out, usually covers next year but can cover shorter period (week, month)
* caash flow forecast manage cash flow easier by helping owners to predict surpluses/shrtages of cash to make informed decisions to see likely effect on cash flow
cash flow management strats (3)
temporary cash shortfalls use overdrafts from banks to overdraw ACC to limite & pay IRs but if longer period, risk insolvency/bankruptcy
* cash receipt not necessarily coincide w/ payments of cash coming in
need to ensure cash available to make payments when due to:
* ATO
* SUPPLIERS FOR ACCS PAYABLE
* EMPLOYEES (wages)
* owners & SHs for profits & dividends
* bansk & FIs for interest on loans/overdrafts & leasing payments
- distribution of payments
- dscunts for early payment
- factoring
cash flow cycle
how money flows through bus (cash in & outflows)
5 most common reasons SMEs experience cash flow problems
- slow paying debtors
- rapid/unsustainable growth
- failure to perform credit checks on debtors
- tightened lending restrictions more diff to get credit
- seasonality (companies that make/sell seasonal goods often run out of funds certain times of year)
distribution of payments as common cash flow management strat
throughout month, year, etc so large expenses don’t occur at same time & prevent cash shortfalls
* distirubte payments throughout year = more equal cash outflow each month > large outflows in some months
* cash flow forecast assist identifying periods potential shortfalls & surpluses
discounts for early payment as cash flow management strat
offer debtors discount for early payment
* when bus offers customers % reduction on total invoice value when its settled before payment deadline
* most effective when targeted at debtrs who owe largest amts over financial year
* beneficial for debtors who able to save money and improvve cash flow & bus cash flow status
adv & disadv of offering discounts for early payment
ADV
* reduce risk of late payment & associated costs (late/unpaid invoices cost bus’ in debt interest, admin costs, wasted time chasing payment_
* increase custoemr loyalty & improve customer relationships, discount incentive to choose bus over competitors
* improves owrking capital & provides extra liqudiity
DISADV
* decrease profit margins as discount offered paid directly from bus profits
* need to track cash flows carefully otheriwse may mistakenly give discounts to custmers who claim they’re paying sooner but arent. recovering underpayment affect relationship w/ customer
* no guarantee customers keep paying quickly?
* impact ability to forecast cash flow
factoring as a cash flow management strat
selling accs receivable for discounted price to finance/specialiset factoring company
* bus saves costs involved following up unpaid accs & collecting debts
* growing in popularity to improve working capital
adv & disadv of factoring
ADV
* immediate cash injection (funds in acc within 24 hrs to improve working capital)
* isnt a loan so bus wont take debt/pay interest
* availability depends more on customers’ credit ratings than bus’ so firms with bad credit can access factoring
DISADV
* reduce bus’ profit margin on each invoice they sell
* can be more expensive than other ST finance
* damage bus relationship w/ customers as no longer deal exclusively w/ bus esp if factor uses aggressive colection mathods
* indicate to customers bus has cash flow problems, more cautious of dealing with em
invoice discounting (very similar to factoring)
manage cash flow but bus chases own payments in usual way so customers arent aware of arrangement
* factoring, finance compayn responsible collect debts owed
working capital management (strat)
determining best mix of current assets & current liability to achieve ob of bus
* must balance betw using funds tocreate profits & holding sufficient funds to cover payments
* more efficient in organisign & using working capital, more effective & profitable
short term liquidity importance
means bus can take adv of profit opp when they arise, meet ST financial obligations, pay creditors on time to claim discounts, pay tax & meet payments on loans & overdrafts
* lack = sale of NC assets, including LT investments (property, equip) to raise cash –> LT reduce profitability for owners & SHs
why does a business need sufficient liquidity
so cash available/current assets can be converted to cash to pay debts
* creditors seek guarantees that their accs will be paid
* fail to pay debtso n time alienate creditors & suppliers who incur extra debt collection costs & lose confidence in bus
working capital, net working capital, working capitalcycle
funds available for ST finanical commitments
diff betw current assets & current liabilities
* funds needed for day to day operations of bus to produce profits & provide cash for ST liquidity
length of time takes bus to convert net current assets & current liabilities into cash (time takes when bus purchases inventory to resell/raw materials if manuf products to when receive cash once sold
what happens if there insufficient & excess working capital
bus failure if poorly managed
* means cahs shortages/liquidity problems & force bus to increase debt, find new sources of finance/sell NC assets
* EXCESS means assets earning less than cost to finance them
profitable business difficulty with cash because
many bus profitable but have cash flow problem bc profit doesnt equal cash (vice versa) bc they have a workign capital problem
what does it mean when the current (working capital) ratio is 2:1, high vs low
current assets (2) : current liabilities (1)
* within next 12 months, 2x amt assets need to be sold to generate cash & meet ST debts of business for same period
* acceptable but ratios depend on industry, type bus, efficienct to convert current assets into cash, relations w/ creditors & banks that are sources of cash
HIGH = invested too much in current assets bringing small return
* reduce profitability as bus reduce risk not being able to pay debts by having higher ratio
LOW = bus more profitable if investing its resources in LT assets & generating more profits but risk unable to pay current liabilities
control of current assets in working capital maangement
- operating cycle, C assets (can make up 40% of assets)constantly changing as inventories sold, cash paid out, payments received
- require planning & constant monitoring
- excessive inventories & lack of control over accs receivable –> ^ lvl unused assets –> ^ costs & liquidity problems
- excess cash if cost if left unused
- insufficient inventories & tight credit control policies also lead to problems
- management needs to select optimal amt each current asset held & raising finance required to fund assets
- assess costs & ebenefits of holding too much/little each assets
- workin capital must be susficient to maintain liquidity & access to credit (overdraft) to meet unexpected circumstancs
cash in control of current assets (working cpaital management)
careful of lvls cash held by bus
* ensures bus can pay debts, repay loans, pay accs in ST & survival in LT
* reserves of cash enable take adv of investment opp eg. short term money makret
* planning for timing of cahs receipts, cash payments & asset purchases avoids cash shortages/excess through cash flow forecast
* cash flow shortages can occur from unforeseen expenses & cost to bus, may borrow money –> incur interest & set-up costs
* try keep cash balances at minimum & hold marketable securities (investments that can easily be bought, sold, or traded on public exchanges, highly liquid) as reservces of liquidity
* reserves of cash & marketable securities guard against sudden shortages/disruptions to cahs flow
(accounts) receivable (s) in controlling current assets for working capital management
outstanding invoices/payments bus has - money bus owed by customers
* cash waitng to come into bus
* make sale (delivered g/s to customer) but customer owes payment still, amt recorded under accs receivable
* collecting vital to ensure cash flow & managing working capital, ensure timing allows bus to maintain adequate cash resources
* quicker debtors pay, better cash position
procedures for managing accs receivable
- specifying reaonsable period for payment of accs & ensure set right credit terms (typical payment cycle 30-90 days, longer payment term extends more credit to customers & ST bus paid faster)
- offer bonuses/rewards for early payment (discounts, free shipping, loyalty programs) to encourage pay on time
- late payment fees encourage prompt payments
- preapre aged debtors report (list customers (debtors) that owe bus money, how much owe, how long payment overdue easy to identify slow payers so dont issue them w/ additional credit until paid outstanding debts)
- send customers’ statements monthly at same time each month so debtors know when to expect accounts