mployees more closely with those of the stockholders.

Most of the responsibilities of the financial manager are not straightforward decisions with respect to maximizing shareholder wealth. Beyond maximizing shareholder wealth, financial managers also have the responsibility of acting ethically, particularly in today's financial markets with increasing media coverage and regulatory scrutiny over corporate financial scandals, like ENRON and MCI WorldCom. When Enron and WorldCom went belly-up in 2002 (two of the largest bankruptcies ever) no one demanded that their stockholders put up more money to cover the companies’ debts. Stockholders can lose their entire investment, but no more.

In summary, the task of the financial manager can be broken down into the investment, or capital budgeting, decision and the financing decision. In other words, the firm has to decide what real assets to buy and how to raise the necessary cash. Shareholders want managers to increase the value of the company’s stock, they are the owners of the corporation; the managers work for the owners.

The goal for the financial managers is to maximize shareholders (owners) wealth, not just increasing it

The job of a finance manager is a huge balancing act that requires a vast pool of knowledge. Knowing about stocks, dividends, bonds and maturity levels is the just the beginning of the job requirements. A company and organization wants to make sure that anyone who holds shares in the company will be able to profit considerably from the success of the company. The financial manager is in charge of making all this happen.

Financial managers oversee the preparation of financial reports, direct investment activities, and implement cash management strategies. Their duties vary with their specific titles, which include controller, treasurer, credit manager, and cash manager.

The role of the financial manager, particularly in business, is changing in response to technological advances that have significantly reduced the amount of time it takes to produce financial reports. Financial managers now perform more data analysis and use it to offer senior managers ideas on how to maximize profits. They often work on teams, acting as business advisors to top management. Financial managers need to keep abreast of the latest computer technology in order to increase the efficiency of their firm’s financial operations.

The financial manager stands between the firm’s operations and the financial (or capital) markets, where investors hold the financial assets issued by the firm. The financial manager’s role is illustrated in the next figure, which traces the flow of cash from investors to the firm and back to investors again. The flow starts when the firm sells securities to raise cash. The cash is used to purchase real assets used in the firm’s operations. Later, if the firm does well, the real assets generate cash inflows which more than repay the initial investment. Finally, the cash is either reinvested or returned to the investors who bought the securities.

The duties of financial managers vary with their specific titles. A financial planner works under the direction of a manager, performing various financial or budget analyses. The senior financial planner supervises the staff in performing financial/economic analyses of new projects and analyses of merger and corporate growth policies. The manager of financial planning directs the staff responsible for performing analyses in several functional areas including profit planning, capital expenditures, acquisitions, and budgeting. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) advises the president of the organization with respect to financial reporting, financial stability and liquidity, and financial growth. The CFO also directs and supervises the work of the Controller, Treasurer, and sometimes the Internal Auditing Manager. Other duties may include strengthening relationships with stockholders, financial institutions, and the investment community. Frequently, the CFO is a member of the Board of Directors and/or the Executive Committee and as such, contributes to overall organization planning, policy development, and implementation.

In addition, financial managers perform tasks unique to their organization or industry. For example, government financial managers must be experts on the government appropriations and budgeting processes, whereas healthcare financial managers must be knowledgeable about issues surrounding healthcare financing. Furthermore, financial managers must be aware of special tax laws and regulations that affect their industry.

Although the stockholders own the corporation, they do not manage it. Instead, they vote to elect a board of directors. In theory, when the financial manager acts in accord with maximizing shareholder wealth, the shareholders benefit through cash dividends and share price gains. With respect to employees, however, maximizing shareholder wealth is not always in their best, personal interest. For example, when a company announces a layoff to cut costs, stock share price often increases, as the secondary market reacts to the news as an appropriate and proactive approach to reducing costs and increasing cash flow for other priority projects. From an employee's perspective, it's a loss of job and income.

However, it is also in the best interest of the company to attract and retain a skilled workforce. If a company has a reputation for paying poorly, implementing excessive rounds of layoffs, or other unattractive human resource policies, retaining a skilled workforce will be difficult, and will have a negative effect on shareholder value as operational efficiencies, product quality, and speed to market decline. Here, financial managers may consider benefits such as employee stock grants and discount stock purchase plans (or stock options) (Online, Financial Managers). In this way, the organization can align the priorities of the employees more closely with those of the stockholders.

Most of the responsibilities of the financial manager are not straightforward decisions with respect to maximizing shareholder wealth. Beyond maximizing shareholder wealth, financial managers also have the responsibility of acting ethically, particularly in today's financial markets with increasing media coverage and regulatory scrutiny over corporate financial scandals, like ENRON and MCI WorldCom. When Enron and WorldCom went belly-up in 2002 (two of the largest bankruptcies ever) no one demanded that their stockholders put up more money to cover the companies’ debts. Stockholders can lose their entire investment, but no more.

In summary, the task of the financial manager can be broken down into the investment, or capital budgeting, decision and the financing decision. In other words, the firm has to decide what real assets to buy and how to raise the necessary cash. Shareholders want managers to increase the value of the company’s stock, they are the owners of the corporation; the managers work for the owners.

The goal for the financial managers is to maximize shareholders (owners) wealth, not just increasing it

financial operations.

The financial manager stands between the firm’s operations and the financial (or capital) markets, where investors hold the financial assets issued by the firm. The financial manager’s role is illustrated in the next figure, which traces the flow of cash from investors to the firm and back to investors again. The flow starts when the firm sells securities to raise cash. The cash is used to purchase real assets used in the firm’s operations. Later, if the firm does well, the real assets generate cash inflows which more than repay the initial investment. Finally, the cash is either reinvested or returned to the investors who bought the securities.

The duties of financial managers vary with their specific titles. A financial planner works under the direction of a manager, performing various financial or budget analyses. The senior financial planner supervises the staff in performing financial/economic analyses of new projects and analyses of merger and corporate growth policies. The manager of financial planning directs the staff responsible for performing analyses in several functional areas including profit planning, capital expenditures, acquisitions, and budgeting. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) advises the president of the organization with respect to financial reporting, financial stability and liquidity, and financial growth. The CFO also directs and supervises the work of the Controller, Treasurer, and sometimes the Internal Auditing Manager. Other duties may include strengthening relationships with stockholders, financial institutions, and the investment community. Frequently, the CFO is a member of the Board of Directors and/or the Executive Committee and as such, contributes to overall organization planning, policy development, and implementation.

In addition, financial managers perform tasks unique to their organization or industry. For example, government financial managers must be experts on the government appropriations and budgeting processes, whereas healthcare financial managers must be knowledgeable about issues surrounding healthcare financing. Furthermore, financial managers must be aware of special tax laws and regulations that affect their industry.

Although the stockholders own the corporation, they do not manage it. Instead, they vote to elect a board of directors. In theory, when the financial manager acts in accord with maximizing shareholder wealth, the shareholders benefit through cash dividends and share price gains. With respect to employees, however, maximizing shareholder wealth is not always in their best, personal interest. For example, when a company announces a layoff to cut costs, stock share price often increases, as the secondary market reacts to the news as an appropriate and proactive approach to reducing costs and increasing cash flow for other priority projects. From an employee's perspective, it's a loss of job and income.

However, it is also in the best interest of the company to attract and retain a skilled workforce. If a company has a reputation for paying poorly, implementing excessive rounds of layoffs, or other unattractive human resource policies, retaining a skilled workforce will be difficult, and will have a negative effect on shareholder value as operational efficiencies, product quality, and speed to market decline. Here, financial managers may consider benefits such as employee stock grants and discount stock purchase plans (or stock options) (Online, Financial Managers). In this way, the organization can align the priorities of the employees more closely with those of the stockholders.

Most of the responsibilities of the financial manager are not straightforward decisions with respect to maximizing shareholder wealth. Beyond maximizing shareholder wealth, financial managers also have the responsibility of acting ethically, particularly in today's financial markets with increasing media coverage and regulatory scrutiny over corporate financial scandals, like ENRON and MCI WorldCom. When Enron and WorldCom went belly-up in 2002 (two of the largest bankruptcies ever) no one demanded that their stockholders put up more money to cover the companies’ debts. Stockholders can lose their entire investment, but no more.

In summary, the task of the financial manager can be broken down into the investment, or capital budgeting, decision and the financing decision. In other words, the firm has to decide what real assets to buy and how to raise the necessary cash. Shareholders want managers to increase the value of the company’s stock, they are the owners of the corporation; the managers work for the owners.

The goal for the financial managers is to maximize shareholders (owners) wealth, not just increasing it

and budgeting. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) advises the president of the organization with respect to financial reporting, financial stability and liquidity, and financial growth. The CFO also directs and supervises the work of the Controller, Treasurer, and sometimes the Internal Auditing Manager. Other duties may include strengthening relationships with stockholders, financial institutions, and the investment community. Frequently, the CFO is a member of the Board of Directors and/or the Executive Committee and as such, contributes to overall organization planning, policy development, and implementation.

In addition, financial managers perform tasks unique to their organization or industry. For example, government financial managers must be experts on the government appropriations and budgeting processes, whereas healthcare financial managers must be knowledgeable about issues surrounding healthcare financing. Furthermore, financial managers must be aware of special tax laws and regulations that affect their industry.

Although the stockholders own the corporation, they do not manage it. Instead, they vote to elect a board of directors. In theory, when the financial manager acts in accord with maximizing shareholder wealth, the shareholders benefit through cash dividends and share price gains. With respect to employees, however, maximizing shareholder wealth is not always in their best, personal interest. For example, when a company announces a layoff to cut costs, stock share price often increases, as the secondary market reacts to the news as an appropriate and proactive approach to reducing costs and increasing cash flow for other priority projects. From an employee's perspective, it's a loss of job and income.

However, it is also in the best interest of the company to attract and retain a skilled workforce. If a company has a reputation for paying poorly, implementing excessive rounds of layoffs, or other unattractive human resource policies, retaining a skilled workforce will be difficult, and will have a negative effect on shareholder value as operational efficiencies, product quality, and speed to market decline. Here, financial managers may consider benefits such as employee stock grants and discount stock purchase plans (or stock options) (Online, Financial Managers). In this way, the organization can align the priorities of the employees more closely with those of the stockholders.

Most of the responsibilities of the financial manager are not straightforward decisions with respect to maximizing shareholder wealth. Beyond maximizing shareholder wealth, financial managers also have the responsibility of acting ethically, particularly in today's financial markets with increasing media coverage and regulatory scrutiny over corporate financial scandals, like ENRON and MCI WorldCom. When Enron and WorldCom went belly-up in 2002 (two of the largest bankruptcies ever) no one demanded that their stockholders put up more money to cover the companies’ debts. Stockholders can lose their entire investment, but no more.

In summary, the task of the financial manager can be broken down into the investment, or capital budgeting, decision and the financing decision. In other words, the firm has to decide what real assets to buy and how to raise the necessary cash. Shareholders want managers to increase the value of the company’s stock, they are the owners of the corporation; the managers work for the owners.

The goal for the financial managers is to maximize shareholders (owners) wealth, not just increasing it

manager acts in accord with maximizing shareholder wealth, the shareholders benefit through cash dividends and share price gains. With respect to employees, however, maximizing shareholder wealth is not always in their best, personal interest. For example, when a company announces a layoff to cut costs, stock share price often increases, as the secondary market reacts to the news as an appropriate and proactive approach to reducing costs and increasing cash flow for other priority projects. From an employee's perspective, it's a loss of job and income.

However, it is also in the best interest of the company to attract and retain a skilled workforce. If a company has a reputation for paying poorly, implementing excessive rounds of layoffs, or other unattractive human resource policies, retaining a skilled workforce will be difficult, and will have a negative effect on shareholder value as operational efficiencies, product quality, and speed to market decline. Here, financial managers may consider benefits such as employee stock grants and discount stock purchase plans (or stock options) (Online, Financial Managers). In this way, the organization can align the priorities of the employees more closely with those of the stockholders.

Most of the responsibilities of the financial manager are not straightforward decisions with respect to maximizing shareholder wealth. Beyond maximizing shareholder wealth, financial managers also have the responsibility of acting ethically, particularly in today's financial markets with increasing media coverage and regulatory scrutiny over corporate financial scandals, like ENRON and MCI WorldCom. When Enron and WorldCom went belly-up in 2002 (two of the largest bankruptcies ever) no one demanded that their stockholders put up more money to cover the companies’ debts. Stockholders can lose their entire investment, but no more.

In summary, the task of the financial manager can be broken down into the investment, or capital budgeting, decision and the financing decision. In other words, the firm has to decide what real assets to buy and how to raise the necessary cash. Shareholders want managers to increase the value of the company’s stock, they are the owners of the corporation; the managers work for the owners.

The goal for the financial managers is to maximize shareholders (owners) wealth, not just increasing it

mployees more closely with those of the stockholders.

Most of the responsibilities of the financial manager are not straightforward decisions with respect to maximizing shareholder wealth. Beyond maximizing shareholder wealth, financial managers also have the responsibility of acting ethically, particularly in today's financial markets with increasing media coverage and regulatory scrutiny over corporate financial scandals, like ENRON and MCI WorldCom. When Enron and WorldCom went belly-up in 2002 (two of the largest bankruptcies ever) no one demanded that their stockholders put up more money to cover the companies’ debts. Stockholders can lose their entire investment, but no more.

In summary, the task of the financial manager can be broken down into the investment, or capital budgeting, decision and the financing decision. In other words, the firm has to decide what real assets to buy and how to raise the necessary cash. Shareholders want managers to increase the value of the company’s stock, they are the owners of the corporation; the managers work for the owners.

The goal for the financial managers is to maximize shareholders (owners) wealth, not just increasing it or not just profit. How?: by surviving, avoiding distress and bankruptcy, beating the competition, maximizing sales or market share, minimizing costs, maximizing profits, and maintaining steady earnings growth.

The usual method of maximizing the wealth of the stockholders is to maximize the price of the corporation’s common stock. However, neither managers nor stockholders can set the price of the common stock; the market determines the price.