All posts in Finance

Knowing the differences in managerial practices in different countries is interesting. There are, for example, great differences among mangers in the United States as opposed to other countries. With the increasing investment of foreign firms in the United States, the syllabus of business finance is giving more attention to the integration of managers and workers from other countries into American society. This need is highlighted in that the number of inters company transferees has more than tripled from the late 1970’s. The Japanese, for example, often find it difficult to be outspoken and direct in interactions with their colleagues and superiors. People from Arabian countries usually find American teaching methods too impersonal. One can learn various approaches used by the managers to reduce culture shock. These include special programs about corporate life in the US, as well as instruction in English, books and movies and tax advice for newcomers.

International business finance is essential in the curriculum of a business finance degree. The study of international business finance focuses on the operation of international firms in host countries. It is concerned with managerial issues related to the flow of people, goods and money. The ultimate aim is to manage more effectively in situations that involve crossing national boundaries. The environmental factors that affect domestic firms usually are more critical for international corporations operating in foreign countries. Managers involved in international business finance are faced with many factors that are different from those of a domestically oriented firm. Managers have to interact with employees who have different educational and cultural backgrounds and value systems. They must also cope with different legal, political and economic factors. Thus, these environments influence the way managerial and enterprise functions are carried out.

As the owner of a business, it is very important for you to have a system that you follow to track your revenue and expenses. A routine system that through which every transaction flows. I like to call this the Financial Flow System™. This system should be followed consistently and done weekly or monthly to record and manage your business finances.

Your Financial Flow System™ is your step by step operating procedures for your bookkeeper or accountant. This system allows your bookkeeper or accountant to follow step-by-step and will essentially let them know how you run your business. Writing down and documenting these procedures will highlight for them areas that need improvement and tweaking and areas that are bringing you maximum operating efficiency.

Managing your books regularly does not need to be a complicated task. If you have a simple Financial Flow System™ in place it functions as a step-by-step instruction guide to track your income and expenses. Your system does not have to have a lot of accounting jargon and it can be a simple list that can followed easily every time.

Systems are the key to a successful business!

Systems are in every facet of your business, not just in your product or service line. Having a Financial Flow System™ in place in your accounting department will help you see where your business is thriving and where a breakdown might be occurring, so you can take the necessary actions to prevent financial stress or failure.

Let’s take McDonald’s for an example. Each franchise owner follows McDonald’s corporate Financial Flow System to run their specific store location. These operating procedures allow franchise owners to have instructions and procedures to effectively and efficiently run their store. They do not have to reinvent the wheel for every process, but they can follow the steps and easily tweak where needed for their individual location.

The facilitation of corporate finance and the decisions of management may impact the facilitation of the personal finance decisions of individuals and their families. We do not live in a vacuum. Therefore, the activities and decisions of other people can impact our lives.

Functions of Finance
“The key functions of a financial system are to facilitate household and corporate saving, to allocate those funds to their most productive use, to manage and distribute risk, and to facilitate payments. The financial sector is working well when it performs those functions at a low cost and makes the rest of the economy better off” (Greenwood, & Scharfstein, 2012,104). It is the responsibility of the business or individual managers of finance to locate, design or coordinate a financial system that aligns with the personal, business or group goals of the people they lead and serve.

Household and Corporate Saving
Saving for households or corporations can be facilitated in several ways: (1) by paying less for goods and services purchased, (2) by paying less interest on debt by reducing the amount owed and (3) by investing in saving projects that yield higher interest rates. Researching the project is needed to accomplish the objective whether for an individual, family, small business or corporation. In each case, the purchasing manager should secure at least three or more quotes for the item or service to be purchased. Comparison should be made using other factors in addition to price. Analysis of the information obtained should produce a decision to purchase the best value at the best price.

Productive Use of Funds
In order to allocate funds to their most productive use, thought and planning should happen before each project is assigned a budget. For example, research the purchase of the $400 computer to determine its functionality in relationship to the budget allotted for electronics. If the need is to use it for school work for at least a year, there is an added gain when the same computer can be used by the owner manager of a new small business. The purchase of a dress for $400 that will only be worn once is put in a difference light if the decision is between buying the dress or the computer. When one of the primary income earners no longer has the job that she has had for years, all members of the family have to give serious thought to the best use of funds. The beginning small business corporation can no longer be managed like a hobby. The prom dresses for the junior and senior prom can no longer be major purchases. By determining and planning for the objectives that causes the allocated funds to be used to produce purchases that achieve the desired function, both items can be purchased within the predetermined budget.

With corporations and large business entities, the “net present value” (Ross, Westerfield, Jaffe, & Jordan, 2011, 96) can be used to determine which projects the business should pursue. There are other calculations that could also be used so the senior finance manager needs to determine which method will work best for the finance team, the management, stockholders and any other applicable stakeholders.

Manage and Distribute Risk
Management and distribution of risk can be addressed starting in two areas: (1) a portfolio of insurance products and (2) the diversification of the investment portfolio. Research for purchase of insurance products should include comparison of price, features of policy, claim handling and customer service by the agency’s staff. Research for the elements of an investment portfolio will be far more detailed and time intensive. Each type of investment and the investment product in each type should be considered individually and in relationship to its impact to the overall risk of the portfolio. New investors should take the investing process seriously to ensure that investigation and understanding is obtained before money is involved. Necessary care in planning investment objectives and researching to make sure investment projects meet the desired objectives will help allotted funds for investment be most productive.

Facilitate Payments
Facilitation of payments paid and received has an impact on money saved. Incentive can be given to clients to pay earlier, but the discount to your client will mean less money is received in the payment. Your thoughts on this jester will be paramount to whether you see this as a win or a loss. Generally money managers should thrive to receive money as soon as possible and pay out money as late as possible. This does not mean that any bill should be paid so late that there are late fees and penalties attached to the payments. Within the financial system each financial manager designs, the goal should be to also maintain a good credit report because cost of goods or services can be impacted negatively by a low credit score for personal or business transactions.

Conclusion
Change starts with proactive compliance to the commitment to your process of improvement of your financial system to facilitate household and corporate saving, to allocate those funds to their most productive use, to manage and distribute risk, and to facilitate payments. Some of the same principles or processes used by businesses can be used by individuals and families. After determining the objectives, individuals, families, small businesses and corporations should identify skills that need to be obtained to plan for improvement in the financial system employed. At the very least, realize that thought must be given to finance in order to have any control over change in that area. In the end, it will be your thoughts on finance that invoke the all important call to action.

Merchants need money. Sure, one of the main purposes of the merchant business is to make money, and merchants do this by providing the goods and services that we all need and enjoy. But if you are a merchant, you know that a merchant business can not be started and continue to run successfully without money.

One merchant, the new owner of a recently-started clothing store, may need money to avoid going out of business, while another, the 14-year owner of a prosperous Italian restaurant, may need money to expand his/her business. Though these are two owners of totally different merchant businesses in completely different stages of business ownership, the accessibility of business funds would solve both of their business problems.

Merchant loans are loans that are meant to be utilized by merchants for any of their business needs, making merchant loans a very functional method of business financing.

What Are Some Acceptable Uses of Merchant Loans?

One of the many reasons why merchant loans are so great for merchants is the fact that there are no restrictions on how they can be used. If you’ve pursued any other types of business financing, you are fully aware that lenders want to know how you plan to use their money. Banks, credit unions, and investors alike, want to make sure that their money is being put to what they feel is good use, because in the end, they want to get their money back, and if they are investing, they want to see a profit for themselves.

But when it comes to merchant loans, lenders use your business’s sales history as an indicator of whether or not your business can support the repayment of a merchant loan. And most lenders agree that a business that processes at least $2,500 per month in credit card sales is capable of repaying a merchant loan of $5,000 under the merchant loan repayment process.

Merchant loans can be used to purchase inventory, upgrade equipment, increase advertisement, fund promotions, expand a business, or keep a business on its feet. But these are only a few of the endless possible uses of a merchant loan.

What Types of Merchants Can Use Merchant Loans?

Any merchant that operates a business that has processed a minimum of $2,500 per month for the past four months can use a merchant loan.

There are various types of merchants; convenience store owners, clothing store owners, automotive service providers and beauty service providers to name a few. If they accept credit cards, all of these merchants can use merchant loans, because the repayment is deducted as a small percentage of the business’s credit card purchases.

Managing your business finances is extremely important and because it requires different expertise. Realistically, most business owners will require professional guidance to properly manage their business finances. The most important associates for you to retain will be an accountant and banker.

An accountant will provide assistance in a number of different key areas. He can oversee your bookkeeper, validating cash disbursements. You and your accountant will work together to develop a budget and cash flow statement. The budget will be used to ensure you have an adequate profit margin, or you’ll need to either change your pricing structure or reduce expenses.

Your banker will also require a budget (along with cash flow statements) if you apply for loans. The other crucial statement will be the cash flow statement which is a forecast of your revenues and expenses by month. If you don’t have enough cash coming in each month to pay your suppliers, employees and other expenses, you will either need to have cash in the bank or arrange for other financing.

It’s a good idea to have separate business checking and credit card accounts for your business expenses. It will be easier to track and justify your business costs for tax purposes. If you choose to incorporate, you can protect your personal assets from any business debt. Besides your accountant, you should consider outsourcing other finance functions such as payroll and bookkeeping. Having excess inventory on hand can also drain you cash. Outside consultants can provide financial models to more accurately predict needs.

Your banker can help you with applying for both checking and credit card accounts. You may also need business loans to set up or grow your enterprise and every business should have a line of credit in case of cash shortfalls. You should see if you qualify for a low interest loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).