Working Capital- Finance Flashcards
Define working capital
Working capital is the capital of a business which is used in its day-to-day trading
What is working capital also known as?
Net current assets
What is the formula for working capital?
Net Current Assets / Working Capital = Current Assets- Current Liabilities
What are the 3 main Current Assets?
Cash, Stock and Debtors
What are the 2 main Current Liabilities?
Creditors and Overdraft
What are some causes of working capital problems? (5)
Poor control of inventories (stocks)
Poor control of receivables (trade debtors)
Ineffective use of payables (trade creditors)
Poor cash flow forecasting
Unexpected events
Define a working capital cycle.
The time it takes for current assets or liabilities to be turned into cash
Do businesses want a short or long working capital cycle?
Businesses want a short working capital cycle as cash should not be tied up in stock
What are the 5 stages of the working capital cycle?
- Business uses cash to acquire inventories
- The stocks are put to work and goods/services are produced
- These are then sold to customers
- Some customers pay in cash but others buy on credit
- Eventually they pay and these funds are used to settle any liabilities of the business
Repeat