Financial Management Class Notes Bba Iv Semester: Unit I
Financial Management Class Notes Bba Iv Semester: Unit I
Financial Management Class Notes Bba Iv Semester: Unit I
CLASS NOTES
BBA IV SEMESTER
Unit I
Nature of Financial Management: Scope of Financial Management; Profit Maximization, Wealth
Maximization - Traditional and Modern Approach; Functions of finance – Finance Decision,
Investment Decision, Dividend Decision; Objectives of Financial Management; Concept of Time
Value of Money: present value, future value, Risk & Return: Systematic & unsystematic risk.
Unit II
Long -term investment decisions: Capital Budgeting - Principles and Techniques; Nature and
meaning of capital budgeting; Evaluation techniques - Accounting Rate of Return, Net Present
Value, Internal Rate of Return, Profitably Index Method.
Concept and Measurement of Cost of Capital: Cost of debt; Cost of Equity Share; Cost of
Preference Share; Cost of Retained Earning; Computation of over-all cost of capital (WACC)
Unit III
Capital Structure: Approaches to Capital Structure Theories - Net Income approach, Net
Operating Income approach, Traditional approach.
Dividend Policy Decision – Introduction; Dividend Payout Ratio, Factors affecting Dividend
Policy of a firm.
Unit IV
Working Capital Management: Brief Overview, Importance, Levels of Working Capital
Investment, Classification of Working Capital
Inventory Management - ABC Analysis; Minimum Level; Maximum Level; Reorder Level;
Safety Stock; Economic Order Quantity Model.
UNIT I
SCOPE AND OBJECTIVE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
INTRODUCTION
Finance is called ―The science of money‖. It studies the principles and the methods of
obtaining, control of money from those who have saved it, and of administering it by those into
whose control it passes. It is the process of conversion of accumulated funds to productive use.
Financial Management is the science of money management .It is that managerial activity which is
concerned with planning and controlling of the firms financial resources. In other words it is
concerned with acquiring, financing and managing assets to accomplish the overall goal of a
business enterprise.
MEANING, DEFINITION AND NATURE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT:
Meaning and Definition
Financial Management is that managerial activity which is concerned with the planning
and controlling of the firm‘s financial resources. In other words it is concerned with acquiring,
financing and managing assets to accomplish the overall goal of a business enterprise (mainly to
maximise the shareholder‘s wealth).
―Financial Management is concerned with the efficient use of an important economic
resource, namely capital funds‖ - Solomon Ezra & J. John Pringle.
―Financial Management is the operational activity of a business that is responsible for
obtaining and effectively utilizing the funds necessary for efficient business operations‖- J.L.
Massie.
―Financial Management is concerned with managerial decisions that result in the
acquisition and financing of long-term and short-term credits of the firm. As such it deals with the
situations that require selection of specific assets (or combination of assets), the selection of
specific liability (or combination of liabilities) as well as the problem of size and growth of an
enterprise. The analysis of these decisions is based on the expected inflows and outflows of funds
and their effects upon managerial
objectives‖. -Phillippatus.
'Financial Engineering'
The creation of new and improved financial products through innovative design
or repackaging of existing financial instruments.
Financial engineers use various mathematical tools in order to create new investment
strategies. The new products created by financial engineers can serve as solutions to problems or
as ways to maximize returns from potential investment opportunities.
The management of the finances of a business / organisation in order to achieve financial
objectives
Taking a commercial business as the most common organisational structure, the key
objectives of Financial Management would be to:
Financial Management
• Create wealth for the business
• Generate cash, and
• Provide an adequate return on investment - bearing in mind the risks that the business is taking
and the resources invested.
There are three key elements to the process of Financial Management:
Financial Management
BBA IV
Financial Management
BBA IV
2. Financing decision : These decisions relate to acquiring the optimum finance to meet
financialobjectives and seeing that fixed and working capital are effectively managed. It includes
sources of available funds and their respective cost ,capital structure,i.e. a proper balance between
equity and debt capital. It segregate profit and cash flow, financing decisions also call for a good
knowledge of evaluation of risk.
3. Dividend decision- These decisions relate to the determination as to how much and
howfrequently cash can be paid out of the profits of an organisation as income for its
owners/shareholders, and the amount to be retained to support the growth of the organisation .The
level and regular growth of dividends represent a significant factor in determining a profit making
company‘s market value i.e. the value placed on its shares by the stock market.
All the above three type of decisions are interrelated ,the first two pertaining to any kind of
organisation while the third relates only to profit making organisations, thus it can be seen that
Financial Management is of vital importance at every level of business activity ,from a sole trader
to the largest multinational corporation.
FUNCTIONAL AREAS OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Capital Budgeting
Working Capital Management
Dividend Policies
Acquisitions and Mergers
Corporate Taxation
Determining Financial Needs
Determining Sources of Funds
Financial Analysis
Optimal Capital Structure
Cost Volume Profit Analysis
Profit Planning and Control
Fixed Assets Management
Project Planning and Evaluation.
OBJECTIVE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT :
Financial Management as the name suggests is management of finance. It deals with
planning and mobilization of funds required by the firm. Managing of finance is nothing but
managing of money. Every activity of an organization is reflected in its financial statements.
Financial Management deals with activities which have financial implications. Efficient Financial
Management requires the existence of some objectives or goals because judgment as to whether or
not a financial decision is efficient must be made in the light of some objectives. It includes-
Among these, a conflict included in profit maximisation and weaalth /value maximisation
objective i.e.-
The primary objective of a business is to earn profit; hence the objective of Financial
Management is also profit maximisation. If profit is given undue immportance, a number of
problems can arise, such as-
It does not take into account the time pattern of returns.
It fails to take intto account the social consideration to workerss, customers etc.
The term profit is vague – it conveys a different meaning to different people .e.g.
total profit, rate of profit etc.
In wealth maximisatioon business firm maximise its market value ,it implies that business
decision should seek to increaase the net present value of the economic profit of the firm .It is the
duty of the finance manager to see that the share holders get good retuurn on the share (EPS -
Earning per Share). Hence, the value of the share should increase in the stoock market.
The wealth maximisattion objective is generally in accord with the interest of the various
groups such as owners, emplooyees etc.
Owing to limitation (ttiming, social consideration etc.) in profit maximisation, in today‘s
real world situations which is uncertain and multi-period in nature, wealth maximisation is a better
objective .Where the time period is short and degree of uncertainty is not great, wealth
maximisation and profit maximisation amount to essentially the same.
Compounding Discounting
(Future Value) (Present Value)
(a) Single Flow (a) Single Flow
(b) Multiple Flows (b) Uneven Multiple Flows
(c) Annuity (c) Annuity
UNIT II
INVESTMENT DECISION
Capital budgeting
Investment decision relates to the determination of total amount of assets to be held in the
firm ,the composition of these assets and the business risk complexions of the firm as perceived by
its investors .It is the most important financial decision that the firm makes in pursuit of making
shareholders wealth.
Investment decision can be classified under two broad groups.
Long –term investment decision i.e. Capital budgeting.
Short-term investment decision i.e. Working Capital Management.
(4) It is an indication for the prospective investors specifying the payback period of their
investments.
(5) Ranking projects as per their payback period may be useful to firmms undergoing liquidity
constraints.
Solution :
Computation of Net Present Value of the Projects.
Project A ( in Lakhs)
Yr1 Yr. 2 Yr. 3 Yr. 4
1. Net Cash Inflow 60.00 110.00 120.00 50.00
2. Depreciation 15.00 15.00 15.00 15.00
3. PBT (1–2) 45.00 95.00 105.00 35.00
4. Tax @ 33.99% 15.30 32.29 35.70 11.90
5. PAT (3–4) 29.70 62.71 69.30 23.10
6. Net Cash Flow 44.70 77.71 84.30 38.10
(PAT+Deprn)
7. Discounting Factor 0.870 0.756 0.685 0.572
8. P.V. of Net Cash Flows 388.89 58.75 57.75 21.79
9. Total P.V. of Net Cash Floww = 177.18
10. P.V. of Cash outflow (Initial Investment) = 60.00
Project B
Yr. 1 Yr. 2 Yr. 3
1. Net Cash Inflow 100.00 130.00 50.00
2. Depreciation 20.00 20.00 20.00
3. PBT (1–2) 80.0 110.00 30.00
4. Tax @ 33.99% 27.19 37.39 10.20
5. PAT (3–4) 52.81 72.61 19.80
6. Next Cash Flow 72.81 92.61 39.80
(PAT+Dep.)
7. Discounting Factor 0.870 0.756 0.685
8. P.V. of Next Cash Flows 63.345 70.013 27.263
9. Total P.V. of Cash Inflows = 160.621
10. P.V. of Cash Outflows = 60.00
(Initial Investment)
Net Present Value = 100.621
As Project ―A‖ has a higher Net Present Value, it has to be taken up.
Example.
Project Cost Rs. 1,10,000
Cash Inflows :
Year 1 60,000
―2 20,000
―3 10,0000
―4 50,000
Calculate the Internal Rate of Return.
Solution :
Internal Rate of Return will be calculated by the trial and error method. The cash flow is not
uniform. To have an approximate idea about such rate, we can calculate the ―Factor‖. It represent
the same relationship of investment and cash inflows in case of payback calculation i.e.
F=I/C
Where F = Factor
I = Original investmennt
C = Average Cash infllow per annum
110000
Factor for the project = = 3.14.
350000
The factor will be located fRom the table ―P.V. of an Annuity of 1‖ representing number of years
corresponding to estimated useful life of the asset.
The approximate value of 3.144 is located against 10% in 4 years.
We will now apply 10% and 12% to get (+) NPV and (–) NPV [Which means IRR lies in between]
Graphically,
For 2%, Difference = 4,280
↓ ↓
10% 12%
NPV 2,720 (1560)
IRR may be calculated in two ways :
NPV at 10%
IRR =10%+ Difference in rate
Total Difference
2720
IRR =10%+ 2%
(1560)
IRR =12%+ 2%
The decision rule for the internal rate of return is to invest in a project if its rate of return is greater
than its cost of capital.
For independent projects and situations involving no capital rationing, then :
Situation Signifies Decision
Solution :
First of all, it is necessary to find out the total compounded sum which wiill be discounted back to
the present value.
Year Cash Inflows Rate of Int. (%) Yrs. of Compounding Total
( ) Investment Factor Compounding
( ) Sum ( )
1 25,000 8 3 1.260 31,500
2 25,000 8 2 1.166 29,150
3 25,000 8 1 1.080 27,000
4 25,000 8 0 1.000 25,000
1,12,650
Present Value of the sum of coompounded values by applying the discount rate @ 10%
NTV=76,940-40,000.=36940
Decision: The present value of reinvested cash flows, i.e., 76,940 is greater than the original cash
outlay of 40,000.
The project should be accepted as per the Net terminal value criterion.
COST OF CAPITAL
The financing decision relates to the composition of relative proportion of various sources
of finance .The sources could be:
1. Shareholders fund: Equity share capital, Preference share capital, Accumulated profits.
2. Borrowing from outside agencies: Debentures, Loans from Financial Institutions.
Whether the companies choose shareholders funds or borrowed funds or a combination of both,
each type of fund carries a cost.
The cost of equity is the minimum return the shareholders would have received if they had
invested elsewhere. Borrowed funds cost involve interest payment.
Both types of funds incur cost and this is the cost of capital to the company. This means,
cost of capital is the minimum return expected by the company.
James C. Van Horne: The cost of capital is ―a cut-off rate for the allocation of capital to
investments of projects. It is the rate of return on a project that will leave unchanged the market
price of the stock‖.
Soloman Ezra : ―Cost of Capital is the minimum required rate of earnings or the cut-off rate of
capital expenditure‖.
It is the discount rate /minimum rate of return/opportunity cost of an investment.
The cost of capital is very important in Financial Management and plays a crucial role in
the following areas:
i) Capital budgeting decisions: The cost of capital is used for discounting cash flows under Net
Present Value method for investment proposals. So, it is very useful in capital budgeting decisions.
ii) Capital structure decisions: An optimal capital structure is that structure at which the value of
the firm is maximum and cost of capital is the lowest. So, cost of capital is crucial in designing
optimal capital structure.
iii) Evaluation of financial performance: Cost of capital is used to evaluate the
financialperformance of top management. The actual profitability is compared to the expected and
actual cost of capital of funds and if profit is greater than the cost
of capital the performance may be said to be satisfactory.
iv) Other financial decisions: Cost of capital is also useful in making such other
financialdecisions as dividend policy, capitalization of profits, making the rights issue, etc.
Explicit and Implicit Cost:Explicit costof any source of finance is the discount rate whichequates
the present value of cash inflows with the present value of cash outflows. It is the internal rate of
return.
Financial Management Page 23
BBA IV
Implicit cost also known as thhe opportunity cost is the opportunity foregoone in order to take up
aparticular project. For examplle, the implicit cost of retained earrings is thee rate of return
available to shareholders by investing thhe funds elsewhere.
kd(after-tax) = I (1-t)
NP
Example:
A company issues, 10,000 equity shares of . 100 each at a premium of 10%. The
company has been paying 20%% dividend to equity shareholders for the pastt five years and
expected to maintain the same in the future also. Compute cost of equity capital. Will it make any
difference if the market price of equity shhare is 150 ?
Solution:
D 20
Ke= 100 = 100 =18.18%
NP 110
If the market price per share =Rs.150
D 20
Ke= 100= 10=13.33%
MP 150
Dividend yield plus Growth in dividend methods
According to this method, thee cost of equity is determined on the basis of the expected dividend
rate plus the rate of growth in dividend. This method is used when dividennds are expected to
grow at a constant rate.
Cost of equity is calculated as :
Ke = D1 /NP +g (for new equity issue)
Where,
D1 = expected dividend per share at the end of the year. [D11 = Do(1+g)]
NP = net proceeeds per share
g = growth in dividend for existing share is calculated as:
D1 / MP + g
Where,
MP = market price per share.
Example:
ABC Ltd plans to issue 1,00,,000 new equity share of 10 each at par. The floatation costs are
expected to be 5% of the share price. The company pays a dividend off 1 per share and the
growth rate in dividend is exppected to be 5%. Compute the cost of new eqquity share. If the
current market price is 15, computee the cost of existing equity share.
Solution:
Cost of new equity shaares = (Ke) = D/NP +g
Ke = 1 / (10-0.5) + 0.05 = 1 / 9.5 + 0.05
= 0.01053 + 0.05
= 0.1553 or 15.53%
Cost of existing equity share: ke = D / MP + g
Ke = 1/ 15 + 0.05 = 0.0667 or 11.67%
Example
A firm‗s cost of equity (Ke) is 18%, the average income tax rate of shareholders is 30%and
brokerage cost of 2% is excepted to be incurred while investing their dividends in alternative
securities. Compute the cost of retained earnings.
Solution:
Cost of retained earnings = (Kr) = Ke (1-t)(1-b)=18(1-.30)(1-.02)
=18x.7x.98=12.35%
5. Weighted Average Cost of Capital
It is the average of the costs of various sources of financing. It is also known as composite
or overall or average cost of capital.
After computing the cost of individual sources of finance, the weighted average cost of
capital is calculated by putting weights in the proportion of the various sources of funds to the total
funds. Weighted average cost of capital is computed by using either of the following two types of
weights:
1) Market value 2) Book Value
Market value weights are sometimes preferred to the book value weights as the market
value represents the true value of the investors. However, market value weights suffer from the
following limitations:
i) Market value are subject to frequent fluctuations.
ii) Equity capital gets more importance, with the use of market value
weights. Moreover, book values are readily available.
Average cost of capital is computed as followings:
x
Kw =
w
Where, Kw = weighted average cost of capital
X = cost of specific sources of finance
W = weights (proportions of specific sources of finance in the total)
The following steps are involved in the computation of weighted average cost of capital :
i) Multiply the cost of each sources with the corresponding weight.
ii) Add all these weighted costs so that weighted average cost of capital is obtained.
The next expected dividend on Equity Shares is Rs. 3.60 per share. Dividends are expected to
grow at 7% and the Market price per share is 40.
-Preference Stock, redeemable after ten years, is currently selling att 75 per share.
-Debentures, redeemabble after 6 years, are selling at 80 per debenture.
Required :
1. Compute the present WACC using (a) Book Value Proportions and (b) Market Value
Proportions.
2. Compute the weighted Marginal Cost of Capital if the Company raisess 10 Cores next year,
given the following informatioon—
- The amount will be raiseed by equity and debt in equal proportions.
- The Company expects to retain 1.5 Cores earnings next year.
- The additional issue of Equity Shares will result in the net price per shhare being fixed at 32.
- The Debt capital raised by way of Term Loans will cost 15% for the first . 2.5 Cores and
16% for the next 2.5 Cores.
Solution :
1. Computation of Cost of Equuity under Dividend Approach
Present Cost of Equity under Dividend Approach :
Ke= Dividend per share +gg (Growth Rate) = Ke= 3.60 +7% =16.00%%
Market price per share 40.00
Revised Cost of Equity under Dividend Approach :
Ke= Dividend per share +gg (Growth Rate) = Ke= 3.60 +7% =18.25%%
Market price per share 32.00
*Retained Earnings Included in Market Value of Equity Share Capital, hennce not applicable
(vii) The investors have the same subjective probability distribtuion of expected operating profits
of the firm.
(viii) The capital structure can be altered without incurring transaction costs.
In discussing the theories of capital structure, we will consider the following notations :
E = Market value of the Equity
D = Market value of the Debt
V = Market value of the Firm = E +D
I = Total Interest Payments
T = Tax Rate
EBIT/NOP = Earnings before Interest and Tax/Net Operating
Profit PAT = Profit After Tax
D0 = Dividend at time 0 (i.e. now)
D1 = Expected dividend at the end of Year 1.
Po = Current Market Price per share
P1 = Expected Market Price per share at the end of Year 1.
Different Theories of Capital Structure
(1) Net Income (NI) approach
(2) Net Operating Income (NOI) Approach
(3) Traditional Approach
(4) Modigliani-Miller Model
(a) without taxes
(b) with taxes.
Net Income Approach
As suggested by David Durand, this theory states that there is a relationship between the
Capital Structure and the value of the firm.
Assumptions
(1) Total Capital requirement of the firm are given and remain constant
(2) Kd < Ke
(3) Kd and Ke are constant
(4) Ko decreases with the increase in leverage
BBA IV
Example
Firm A Firm B
16,66,667 17,50,000
Overall cost of capital (K0) EBIT
ED
12% 11.43%
External factors
1.General state of economy - The general state of economy affects to a great extent
themanagement‘s decision to retain or distribute earnings of the firm. In case of uncertain
economic and business conditions, the management may like to retain the whole or a part of the
firm‘s
earnings to build up reserves to absorb shocks in the future. Similarly in periods of depression, the
management may also withhold-dividends payment to retain a large part of its earnings to preserve
the firm‘s liquidity position. In periods of prosperity the management may not be liberal in
dividend payments though the earning power of a company warrants it because of availability of
larger profitable investment opportunities similarly in periods of inflation, the management may
withhold dividend payments in order to retain larger proportion of the earnings for replacement of
worn-out assets.
2. Legal restrictions - A firm may also be legally restricted from declaring and paying
dividends.For example, in India, the companies Act, 1956 has put several restrictions regarding
payments and declaration of dividends. Some of these restrictions are as follows :
(i) Dividends can only be paid out of (a) the current profits of the company, (b) the past
accumulated profits or (c) money provided by the Central or State Governments for the payment
of dividends in pursuance of the guarantee given by the Government. Payment of dividend out of
capital is illegal.
(ii) A company is not entitled to pay dividends unless (a) it has provided for present as well as all
arrears of depreciation, (b) a certain percentage of net profits of that year as prescribed by the
entral Government not exceeding 10%, has been transferred to the reserves of the company.
(iii) Past accumulated profits can be used for declaration of dividends only as per the rules framed
by the Central Government in this behalf.
Similarly, the Indian Income Tax Act also lays down certain restrictions on payment of
dividends. The management has to take into consideration all the legal restrictions before taking
the dividend decision otherwise it may be declared as ultra vires .
Internal factors
The following are the internal factors which affect the dividend policy of a firm:
1. Desire of the shareholders - Of course, the directors have considerable liberty regarding the
disposal of the firm‘s earnings, but the shareholders are technically the owners of the companyand,
therefore, their desire cannot be overlooked by the directors while deciding about the dividend
policy.
Shareholders of a firm expect two forms of return from their investment in a firm:
(i) Capital gains - The sharehoolders expect an increase in the market value of the equity shares
held by them over a period of tim e. Capital gain refers to the profit resulting from the sale of
capital investment i.e., the equity shares in case of shareholders. For example, if a shareholder
purchases a share for 40 and later on sells it for 60 the amount of capital gain is a sum of 20.
(ii) Dividends - The shareholdders also expect a regular return on their inveestment from the firm.
In most cases the shareholders‘ desire to get dividends takes priority over the desire to earn
capitalgains because of the followingg reasons:
(a) Reduction of uncertainty - Capital gains or a future distribution of earnings involves more
uncertainty than a distribution of current earnings.
(b) Indication of strength - The declaration and payment of cash dividend carries an information
content that the firm is reasonably strong and healthy.
(c) Need for current income - Many shareholders require income from thhe investment to pay for
their current living expenses. Such shareholders are generally reluctant to sell their shares to earn
capital gain.
2. Financial needs of the commpany - The financial needs of the company are to be considered by the
management while taking the dividend decision. Of course, the financiial needs of the company may be
in direct conflict with the desire of the shareholders to receive largge dividends. However, a
prudent management should give more weightage to the financial needss of the company rather than
the desire of the sharehollders. In order to maximize the shareholders‘ wealth, it is advisable to
retain earnings in the business only when company has better profitable investment opportunities
as compared to the shareholdeers. However, the directors must retain some earnings, whether or
not profitable investment opporttunity exists, to maintain the company as a sound and solvent
enterprise.
3. Desire of control - Dividend policy is also influenced by the desire of shareholders or the
management to retain control over the company. The issue of additional equity shares for
procuring funds dilutes contrrol to the detriment of the existing equity shareholders who have a
dominating voice in the commpany. At the same time, recourse to longg-term loans may entail
financial risks and may provee disastrous to the interests of the shareholders in times of financial
difficulties.
In case of a strong dessire for control, the management may be reluctant to pay substantial
dividends and prefer a smallerr dividend pay out ratio. This is particularly true in case of
companies which need funds for financin g profitable investment opportunities and an outside
group is seeking to gain control over the compaany.
However, where the management is strongly in control of the commpany either because of
substantial shareholdings or because of the shares being widely held, the firm can afford to have a
high dividend pay out ratio.
4. Liquidity position - The payyment of dividends results in cash outflow fr om the firm. A firm
may have adequate earnings but it may not have sufficient cash to pay divvidends. It is, therefore,
important for the management to take into account the cash position and the overall liquidity
position of the firm before annd after payment of dividends while taking the dividend decision. A
firm may not, therefore, be inn a position to pay dividends in cash or at a higher rate because of
insufficient cash resources. Such a problem is generally faced by growing firms which need
constant funds for financing thheir expansion activities.
UNIT IV
WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
The term working capital is commonly used for the capital required for day-to-day working
in a business concern, such as for purchasing raw material, for meeting day-to-day expenditure on
salaries, wages, rents rates, advertising etc. But there are much disagreement among various
financial authorities (Financiers, accountants, businessmen and economists) as to the exact
meaning of the term working capital.
DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION OF WORKING CAPITAL :
Working capital refers to the circulating capital required to meet the day to day operations of a
business firm. Working capital may be defined by various authors as follows:
1. According to Weston & Brigham - ―Working capital refers to a firm‘s investment in short term
assets, such as cash amounts receivables, inventories etc.
2. Working capital means current assets. —Mead, Baker and Malott
3. ―The sum of the current assets is the working capital of the business‖ —J.S.Mill Working
capital is defined as ―the excess of current assets over current liabilities and provisions‖.
But as per accounting terminology, it is difference between the inflow and outflow of
funds. In the Annual Survey of Industries (1961), working capital is defined to include ―Stocks of
materials, fuels, semi-finished goods including work-in-progress and finished goods and by-
products; cash in hand and bank and the algebraic sum of sundry creditors as represented by (a)
outstanding factory payments e.g. rent, wages, interest and dividend; b)purchase of goods and
services; c) short-term loans and advances and sundry debtors comprising amounts due to the
factory on account of sale of goods and services and advances towards tax payments‖.
The term ―working capital‖ is often referred to ―circulating capital‖ which is frequently
used to denote those assets which are changed with relative speed from one form to another i.e.,
starting from cash, changing to raw materials, converting into work-in-progress and finished
products, sale of finished products and ending with realization of cash from debtors. Working
capital has been described as the ―life blood of any business which is apt because it constitutes a
cyclically flowing stream through the business‖.
Concepts of working capital
1. Gross Working Capital: It refers to the firm‘s investment in total current or circulating assets.
2. Net Working Capital: The term ―Net Working Capital‖ has been defined in two different ways:
i. It is the excess of current assets over current liabilities. This is, as a matter of fact, the most
commonly accepted definition. Some people define it as only the difference between current assets
and current liabilities. The former seems to be a better definition as compared to the latter.
ii. It is that portion of a firm‘s current assets which is financed by long-term funds.
3. Permanent Working Capital: This refers to that minimum amount of investment in all current
assets which is required at all times to carry out minimum level of business activities. In other
words, it represents the current assets required on a continuing basis over the entire year. Tandon
Committee has referred to this type of working capital as ―Core current assets‖.
I. Internal Factors
1. Nature and size of the business
The working capital requirements of a firm are basically influenced by the nature and size
of the business. Size may be measured in terms of the scale of operations. A firm with larger scale
of operations will need more working capital than a small firm. Similarly, the nature of the
business - influence the working capital decisions. Trading and financial firms have less
investment in fixed assets. But require a large sum of money to be invested in working capital.
Retail stores, business units require larger amount of working capital, where as, public utilities
need less working capital and more funds to invest in fixed assets.
2. Firm‘s production policy
The firm‘s production policy (manufacturing cycle) is an important factor to decide the
working capital requirement of a firm. The production cycle starts with the purchase and use of
raw material and completes with the production of finished goods. On the other hand production
policy is uniform production policy or seasonal production policy etc., also influences the working
capital decisions. Larger the manufacturing cycle and uniform production policy –larger will be
the requirement of working capital. The working capital requirement will be higher with varying
production schedules in accordance with the changing demand.
3. Firm‘s credit policy
The credit policy of a firm influences credit policy of working capital. A firm following
liberal credit policy to all customers require funds. On the other hand, the firm adopting strict
credit policy and grant credit facilities to few potential customers will require less amount of
working capital.
4. Availability of credit
The working capital requirements of a firm are also affected by credit terms granted by its
suppliers – i.e. creditors. A firm will need less working capital if liberal credit terms are available
to it. Similarly, the availability of credit from banks also influences the working capital needs of
the firm. A firm, which can get bank credit easily on favourable conditions, will be operated with
less working capital than a firm without such a facility.
5.Growth and expansion of business
Working capital requirement of a business firm tend to increase in correspondence with
growth in sales volume and fixed assets. A growing firm may need funds to invest in fixed assets
in order to sustain its growing production and sales. This will, in turn, increase investment in
current assets to support increased scale of operations. Thus, a growing firm needs additional
funds continuously.
6.Profit margin and dividend policy
The magnitude of working capital in a firm is dependent upon its profit margin and
dividend policy. A high net profit margin contributes towards the working capital pool. To the
extent the net profit has been earned in cash, it becomes a source of working capital. This depends
upon the dividend policy of the firm. Distribution of high proportion of profits in the form of cash
dividends results in a drain on cash resources and thus reduces company‘s working capital to that
extent. The working capital position of the firm is strengthened if the management follows
conservative dividend policy and vice versa.
8. Ability to face crisis: Adequate working capital enables a concern to face business crisis in
emergencies such as depression because during such periods, generally, there‘s much pressure on
working capital.
9. Quick and regular return on investments: Every Investor wants a quick and regular return on his
investments. Sufficiency of working capital enables a concern to pay quick and regular dividends
to its investors as there may not be much pressure to plough back profits. This gains the confidence
of its investors and creates a favourably market to raise additional funds i.e., the future.
10. High morale: Adequacy of working capital creates an environment of security, confidence,
high morale and creates overall efficiency in a business.
Excess or Inadequate Working Capital
Every business concern should have adequate working capital to run its business
operations. It should have neither redundant or excess working capital nor inadequate or shortage
of working capital. Both excess as well as short working capital positions are bad for any business.
However, out of the two, it is the inadequacy of working capital which is more dangerous from the
point of view of the firm.
Disadvantages of Redundant or Excessive Working Capital
1. Excessive Working Capital means ideal funds which earn no profits for the business and hence
the business cannot earn a proper rate of return on its investments.
2. When there is a redundant working capital, it may lead to unnecessary purchasing and
accumulation of inventories causing more chances of theft, waste and losses
3. Excessive working capital implies excessive debtors and defective credit policy which may
cause higher incidence of bad debts.
4. It may result into overall inefficiency in the organization.
5. When there is excessive working capital, relations with banks and other financial institutions
may not be maintained.
6. Due to low rate of return on investments, the value of shares may also fall.
7.The redundant working capital gives rise to speculative transactions
Disadvantages or Dangers of Inadequate Working Capital
1. A concern which has inadequate working capital cannot pay its short-term liabilities in time.
Thus, it will lose its reputation and shall not be able to get good credit facilities.
2. It cannot buy its requirements in bulk and cannot avail of discounts, etc.
3. It becomes difficult for the firm to exploit favourable market conditions and undertake
profitable projects due to lack of working capital.
4. The firm cannot pay day-to-day expenses of its operations and its creates inefficiencies,
increases costs and reduces the profits of the business.
5. It becomes impossible to utilize efficiently the fixed assets due to non-availability of liquid
funds.
6. The rate of return on investments also falls with the shortage of working capital.
E. Just in Time (JIT): Normally, inventory costs are high and controlling inventory is
complexbecause of uncertainties in supply, dispatching, transportation etc. Lack of coordination
between suppliers and ordering firms is causing severe irregularities, ultimately the firm ends-up in
inventory problems. Toyota Motors has first time suggested just – in – time approach in 1950s.
This means the material will reach the points of production process directly form the suppliers as
per the time schedule. It is possible in the case of companies with respective process. Since, it
requires close coordination between suppliers and the ordering firms, and therefore, only units with
systematic approach will be able to implement it.
CASH MANAGEMENT
Cash management is one of the key areas of working capital management. Cash is the most
liquid current assets. Cash is the common denominator to which all current assets can be reduced
because the other major liquid assets, i.e. receivable and inventory get eventually converted into
cash. This underlines the importance of cash management. The term ―Cash‖ with reference to
management of cash is used in two ways. In a narrow sense cash refers to coins, currency, cheques,
drafts and deposits in banks. The broader view of cash includes near cash assets such as
marketable securities and time deposits in banks. The reason why these near cash assets are
included in cash is that they can readily be converted into cash. Usually, excess cash is invested in
marketable securities as it contributes to profitability.
Cash is one of the most important components of current assets. Every firm should have
adequate cash, neither more nor less. Inadequate cash will lead to production interruptions, while
excessive cash remains idle and will impair profitability. Hence, the need for cash management.
Thus, the aim of cash management is to maintain adequate cash balances at one hand and
to use excess cash in some profitable way on the other hand.
Motives
Motives or desires for holding cash refer to various purposes. The purpose may be different
from person to person and situation to situation. There are four important motives to hold cash.
a. Transactions motive - This motive refers to the holding of cash, to meet routine
cashrequirements in the ordinary course of business. A firm enters into a number of transactions
which requires cash payment. For example, purchase of materials, payment of wages, salaries,
taxes, interest etc. Similarly, a firm receives cash from cash sales, collections from debtors, return
on investments etc. But the cash inflows and cash outflows do not perfectly synchronise.
Sometimes, cash receipts are more than payments while at other times payments exceed receipts.
The firm must have to maintain sufficient (funds) cash balance if the payments are more than
receipts. Thus, the transactions motive refers to the holding of cash to meet expected obligations
whose timing is not perfectly matched with cash receipts. Though, a large portion of cash held for
transactions motive is in the form of cash, a part of it may be invested in marketable securities
whose maturity conform to the timing of expected payments such as dividends, taxes etc.
b. Precautionary motive - Apart from the non-synchronisation of expected cash receipts
andpayments in the ordinary course of business, a firm may be failed to pay cash for unexpected
contingencies. For example, strikes, sudden increase in cost of raw materials etc. Cash held to meet
these unforeseen situations is known as precautionary cash balance and it provides a caution
against them. The amount of cash balance under precautionary motive is influenced by two factors
i.e. predictability of cash flows and the availability of short term credit. The more unpredictable
the cash flows, the greater the need for such cash balances and vice versa. If the firm can borrow at
short-notice, it will need a relatively small balance to meet contingencies and vice versa. Usually
precautionary cash balances are invested in marketable securities so that they contribute something
to profitability.
c. Speculative motive - Sometimes firms would like to hold cash in order to exploit, the
profitableopportunities as and when they arise. This motive is called as speculative motive. For
example, if the firm expects that the material prices will fall, it can delay the purchases and make
purchases in future when price actually declines. Similarly, with the hope of buying securities
when the interest rate is expected to decline, the firm will hold cash. By and large, firms rarely
hold cash for speculative purposes.
d. Compensation motive - This motive to hold cash balances is to compensate banks and
otherfinancial institutes for providing certain services and loans. Banks provide a variety of
services to business firms like clearance of cheques, drafts, transfer of funds etc. Banks charge a
commission or fee for their services to the customers as indirect compensation. Customers are
required to maintain a minimum cash balance at the bank. This balance cannot be used for
transaction purposes. Banks can utilise the balances to earn a return to compensate their cost of
services to the customers. Such balances are compensating balances. These balances are also
required by some loan agreements between a bank and its customers. Banks require a chest to
maintain a minimum cash balance in his account to compensate the bank when the supply of credit
is restricted and interest rates are rising. Thus cash is required to fulfil the above motives. Out of
the four motives of holding cash balances, transaction motive and compensation motives are very
important. Business firms usually do not speculate and need not have speculative balances. The
requirement of precautionary balances can be met out of short-term borrowings.
MANAGEMENT OF RECEIVABLES
Receivables means the book debts or debtors and these arise, if the goods are sold on
credit. Debtors form about 30% of current assets in India. Debt involves an element of risk and bad
debts also. Hence, it calls for careful analysis and proper management. The goal of receivables
management is to maximize the value of the firm by achieving a trade off between risk and
profitability. For this purpose, a finance manager has:
1. to obtain optimum (non-maximum) value of sales;
2. to control the cost of receivables, cost of collection, administrative expenses, bad debts and
opportunity cost of funds blocked in the receivables.
3. to maintain the debtors at minimum according to the credit policy offered to customers.
4. to offer cash discounts suitably depending on the cost of receivables, bank rate of interest and
opportunity cost of funds blocked in the receivables.
Factors Affecting the Size of Receivables
The size of accounts receivable is determined by a number of factors. Some of the
important factors are as follows
1. Level of sales - Generally in the same industry, a firm having a large volume of sales will
behaving a larger level of receivables as compared to a firm with a small volume of sales. Sales
level can also be used for forecasting change in accounts receivable. For example, if a firm
predicts that there will be an increase of 20% in its credit sales for the next period, it can be
expected that there will also be a 20% increase in the level of receivables.
2. Credit policies - The term credit policy refers to those decision variables that influence
theamount of trade credit, i.e., the investment in receivables. These variables include the quantity
of trade accounts to be accepted, the length of the credit period to be extended, the cash discount to
be given and any special terms to be offered depending upon particular circumstances of the firm
and the customer.
3. Terms of trade - The size of the receivables is also affected by terms of trade (or credit
terms)offered by the firm. The two important components of the credit terms are (i) Credit
period and (ii) Cash discount.
Credit Policy
A firm should establish receivables policies after carefully considering both benefits and costs
of different policies. These policies relate to:
(i) Credit Standards, (ii) Credit Terms, and (iii) Collection Procedures.
i. Credit standards -
The term credit standards represent the basic criteria for extension of credit to customers. The
levels of sales and receivables are likely to be high if the credit standards are relatively loose, as
compared to a situation when they are relatively tight. The firm‘s credit standards are
generallydetermined by the five ―C‘s‖. Character, Capacity, Capital, Collateral and Conditions of
customer.
ii. Credit terms
It refers to the terms under which a firm sells goods on credit to its customers. As stated earlier, the
two components of the credit terms are (a) Credit Period and (b) Cash Discount.
(a) Credit period - Extending the credit period stimulates sales but increases the cost on account of
more tying up of funds in receivables.
(b) Cash discount - The effect of allowing cash discount can also be analysed on the same pattern
as that of the credit period. Attractive cash discount terms reduce the average collection period
resulting in reduced investment in accounts receivable.
iii. Collection procedures
A stringent collection procedure is expensive for the firm because of high out-of-pocket
costs and loss of goodwill of the firm among its customers. However, it minimises the loss on
account of bad debts as well as increases savings in terms of lower capital costs on account of
reduction in the size of receivables. A balance has therefore to be stuck between the costs and
benefits of different collection procedures or policies.
*****
References:A major part of the text/notes has been obtained from the study/ reading material
available for School of Distance Education, University of Calicut.
Prepared by:
Ratheesh K. Nair,
Assistant Professor,
Govt. College, Madappally.
Scrutinised by:
Dr.K.Venugopalan,
Associate Professor,
Department of Commerce,
Govt. College, Madappally.