INTRODUCTIONBusiness concern needs finance to meet their requirements in the economic world. Anykind of business activity depends on the finance. Hence, it is called as lifeblood of businessorganization. Whether the business concerns are big or small, they need finance to fulfiltheir business activities.In the modern world, all the activities are concerned with the economic activities andvery particular to earning profit through any venture or activities. The entire businessactivities are directly related with making profit. (According to the economics concept offactors of production, rent given to landlord, wage given to labour, interest given to capitaland profit given to shareholders or proprietors), a business concern needs finance to meetall the requirements. Hence finance may be called as capital, investment, fund etc., buteach term is having different meanings and unique characters. Increasing the profit is themain aim of any kind of economic activity.
MEANING OF FINANCEFinance may be defined as the art and science of managing money. It includes financialservice and financial instruments. Finance also is referred as the provision of money at thetime when it is needed. Finance function is the procurement of funds and their effectiveutilization in business concerns.The concept of finance includes capital, funds, money, and amount. But each word ishaving unique meaning. Studying and understanding the concept of finance become animportant part of the business concern.
DEFINITION OF FINANCEAccording to Khan and Jain, “Finance is the art and science of managing money”.2 Financial ManagementAccording to Oxford dictionary, the word ‘finance’ connotes ‘management of money’.Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines finance as “the Science on studyof the management of funds’ and the management of fund as the system that includes thecirculation of money, the granting of credit, the making of investments, and the provisionof banking facilities.
DEFINITION OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Financial management is an integral part of overall management. It is concerned with the
duties of the financial managers in the business firm.
The term financial management has been defined by Solomon, “It is concerned with
the efficient use of an important economic resource namely, capital funds”.
The most popular and acceptable definition of financial management as given by S.C.
Kuchal is that “Financial Management deals with procurement of funds and their effective
utilization in the business”.
Howard and Upton : Financial management “as an application of general managerial
principles to the area of financial decision-making.
Weston and Brigham : Financial management “is an area of financial decision-making,
harmonizing individual motives and enterprise goals”.
Joshep and Massie : Financial management “is the operational activity of a business
that is responsible for obtaining and effectively utilizing the funds necessary for efficient
operations.
Thus, Financial Management is mainly concerned with the effective funds
management in the business. In simple words, Financial Management as practiced by
business firms can be called as Corporation Finance or Business Finance.
4 Financial Management
SCOPE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Financial management is one of the important parts of overall management, which is directly
related with various functional departments like personnel, marketing and production.
Financial management covers wide area with multidimensional approaches. The following
are the important scope of financial management.
1. Financial Management and Economics
Economic concepts like micro and macroeconomics are directly applied with the
financial management approaches. Investment decisions, micro and macro
environmental factors are closely associated with the functions of financial manager.
Financial management also uses the economic equations like money value discount
factor, economic order quantity etc. Financial economics is one of the emerging
area, which provides immense opportunities to finance, and economical areas.
2. Financial Management and Accounting
Accounting records includes the financial information of the business concern.
Hence, we can easily understand the relationship between the financial management
and accounting. In the olden periods, both financial management and accounting
are treated as a same discipline and then it has been merged as Management
Accounting because this part is very much helpful to finance manager to take
decisions. But nowaday’s financial management and accounting discipline are
separate and interrelated.
3. Financial Management or Mathematics
Modern approaches of the financial management applied large number of
mathematical and statistical tools and techniques. They are also called as
econometrics. Economic order quantity, discount factor, time value of money,
present value of money, cost of capital, capital structure theories, dividend theories,
ratio analysis and working capital analysis are used as mathematical and statistical
tools and techniques in the field of financial management.
4. Financial Management and Production Management
Production management is the operational part of the business concern, which
helps to multiple the money into profit. Profit of the concern depends upon the
production performance. Production performance needs finance, because
production department requires raw material, machinery, wages, operating expenses
etc. These expenditures are decided and estimated by the financial department
and the finance manager allocates the appropriate finance to production department.
The financial manager must be aware of the operational process and finance
required for each process of production activities.
5. Financial Management and Marketing
Produced goods are sold in the market with innovative and modern approaches.
For this, the marketing department needs finance to meet their requirements.
Introduction to Financial Management 5
The financial manager or finance department is responsible to allocate the adequate
finance to the marketing department. Hence, marketing and financial management
are interrelated and depends on each other.
6. Financial Management and Human Resource
Financial management is also related with human resource department, which
provides manpower to all the functional areas of the management. Financial
manager should carefully evaluate the requirement of manpower to each
department and allocate the finance to the human resource department as wages,
salary, remuneration, commission, bonus, pension and other monetary benefits
to the human resource department. Hence, financial management is directly
related with human resource management.
OBJECTIVES OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Effective procurement and efficient use of finance lead to proper utilization of the finance
by the business concern. It is the essential part of the financial manager. Hence, the financial
manager must determine the basic objectives of the financial management. Objectives of
Financial Management may be broadly divided into two parts such as:
1. Profit maximization
2. Wealth maximization.
Wealth
Profit
Objectives of Financial Management
Profit Maximization
Main aim of any kind of economic activity is earning profit. A business concern is also
functioning mainly for the purpose of earning profit. Profit is the measuring techniques to
understand the business efficiency of the concern. Profit maximization is also the traditional
and narrow approach, which aims at, maximizes the profit of the concern. Profit
maximization consists of the following important features.
1. Profit maximization is also called as cashing per share maximization. It leads to
maximize the business operation for profit maximization.
2. Ultimate aim of the business concern is earning profit, hence, it considers all the
possible ways to increase the profitability of the concern.
Objectives
6 Financial Management
3. Profit is the parameter of measuring the efficiency of the business concern.
So it shows the entire position of the business concern.
4. Profit maximization objectives help to reduce the risk of the business.
Favourable Arguments for Profit Maximization
The following important points are in support of the profit maximization objectives of the
business concern:
(i) Main aim is earning profit.
(ii) Profit is the parameter of the business operation.
(iii) Profit reduces risk of the business concern.
(iv) Profit is the main source of finance.
(v) Profitability meets the social needs also.
Unfavourable Arguments for Profit Maximization
The following important points are against the objectives of profit maximization:
(i) Profit maximization leads to exploiting workers and consumers.
(ii) Profit maximization creates immoral practices such as corrupt practice, unfair
trade practice, etc.
(iii) Profit maximization objectives leads to inequalities among the sake holders such
as customers, suppliers, public shareholders, etc.
Drawbacks of Profit Maximization
Profit maximization objective consists of certain drawback also:
(i) It is vague: In this objective, profit is not defined precisely or correctly. It creates
some unnecessary opinion regarding earning habits of the business concern.
(ii) It ignores the time value of money: Profit maximization does not consider the
time value of money or the net present value of the cash inflow. It leads certain
differences between the actual cash inflow and net present cash flow during a
particular period.
(iii) It ignores risk: Profit maximization does not consider risk of the business
concern. Risks may be internal or external which will affect the overall operation
of the business concern.
Wealth Maximization
Wealth maximization is one of the modern approaches, which involves latest innovations
and improvements in the field of the business concern. The term wealth means shareholder
wealth or the wealth of the persons those who are involved in the business concern.
Wealth maximization is also known as value maximization or net present worth
maximization. This objective is an universally accepted concept in the field of business.
Introduction to Financial Management 7
Favourable Arguments for Wealth Maximization
(i) Wealth maximization is superior to the profit maximization because the main aim
of the business concern under this concept is to improve the value or wealth of
the shareholders.
(ii) Wealth maximization considers the comparison of the value to cost associated with
the business concern. Total value detected from the total cost incurred for the
business operation. It provides extract value of the business concern.
(iii) Wealth maximization considers both time and risk of the business concern.
(iv) Wealth maximization provides efficient allocation of resources.
(v) It ensures the economic interest of the society.
Unfavourable Arguments for Wealth Maximization
(i) Wealth maximization leads to prescriptive idea of the business concern but it may
not be suitable to present day business activities.
(ii) Wealth maximization is nothing, it is also profit maximization, it is the indirect
name of the profit maximization.
(iii) Wealth maximization creates ownership-management controversy.
(iv) Management alone enjoy certain benefits.
(v) The ultimate aim of the wealth maximization objectives is to maximize the profit.
(vi) Wealth maximization can be activated only with the help of the profitable position
of the business concern.
APPROACHES TO FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Financial management approach measures the scope of the financial management in
various fields, which include the essential part of the finance. Financial management is
not a revolutionary concept but an evolutionary. The definition and scope of financial
management has been changed from one period to another period and applied various
innovations. Theoretical points of view, financial management approach may be broadly
divided into two major parts.
Approach
Traditional Approach Modern Approach
Fig. 1.3 Approaches to Finance Management
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Traditional Approach
Traditional approach is the initial stage of financial management, which was followed, in
the early part of during the year 1920 to 1950. This approach is based on the past experience
and the traditionally accepted methods. Main part of the traditional approach is rising of
funds for the business concern. Traditional approach consists of the following important
area.
Arrangement of funds from lending body.
Arrangement of funds through various financial instruments.
Finding out the various sources of funds.
FUNCTIONS OF FINANCE MANAGER
Finance function is one of the major parts of business organization, which involves the
permanent, and continuous process of the business concern. Finance is one of the interrelated
functions which deal with personal function, marketing function, production function and
research and development activities of the business concern. At present, every business
concern concentrates more on the field of finance because, it is a very emerging part which
reflects the entire operational and profit ability position of the concern. Deciding the proper
financial function is the essential and ultimate goal of the business organization.
Finance manager is one of the important role players in the field of finance function.
He must have entire knowledge in the area of accounting, finance, economics and
management. His position is highly critical and analytical to solve various problems related
to finance. A person who deals finance related activities may be called finance manager.
Finance manager performs the following major functions:
1. Forecasting Financial Requirements
It is the primary function of the Finance Manager. He is responsible to estimate
the financial requirement of the business concern. He should estimate, how much
finances required to acquire fixed assets and forecast the amount needed to meet
the working capital requirements in future.
2. Acquiring Necessary Capital
After deciding the financial requirement, the finance manager should concentrate
how the finance is mobilized and where it will be available. It is also highly critical
in nature.
3. Investment Decision
The finance manager must carefully select best investment alternatives and consider
the reasonable and stable return from the investment. He must be well versed
in the field of capital budgeting techniques to determine the effective utilization
of investment. The finance manager must concentrate to principles of safety,
liquidity and profitability while investing capital.
Introduction to Financial Management 9
4. Cash Management
Present days cash management plays a major role in the area of finance because
proper cash management is not only essential for effective utilization of cash but
it also helps to meet the short-term liquidity position of the concern.
5. Interrelation with Other Departments
Finance manager deals with various functional departments such as marketing,
production, personel, system, research, development, etc. Finance manager should
have sound knowledge not only in finance related area but also well versed in
other areas. He must maintain a good relationship with all the functional
departments of the business organization.
Department-I
Department-II
Department-III
Department-IV
Forecasting Funds
Managing Funds
Investing Funds
Finance
Manager
Accquring Funds
Fig 1.4 Functions of Financial Manager
IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Finance is the lifeblood of business organization. It needs to meet the requirement of the
business concern. Each and every business concern must maintain adequate amount of
finance for their smooth running of the business concern and also maintain the business
carefully to achieve the goal of the business concern. The business goal can be achieved
only with the help of effective management of finance. We can’t neglect the importance of
finance at any time at and at any situation. Some of the importance of the financial
management is as follows:
Financial Planning
Financial management helps to determine the financial requirement of the business concern
and leads to take financial planning of the concern. Financial planning is an important part
of the business concern, which helps to promotion of an enterprise.
Acquisition of Funds
Financial management involves the acquisition of required finance to the business concern.
Acquiring needed funds play a major part of the financial management, which involve
possible source of finance at minimum cost.
10 Financial Management
Proper Use of Funds
Proper use and allocation of funds leads to improve the operational efficiency of the business
concern. When the finance manager uses the funds properly, they can reduce the cost of
capital and increase the value of the firm.
Financial Decision
Financial management helps to take sound financial decision in the business concern.
Financial decision will affect the entire business operation of the concern. Because there is
a direct relationship with various department functions such as marketing, production
personnel, etc.
Improve Profitability
Profitability of the concern purely depends on the effectiveness and proper utilization of
funds by the business concern. Financial management helps to improve the profitability
position of the concern with the help of strong financial control devices such as budgetary
control, ratio analysis and cost volume profit analysis.
Increase the Value of the Firm
Financial management is very important in the field of increasing the wealth of the investors
and the business concern. Ultimate aim of any business concern will achieve the maximum
profit and higher profitability leads to maximize the wealth of the investors as well as the
nation.
Promoting Savings
Savings are possible only when the business concern earns higher profitability and
maximizing wealth. Effective financial management helps to promoting and mobilizing
individual and corporate savings.
Nowadays financial management is also popularly known as business finance or
corporate finances. The business concern or corporate sectors cannot function without
the importance of the financial management.
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