17.05.2016 Views

Optimization of the company's cash flow

This book is about the company's treasuries and financial management, more specifically; it shows how a company can manage its treasury in an efficient and short way.

This book is about the company's treasuries and financial management, more specifically; it shows how a company can manage its treasury in an efficient and short way.

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

B - THE UNNECESSARY COST OF IDLE FUNDS.<br />

So <strong>the</strong>refore, <strong>the</strong> manager (financial manager or treasury manager) is obliged to leave too many funds without<br />

employment as a result <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> difficulties <strong>the</strong>y have to control <strong>cash</strong> <strong>flow</strong>s. So to assess <strong>the</strong> cost <strong>of</strong> this behavior.<br />

1 - THE STRUCTURE OF THE COST OF MONEY.<br />

The study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> composition <strong>of</strong> financial expenses lets us know to what extent <strong>the</strong>y can be compressed.<br />

1 - The composition <strong>of</strong> financial expenses.<br />

Financial expenses in <strong>the</strong> short term can be broken down into two parts.<br />

a) The first and most important, stems from <strong>the</strong> cost <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bank loans needed to fill <strong>the</strong> shortage <strong>of</strong> <strong>cash</strong> resulting<br />

from <strong>the</strong> lag in time between revenue and expenditure.<br />

This part <strong>of</strong> financial costs is virtually inevitable and incompressible, at least in <strong>the</strong> short term, since <strong>the</strong> head <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Treasury cannot influence, or received commitments and conditions <strong>of</strong> sale (loans to customers), or commitments<br />

given and <strong>the</strong> conditions <strong>of</strong> purchases (loans granted by suppliers). He <strong>the</strong>refore suffered <strong>the</strong> decisions taken<br />

previously by o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong>ficials, and is forced to bear <strong>the</strong>m. The case is not uncommon a Treasurer where, without<br />

immediate availability, in <strong>the</strong> need to cover an urgent regulation which would not be notified. He will have to appeal<br />

to <strong>the</strong> more expensive solutions because <strong>the</strong> fastest.<br />

b) The second part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> financial costs, though generally less important, is far from negligible in many companies<br />

and comes from <strong>the</strong> mode <strong>of</strong> use <strong>of</strong> bank credit in <strong>the</strong> short term.<br />

Unlike <strong>the</strong> previous this part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> financial costs can be, perfectly in principle at least, reduced to zero. Indeed, it<br />

essentially stems from <strong>the</strong> quality <strong>of</strong> short-term forecasts: receipts and disbursements on <strong>the</strong> one hand, and <strong>the</strong><br />

effectiveness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> rules <strong>of</strong> choice <strong>of</strong> financial assistance, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand.<br />

Any credit balance can mean two things:<br />

Ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> company, at a given date has overstated its expenses or underestimated its revenues, and that,<br />

<strong>the</strong>refore, it has mobilized through <strong>the</strong> discount more claims than it needed;<br />

Or that <strong>the</strong> company has financed its <strong>cash</strong> requirements properly assessed by unsuitable paper: for<br />

example she covered a need for 20 days with 30-day paper.<br />

On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, a debit balance can also mean two things:<br />

Ei<strong>the</strong>r that <strong>the</strong> firm, at a given date, underestimated its expenses or overestimated its revenues, and<br />

<strong>the</strong>refore has not sufficiently expected;<br />

Ei<strong>the</strong>r that it has financed its <strong>cash</strong> requirements with too short paper. This is <strong>the</strong> case for example <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

company which would have filled a need for 20 days with 15 days paper: it would o<strong>the</strong>rwise, I5 days later in<br />

front <strong>of</strong> a deficit <strong>of</strong> 5 days, not 'fundable' in <strong>the</strong> best <strong>of</strong> cases, only by overdraft.<br />

2 - Reduction <strong>of</strong> financial costs in <strong>the</strong> short term.<br />

To reduce financial expenses need to know <strong>the</strong>ir origins and ensure <strong>the</strong> possibility and desirability <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> action.<br />

Page 80 <strong>of</strong> 124

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!