In the conventional theory of the firm, the principle objective of a business firm is to maximize profit. Under the assumptions of given taste and technology, price and output of a given product under competition are determined with the sole objective of maximization of profit. Profit maximization refers to the maximization of dollar income of the firm. Under profit maximization objective, business firms attempt to adopt those investment projects, which yields larger profits, and drop all other unprofitable activities. In maximizing profits, input-output relationship is crucial, either input is minimized to achieve a given amount of profit or the output is maximized with a given amount of input. Thus, this objective of the firm enhances productivity and improves the efficiency of the firm. The conventional theory of the firm defends profit maximization objective on the following grounds: In a competitive market only those firms survive which are able to make Continue reading
Financial Management Tools
Predicting Financial Distress and Corporate Failure
The financial failure of a company can have a devastating effect on all seven users of financial statements e.g. present and potential investors, customers, creditors, employees, lenders, the general public, etc. As a result, users of financial statements as indicated previously are interested in predicting not only whether a company will fail, but also when it will fail e.g. to avoid high profile corporate failures at Enron, Arthur Anderson, and WorldCom, etc. Users of financial statements can predict the financial position of an organization using the Altman Z score model, Argenti A score model, and by looking at the financial statements i.e. balance sheet, income statements, and cash flow statements. Business failure is defined as the unfortunate circumstance of a firm’s inability to stay in the business. Business failure occurs when the total liabilities exceed the total assets of a company, as total assets are considered a measure of the Continue reading
Audit Risk – Definition, Formula and Models
Audit risk is the risk that the auditor expresses an inappropriate audit opinion when the financial statements are materially misstated. In simple terms, audit risk is the risk that an auditor will issue an unqualified opinion when the financial statements contain material misstatement. ISA 200 states that auditor should plan and perform the audit to reduce audit risk to an acceptably low level that is consistent with the objective of an audit. (Auditing and Assurance Standard) AAS-6(Revised), “Risk Assessments and Internal Controls”, identifies the three components of audit risk i.e. inherent risk, control risk and detection risk. Audit Risk Model: AR = IR x CR x DR Where, AR= Audit risk (the risk that the auditor may unknowingly fail to appropriately modify his or her opinion on financial statements that are materially misstated) IR = Inherent risk (the risk that an assertion is susceptible to a material misstatement, assuming there Continue reading
Value Creation – Definition, Implementation and Principles
The idea of value creation is to capitalise on what, as an organisation, you already possess. The organisation may be a business, a school, a corporation, a government department — anywhere, in fact, where the main asset of the company is the people within it. Establishing value creation as a way of life for both managers and workers can help define the role of each more precisely, whilst simultaneously making both feel more integrated and involved within the day to day running of a place of work. Making everyone within an organisation feel that they are more than just ‘cogs in a wheel’ establishes a new feeling of unity and cooperation in organisations and can be a great asset in moving a company or other organisation forward because if everyone feels that they are part of the decision-making process then carrying out the aftermath of those decisions is more likely Continue reading
Importance of Price to Earnings Ratio (P/E Ratio)
Price to Earnings Ratio The most popular ratio used to assess the value of the equity is the company’s price equity ratio abbreviated as P/E ratio. It is calculated as the ratio of the firm’s current stock price divided by the earnings per share (EPS). The inverse of the P/E ratio is referred to as the earnings yield. Clearly the price earning and the earnings yield are required to measure the same thing. In practice earnings yield less commonly stated and used than P/E ratios. P/E Ratio = Market Value per Share/ Earnings per Share (EPS) Since most companies report earnings each quarter annual earnings per share can be calculated as the most recently quarterly earnings per share times four or as the sum of the last four quarterly earnings per share figures. Most analysts prefer the first method of multiplying the latest quarterly earnings per share value Continue reading
Earnings Management Practices and Techniques
What are earnings and what is earnings management? Simply stated, earnings are the accounting profits of a company. Stakeholders (current or potential providers of debt and equity capital, employees, suppliers, customers, auditors, analysts, rating agencies, and regulators) use earnings to make important financial decisions. Many investors view earnings as value relevant data that is more informative than cash flow data. Others have suggested that current earnings are better predictors of future cash flows than are current cash flows. In the US, these profits are derived using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) – a system based on the accrual method, which measures the performance and position of a company by recognizing economic events regardless of when cash transactions occur. The general idea is that economic events are recognized by matching revenues to expenses at the time in which the transaction occurs rather than when payment is made (or received). This method Continue reading