Financial Management - Meaning, Objectives and Functions

Meaning of Financial Management

Financial Management means planning, organizing, directing and controlling
the financial activities such as procurement and utilization of funds of the
enterprise. It means applying general management principles to financial
resources of the enterprise.
Scope/Elements
1. Investment decisions includes investment in fixed assets (called as
capital budgeting). Investment in current assets are also a part of
investment decisions called as working capital decisions.
2. Financial decisions - They relate to the raising of finance from various
resources which will depend upon decision on type of source, period of
financing, cost of financing and the returns thereby.
3. Dividend decision - The finance manager has to take decision with
regards to the net profit distribution. Net profits are generally divided
into two:
a. Dividend for shareholders- Dividend and the rate of it has to be
decided.
b. Retained profits- Amount of retained profits has to be finalized
which will depend upon expansion and diversification plans of
the enterprise.
Objectives of Financial Management
The financial management is generally concerned with procurement,
allocation and control of financial resources of a concern. The objectives can
be1. To ensure regular and adequate supply of funds to the concern.
2. To ensure adequate returns to the shareholders which will depend upon
the earning capacity, market price of the share, expectations of the
shareholders.
3. To ensure optimum funds utilization. Once the funds are procured, they
should be utilized in maximum possible way at least cost.

4. To ensure safety on investment, i.e, funds should be invested in safe

ventures so that adequate rate of return can be achieved.
5. To plan a sound capital structure-There should be sound and fair
composition of capital so that a balance is maintained between debt
and equity capital.
Functions of Financial Management
1. Estimation of capital requirements: A finance manager has to
make estimation with regards to capital requirements of the company.
This will depend upon expected costs and profits and future
programmes and policies of a concern. Estimations have to be made in
an adequate manner which increases earning capacity of enterprise.
2. Determination of capital composition: Once the estimation have
been made, the capital structure have to be decided. This involves
short- term and long- term debt equity analysis. This will depend upon
the proportion of equity capital a company is possessing and additional
funds which have to be raised from outside parties.
3. Choice of sources of funds: For additional funds to be procured, a
company has many choices likea. Issue of shares and debentures
b. Loans to be taken from banks and financial institutions
c. Public deposits to be drawn like in form of bonds.
Choice of factor will depend on relative merits and demerits of each
source and period of financing.
4. Investment of funds: The finance manager has to decide to allocate
funds into profitable ventures so that there is safety on investment and
regular returns is possible.
5. Disposal of surplus: The net profits decision have to be made by the
finance manager. This can be done in two ways:
a. Dividend declaration - It includes identifying the rate of dividends
and other benefits like bonus.
b. Retained profits - The volume has to be decided which will
depend upon expansional, innovational, diversification plans of
the company.

6. Management of cash: Finance manager has to make decisions with

regards to cash management. Cash is required for many purposes like
payment of wages and salaries, payment of electricity and water bills,
payment to creditors, meeting current liabilities, maintainance of
enough stock, purchase of raw materials, etc.
7. Financial controls: The finance manager has not only to plan,
procure and utilize the funds but he also has to exercise control over
finances. This can be done through many techniques like ratio analysis,
financial forecasting, cost and profit control, etc.
Definition of Financial Planning
Financial Planning is the process of estimating the capital required and
determining its competition. It is the process of framing financial policies in
relation to procurement, investment and administration of funds of an
enterprise.
Objectives of Financial Planning
Financial Planning has got many objectives to look forward to:
a. Determining capital requirements- This will depend upon factors like
cost of current and fixed assets, promotional expenses and long- range
planning. Capital requirements have to be looked with both aspects:
short- term and long- term requirements.
b. Determining capital structure- The capital structure is the composition
of capital, i.e., the relative kind and proportion of capital required in the
business. This includes decisions of debt- equity ratio- both short-term
and long- term.
c. Framing financial policies with regards to cash control, lending,
borrowings, etc.
d. A finance manager ensures that the scarce financial resources are
maximally utilized in the best possible manner at least cost in order to
get maximum returns on investment.
Importance of Financial Planning
Financial Planning is process of framing objectives, policies, procedures,
programmes and budgets regarding the financial activities of a concern. This
ensures effective and adequate financial and investment policies. The
importance can be outlined as1. Adequate funds have to be ensured.

2. Financial Planning helps in ensuring a reasonable balance between

outflow and inflow of funds so that stability is maintained.
3. Financial Planning ensures that the suppliers of funds are easily
investing in companies which exercise financial planning.
4. Financial Planning helps in making growth and expansion programmes
which helps in long-run survival of the company.
5. Financial Planning reduces uncertainties with regards to changing
market trends which can be faced easily through enough funds.
6. Financial Planning helps in reducing the uncertainties which can be a
hindrance to growth of the company. This helps in ensuring stability an
d profitability in concern.
http://www.managementstudyguide.com/finance-functions.htm
Financial activities of a firm is one of the most important and complex
activities of a firm. Therefore in order to take care of these activities a
financial manager performs all the requisite financial activities.
A financial manger is a person who takes care of all the important financial
functions of an organization. The person in charge should maintain a far
sightedness in order to ensure that the funds are utilized in the most efficient
manner. His actions directly affect the Profitability, growth and goodwill of
the firm.
Following are the main functions of a Financial Manager:
1. Raising of Funds
In order to meet the obligation of the business it is important to have
enough cash and liquidity. A firm can raise funds by the way of equity
and debt. It is the responsibility of a financial manager to decide the
ratio between debt and equity. It is important to maintain a good
balance between equity and debt.
2. Allocation of Funds
Once the funds are raised through different channels the next
important function is to allocate the funds. The funds should be
allocated in such a manner that they are optimally used. In order to
allocate funds in the best possible manner the following point must be
considered

The size of the firm and its growth capability

Status of assets whether they are long term or short tem

Mode by which the funds are raised.

These financial decisions directly and indirectly influence other

managerial activities. Hence formation of a good asset mix and proper
allocation of funds is one of the most important activity
3. Profit Planning
Profit earning is one of the prime functions of any business
organization. Profit earning is important for survival and sustenance of
any organization. Profit planning refers to proper usage of the profit
generated by the firm. Profit arises due to many factors such as
pricing, industry competition, state of the economy, mechanism of
demand and supply, cost and output. A healthy mix of variable and
fixed factors of production can lead to an increase in the profitability of
the firm. Fixed costs are incurred by the use of fixed factors of
production such as land and machinery. In order to maintain a tandem
it is important to continuously value the depreciation cost of fixed cost
of production. An opportunity cost must be calculated in order to
replace those factors of production which has gone thrown wear and
tear. If this is not noted then these fixed cost can cause huge
fluctuations in profit.
4. Understanding Capital Markets
Shares of a company are traded on stock exchange and there is a
continuous sale and purchase of securities. Hence a clear
understanding of capital market is an important function of a financial
manager. When securities are traded on stock market there involves a
huge amount of risk involved. Therefore a financial manger
understands and calculates the risk involved in this trading of shares
and debentures. Its on the discretion of a financial manager as to how
distribute the profits. Many investors do not like the firm to distribute
the profits amongst share holders as dividend instead invest in the
business itself to enhance growth. The practices of a financial manager
directly impact the operation in capital market.
Some of the major functions of a financial manager are as follows: 1.
Estimating the Amount of Capital Required 2. Determining Capital Structure
3. Choice of Sources of Funds 4. Procurement of Funds 5. Utilisation of Funds
6. Disposal of Profits or Surplus 7. Management of Cash 8. Financial Control.

Financial Manager is the executive who manages the financial matters of a

business.
The functions of Financial Manager are discussed below:
1. Estimating the Amount of Capital Required:
This is the foremost function of the financial manager. Business firms require
capital for:
(i) purchase of fixed assets,
(ii) meeting working capital requirements, and
(iii) modernisation and expansion of business.
The financial manager makes estimates of funds required for both short-term
and long-term.
2. Determining Capital Structure:
Once the requirement of capital funds has been determined, a decision
regarding the kind and proportion of various sources of funds has to be
taken. For this, financial manager has to determine the proper mix of equity
and debt and short-term and long-term debt ratio. This is done to achieve
minimum cost of capital and maximise shareholders wealth.
3. Choice of Sources of Funds:
Before the actual procurement of funds, the finance manager has to decide
the sources from which the funds are to be raised. The management can
raise finance from various sources like equity shareholders, preference
shareholders, debenture- holders, banks and other financial institutions,
public deposits, etc.

4. Procurement of Funds:
The financial manager takes steps to procure the funds required for the
business. It might require negotiation with creditors and financial institutions,
issue of prospectus, etc. The procurement of funds is dependent not only
upon cost of raising funds but also on other factors like general market
conditions, choice of investors, government policy, etc.
5. Utilisation of Funds:
The funds procured by the financial manager are to be prudently invested in
various assets so as to maximise the return on investment: While taking
investment decisions, management should be guided by three important
principles, viz., safety, profitability, and liquidity.
6. Disposal of Profits or Surplus:
The financial manager has to decide how much to retain for ploughing back
and how much to distribute as dividend to shareholders out of the profits of
the company. The factors which influence these decisions include the trend
of earnings of the company, the trend of the market price of its shares, the
requirements of funds for self- financing the future programmes and so on.
7. Management of Cash:
Management of cash and other current assets is an important task of
financial manager. It involves forecasting the cash inflows and outflows to
ensure that there is neither shortage nor surplus of cash with the firm.
Sufficient funds must be available for purchase of materials, payment of
wages and meeting day-to-day expenses.

8. Financial Control:
Evaluation of financial performance is also an important function of financial
manager. The overall measure of evaluation is Return on Investment (ROI).
The other techniques of financial control and evaluation include budgetary
control, cost control, internal audit, break-even analysis and ratio analysis.
The financial manager must lay emphasis on financial planning as well.
Responsibilities of Financial Management Staf

Effective cost-control standards and strong internal controls are a large part
of what separates highly successful businesses from less-successful ones.
Although every associate from the business owner on down is responsible for
controlling costs and adhering to internal controls, members of the financial
management staff provide financial oversight for the entire organization. The
specific role the financial management staff plays may depend on the size of
the business, but it often includes monitoring, analysis and advising duties.
Who Financial Managers Are
The smaller the business, the smaller and more varied the responsibilities of
the financial management staff will be. In a medium to large business, each
member of the financial management staff may be responsible for different
areas of the business. There might, for example, be one staff member
responsible for overseeing the credit department, one responsible for
overseeing cash flows and one responsible for risk management. In a small
business, however, there may be only one or two staff members technically
on the financial management staff who enlist the help of department
managers in carrying out daily responsibilities.
Overseers of Internal Controls
One of the most important responsibilities of the financial management staff
is to ensure that each department develops, implements and adheres to
internal business controls. The stronger the internal control system, the less
chance a business has of falling victim to fraud, waste or abuse. Monitoring
responsibilities may include participating in scheduled and random internal
department audits and analyzing department financial data. Other
responsibilities may include assisting in creating business policies such as a
code of ethics or conduct that set behavioral expectations and outline
consequences for violations.

Profit Expansion Specialists

Financial managers spend time analyzing market and economic trends, and
historic and current sales revenues to find ways to maximize business profits.
Financial staff members dont make decisions about, for example, whether to
expand the business, add a new product line or move in a different direction.
They do, however, provide information and give advice that can help a
business owner or senior managers make critical financial decisions. They
also assist in profit expansion by working with department managers to find
additional ways to control costs.
Planning Experts
Year end is a busy time for financial management staffers. Many are
responsible for advising and for assisting department managers and the
business owner in creating budgets and forecasts for the upcoming year.
Responsibilities can include financial statement analysis, assisting in creating
sales and inventory forecasts and analyzing expenses to assist in budget
planning. Other planning responsibilities may include cash flow management
planning to ensure the business has funds on hand to meet daily expenses
and minimize the necessity of using outside funding sources.
Report Creators
Routine end-of-month reporting responsibilities are often left to department
employees, while members of the financial management staff take
responsibility for reviewing reports for accuracy. Government, tax and
industry-specific reporting, however, are often the sole responsibility of the
financial management staff. Information contained in routine and specialized
reports is then provided to the business owner, senior managers and, if
appropriate, department managers.