Pages In Length Financial Managers May Work Alongside Genera
2 Pages In Lengthfinancial Managers May Work Alongside General Servic
2 pages in length. Financial managers may work alongside general services managers to address certain measures of liquidity. How might a financial manager and the department administrator for your chosen capital investment plan work together to make an effort on reducing days in accounts receivable? If you are successful with your financial performance and are paid a bonus based on profitability, which measure should be used?
Paper For Above instruction
In the realm of organizational financial management, collaboration between financial managers and department administrators plays a pivotal role in maintaining and improving liquidity measures. Specifically, efforts to reduce days in accounts receivable (AR) are crucial for enhancing cash flow and operational efficiency. This partnership becomes especially significant when implementing a capital investment plan, which often involves substantial financial commitments and necessitates careful liquidity management. Furthermore, when financial performance influences bonuses tied to profitability, selecting appropriate performance measures is essential for aligning individual and organizational goals.
To effectively reduce days in accounts receivable, a financial manager and a department administrator must collaborate on multiple fronts. First, the financial manager's expertise in financial analysis and cash flow management complements the department administrator's operational insight and process control. Together, they can identify inefficiencies in invoicing, collections, and credit policies. For example, the financial manager might analyze historical AR data to pinpoint delays or bottlenecks, while the administrator can implement process improvements in invoice issuance and follow-up procedures. Streamlining invoicing processes and ensuring prompt issuance can significantly decrease the time between service delivery and cash receipt.
Moreover, credit policies can be reviewed jointly to balance risk and liquidity. By establishing clear credit limits and payment terms, and enforcing these policies consistently, they can prevent overdue accounts and expedite collections. Regular communication between finance and operations fosters proactive management of receivables, such as early alerts on overdue accounts or discounts for early payments, which incentivize faster cash inflows.
In the context of a capital investment plan, these efforts are further supplemented by forecasts and scenario analyses conducted by the financial manager. They can project the impact of receivable reductions on overall liquidity and plan accordingly. The department administrator ensures that operational practices align with these financial strategies, fostering a culture of accountability and promptness in receivables collection.
When financial performance is rewarded through bonuses based on profitability, selecting the appropriate measure is crucial to incentivize behaviors that support both profitability and liquidity. While net income is a common profitability measure, it may not fully capture operational efficiencies such as effective receivables management. Therefore, a more comprehensive performance metric like Return on Assets (ROA) or Operating Cash Flow (OCF) may be appropriate. These measures reflect the company's ability to generate cash and efficiently utilize assets, directly tying into liquidity health.
Operating Cash Flow (OCF) is particularly relevant because it measures actual cash generated from core operations, including collections from receivables. A focus on OCF as a bonus metric encourages managers to optimize cash inflows, speed up collections, and reduce accounts receivable days—thus aligning individual incentives with organizational liquidity and profitability goals.
In conclusion, collaboration between financial managers and department administrators is vital for reducing days in accounts receivable, which enhances liquidity and improves financial stability. Selecting a bonus measure like Operating Cash Flow incentivizes behaviors that directly influence cash management and profitability, creating a synergistic environment where operational efficiency and financial health are mutually reinforced. This strategic partnership and appropriate performance measurement ultimately support sustainable growth and financial robustness.
References
- Brigham, E. F., & Ehrhardt, M. C. (2019). Financial Management: Theory & Practice. Cengage Learning.
- Gonzalez, K., & Wahlen, J. (2018). Financial Reporting Quality and Cash Flow Management. Journal of Accounting & Economics, 66(2-3), 372-399.
- Higgins, R. C. (2018). Analysis for Financial Management. McGraw-Hill Education.
- Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R., & Jordan, B. D. (2020). Fundamentals of Corporate Finance. McGraw-Hill Education.
- Simons, R. (2018). Performance Measurement & Control Systems for Implementing Strategy. Pearson Education.
- Van Horne, J. C., & Wachowicz, J. M. (2017). Fundamentals of Financial Management. Pearson.
- Brigham, E. F., & Houston, J. F. (2021). Fundamentals of Financial Management. Cengage Learning.
- Damodaran, A. (2015). Applied Corporate Finance. Wiley.
- Healy, P. M., & Palepu, K. (2017). Business Analysis & Valuation: Using Financial Statements. Cengage Learning.
- Lev, B. (2019). Financial Statement Analysis: A Practitioner's Guide. Wiley.