Page 1 - Lesson Note 1
P. 1
SAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Class-12
th
Business studies
Chapter – 9, Financial Management
Topics: Meaning, Role, Objectives, Financial decision
(lesson - 30)
MEANING OF BUSINESS FINANCE
Money required for carrying out business activities is called business finance. Almost all
business activities require some finance. Finance is needed to establish a business, to run it, to
modernize it, to expand, or diversify it. It is required for buying a variety of assets, which may be
tangible like machinery, factories, buildings, and offices; or intangible such as trademarks,
patents, technical expertise, etc. Also, finance is central to running the day-to-day operations of
business, like buying material, paying bills, salaries, collecting cash from customers, etc. needed
at every stage in the life of a business entity. Availability of adequate finance is, thus, very
crucial for the survival and growth of a business.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
All finance comes at some cost. It is quite imperative that it needs to be carefully managed.
Financial Management is concerned with optimal procurement as well as the usage of
finance.
For optimal procurement, different available sources of finance are identified and compared in
terms of their costs and associated risks. Similarly, the finance so procured needs to be invested
in a manner that the returns from the investment exceed the cost at which procurement has taken
place.
Financial Management aims at reducing the cost of funds procured, keeping the risk under
control and achieving effective deployment of such funds. It also aims at ensuring availability of
enough funds whenever required as well as avoiding idle finance. Needless to emphasize, the
future of a business depends a great deal on the quality of its financial management.
Importance /Role of Financial Management:
The role of financial management cannot be overemphasized, since it has a direct bearing on the
financial health of a business. The financial statements, such as Balance Sheet and Profit and
Loss Account, reflect a firm’s financial position and its financial health.
Almost all items in the financial statements of a business are affected directly or indirectly
through some financial management decisions.
Some prominent examples of the aspects being affected could be as under:

