Test Flashcards
(164 cards)
Financial managers types (3)
- Chief financial officer: Top financial manager
- Treasurer: Oversee’s cash management, credit management, capital expenditure and financial planning
- Accountant: Oversee’s taxes, cost accounting, financial accounting and data processing
What do financial managers do and what decisions do they make? (3)
Attempt to answer business finance questions.
- Capital budgeting: Long term investments?
- Capital structure: Paying for assets? Debt v Equity?
- Working capital management: Managing everyday finances?
Investments
Working with financial assets such as shares and bonds. Risk versus return and asset allocation.
Investment job opportunities (4)
- Stockbroker
- Financial advisor
- Portfolio manager
- Security analyst
Financial institutions
+ Examples (3)
Companies that specialise in financial matters.
- Banks
- Insurance companies
- Brokerage firms
Financial institutions job opportunities (1)
- Client advisor
International finance characteristics (5)
- Area of specialisation in finance
- Assists work internationally regularly
- Requires knowledge of exchange rates and political risk
- Requires knowledge of countries customs
- Bilingual is beneficial
Basic areas of finance (4)
- Corporate finance
- Investments
- Financial Institutions
- International finance
Why study finance? (4)
- Marketing (Budgets, marketing research, marketing financial products)
- Accounting (Dual accounting and finance function, preparation of financial statements)
- Management (Strategic thinking, job performance and probability)
- Personal finance (Budgeting, retirement planning, uni planning, everyday cash flow management)
Forms of business organisation (3)
- Sole proprietorship
- Partnership: General or Limited
- Corporation
Sole proprietorship
Business owned by one person.
Sole proprietorship advantages (4)
- Easier to start
- Least regulated
- Owner keeps all profits
- Taxed once as personal income
Sole proprietorship disadvantages (4)
- Limited to life of owner
- Equity capital limited to owners personal income
- Unlimited liability
- Difficult to sell ownership interest
Partnership
Business owned by two or more people.
Partnership advantages (4)
- Two or more owners (more skills)
- More capital available
- Relatively easy to start
- Income taxed once as personal income
Partnership disadvantages (3)
- Unlimited liability: General partnership/Limited partnership
- Difficult to transfer ownership
- Partnership dissolves when partner dies/wants to sell
Corporation
A legal ‘person’ distinct from owners.
Corporation advantages (5)
- Limited liability
- Unlimited life
- Separation of ownership and management
- Easy to transfer of ownership
- Easy to raise capital
Corporation disadvantages (2)
- Separation of ownership and management
- Taxation of company profits can be an issue
Goals of financial management (corporation)
- Maximise current value per share of company’s exisiting shares?
Agency relationship
Principal hires an agent to represent their interests. Shareholders (principal) hire managers (agents) to run the company.
Agency problem
Conflict of interest between principal and agent.
Management may act in best interest, rather than consider shareholder’s interest, which may contradict goals.
Management goals and agency costs.
Methods to reduce agency problems (4)
- Managerial compensation: carefully structured incentives can be used to align management and shareholders.
- Corporate control
- Threat of takeover may result in better management.
- Other stakeholders (Increase institutional ownership of shares)
Financial markets
Cash flows to the firms.
- Primary v Secondary markets (Dealer market (OTC) & Auction market)
- Listed v Private companies