Financial Management Introduction ============ Every organization, irrespective of its size or ownership pattern, has to manage its finances. The overall objectives of an organization cannot be achieved in the absence of financial management. Many organizations fail in their objectives because of financial mismanagement and this failure rate is quite high among the small business enterprises. Hence, financial management is vital for all types of organizations, profit making as well as non-profit making. In case of non-profit making organizations also the effectiveness and performance depends on their financial resources management. Financial Management ==================== When we attempt to analyze the financial functions of an organization we find that funds (capital) have to be: Ø Procured Ø Allocated for various activities Ø Used effectively Ø Monitored Further, the results of all these have to be recorded also. All this brings to fore a three dimensional financial process: Ø Financial management Ø Management Accounting Ø Financial Accounting Ø All these three are at the same time separate yet overlapping areas of thee financial functions of an organization. 1. Oval: Financial Reporting Oval: Management Accounting Oval: Financial Management Financial Accounting deals with the measurements and reports of the financial position of the organisation and providies this to external users such as the shareholders, creditors, government agencies, etc. 2. " Finacial Accounting is the art of recording, classifying and summarising in a significant anner and in terms of money,... ... middle of paper ... ...ctual performance with budgeted performance is called budgetary control. This is a crucial activity because every organisation has to evaluate whether the activities and operations are going in the right direction for achieving the organisational objectives. The actual performance has to be compared with the budgeted performance on the basis of actual level of activity. The actual performance of each area of responsibility is measured through general accounting system in financial terms. Financial managers also go in for periodical review of budgetary performance and then apply corrective measures to ensure that the future performance is as per the budgets. There are many other aspects related to financial management and it is suggested that an entrepreneur should utilize the services of a financial consultant.
Financial accounting focuses on providing financial statements to stockholders and internal and external users. Financial statements created under managerial accounting provide instructions and data used for internal business management purposes in effort to compute cost of product. Financial accounting provides data for the sole purpose of preparing companies financial statements. Unlike financial accounting, managerial accounting uses past records to forecast future budgets; additionally it doesn’t adhere to any set financial accounting standards such as US GAAP or IFRS (Averkamp). Financial accounting creates financial income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements under the guidelines of US GAAP or IFRS; however managerial accounting prepares in-depth management products to include cost volume profit analysis, profit planning, operational budgeting, capital budgeting to name a few
I chose to study more about financial stewardship. This is important because we need to know as God’s people some ways to manage the money that God has given us to use and also how we can go about being financially sound without going into debt. For example, if you look at Matthew 18: 21-35 we see the famous parable that Jesus uses to teach about debt. In this story, Jesus teaches about forgiveness. If you take this parable deeper, Jesus is teaching about debt and using your money wisely.
Financial Accounting Financial accounting or ‘book-keeping’ is the process of recording financial transactions from the day-to-day operation of a business. The sale of goods to a customer and the subsequent settlement of the debt are two examples of financial transactions. Sales Accounting When credit sales are made to customers, a record needs to be kept of amounts owing and paid. Payment is normally requested with an invoice.
Management accounting in organisation is very important for decision-making and to make the business more efficient and therefore increasing its profits. Is the process of preparing accounts that can help managers to make day-to-day and short-term decisions, by providing them with accurate and timely key financial and statistical information...
The management of the company is responsible for taking decisions and formulating plans and policies for the future. They, therefore, always need to evaluate its performance and effectiveness of their action to realize the company's goal in the past. For that purpose, financial statement analysis is important to the company's management.
Business finance blurtit Editors (2011). Assess the implications of different financial sources. Available: http://business-finance.blurtit.com/3588737/assess-the-implications-of-the-different-financial-sources. Last accessed: 11/11/2013.
What do you understand by the phrase “stakeholder analysis”? Attempt a stakeholder analysis of an organisation that you are closely associated with.
Accounting On September 28, 1998, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Arthur Levitt sounded the call to arms in the financial community. Levitt asked for, "immediate and coordinated action… to assure credibility and transparency" of financial reporting. Levitt’s speech emphasized the importance of clear financial reporting to those gathered at New York University. Reporting which has bowed to the pressures and tricks of earnings management. Levitt specifically addresses five of the most popular tricks used by firms to smooth earnings.
A pension fund manager cannot set objectives unless he knows the relevant characteristics of his clients or beneficiaries. These characteristics include their appetite of risk, desired level of return, details of their existing income, liquidity requirements, tax positions and future liabilities. Once the firm’s investment manager have established the objectives of the investor or fund, they can set about planning the most suitable investment strategies. A pension fund manager may have the objectives of meeting a specified set of future liabilities at minimum overall cost.
Financial and Managerial accounting are used for making sound financial decisions about an organization. They provide information of past quantitative financial activities and are useful in making future economic decisions. (Albrecht, Stice, Stice, & Skousen, 2002) The same financial data is used to derive reports for each accounting process yet they differ in some ways. Financial accounting primarily provides external reports for external users such as stock holders, creditors, regulating authority and others. (Garrison, Noreen, & Brewer, 2010) On the other hand Managerial accounting is concern with providing information that deals with the internal viability of the organization and is tailored to meet the needs of an individual organization. (Albrecht, Stice, Stice, & Skousen, 2002)
Wikipedia's accurate definition of finance is "The activity of finance is the application of a set of techniques that individuals and organizations (entities) use to manage their financial affairs, particularly the differences between income and expenditure and the risks of their investments" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finance. I discuss the importance of keeping track and updating financial reports as well as simple bank statements. These are just some of the essentials that I believe we all as a people should acknowledge.
Businesses operate for the wealth of shareholders. Whether it provides goods or services, the aim is to make a profit by adding value. Nowadays these processes are closely monitored and controlled by the management accountants to ensure the highest return possible. Nevertheless, traditional budgeting and costing techniques are sufficient, but as the business environment changes, the demand for management accountant’s role become contentious.
The management of cash is essential to the survival of any organization. Managing an organization’s financial operation requires knowledge of the economy and ways to maximize revenue. For any organization to operate on a daily basis adequate cash flow is required. Without cash management the organization will be unable to function because there is no cash readily available in case of inconsistencies in the market. Cash is also needed to keep the cycle of the company’s operations going.
A largely accepted language is required for a business or organization to effectively communicate its results and position to stakeholders, which is why accounting has come to be known as the "language of business". Accounting is really the means for providing financial information to others. Financial analyst then take the data the accountants have compiled in the form of reports, and make educated guesses at what their company should do next. David ballast (1996) stated, "The fact remains that accounting and finance are the primary tools for reducing business problems and opportunities to a common denominator, setting goals, measuring results, and making decisions." (p. 1)
To be a successful business owner, financial planning is instrumental in business if the owner desires to achieve insurmountable success for the long term. Financial planning in particular is concerned with the evaluation process of the business. Financial management is about establishing short and long term objectives for the business and deciding what resources will be required to achieve the necessary objectives. The primary goal for financial management is to accurately account for the income and expenditures of a business to maximize the monetary value of that business to its owners. To obtain this, business managers must be able to evaluate the three elements of profit margins, which are gross profit margin, operating profit margin and net profit margin. As the cycle of financial management comes into play, the financial planning aspect of the business is as paramount in the ongoing activities of the business. A few of the objectives for financial planning are establishing budgets, cash flow and minimizing financial risks and losses.