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- University Of South Africa (Unisa)
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Chapter 1The Financial goal of a firm.
1. Introduction.
• Firms exist because they satisfy a need by providing a product or service.
• Firms do not only meet the need for consumers but also the needs of other firms.
• The emphasis on customers needs and on providing a quality product/service to meet the needs of customers is
normally stated in the firms mission statement.
• Mission statement - describes the fundamental purpose that sets a firm apart from other firms of its type and
identifies the scope of its operations in product and market terms.
• A mission statement is vital in providing focus and direction to the firms management in deciding how best to utilise
the resources of the firm in the competitive environment in which it functions.
• This environment contains 5 main forces: - Rivalry within the industry.
- Bargaining power of suppliers.
- Bargaining power of clients.
- Threat of new entrants.
- Threat of new technology.
• Starting up and managing a firm successfully in a competitive environment requires a sustainable competitive
advantage. This can be achieved by one of the 3 generic strategies:
- Cost leadership - involves the sustainable mass production and marketing of standardised items at a cost below
the competitors.
- Di erentiationff - involves the supply of product/service that are unique, and which provide good value to
customers. The product/service must be capable of offering high perceived value to buyers on a continuing basis,
and competition must be able to imitate such differentiation.
- Focus - involves concentrating on serving a narrowly defined market, called the niche market. Focus enables a
relatively small firm to respond more rapidly to the customers needs of the customers than larger, diversified
competitors.
• A firms strategies need to be reflected in its marketing plan.
2. Forms of business organisation.
• The size and nature of a firm will determine if it should be organised as a:
- Sole Proprietorships
- Proprietorship
- Partnerships
- Private or public company
• Two types of companies:
Private Companies Public companies
(proprietary) Limited - (Pty) Ltd Limited - Ltd
One and 50 shareholders Minimum 7 shareholders
At least one director Minimum of 2 directors
1
,Right to transfer shares is restricted, and public are Right to transfer shares is not restricted, and ares public
not invited to subscribe to its sh may be invited to subscribe to its shares
Financial statements need only be made available to Obliged to lodge a certified copy of its annual financial
shareholders and directors or people selected by statements with Registrar of Companies. Must send
them. members half-yearly interim reports and audited
financial statements
• Not all public companies are listed on the JSE.
,3. The financial goal of a firm.
• Role of financial management is assessed form viewpoint of an investor in a firm.
• Investors need to diversify their investments.
• Diversification - means not placing all ones money in a single investment, but spending it over various investments.
• The investor has a choice between various asset classes, the main ones:
- Real estate (rent generating assets) - Shares (dividend generating assets)
- Fixed-interest securities ( interest generating assets) - Cash
• Investors want to achieve the highest possible return for the lowest possible risk.
• Investors not only run risk of losing money but also the the opportunity cost when making an investment.
• Investors and managements long-term financial goal should be to increase the value of firm, thereby increasing the
wealth of owners.
• Short-term financial goals should be:
- Profitability: the firm’s ability to generate revenues that will exceed total costs by using the firm’s assets for
productive purposes; may be achieved by marketing products/services to maintain a sufficient profit margin with
the support of promotions at competitive prices directed to appropriate target markets through appropriate
distribution channels.
- Liquidity: is firms ability to satisfy its short-term obligations as they become due.
- Solvency: the extent to which a firm’s assets exceed its liabilities; differs from liquidity in tha liquidity pertains to
the settlement of short-term liabilities, while solvency pertains to the excess of total assets over total liabilities.
• The goal of the firm is to maximise shareholders’ wealth and not maximise profit. Profit maximisation is not consistent
with wealth maximisation, because of - the timing of earnings per share.
- earnings that do not represent cash flows available to shareholders.
- a failure to consider risk.
4. Financial management and accounting.
• Many people regard financial management and accounting in the business environment as the same thing; however,
there is a difference. Handling of funds and decision making are the two reasons why financial management and
accounting are considered different fields.
• Handling of funds
- The primary functions of an accountant are to develop and provide data for measuring the performance of the firm,
to assess its financial position and to see to the payment of taxes.
- The financial manager’s role differs in the way in which he/she views the funds of the firm.
• Decision making
- The accountant devotes the majority of his/her attention to the collection and presentation ofhistorical financial
data, whereas the financial manager evaluates the accountant’s financial statements, processes and additional data,
and makes decisions based on sub- sequent analyses.
5. The functions of a financial manager.
•Financial managers functions may be evaluated in terms of the firms financial goals.
•He/she has the following primary functions:
- making investment decisions.
- making financing decisions. -
ensuring profitability.
- ensuring positive cash flow. -
ensuring solvency.
• Financing involves 2 major decisions:
- Raising enough equity and loan financing to acquire and maintain non-current and current assets.
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- Determining which individual short/long term sources of financing should be used in order to achieve lowest
possible cost of capital.
, 6. Financial management and the non-financial manager.
• The management of the firms assets is not exclusively in the hands of a financial manager.
• The other functional departments, especially procurement and marketing departments play a significant role in
determining inventory levels.
• Inventory represents an investment of a portion of the firms available funds and should be managed sensibly.
• All functional department in the business devote their energy to the achievement of the firms gaols.
7. The fundamental principles of financial manager.
• Financial management is based on the following principles:
- the cost-benefit principle
- the risk-return principle
- the time value of money
The cost-benefit principle
- Sound financial decision making requires that an analysis of the total cost and the total benefits be conducted.
- Decision making based on the cost of resources only will not always lead to most economic utilisation of resources.
- The benefits should be greater than the cost of any decision.
- Cost-Benefit principle may be used by the following steps:
‣ Obtain clarity about objective to be attained.
‣ Identify alternative ways objective can be attained.
‣ Calculate the cost and benefits of each alternative.
‣ Determine effectiveness of the benefits of each alternative.
‣ Decide on a criterion or standard to be used against which the acceptability of an alternative may be weighed.
‣ Take a decision about most appropriate course of action.
The risk-return principle
- Risk is an integral component of any decision.
- Risk is the probability that the actual result of a decision may deviate from the planned end result, with an associated
financial loss or waste of funds. - Risk is different from uncertainty.
- Uncertainty: there is no probability or measure of the chances that an event will take place. - Risk is measurable by
profitabilities.
- The risk-return principle there is a trade off between risk and return.
- The greater the risk, the greater the required rate of return.
- The return should exceed the risk involved in any business decision. - Risk should me minimised and managed.
The time value of money
- A concept used to evaluate any financial decision involving differences in the timing of cash inflows and outflows.
- A matter of interest that may be earned if money is available today and invested, or of opportunity cost if an amount
will only be received at some future date – an amount of money today is worth more than it will be at some point in
the future.
- The return that could be earned is strongly influenced by the supply and demand for capital in the financial markets.
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