Investment in capital projects needs funds. These funds are provided by the investors like equity shareholders, preference shareholders, debenture holders, etc in expectation of a minimum return from the firm. The minimum return expected by the investors depends upon the risk perception of the investor as well as on the risk-return characteristics of the firm. This minimum return expected by the investors, which in turn, is the cost of procuring funds for the firm, is termed as the cost of capital of the firm. Thus, the cost of capital of a firm is the minimum rate of return that it must earn on its investments in order to satisfy the expectation of the various categories of investors who have invested in the firm. A firm procures funds from various sources by issuing different securities to finance its projects. Each of these sources of finance entails cost to the firm. Since Continue reading
Financial Concepts
The Difference Between Agency Theory and Stewardship Theory
Agency Theory An agency correlation as a contractual set-up under which the business owner or the principal engaged a manager or the agent to execute some service on his behalf and may usually entail some decision making exclusively by the agent. The agency theory revolves on the basic proposition about humans, which deals with principals and agents as self-oriented focusing on exploiting their personal advantage. Agency theory described managers as opportunistic by seizing its optimum advantage for his appointment and role as the mover in the firm for its own benefit, at the expense of the principal. Both parties’ goal is to gain that personal advantage in every way possible with the least outlay and expenditure. These expenditures are defined as agency costs. This is the total of cash outflows made by the principal for its organization be it in budget proportions, auditing, or employee honorariums; the expenses incurred Continue reading
Cost Reconciliation Statement
A manufacturing concern may adopt either Integrated Accounting System or Non-Integral Accounting System. Under Integrated Accounting System, only one set of books is maintained to record both costing and financial transaction, therefore, under this system, both financial accounts and cost accounts give similar results. But in Non-Integral Accounting System, separate books are maintained for costing and financial transactions, which may exhibit different results i.e. profits or losses. In other words, when cost accounts and financial accounts are maintained independently by a concern, the profit or loss shown by the cost accounts may not agree with the profit or loss shown by the financial accounts. In this situation, it is needed to reconcile the profits or losses shown differently by cost accounts and financial account by preparing a statement called Cost Reconciliation Statement. A statement which is prepared for reconciling the profit between financial account and cost account is known as Continue reading
Advantages and Disadvantages of Accounting Standards
Accounting Standards In accounting, for every basis, identification and measurement of the elements of financial statement and the impact of the circumstances and financial status and work results should be defined in a form of standards. These standards are like the rules for accounting in any country. That is why they denote what should be mentioned in any company’s accounts. Moreover, they guarantee that certain cases, approaches and requirements are taken into account normally. In addition, they help people who are interested in investment to make decisions by ensuring that they get appropriate information needed. This is the idea behind accounting standards. When we talk about accounting standards, the main thing that comes under them is the accounting report. According to the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC), accounting reports are documents filled out by brokers that give details and facts about a new client’s financial circumstances and investment objectives. The Continue reading
Alternative Methods of Product Costing
Costing systems differ along three dimensions, namely: the components being measured; what is included in product cost; and, the manner in which the cost are accumulated. The differences in costs emanate from the urge to incorporate or exclude certain forms of information in product costs. The differentials manifested between the approaches stem from the timing of the cost recognition whereby the core issue centers on when the fixed production costs become expenses. Eventually, both methods produce the same merged appraisal of total profit; nevertheless, there may be differences in short-term phase profit measures and stock valuations. Basic approach to product costing normally incorporates assigning direct costs to products and allocating manufacturing overhead costs to products. The core product costing methods in this category include job costing and process costing. Job costing encompasses the transfer of outlays to a certain manufacturing job and may include contract costing and batch costing. Overhead Continue reading
Conflicts Between Shareholder Theory and Stakeholder Theory
Firstly, it is necessary to understand some definitions of shareholders, stakeholders, shareholder theory and stakeholder theory. Shareholder is an individual or corporation owning stock in a public or private company. Shareholder decides the membership of the board of directors by making a vote. Maximizing shareholder wealth means maximizing the flow of dividends to shareholders through time. Stakeholder are groups and individuals who get benefit from or are harmed by, or whose rights are contravened or regarded by, corporate actions. The list of stakeholders commonly includes customers, employees, suppliers and the community like shareholders and other investors. Shareholder theory supports that management is allowed to ignore the interest of the the other constituencies while pursuing the interest of the shareholder owners. Moreover, in the perspective of finance, shareholder wealth maximization is accepted as being obvious logically. The stakeholder theory says that managers should pay attention to all stakeholders in a company Continue reading