Corporate Finance I - Capital Budgeting, Capital Structure and Working Capital Management (2024)

Corporate Finance I - Capital Budgeting, Capital Structure and Working Capital Management (1)

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Ashish Agarwal Corporate Finance I - Capital Budgeting, Capital Structure and Working Capital Management (2)

Ashish Agarwal

Agile Coach, Scrum Master, Technology Evangelist, Blogger and Lifetime Learner

Published Sep 12, 2023

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Let's look at the definitions and explanations of capital budgeting, capital structure, and working capital management, along with relevant examples for each concept:

Capital Budgeting

Capital budgeting, also known as investment appraisal or capital expenditure decision-making, refers to the process of evaluating and selecting long-term investment projects or opportunities that involve significant cash outflows but are expected to generate future cash inflows. The goal of capital budgeting is to allocate financial resources to projects that have the potential to yield the highest returns and contribute to the organization's value.

Example: Imagine a manufacturing company considering the purchase of a new automated production line. The cost of the production line is $2 million, and the company expects that this investment will result in cost savings of $500,000 per year for the next five years. To determine the feasibility of the project, the company calculates the Net Present Value (NPV), which takes into account the time value of money. If the NPV is positive, indicating that the present value of the expected cash inflows exceeds the initial investment, the project is considered viable and can be pursued.

Capital Structure

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Capital structure refers to the mix of debt and equity financing that a company uses to fund its operations and investments. It's the composition of a company's liabilities, including long-term debt, short-term debt, and equity. The decision about the optimal capital structure involves balancing the benefits of lower financing costs associated with debt against the potential risks of financial distress.

Example: A company has a choice between issuing $10 million in bonds (debt) or raising $10 million through issuing new shares of stock (equity). The bonds have an interest rate of 5%. The company's cost of equity is 10%. The company's management evaluates the cost of capital for both debt and equity and considers the trade-offs. If the cost of debt is lower than the cost of equity, the company might opt for debt financing to lower its overall cost of capital and potentially increase shareholder value.

Working Capital Management

Working capital management involves managing a company's short-term assets (e.g., cash, accounts receivable, inventory) and liabilities (e.g., accounts payable, short-term loans) to ensure smooth day-to-day operations. The objective is to maintain an optimal level of working capital that balances the need for liquidity with the efficient use of resources.

Example: A retail business needs to manage its working capital to ensure it has enough inventory to meet customer demand while also maintaining healthy cash flow. If the company orders too much inventory, it ties up cash that could be used for other purposes. On the other hand, if it orders too little inventory, it might not be able to fulfill customer orders promptly. By optimizing the balance between inventory, accounts receivable, and accounts payable, the company can operate efficiently while ensuring that it has the necessary resources to meet its obligations.

Hence, capital budgeting focuses on selecting the best investment projects, capital structure involves determining the appropriate mix of debt and equity financing, and working capital management revolves around efficiently managing short-term assets and liabilities. These concepts are essential components of financial management that influence a company's financial health, growth prospects, and value creation.

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Notes from MBA Corporate Finance I - Capital Budgeting, Capital Structure and Working Capital Management (6)

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Corporate Finance I - Capital Budgeting, Capital Structure and Working Capital Management (2024)

FAQs

Corporate Finance I - Capital Budgeting, Capital Structure and Working Capital Management? ›

Hence, capital budgeting focuses on selecting the best investment projects, capital structure involves determining the appropriate mix of debt and equity financing, and working capital management revolves around efficiently managing short-term assets and liabilities.

What are the three main areas of corporate finance? ›

What Are the 3 Main Areas of Corporate Finance? The main areas of corporate finance are capital budgeting (e.g., for investing in company projects), capital financing (deciding how to fund projects/operations), and working capital management (managing assets and liabilities to operate efficiently).

What is capital structure and corporate finance? ›

Capital structure is the particular combination of debt and equity used by a company to finance its overall operations and growth. Equity capital arises from ownership shares in a company and claims to its future cash flows and profits.

What is capital budgeting in corporate finance? ›

Capital budgeting is a method of estimating the financial viability of a capital investment over the life of the investment. Unlike some other types of investment analysis, capital budgeting focuses on cash flows rather than profits.

What are the 4 main components of working capital management and explain? ›

A well-run firm manages its short-term debt and current and future operational expenses through its management of working capital, the components of which are inventories, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and cash.

What are the five basic corporate finance functions? ›

The five basic corporate functions are financing (or capital raising), capital budgeting, financial management, corporate governance, and risk management. These functions are all related, for example, a company needs financing to fund its capital budgeting choices.

What is the corporate finance structure? ›

Its structure can be a combination of long-term and short-term debt and/or common and preferred equity. The ratio between a firm's liability and its equity is often the basis for determining how well balanced or risky the company's capital financing is.

What is capital budgeting and capital structure? ›

Hence, capital budgeting focuses on selecting the best investment projects, capital structure involves determining the appropriate mix of debt and equity financing, and working capital management revolves around efficiently managing short-term assets and liabilities.

What is an example of capital structure in corporate finance? ›

For instance, a company may have a capital structure of 60% equity and 40% debt, indicating that 60% of its funds are raised through equity, and 40% through debt.

What are the four types of capital structure? ›

The types of capital structure are equity share capital, debt, preference share capital, and vendor finance. In addition, it ensures accurate funds utilization for business. The right capital structure level decreases the overall capital cost to the highest level. Also, it increases the public entity's valuation.

What does working capital management manage? ›

Working capital management represents the relationship between a firm's short-term assets and its short-term liabilities. It aims to ensure that a company can afford its day-to-day operating expenses while also investing the company's assets in the most successful direction possible.

What are examples of capital budgeting? ›

Capital budgeting is the process of evaluating long-term investments. Examples include the addition or replacement of a fixed asset, like machinery, or a large-scale project, such as buying real estate or another company.

What are the three types of capital budgeting? ›

This method has three approaches, namely:
  • Net present value (NPV) The net present value capital budgeting approach calculates how profitable a project may be in the future. ...
  • Internal rate of return (IRR) ...
  • Profitability index (PI)
Feb 16, 2024

What are the three keys of working capital management? ›

Three ratios that are important in working capital management are the working capital ratio, the collection ratio, and the inventory turnover ratio.

What are the three types of working capital management? ›

The three types of working capital are permanent working capital, temporary working capital, and negative working capital. Permanent working capital is the minimum number of current assets required to run a business.

What are the problems with working capital management? ›

What are the key challenges associated with working capital management?
  • Lack of real-time data.
  • Poor inventory management.
  • Dealing with multiple stakeholders.
  • Poor investment and borrowing practices.
May 25, 2023

What are the three important areas of finance discussed in this section? ›

Basic Areas in Finance. Finance is divided into three primary areas in the domestic market: business finance, investments, and financial markets and institutions (see Figure 1.2).

What are the decision areas of corporate finance? ›

There are three types of financial decisions- investment, financing, and dividend. Managers take investment decisions regarding various securities, instruments, and assets. They take financing decisions to ensure regular and continuous financing of the organisations.

What are the different areas of finance? ›

Finance is the management of money which includes investing, borrowing, lending, budgeting, saving and forecasting. There are four main areas of finance: banks, institutions, public accounting and corporate.

What are the three largest or most important professional organizations in finance? ›

In the financial services industry, there are several national and regional associations that advisors may consider joining. The FPA, FSP, NAPFA, and FMA are just four of the most well-respected associations, which we discuss in turn.

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