The main objective of manufacturing firms is to make profit. The profit on each product sold is the difference between the selling price of the product and the total cost of making the product. Cost therefore plays an important role in the product design process. To calculate the cost that incurred on the product we use different Costing Techniques. Costing is not an easy task because in the process of manufacturing a product many indirect materials and labor are used. To identify these costs we use different costing techniques. Here we are going to discuss two methods of costing; Job Costing and Process Costing. Job Costing Job Costing is to calculate the costs involved of a business in manufacturing goods. These costs are recorded in ledger accounts throughout the year and are then shown in the final trial balance before the preparing of the manufacturing statement. In a job costing Continue reading
Financial Management Concepts
Financial Leverage and the Shareholders Risk
It has is seen that financial leverage magnifies the shareholder’s earnings. It has also been observed that the variability of EBIT causes EPS to fluctuate within wider ranges with debt in the capital structure. That is, with more debt, EPS rises and falls faster than the rise and fall of EBIT. Thus, financial leverage not only magnifies EPS but also increases its variability. The variability of EBIT and EPS distinguish between two types of risk- operating risk and financial risk. 1. Operating Risk- Operating risk can be defined as the variability of EBIT (or return on assets). The environment- internal and external- in which a firm operates determines the variability of EBIT. So long as the environment is given to the firm, operating risk is an unavoidable risk. A firm is better placed to face such risk if it can predict it with a fair degree of accuracy. The variability Continue reading
Economic Value Added (EVA) Vs. Return on Investment (ROI)
Most of the companies employing investment centers evaluate business units on the basis of Return on Investment (ROI) rather than Economic Value Added (EVA). There are three apparent benefits of an ROI measure. First, it is, a comprehensive measure in that anything that affects financial statements is reflected in this ratio. Second, Return on Investment (ROI) is simple to calculate, easy to understand, and meaningful in an absolute sense. For example, an ROI of less than 5 percent is considered low on an absolute scale, and an ROI of over 25 percent is considered high. Finally, it is a common denominator that may be applied to any organizational unit responsible for profitability, regardless of size or type of business. The performance of different units may be compared directly to one another. Also, ROI data are available for competitors and can be used as a basis for comparison. The collar amount Continue reading
Value Added – Concept, Definition and Uses
Meaning and Definitions of Value Added The traditional basic financial statements are balance sheet and Profit & Loss account. These statements generate and provide data related to financial performance only. They do not provide any information which shows the extent of the value or the wealth created by the company for a particular period. Hence, there arose a need to modify the existing accounting and financial reporting system so that the business unit is able to give importance to judge its performance by indicating the value or wealth created by it. To this direction inclusion of Value Added statement in financial reporting system is useful. The Value Added concept is now a recognized part of the accountant’s repertoire. However, the concept of Value Added (VA) is not new. Value Added is a basic and broad measure of performance of an enterprise. It is a basic measure because it indicates Continue reading
Exposures to Exchange Rate Fluctuations
International business is facilitated by markets that allow flow of funds between countries in different currencies. Multinational corporations are involved in international trade and receive and pay in various currencies. MNCs must constantly monitor exchange rates because their cash flows are highly dependent on them. The risk faced by these companies due to exchange rate movements after having already entered into financial obligations is called exchange rate risk. Such exposure to fluctuating exchange rates can lead to major losses for the firms. Exchange rate fluctuations cannot be forecast with accuracy. However, using various techniques, the amount of exposure can be measured and minimized. Exchange rate fluctuations can be broadly categorized into three types: Transaction exposure Economic exposure Translation exposure Transaction exposure arises when a firm’s contractual cash flows are affected by fluctuations in exchange rates of the currencies in which they are designated. Transaction exposures can have a great impact Continue reading
Revenue Management – Meaning, Benefits, Scope and Future
The phenomena of revenue management gained importance in recent years due to variable and discriminatory pricing schemes offered by various companies to their customers. Revenue management applies the orderly analytics that predict the behavior of the consumer at micro level and augment the prices and availability of products to the customers thus enhancing the overall revenue for the company. The aim of devising revenue management techniques is to deliver the fine product or service to the appropriate customer at the precise price. Revenue management system is based on analyzing the customer’s perception of the value that the product would provide and make straight the availability, placement and price according to that perception. This discipline became the need of every business rapidly. There could be many reasons for this. Even a kid whose is out for selling orange juice will have to analyze and predict the appropriate weather and time for Continue reading