A lease is a contractual arrangement whereby one party (i.e., the owner of an asset) grants the other party the right to use the asset in return for a periodic payment. A lease is essentially the renting of an asset for some specified period. The owner of the assets is called the lessor while the other party that uses the assets is known as the lessee. A lessee can be an individual. a firm or a company interested in the use of the assets without owning it, while the lessor may be the seller, supplier, a finance company or the manufacturer who can finance the purchase of the assets. Under the lease contract, the ownership of the assets remains with the lessor whereas the use of the assets is available to the lessee. In return, the lessee has to pay a fixed periodic amount to the lessor. This periodic payment Continue reading
Business Finance Concepts
Importance and Limitations of Financial Statements
Importance of Financial Statements Financial statements are the important sources of information to all the users of accounting information like; management, owners, debtors, creditors, employees, government agencies, financial analysts, etc. The following are the points which highlight the importance of financial statements: Financial statements are the summary of information relating to profitability, and resources owned by the firm. Financial statements provide the information which can be compared with those of other firms. Employees can use financial statements to demand for increment in salary and other benefits. Bankers and other financial institutions can use financial statements to make the lending decisions. Government bases on financial statements of the companies for the calculation of tax revenue from the firms. Financial statements can be used as the basis for management decision-making purpose like planning, promotion, research and development decisions etc. Existing investors can use financial statements to assess how efficiently the firm is Continue reading
Functional and Dysfunctional Aspects of Budget System
Like other management control methods, budgets have the potential to help management reach their goal. How useful budgets are, in practice depends on how they are conceived and implemented. It is also important that the, process is clear and acceptable to the people whose activities it controls. Potentially Functional Aspects of Budgets Some of the potentially functional aspects of budgets as follows : Motivation. Budgets can have a positive impact on motivation and morale. Most individuals in an organization desire to achieve things and recognition by groups to which they belong. Budgets can activate these motivational factors by creating common goals and the feeling that everyone is working towards them. Coordination. Budgets make it possible to coordinate the work of the organization. A comprehensive budget is a blueprint of an organization’s plans for the future and the top management can, therefore, use it to together the activities of every unit. Continue reading
The Concept of Zero Working Capital
In today’s world of intense global competition, working capital management is receiving increasing attention form managers striving for peak efficiency the goal of many leading companies today, is zero working capital. Proponent of the zero working capital concept claims that a movement toward this goal not only generates cash but also speeds up production and helps business make more timely deliveries and operate more efficiently. The concept has its own definition of working capital: inventories+ receivables- payables. The rational here is (i) that inventories and receivables are the keys to making sales, but (ii) that inventories can be financed by suppliers through account payables. Zero working capital also refers to the equality between current assets and current liabilities at all times. To avoid excess investment in current assets, firms try to meet their current liabilities out of the current assets fully if they follow this concept. Consequently, smooth and uninterrupted Continue reading
Difference between Cash Credit and Overdraft
Cash credit is a short-term cash loan to a company. A bank provides this type of funding, but only after the required security is given to secure the loan. Once a security for repayment has been given, the business that receives the loan can continuously draw from the bank up to a certain specified amount. This type of financing is similar to a line of credit. Furthermore, cash credit is a facility to withdraw the amount from the business account even though the account may not have enough credit balance. The limit of the amount that can be withdrawn is sanctioned by the bank based on the business cycle of the client and the working capital gap and the drawing power of the client. This drawing power is determined, based on the stock and book debts statements submitted by the borrower at monthly intervals against the security by hypothecating of Continue reading
Business Valuation using Discounted Cash Flow Method
Discounted cash flow method of business valuation is based upon expected future cash flows and discount rates. This approach is easiest to use for assets and firms whose cash flows are currently positive and can be estimated with some reliability for future periods. Discounted cash flow method, relates the value of an asset to the present value of expected future cash flows on that asset. In this approach, the cash flows are discounted at a risk-adjusted discount rate to arrive at an estimate of value. The discount rate will be a function of the riskiness of the estimated cash flows, with lower rates for safe projects and higher rate for riskier assets. This approach has its foundation in the ‘present value’ concept, where the value of any asset is the present value of the expected future cash flows on it. Essentially, Discounted cash flow looks at an acquisition as a Continue reading