Financial Decision Making: Importance, Roles, and Ratios of Skansa Plc
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This document discusses the importance, duties, and roles of the accounting and finance functions in financial decision-making. It also includes a ratio analysis of Skansa Plc, highlighting its performance and providing recommendations for potential investors.
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FINANCIAL DECISION MAKING
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Financial decision-making implies the decisions related to the optimum utilization of the financial resources of the company. The project shows the various accounting and the finance functions that are undertaken by the organization. It shall also ensure that operational efficiency and the achievement of the organizational objectives. The ratio analysis of the Skansa Plc shows that the company is on the downward graph.
TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................2 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1 TASK-1............................................................................................................................................1 Importance, duties and roles of the accounting and finance functions........................................1 TASK- 2...........................................................................................................................................4 (a) Calculations of ratios of Skansa Plc.......................................................................................4 (b) Interpretation of the ratios of Skansa Plc...............................................................................5 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7 REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
INTRODUCTION Financial decision making is focused with the management of the finances in a company from the acquisition, sources, utilization, managing the costs and budgeting in the company. These decisions are taken by the accounting and finance department of the company. This report shall be highlighting the various functions that are played by the accounting and finance department of the organization, and they shall assist in the proper decision-making in the business. Apart from that the report shall be reflecting the ratio analysis of Skansa Plc and the comparison in the performance that is generated in two years. Further it shall also recommend upon whether an investor must invest in the company or not. TASK-1 Importance, duties and roles of the accounting and finance functions 1. Accounting Department:- ï‚·Financial accounting-This is one of the significant functions of accounting department underwhichthetransactionsofthebusinessarerecorded,summarizedandthen presented in the financial statements of the company. The financial statements of the company include the primary books of accounts, profit and loss account, balance sheet, cash flow statement and the statement representing the changes in the position of the equity shareholders of the company.These financial statements are then analysed and interpreted by the internal and the external users of the company and assess the financial and the liquidity position of the company (Cockcroft and Russell, 2018). They can also be used to facilitate comparison internally to find out the inefficient departments and externally with the competitors that are there in the industry. The financial accounting is further capable of meeting the various other functions of the business as on the basis of these statements the planning and decisions shall be taken by the company. ï‚·Management accounting-This is another major function that is performed by the accounting department of the organization which is concerned with facilitating the decision-making process in respect of the future operations of the company. Post the financial accounting is undertaken the financial information pertaining to the statements shall be communicated to the management of the company who shall use this data to formulate the strategic decisions for the company which can enhance the performance and lead to the achievement of the organizational objectives of the company. The 1
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budgeting shall be done for the coming period using the past data that is provided to the company. Based on this budget the optimum allocation of the resources will be made such that the costs are minimized and the targets are fulfilled (Spanicciati, 2019). They shall also perform the control duties by rectifying the deviations that have occurred in the budgeted performance of the company. ï‚·Tax functions-Apart from all the other roles and responsibilities that are undertaken by the accounting department it also plays an important role in the tax management of the company. This involves tracking the tax liabilities, advance tax, outstanding tax and the various tax filing documents of the company. They determine the taxable income of the company and by complying with all the prescribed rules of the Income tax act they shall file the returns. Also, the knowledgeable tax accountants plan the revenues in the manner that the deductions or the exemptions can be availed by the company and ultimately the tax liability of the company can be reduced. In the financial decisions of the company the debt financing is preferred over equity this is because interest is a tax-deductible expenses and it allows financial leverage to the company. So it can be evaluated that the assessment of tax is an important duty of the accounting department.ï‚·Auditing function-Internal auditing is another role that is fulfilled by the accounting department of Skansa Plc which to control and govern the internal operations and present a true and fair view through the financial statements of the company. It de-motivates the internal frauds, material misstatements, errors, compliance issues etc. that can be there in the accounting of the company's transactions (Suprapto, 2019). The auditing ensures the transparency, corporate governance and ethical code of conduct in the internal affairs of the business. This function shall be facilitating proper control of the operations and shall contribute in enhancing the efficiency and reducing the fraudulent practices that take place in the organization. Apart from that it shall also maintain the integrity and confidentiality of the company's data. The audited financial statements shall also increase the confidence of the users of financial statements in the business and motivate the investors to invest theiramount in the business. The accuracy and fairness of the data shall be positively publicizing the company. 2. Finance Department:- 2
ï‚·Investment function-This function of the finance department is focusing upon the first and the foremost segment which is the acquisition of the finances from the different money market and capital market instruments. It ascertains the finance is arranged by minimizing the cost of acquisition and risk of its repayment. Under the money market instruments there can be certificate of deposits, bill discounting and treasury bills. Whereas the capital market instruments for a longer period than one year and it includes the various debt and equity sources of financing. Apart from that the investment function also include the decision regrading the capital structure of the company which needs to be balanced in a way that the fixed obligations and the dilution of the capital both are balanced and optimized (Melnychenko, 2017). It can be done in accordance with the investment plan which shall show the returns post covering the costs of its acquisition. ï‚·Financing function-The investment function that shall be undertaken by the finance department of Skansa Plc is concerned about the allocation of the financial resources of the company for the capital expenditures of the business (Finance Functions, 2021). These capital expenditures are conducted in order process the growth, expansions and up- gradations in the business which involves huge amounts, long term, irreversible decision and the risky ventures. These decisions are to be taken by the management post the analysis of the cash flows that shall be generated, growth in the returns, availability of the resources and its feasibility for the business. These decisions are taken for the major objectives of the business which are to maximize the profitability and the shareholder's wealth for the business. The various investment opportunities are analysed to find out the best out of themwhich is selected based on the different techniques of investment appraisal like the net present value, internal rate of return, payback period etc. These are then applied in the business to enhance the returns that are generated. ï‚·Dividend function-This function in the company is associated with the decision related to the payment of dividend to the shareholders of the company. From the amount of profit that is left with the company they have to ascertain that what amount is to be retained in the company for the future investments and what proportion of these earnings are to be extended to the shareholders of the company as returns on the capital contribution that they have done in the business (Popoola, 2018). The declaration of dividend has to be done viably by the management because this shall decide the future prosperity of the 3
businessandalsotheobjectiveofwealthmaximizationoftheshareholders.The dividends must also be as per the needs and expectations of theshareholders of the company. Their level of satisfaction shall further attract new investors for the company and increase the value of the same. Working capital function-The working capital functions shall be measuring the amount of working capital that needs to be maintained by the business so that the operations can be conducted smoothly and efficiently. Working capital is the difference between the current assets and current liabilities of the company. The working capital must at-least be sufficient to meet the short term obligations that are due on the company and also is sufficient to run the operating cycle of the business. Excess amount is also good for the company as idle cash shall not give any benefits to the company but pose the cost of acquisition. So the accurate amount of the working capital is to be accessed by the management that is to be maintained in the company. TASK- 2 (a) Calculations of ratios of Skansa Plc. S.NORATIOSFORMULACALCULATIONS 20182019 1 Return on Capital Employed Earnings before interest and tax/ Capital employed (total assets – current liabilities)*10019.60%16.70% Earnings before interest and tax750975 Total assets44708070 Current Liabilities6452220 2Net Profit Margin Net profit/ Revenue from operations*10012.50%11.25% Net Profit600675 Revenue from operations48006000 3Current RatioCurrent assets/ Current liabilities2.3480.932 Current assets15152070 Current Liabilities6452220 4 Average Receivable Days/ Debtors Collection Period Accounts Receivable/ Revenue from operations*36568.437573 Accounts Receivable9001200 4
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Revenue from operations48006000 5 Average Payable Days/ Creditors Collection PeriodAccounts payable/ Purchases*36577.055159.6875 Accounts Payable5702100 Purchases27004800 (b) Interpretation of the ratios of Skansa Plc. 1. Return on capital employed-The return on capital employed is the ratio that shall measure the profitability that is ascertainable to the capital of the company. It shows the efficiency with which the capital of the company is used to derive profits for the company. The table above shows that Skansa is earning 19.6% profits on the capital that is employed in the business operations whereas it can be observed that in the year 2019 this ratio has fallen down to 16.70%. The efficiency with which the capital of the company is used has decreased in the subsequent year indicating that the operational efficiency has declined impacting the overall performance of the business (Zolfani, Yazdani and Zavadskas, 2018). 2. Net profit margin-The net profit margin is the profitability ratio of the company which shows the amount of profit that is earned by the company on the sales made during the year by the company. It shows the returns that are generated per dollar of sale that is made by the company. As per the financial data of the Skansa Plc it can be inferred that in the year 2018 the company is earning a net profit of 12.5% but on the contrary in the year 2019 the company has earned 11.25%. Despite the fact that in the year 2019 the sales have increased for the company yet its profitability have reduced significantly (Zavadskas and et.al., 2018). This can be due to the increased expenses and costs of the company. This shows lack of the operational efficiency in the employees of the company due to which economies of scale is not attained in the company. 3. Current ratio-The current ratio of the company shows the availability of the current assets to meet the short term obligations and the liabilities of the company (Zolfani and Chatterjee, 2019). These are the assets that can be converted to cash within a period of 1 year and so they shall be used in meeting the short term liabilities that are to be arisen within the period of 1 year. The financial statements of the Skansa shows that its current ratio in the year 2018 is 2.34 whereas in the year 2019 is just 0.9. This shows that in 2018 the availability was even more than double the liabilities that are to be met within the financial year. But this has significantly got affected in the 5
year 2019 where the current assets is even less than the current liabilities that are to be met in the period. This shows high level of inefficiency that is pertaining in the company (Liang, Zhao and Hong, 2019). The management of the company has to take actions to improve the liquidity of the company so that financially the company can prosper and the operations of the business can be smoothly undertaken. 4. Average receivable days/ Debtors collection period-The debtors collection period shows the number of days that are allowed as the credit period to the debtors of the company. This period must be in sync with the creditors period so that the operating cycle of the company can smoothly and efficiently perform the operations of the business. The ratio analysis shows that the company is collecting its debt within a period of 68 days in 2018 whereas this period has increased in the year 2019 where the number of days taken by the creditors to pay off the debts is approximately 73 days. It can be seen that averagely the period of collection for the company is remaining same and it enhance the business of the company (Liu and et.al., 2020). 5. Average payable days/ Creditors collection period-The creditors collection period shows the amount of days that are taken by the company to pay off the debts to its suppliers from whom they have purchased the goods and services. In the year 2018 this period was about 77 days but unexpectedly it has rose to about 160 days. This shows high level of liquidity crisis in the company where it is not able to meet the short term liabilities of the company (Mostafa, Montemagno and Qureshi, 2018). This also affects the credibility of the company and overall distorts the brand image of Skansa. This shall also affect the supply chain of the company where suppliers shall be doubting the liquidity position of the company. In this case the company should borrow amount and meet its liabilities on time. From the above interpretation of the various ratios that are calculated for Skansa Plc it can be evaluated that the company's performance in terms of operational efficiency, management oftheassets,thirdpartyrelationshipsandthecompetitiveadvantageinthemarketis deteriorating as compared to the previous year. It can be assessed that the company is having a downward graph and investment in the company shall be a risky affair. The investors must do proper research about whether the company has any future growth prospects in the business, expansion plans, reviving strategies or the change in the current business model of the company. If any of such actions are to be undertaken then only the company can plan to execute investments in the company to determine future returns. 6
CONCLUSION It can be summarized from the above project that the accounting and finance department of the company has various functions to play and are has crucial role in the financial decision- making process of the company. These departments assess the cost budgeting and the optimum utilization of the financial resources which help the company deriving the operational efficiency and attain the organizational objectives of the business. The ratio analysis of the company shows that the performance of the company has downgraded in the subsequent year and this is the reason that the investors are suggested upon checkingout the changes or the future growth prospects before investing in the company. 7
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