财务管理论文（英文）

财务管理论文（英文） The report of Corporate Finance Major: Information Managemenr and System081 Name: Student number: 2010-06-06 1 Corporate Finance ---------- a small firm’s cash flows I remember that once when I wrote a business plan which held by our school, it needs me work out we how to calculate how many sales per month for cash flow? And it also need us fill a cash flow statement. At that time, I want to know the cash flow have something to do with a small firm. Through Professor Chen wonderful analysis to the course of Corporate Finance this semester .Now, I know what is cash flow and the importance of it to a small firm. But there are a lot of cash flow formulas, and the Statement of Cash Flow is complicated. I have learnt how to value some simple methods of the Statement of Cash Flow. Or if one day, I carve out a successful career for myself, I will be able to operate a small firm, then how can I conduct cash management effectively? Cash flow refers to the amount of cash inflows and cash outflows of a firm in a period of time. For example: Sale goods, provide services, sale fixed assets, return investment, borrowing funds and so on, these form of the firm's cash flows; purchase goods, receive services, set up fixed assets, cash investments, repay debt and so on, these form of the cash outflow. Conceptually, a firm should be worth the present value of the firm’s cash flows. The tricky part is determining the size, timing and risk of those cash flows. 2 Once I heard a firm did not the importance of cash flow, so that it brought survival crisis. By the case: a small firm A, which produced a very popular product, book income as high as 10 million, the owner may happy. But now it fallen into bankruptcy, Why? The reason is they signed a contract, and sent out goods, but can’t retrieve accounts. At the same, the firm had paid out the purchase price of raw materials, wages, water and electricity for production. The cash of the firm, appeared to be can’t flow. And callback the accounts of the firm would not be able to resolve in a short time. At the last moment, the owner had to transfer of the firm only with a low-cost. Cash flow to the firm, likes blood to the body, only the blood flows smoothly and enough, that the body will be healthy. Positive cash flow can make the firm grows up healthily. Now I will talk my view on cash flow management to a small firm from the following three parts. Part 1. The necessary of strengthening cash flow management for a small firm Cash flow management subordinates to corporate finance management. For general small firms, the most important aspect to cash flow management is working capital management. From a theoretical view, in general, large firms are more effective than small firms on making use of credit and scale to survive. As small firms have few resources, few customers, low-credit, if 3 cash flow is cut down or interrupted, they will face difficulties immediately. Firstly, the reality faced by a small firm in China is small scale, low-credit, anti-risk ability, so that financing difficulties are inevitable. As the bank loans need to take into account risk factors, and other small firms had raised funds on its own for many years, lock of contacting with banks, the credit evaluation system for small firms are also far from mature, So, although the government have some policy support, however, to solve this problem by banks is unrealistic in the short term. Secondly, nowadays, on the one hand, the value of RMB is raising, so that export production costs increase, profits reduce or even loss. On the other hand the labor has a substantial price increase in China , so business risk and cost of employment also increase. Therefore, effort to improve the efficiency of funds is the right choice. Part 2. The problems of small firms for cash flow management Limited size of capital for small firms, which determines their ability to withstand the risks is weak. To small firms, the scale of capital is small, the internal management infrastructure is weak, products relatively simple, the market is very risk, so that a little carelessness will result in operating losses, what’s worse will cause bankrupt. It can be concluded as follows. (a)Lack of financial management concepts 4 Small firms operate mainly from the initial capital accumulation and personal loans to friends and family, which determines the managers is the owners. They use their money to run their business. So their firm’s management process is often not taken by corporate management model but family management. In the employment context than from a professional point of view, do not have the modern management concept, the lack of awareness of modern financial management. (B) Inadequate financial control Among small firms, most accountants have not been educated specialized and systematic. A small firm usually pays less attention to financial accounting data, so that the financial data of the firm is chaotic. (C) Weak financial management A small firm usually has no concept of financial control, it leads to poor assets management, such as: Firstly, poor management of cash assets, causing funds idle or insufficient. Secondly, accounts receivable turnover is slow, resulting in difficulties in the recovery of funds: Last, but not the least, weak inventory control, resulting in financial slack. Part 3. Cash flow management measures to strengthen a small firm Firstly, for a small firm, the effective measure makes the cash flow management stronger, keeping the cash flow of the 5 firm smoothly needs to do these as follows. (a) Improve the corporate governance structure, establish a modern enterprise system. (b) Improve the quality of financial staffs, bring in financial professionals to enhance understanding of financial management. (c) Strengthen the management control of assets, which include cash plan, use the sources of funds effectively. Then strengthen receivables management, build efficient management system. With the understanding of cash flow, if I can run a small firm, I think that we can do following to keep cash flow smoothly. (a)Sell old products by discount If the old products backlog, when the new products have been produced, Old produces should be sold by discounted, this is conducive to recycling funds, and keeping production continue. (b)Collect product accounts previously To our customers, if they buy our products first time, we must ask for prepaying the entire found, then they can pick up the goods. And to keep records of all customer payments, make appropriate payment terms. For good credit customers can reduce the proportion of advance payment, but not less than the cost. Once the customer had good credit default behavior occurs, we must immediately reduce their credit standards, immediately raise the proportion of advance payment. Thus, in order to alert customers, and can minimize the risk. 6 (c)Rent large production equipment or fixed assets If a small firm needs to take up huge fund and long period construction, large production equipment or fixed assets, we can try to rent. Thus, although the short-term fee of rent paid more, but to retain sufficient cash flow to support the firm to run healthy. (d) Do not take orders which more than the firm’s production capacity Sometimes, a big order can bring lots of profit and temptations. However, a to huge cake enough to choke people. As the firm's case at the beginning of this article listed, even a large order can bring the large profit, but without financial support, then it is possible to choke. Of course, it not easy to tolerate lose a big order. At the moment, we can consider to transfer part of order subcontracted to reliable firms, so the risk of subcontracted out, eat the cake that we can be more sweet mouth easier to digest. Secondly, from the bank's view, to many small firms, the preferred financing is bank loan, the bank is in fact a more active position. A small firm enhances communication with the Bank, promptly to production, operating conditions and financial status information to banks, developing mutual understanding, achieving the information symmetry, establishing mutual trust relationship between the bank and the firm. This culminated in a 7 win-win situation, one hand the small firm can credit from the bank loans, so that the firm’s cash flow can be managed effectively, the other hand banks can expanded its profit sources. So a firm’s daily operations are always inseparable from cash, and cash flow plays a decisive role to the firm’s survival and development. If the firm’s cash flow can be managed effectively, I think it can make a big profit and develop quickly. 8