In many cases, cash flow ratios signify a more accurate measurement of a stock’s value than the price to earnings ratio, P/E. Cash flow ratios examine the flow of money into a company, it can help to identify struggling companies and in turn, struggling stocks. Price to earnings is a very important ratio because when is very high or low, it usually makes a splash on the financial pages. Price to earnings ratio is valuable metric and can help a successful investor with his or her stock technical analysis, but it is only one technical analysis tool and should be considered as such. While the same can be said for each of the cash flow ratios, these give insight into the money coming in and going out of a company. A company can demonstrate earnings, but if more money is pouring out a company than pouring in, there will fiscal 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.
Payback Period Method of Capital Budgeting
Payback Period Method The Payback period method of capital budgeting is popularly known as pay-off, pay out or replacement period methods also. It is the most popular and widely recognized traditional method of evaluating capital projects. Payback period method represents the number of years required to recover the original cash outlay invested in a project. It is based on the principle that every capital expenditure pays itself back over a number of years. It attempts to measure the period of time, it takes for the original cost of a project to be recovered from the additional earnings of the project. It means where the total earnings (or net cash inflow) from investment equals the total outlay, that period is the pay-back period. The standard recoupment period is fixed the management taking into account number of considerations. In making a comparison between two or more projects, the project having the lesser Continue reading
Role of Management Accounting Information in Strategy Formulation
Management accounting can be defined as a process of providing appropriate information primarily intended to assist managers in making better decisions. In previous years, management accounting techniques like traditional budgeting, cost-volume-profit analysis, standard costing and variance analysis, were adaptable to the business environment when product varieties were few, competition was low, overhead costs were relatively low, automated processes were minimal and firms were mostly labor intensive. However, many businesses and environments began to evolve as a result of technological changes, globalization and changing customer mix. Authors identified inadequacies in these techniques, when used as tools in planning and control decisions. Awareness amongst companies on the need to achieve excellence in manufacturing/service delivery and use such an achievement as a strategy to compete effectively grew. Companies started linking their strategies with reduction in production and inventory costs, quality improvement and innovation, reduction in lead times and increased flexibility in meeting individual Continue reading
Adjusted Book Value Method of Corporate Valuation
In recent years, management consulting firms have started offering companies advice on how to increase value. This has been possible because of the fear of hostile takeovers. Companies have increasingly turned to “value consultants” to tell them how to restructure, increase value, and avoid being taken over. The consultants suggestions have often provided the basis for the restructuring of these firms. The value of a firm can be directly related to decisions that it makes: on which projects it takes, on how it finances them, and on its dividend policy. Understanding this relationship is key to making value increasing decisions and to sensible financial restructuring. Adjusted Book Value Approach to Corporate Valuation The adjusted book value method of corporate valuation involves estimation of the market value of the assets and liabilities of the firm as a going concern. It is a pointer to the liquidation value of the firm. It Continue reading
Management Audit – Definition, Scope, Need, Advantages and Limitations
Management audit is a method of independent and systematic evaluation of the management activities at all levels of management to ascertain the functions, efficiency and achievement of the management (i.e. policies) as compared to standards set by the company. According to L. R. Howard, “Management audit is an investigation of business from the highest level downward in order to ascertain whether sound management prevails throughout, thus facilitating the most effective relationship with outside world and smooth running of internal organization.” As per Taylor and Perry; “Management auditing is a method to evaluate the efficiency of management at all levels throughout the organization, or more specifically, it comprises the investigation of a business by an independent body from the highest executive level downwards, in order to ascertain whether sound management prevails through and to report as to its efficiency or otherwise with recommendations to ensure its effectiveness where such is not the case.” Scope of Continue reading
Types of Interest Rate Risk
Due to the very nature of its business, a bank should accept interest rate risk not by chance but by choice and when the bank has to take a risk as a choice, then it should ensure that the risk taken is firstly manageable and secondly it does not get transformed into yet another undesirable risk. As stated earlier, the focal point in managing any risk will be to understand the nature of the risk. This is especially essential for interest rate risk management. Interest rate risk is the gain/loss that arises due to sensitivity of the interest income/interest expenditure or values of assets/liabilities to the interest rate fluctuations. Types of Interest Rate Risks The sensitivity to interest rate fluctuations will arise due to the mixed affect of a host of other risks that comprise the interest rate risk. These risks when segregated fall into the following categories. Rate Continue reading