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• Module overview
• 1. Introduction to budgets
  • 1.1 Introduction to the Budget Process
  • 1.2 Budget types
    • 1.2.1 The Budget Guidelines
    • 1.2.2 The Sales Budget
    • 1.2.3 Budget for Operating Expenses
    • 1.2.4 Profit Budget
    • 1.2.5 Cash-Flow Budget
    • 1.2.6 The Financial Position Budget
    • 1.2.7 Additional Types of Budgets
    • 1.2.8 Additional Budgeting Techniques
  • 1.3 The budget process and its objectives
  • 1.4 Budgets for performance management
    • 1.4.1 Master budget

• 2. Planning the budget

  • 2.1 Planning the Budget
    • 2.1.1 Business income
    • 2.1.2 Visual representation of sales and budgets
    • 2.1.3 The break-even point
    • 2.1.4 Contribution margin

• 3. Controlling the budget

  • 3.1 Controlling budgets
    • 3.1.1 Variance analysis
    • 3.1.2 Taking action to achieve the objectives of the budget
    • 3.1.3 Resource acquisition and usage

• 4. Introduction to Financial Management

  • 4.1 Business Objectives
    • 4.1.1 Maximising profit
    • 4.1.2 Maximising wealth
  • 4.2 Ethics and conflicts in business
    • 4.2.1 The dilemma of ethics in finance, investment and accounting
  • 4.3 Financial Managers
    • 4.3.1 Financial information and objectives
    • 4.3.2 Accounting, the financial information system
  • 4.4 The finance function
    • 4.4.1 Business and financial calculations

• 5. Elements of Business and Financial Management

  • 5.1 Business Structures
    • 5.1.1 Sole proprietors
    • 5.1.2 Partnerships
    • 5.1.3 Corporations and companies
  • 5.2 Reporting financial data and information
  • 5.3 Financial reports
    • 5.3.1 Statement of financial performance (profit and loss statement)
  • 5.4 Capital Markets
    • 5.4.1 Capital Markets
  • 5.5 Regulation and financial institutions
    • 5.5.1 Interest rates, supply and demand and market efficiency
  • 5.6 An overview of taxation implications

• 6. Obtaining Funds: Sources of Long Term and Short Term Finance

  • 6.1 Finance from external sources
    • 6.1.1 Equity finance
  • 6.2 Debt
  • 6.3 Long-term debt
    • 6.3.1 Debentures and unsecured notes (bonds)
    • 6.3.2 Mortgage loans
  • 6.4 Hybrids of debt and equity
  • 6.5 Leasing
    • 6.5.1 Operating Lease
    • 6.5.2 Financial Lease
    • 6.5.3 Distinguishing between an operating lease and a financial lease
    • 6.5.4 Sale and Leaseback
    • 6.5.5 The issue of gearing
  • 6.6 Short-term debt
    • 6.6.1 Bank Overdrafts
    • 6.6.2 Fully drawn advance
  • 6.7 Retained Earnings, internal funds and depreciation

• 7. Managing Working Capital

  • 7.1 Managing current assets and current liabilities
    • 7.1.1 Appropriate level of working capital
  • 7.2 Managing inventories
    • 7.2.1 Reasons for holding inventories
    • 7.2.2 The economic order quantity (EOQ)
    • 7.2.3 Re-order point (ROP)
    • 7.3.4 Safety stock (SS)
    • 7.2.5 Quantity discounts
  • 7.3 Managing trade debtors (accounts receivable)
    • 7.3.1 Credit policies
    • 7.3.2 Collection period
    • 7.3.3 Managing cash and near-cash assets
    • 7.3.4 Managing trade creditors (accounts payable)

• 8. Job Costing

  • 8.1 Accounting information about product, service and project costs
    • 8.1.1 Full costing
    • 8.1.2 Single product/service line
    • 8.1.3 Multi product/service
    • 8.1.4 Direct and indirect costs
  • 8.2 How costs behave
    • 8.2.1 Allocating Overheads
  • 8.4 Cost drivers
    • 8.4.1 ABC and the service industry
  • 8.5 Conclusion

4.3.1 Financial information and objectives

The financial objectives of an organisation are directly formulated from the organisation's overall objectives (its strategic plan). For example, the financial objectives of a particular firm may be:

• An annual increase in earnings per share of 5% for the next five years
• Gearing to be held at a level of 45% (long term debt should not exceed 45% of the value of total resources or assets)
• Liabilities to be capped at 65% of total assets
• Earnings must be at least three times interest payable on debt

Management set these financial objectives with the best available, relevant and timely information that includes sales data, potential earnings, cash flow streams, asset funding and scheduled payments of debts.

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