unit 7 Flashcards
whats ratio analysis
involves the comparison of financial data to gain insights into business performance
ratio analysis help to answer questions such as
- why is one business more profitable than another
- what returns are being earned in investment in a business
- is a business able to stay solvent
- how effectively is a business using its assets
what are the key stages in ratio analysis
- gather data
- calculate ratios
- interpret results
- take actions
where does the information for ratio analysis come from
income statement
balance sheet
whats does income statement involve
- revenue
- costs of sales
- gross profit
- operating profit
- net profit (profit for the year)
whats does balance sheet involve
- current assets
- current liabilities
- inventories
- trade receivables and payables
- long term liabilities
- capital and reserves
what are the main groups of ratios
- profitability (gross profit margin, operating profit margin, return on capital employed)
- liquidity (current ratio, acid test ratio)
- financial efficiency (payables days, receivables days, inventory turnover, gearing)
key users of ratios (profitability)
- shareholders
- governments
- competitors
- employees
key users of ratios (liquidity)
- shareholders
- lenders
- suppliers
key users of ratios (financial efficiency)
- shareholders
- lenders
- competitors
what are the limitations of ratio analysis
- one data set is not enough
- reliability of data
- based on past
- comparability
why might ratio data not be entirely reliable
- financial info involves making subjective judgements
- different businesses have different accounting polices
- potential for manipulation of accounting info (eg window cleaning)
whats the importance of effective comparison
one ratio is rarely enough
- need to compare with competitors
- need to analyse over time (trends)
circumstances change over time
- markets and industries change
- different economic and market conditions
what ratios don’t tell you
- competitive advantage eg brand strength
- quality
- ethical reputation
- future prospects
-changes in the external environment
what is window dressing
a short-term strategy used by companies and funds to make their financial reports and portfolios look more appealing to clients, consumers, and investors
why are ratios useful
- very useful analytic tools
- widely used and understood
- identify issues, don’t solve problems though
- part of a range of indicators of business performance
definition of balance sheets
a financial snapshot of the business at a moment of time
what does a balance sheet show
shows the source of all capital invested in the business for it to be able to operate, and in what form that money currently is in within the firm, eg stock, premises, debt etc
whats a liability
A liability is something a person or company owes, usually a sum of money
what are non current assets
what the business owns with a lifespan of more than a year. they are used repeatedly as part of the firms operations and will not regularly be sold
what are current assets
assets owned by the business that are likely to be turned into cash within one year. these assets constantly change form
what are current liabilities
short term debt of the business, will not have to be repaid within a year
what are non current liabilities
debts that need to be rapid, but not within one year. also known as creditors falling due after a year
what do capital and reserves show on a balance sheet
shows how the assets and business have been financed
what are net current assets also known as
working capital
whats liquidity
a firms ability to pay its short term liabilities (debts)
what are assets
items that the business owns
whats inventories
stock, worked in progress, finished goods
whats total equity (capital)
funds provided by shareholders to set up the business, fund expansion and purchase non current assets
whats the formula for net current assets
current assets - current liabilities
whats the formula for net assets
total assets - total liabilities
whats the formula for capital employed
total equity + non current liabilities
what are receivables (debtors)
money owned to the company by its customers mostly from sales on credit
what does income statement show
shows the profit or loss made by a business
whats gross profit
revenue minus cost of sales
whats finance income
any interest paid to the company on money lent or saved
whats finance expenses
any payment of interests on loans held
profit before tax
operating profit minus finance expenses plus any finance income
whats profit for the year
profit before tax minus taxation
what are exceptional items
items that have a one off affect on profits.
earnings per share formula
profit for the period/number of shares
purses of the income statement
- to measure company performance and the impact of strategies
- owners can assess their return on investment
- to abide by legislation as part of being a limited company
- gives an idea of the profit quality
- to see how profit is being utilised
- used to compare with other firms and past trends
whats profit quality
whether a source of profit is sustainable in the long term
whats high quality profit
a source of profit which is likely to continue
whats low quality profit
a result of actions that are unlikely to occur again
whats a leaseback
an arrangement in which the company that sells an asset can lease back that same asset from the purchaser
who are stakeholders
someone with an interest in the business
what are the 6 ratios
- current ratio
- gearing ratio
- return on capital employment
- payables days
- receivable days
- inventory turnover
whats liquidity
- is a firms ability to pay short term debts (liabilities)
- firms pay their short term debts (called liabilities) with their current asset of cash. their other current assets inventories (stock) and receivables (debtors)
what does insolvent mean
the company is unable to pay its debts
whats current ratio
although profit is the main measure of success if its important to understand if the firm is able to meet its short term debts to continue trading
liquidity formula
current assets
——————— : 1
current liabilities
what does a 2:1 current ratio mean
for every £1 you owe you have £2
problems with a high ratio
the money is sitting around and could be spent on investing
whats Tescos current ratio
7.39:1
whats gearing
gearing measures the proportion of a business’s capital (finance) provided by debt
why is gearing useful
greeting shows what proportion of the capital invested in a business has come from bank loans.
the gearing ratio
non current liabilities
———————————— x100
total equity + non current liabilities
whats a high gearing as a %
a value higher than 50%
whats a low gearing as a %
usually below 25%
benefits of high gearing
- bank loans can be a cheap source of finance when interest rates are low
- less dividend payments will be required as share capital will not be needed
- it may imply the business is heavily investing in growth to drive the company forward and take advantage of opportunities to stay ahead of the competition.
benefits of low gearing
- the company will have lower interest and loan payments positively impacting its liquidity
- it makes the business a more attractive investment to potential shareholders
- the firm will not be as vulnerable to cost impacts of interest rate changes
- there is reduced risks as the business has less debt and fewer creditors who could put the business into liquidation if these debts go unpaid
- if shares are sold as an alternative, share capital is permanent capital so doesn’t need to be repaid unlike loans
whats ROCE stand for
return on capital employed
what is return on capital employed
the profitability ratios help to show a firms efficiency in achieving this objective and producing a profit. they relate the profit made by the firm to its size.
ROCE formula
operating profit(before tax)
————————————— x100
total equity + non current liabilities
what is profitability
a firms profit in relation to its size
whats inventory turnover
inventory turnover measures how often each year a business sells and replaces its inventory
what are the financial efficiency ratios
- inventory (stock) turnover
- receivables (debtors) days
- payables (creditors) days
what do the financial efficiency ratios measure
how efficiently the business manages its current assets and liabilities, which will also impact a firms liquidity
what are the 3 main types of inventory
- raw materials and components
- work in progress
- finished goods
inventory turnover formula
average inventories held
how is inventory valued
cost price not selling price
industries with typically low inventory turnover
- construction
- engineering
- industrial distribution
industries with typically high inventory turnover
- supermarket retail
- fast food
- motor vehicle production
how can inventory turnover be increased
- sell of or dispose of slow moving or obsolete inventory
- introduce lean production techniques to reduce amounts of inventory held
- rationalise the product range made or sold
- negotiate sale or return arrangements with suppliers - so inventory can be returned if doesn’t sell
factors influencing inventory turnover
- popularity
- type op product
- type of business/industry
- changes in consumer tastes and fashions
- quality of research
- product portfolio
what are trade receivables (debtors)
amounts owed to a business by customers
what are trade payables (creditors)
amounts owed by a business to suppliers and others
what are receivables days
the average length of time taken by customers to pay amounts owned
what are payables days
the average length of time taken by a business to pay amounts it owes
receivables (debtors) days formula
trade receivables
————————- x 365
revenue (sales)
issues to consider with ratio analysis
- is the data reliable
- were the accounts produced accurately
- some firms may not pursue profit maximisation but other objectives eg social enterprise
- it may be hard to access the accounts of rivals to make comparisons
- economic factors may have impacted the company’s performance.
whats inter firm comparisons
comparisons between different companies
whats intra firm comparisons
comparisons within the company
what are business objectives
the specific intended outcome of business strategy
the hierarchy of business objectives
TOP TO BOTTOM
mission
corporate/strategic
functional
team
individual
what are objectives
statements of specific outcomes that are to be achieved
4 operations of business
- operations
- finance
- HR
- marketing
what are corporate objectives
objectives that relate to the business as a whole
purposes of corporate objectives
- provide strategic focus
- measure performance
- inform decision making
- set the scene for more detailed functional objectives
key areas for corporate objectives
- market
- innovation
- productivity
- physical + financial resources
- profitability
- management
- employees
- public responsibility
what are functional objectives
set for each key business function and are designed to ensure that the corporate objectives are achieved
examples of how functional objectives might support corporate objectives
- increase sales
- reduce costs
- increase cash flow
- improve customer satisfaction
key internal influences on corporate objectives and decisions
- business ownership
- attitude to profit
- ethical stance
- organisational culture
- leadership
- strategic position and resources
- stakeholder influence
key external influences on corporate objectives and decisions
- short termism
- economic environment
- political / legal environment
- competitors
- social and technological change
what is short-termism
is where a business priorities short-term rather than long-term performance
why might businesses be concerned with short term performance
- stock market (investors) focus on latest financial performance
- reliance on bonuses based on short term performance
- frequent changes in leadership and strategy
possible indicators of short termism
- bonuses based on short term objectives
- low investment in R+D
- high dividend payments rather than reinvesting profits
- overuse of takeovers rather than internal growth.
short termism may damage other measures of long term performance for example
- market share
- quality
- innovation
- brand reputation
- employee skills and experience
- social responsibility+sustainability
case study of short termism
BT stopped graduate apprentice, saved money short term, lost long term, skill shortage
Land Rover Jaguar, kept it going, short term money loss, long term saved money
all in pandemic
whats strategy
- how the business intends to achieve its objectives
- usually long term
- made by senior management
whats tactics
- support achievements of specific targets
- usually routine and short term
- often delegate to junior management
whats synergy
the combined power of a group of things when they are working together that is greater than the total power achieved by each working separately
strategic decions
- external growth
- enter international market
- rebrand the business
tactical decisions
- relocate staff from takeover HQ
- choose locations in new market
- launch rebranding campaign
what is lamb rippers
a way to remember business strategy
whats in LAMB RIPPERS
Lean production
Acquesition
Marketing
Business restructuring
Relocation
Internationalisation
Product innovation
Partnerships
Employee/ employer relations
Re-shoring
Scale of production
whats matrix structure
when people from all different sectors go and work together
whats lean production
methodology aimed at reducing waste in the form of over production, excessive lead time or product defects in order to make a business more effective and more competitive
lean production strategies
- JIT
- zero defects
- Kaizen
- Benchmarking
- Team working
- Quality circles
whats acquisition
taking over another from so two become one
what are the 2 types of acquisition
hostile (when the company being brought doesn’t want to be brought) or friendly (when one business is happy to be brought)
what are companies that have lots of business in different markers
conglomerates
advantages of acquisition
- larger revenues
- economies of scale
synergy, 2+2=5
Whats marketing (lamb rippers)
- 7 p’s
- marketing mix
whats business (lamb rippers)
- business restructuring (people, process, technology, structure)
whats relocation (lamb rippers)
moving the business can help:
- reduce cost or raise revenue
- increase brand perception
- help extract the right talent
- expansion
whats internnationalisation (lamb rippers)
business seeks more to sell more to foreign markets
whats product innovation (lamb rippers)
product innovation is bringing a new idea to market
whats process innovation
making the same product in a better different way
what are partnerships (lamb rippers)
- joint ventures, strategic alliances and good relations with suppliers can all boost profits
- legal and general have a strategic alliance with Barclays providing buildings and contents insurance for Barclays customers Starbucks have a strategic alliance southwest airlines providing coffee during flights
what is employee/ employer relation (lamb rippers)
good employee/employer relationship boost productivity
bad employee/employer relationship harm productivity