Components of a Process
Events: Events are the conditions which must exist for the process to be performed. It is something that happens as opposed to something that is done on purpose. It can think of as the effect which occurs after sufficient cause is provided. Each process starts and ends with an event. Tasks: A task is the […]
Will Hire and Fire at Will Labour Laws Work in the Indian Socio-Economic Context?
Why Indian Industry is Clamouring for Hire and Fire at Will Labour Laws? In recent months, there has been lot of clamour from the Indian Corporates and MSMEs or the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises to the government to allow them to hire and fire workers and professionals at will. Hire and Fire at Will […]
What is Brand Promise? – Mistakes to Avoid While Building it
Brand evokes the responses. There are many people who love their Apple iPod or love their car etc. There are certain feelings that come to your mind when you think about your favorite brands. People expect that these brands should demonstrate brand promises every time whenever they are, encountered. Inconsistencies in the performance of services […]
Non Verbal Communication – Actions Speak Louder than Words
Scenario 1 – You are sitting in front of an interview panel with arms crossed. So far you have not been asked a single question, however, your crossed arms have spoken louder than the words. Tip 1 – Never keep your arms crossed especially during formal one-on-one meetings. It suggests you are not open to […]
Role of Society and Culture in Shaping Youth Entrepreneurship
Building Your Entrepreneurship everywhere is the necessity of all nations. There is recognition of the fact that the soft power of the future is in the country’s youth and moulding them is important to ensure overall progress of the society. Youth unemployment and absence of Your Entrepreneurship developmental programs creates not only economic problems in […]
As we have seen earlier that there is a wide variety of financial ratios available. They fall into many categories and if variations are included there are hundreds of types of ratios that are common in practice. However, all the ratios are not used by everyone on a regular basis. There are some ratios which are more important to some user groups than they are to other user groups. This article explains why this is the case:
The management of the company may not be so concerned with the results. They are usually more interested in the cause. This is because while other classes of stakeholders do not have control over the working of the firm i.e. the cause, the management does. All the other stakeholders question the management at the annual general meeting. Hence, management tries to get as much insight into the ratios as possible. They create operating performance ratios and compare it to their previous performance and to the performance of others to learn from the past as well as to be able to give satisfactory answers to the investors.
Shareholders, for obvious reasons, are most concerned about profitability. Their investments are at risk and they expect to gain the maximum. Investors scrutinize profitability numbers and pounce upon the slightest signs of mismanagement. For the shareholders, the profitability ratios are the beginning point. They then follow the trail the ratios leave. However over the past two decades the focus has been steadily shifting towards cash flow ratios.
Debt holders and suppliers are concerned whether they will be paid the amount promised to them at the date that was promised to them. It is for this reason that they are very concerned about the liquidity of the firm. Slightest signs of liquidity issues are met with supply cutbacks from suppliers.
The fact that debt holders are concerned about the same ratios creates a self reinforcing negative loop for the company. This is because at the same time when suppliers cut credit and supplies, debt holders refuse to lend more money and the whole situation becomes a cash crunch.
While debt holders are suppliers are concerned about short term liquidity and cash flow, credit rating agencies go a step ahead. They use solvency ratios to rigorously analyze whether the company will be able to make good its obligations in the long run.
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