All companies which have a profit maximizing objective hold a certain degree of risk whether through microeconomic or macroeconomic factors. Banks also face a number of risks atypical of non financial companies due to the payment and intermediary function which they perform. Recent changes in the banking environment has lead to an increased pressure to maximize shareholder value, this means that banks take on a higher risk in order to gain a higher return. It is due to this increased pressure and market volatility that banking risk needs such effective management to ensure the banks continued solvency. Risk can be defined as an “exposure to uncertainty of outcome” measured by the volatility (standard deviation) of net cash flow within the firm. Banks aim to add equity to the bank by maximizing the risk adjusted return to shareholders highlighting the importance of fully considering the risk and return business equation. Exposure Continue reading
Financial Management
Financial management entails planning for the future of a person or a business enterprise to ensure a positive cash flow, including the administration and maintenance of financial assets. The primary concern of financial management is the assessment rather than the techniques of financial quantification. Some experts refer to financial management as the science of money management. The five basic components of the Financial Management Framework are: Planning and Analysis, Asset and Liability Management, Reporting, Transaction Processing and Control.
Cost Accounting: Installation of Costing System
The need and importance of the installation and the organisation of a good system of cost accounting are being increasingly realized presently all over the business versatility. The common experience of enthusiastic youths climbing the business – tree and falling mid-way without even collecting the leaves owes to the ignorance of he use installation and organisation of costing system, and to the infatuation that the profits could be earned without it. A good system is the key-point governing, the mechanism of an enterprise in the field of cost control, ascertainment of profitability, and managerial decision-making. Installation of a costing system is not an expense but an investment as the rewards are much greater than the expenses incurred. The cost system is for the business and not the business for a system of cost. Therefore, the system has to be so designed as to meet the specific needs of the enterprise. Continue reading
Market Value Added (MVA)
Economic Value Added (EVA) is aimed to be a measure of the wealth of shareholders. According to this theory, earning a return greater than the cost of capital increase value of company while earning less than the cost of capital decreases the value. For listed companies, Stewart defined another measure that assesses if the company has created shareholder value or not. If the total market value of a company is more than the amount of capital invested in it, the company has managed to create shareholder value. However, if market value is less than capital invested, the company has destroyed shareholder value. The difference between the company’s market value and book value is called Market Valued Added or MVA. From an investor’s point of view, Market Value Added (MVA) is the best final measure of a Company’s performance. Stewart states that MVA is a cumulative measure of corporate performance and Continue reading
Economic Value Added (EVA) and Shareholders Value Maximization
Almost in all books on financial management, the very first chapter introduces the fact that the goal of financial decisions is to maximize shareholder’s value. But why only shareholder’s value and what about others stakeholders like employees, customers, creditors? If one focuses on the shareholder value creation other stakeholder’s interests will automatically become the sub-goals and achieving these sub goals becomes crucial to the achievement of the overall goal i.e. shareholder value maximization. For example, the firm’s profit depends a lot on how the employees perform and to motivate them the firm needs to satisfy their needs and constantly upgrade their knowledge and skills by proper training. Similarly the firm would be required to pay its creditors on time so that they keep providing them credit whenever needed in the future and the credit availability does not hamper the operations of the firm. So a firm’s goal to maximize wealth Continue reading
Balance Sheet – Explanation, Components and Analysis
Balance sheet is one of the most significant financial statements. It indicates the financial condition or the state of affairs of a business at a particular moment of time. More specifically, balance sheet contains information about resources and obligations of a business entity and about its owners’ interests in the business at a particular point of time. Thus, the balance sheet of a firm prepared on 31st December 2011 reveals the firm’s financial position on this specific date. In accounting’s terminology, balance sheet communicates information about assets, liabilities and owner’s equity for a business firm as on a specific date. It provides a snapshot of the financial position of the firm at the close of the firm’s accounting period. Assets — Assets, representing economic resources, are the valuable possessions owned by the firm. These possessions should be capable of being measured in monetary terms. Assets Continue reading
Indian Banking System: Co-Operative Banks
Co-operative banks in this country are a part of vast and powerful structure of co-operative institutions which are engaged in tasks of production, processing, marketing, distribution, servicing and banking in India. The beginning co-operative banking in this country dates back to about 1904, when official efforts were made to create a new type of institution based on principles of co-operative organization & management, which were considered to be suitable for solving the problems peculiar to Indian conditions. In rural areas, as far as the agricultural and related activities are concerned, the supply of credit was inadequate, and money lenders would exploit the poor people in rural areas providing them loans at higher rates. Co operative Banks in India are registered under the Co-operative Societies Act. The cooperative bank is also regulated by the RBI. They are governed by the Banking Regulations Act 1949 and Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1965. Continue reading