Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and Functions
Meaning of Financial Management
Financial Management means planning, organizing, directing and controlling the financial activities such as procurement and
utilization of funds of the enterprise. It means applying general management principles to financial resources of the
enterprise.
Scope/Elements
1. Investment decisions includes investment in fixed assets (called as capital budgeting). Investment in current assets
are also a part of investment decisions called as working capital decisions.
2. Financial decisions - They relate to the raising of finance from various resources which will depend upon decision
on type of source, period of financing, cost of financing and the returns thereby.
3. Dividend decision - The finance manager has to take decision with regards to the net profit distribution. Net profits
are generally divided into two:
a. Dividend for shareholders- Dividend and the rate of it has to be decided.
b. Retained profits- Amount of retained profits has to be finalized which will depend upon expansion and
diversification plans of the enterprise.
Choice of factor will depend on relative merits and demerits of each source and period of financing.
4. Investment of funds: The finance manager has to decide to allocate funds into profitable ventures so that there is
safety on investment and regular returns is possible.
5. Disposal of surplus: The net profits decision have to be made by the finance manager. This can be done in two
ways:
a. Dividend declaration - It includes identifying the rate of dividends and other benefits like bonus.
b. Retained profits - The volume has to be decided which will depend upon expansional, innovational,
diversification plans of the company.
6. Management of cash: Finance manager has to make decisions with regards to cash management. Cash is required
for many purposes like payment of wages and salaries, payment of electricity and water bills, payment to creditors,
meeting current liabilities, maintainance of enough stock, purchase of raw materials, etc.
7. Financial controls: The finance manager has not only to plan, procure and utilize the funds but he also has to
exercise control over finances. This can be done through many techniques like ratio analysis, financial forecasting,
cost and profit control, etc.
The fundamental differences between profit maximization and wealth maximization is explained
in points below:
1. The process through which the company is capable of increasing earning capacity known
as Profit Maximization. On the other hand, the ability of the company in increasing the
value of its stock in the market is known as wealth maximization.
2. Profit maximization is a short term objective of the firm while the long-term objective is
Wealth Maximization.
3. Profit Maximization ignores risk and uncertainty. Unlike Wealth Maximization, which
considers both.
4. Profit Maximization avoids time value of money, but Wealth Maximization recognises it.
5. Profit Maximization is necessary for the survival and growth of the enterprise.
Conversely, Wealth Maximization accelerates the growth rate of the enterprise and aims
at attaining the maximum market share of the economy.
CH-2
Definition: The Sources of Long Term Finance are those sources from where the
funds are raised for a longer period of time, usually more than a year. Long term
financing is required for modernization, expansion, diversification and development of
business operations.
Generally, the companies resort to the sources of long-term finance when they have
an inadequate cash balance and need capital to carry out its operation for a longer
period of time. The purpose behind the use of long-term financing could be any of the
following:
To purchase new asset or equipment
To finance the permanent part of the working capital
To enhance the cash flow in the firm
To invest in R&D operations
To construct or build new construction projects
To develop a new product
To design marketing strategies or increase facilities
To expand business operations
The long term financing could be done internally, i.e. within the organization or
externally, i.e. from outside the organization.
Retained Earnings
The External Sources of Long Term Finance:
Equity Capital
Preference Capital
Term Loan
Debentures
Thus, the nature of business, the kind of goods produced and the technology being
used in the organization, decides the source from where the finances could be raised.
Long-Term Financing
Relying purely on short-term funds to meet working capital needs is not always prudent,
especially for industries where the manufacture of the product itself takes a long time:
automobiles, aircraft, refrigerators, and computers. Such companies need their working capital
to last for a long time, and hence they have to think about long term financing.
2. Retain Profits:
Rather than making dividend payments to shareholders or investing in new ventures, many
businesses retain a portion of their profits so that they may use it for working capital. This way
they do not have to take loans, pay interest, incur losses on discounted bills, and they can be
self-sufficient in their financing.
Companies cannot rely only on limited sources for their working capital needs. They need to
tap multiple avenues. They also need to constantly evaluate what their needs are,
through analysis of financial statements and financial ratios, and choose their working capital
channels judiciously. This is an ongoing process, and different routes are appropriate at
different points in time. The trick is to choose the right alternative as per the situation.
Capital Structure - Meaning and Factors
Determining Capital Structure
Meaning of Capital Structure
Capital Structure is referred to as the ratio of different kinds of securities raised by a firm as long-term finance. The capital
structure involves two decisions-
a. Type of securities to be issued are equity shares, preference shares and long term borrowings (Debentures).
b. Relative ratio of securities can be determined by process of capital gearing. On this basis, the companies are divided
into two-
i. Highly geared companies - Those companies whose proportion of equity capitalization is small.
ii. Low geared companies - Those companies whose equity capital dominates total capitalization.
For instance - There are two companies A and B. Total capitalization amounts to be USD 200,000 in each case. The
ratio of equity capital to total capitalization in company A is USD 50,000, while in company B, ratio of equity
capital is USD 150,000 to total capitalization, i.e, in Company A, proportion is 25% and in company B, proportion is
75%. In such cases, company A is considered to be a highly geared company and company B is low geared
company.