Five-Minute-Mba-In-Corporate-Finance
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General Electric. Or at least General Electric is the most admired company in America, according to Fortune magazine’s annual survey. The other top ten finalists are Cisco Systems, Wal- Mart Stores, Southwest Airlines, Microsoft, Home Depot, Berkshire Hathaway, Charles Schwab, Intel, and Dell Computer. What do these companies have that separates them from the rest of the pack? According to more than 4,000 executives, directors, and security analysts, these companies have the highest average scores across eight attributes: (1) innovativeness, (2) quality of management, (3) employee talent, (4) quality of products and services, (5) long-term investment value, (6) financial soundness, (7) social responsibility, and (8) use of corporate assets. These companies also have an incredible focus on using technology to reduce costs, to reduce inventory, and to speed up product delivery. For example, workers at Dell previously touched a computer 130 times during the assembly process but now See http://www.fortune. touch it only 60 times. Using point-of-sale data, Wal-Mart is able to identify and meet sur- com for updates on the U.S. prising customer needs, such as bagels in Mexico, smoke detectors in Brazil, and house ranking. Fortune also ranks paint during the winter in Puerto Rico. Many of these companies are changing the way the Global Most Admired. business works by using the Net, and that change is occurring at a break-neck pace. For example, in 1999 GE’splastics distribution business did less than $2,000 per day of busi- ness online. A year later the division did more than $2,000,000 per day in e-commerce. Many companies have a difficult time attracting employees. Not so for the most admired companies, which average 26 applicants for each job opening. This is because, in addition to their acumen with technology and customers, they are also on the leading edge when it comes to training employees and providing a workplace in which people can thrive. In a nutshell, these companies reduce costs by having innovative production processes, they create value for customers by providing high-quality products and services, and they create value for employees through training and fostering an envi- ronment that allows employees to utilize all of their skills and talents. Do investors benefit from this focus on processes, customers, and employees? During the most recent five-year period, these ten companies posted an average an- nual stock return of 41.4 percent, more than double the S&P 500’s average annual re- turn of 18.3 percent. These exceptional returns are due to the ability of these com- panies to generate cash flow. But, as you will see throughout this book, a company can generate cash flow only if it also creates value for its customers, employees, and suppliers. 3 1 2 An Overview of Corporate Finance and the Financial Environment 4 CHAPTER 1 An Overview of Corporate Finance and the Financial Environment This chapter should give you an idea of what corporate finance is all about, includ- ing an overview of the financial markets in which corporations operate. But before getting into the details of finance, it’s important to look at the big picture. You’re probably back in school because you want an interesting, challenging, and rewarding career. To see where finance fits in, let’s start with a five-minute MBA. The Five-Minute MBA Okay, we realize you can’t get an MBA in five minutes. But just as an artist quickly sketches the outline of a picture before filling in the details, we can sketch the key el- ements of an MBA education. In a nutshell, the objective of an MBA is to provide managers with the knowledge and skills they need to run successful companies, so we start our sketch with some common characteristics of successful companies. In partic- ular, all successful companies are able to accomplish two goals. 1. All successful companies identify, create, and deliver products or services that are highly valued by customers, so highly valued that customers choose to purchase them from the company rather than from its competitors. This happens only if the company provides more value than its competitors, either in the form of lower prices or better products. 2. All successful companies sell their products/services at prices that are high enough to cover costs and to compensate owners and creditors for their exposure to risk. In other words, it’s not enough just to win market share and to show a profit. The Visit http://ehrhardt. profit must be high enough to adequately compensate investors. swcollege.com to see the web site accompanying this It’s easy to talk about satisfying customers and investors, but it’s not so easy to ac- text. This ever-evolving site, complish these goals. If it were, then all companies would be successful and you for students and instructors, is a tool for teaching, learn- wouldn’t need an MBA! Still, companies such as the ones on Fortune’s Most Admired ing, financial research, and list are able to satisfy customers and investors. These companies all share the follow- job searches. ing three key attributes. The Key Attributes Required for Success First, successful companies have skilled people at all levels inside the company, includ- ing (1) leaders who develop and articulate sound strategic visions; (2) managers who make value-adding decisions, design efficient business processes, and train and moti- vate work forces; and (3) a capable work force willing to implement the company’s strategies and tactics. Second, successful companies have strong relationships with groups that are out- side the company. For example, successful companies develop win-win relationships with suppliers, who deliver high-quality materials on time and at a reasonable cost. A related trend is the rapid growth in relationships with third-party outsourcers, who provide high-quality services and products at a relatively low cost. This is particularly true in the areas of information technology and logistics. Successful companies also develop strong relationships with their customers, leading to repeat sales, higher profit margins, and lower customer acquisition costs. Third, successful companies have sufficient capital to execute their plans and sup- port their operations. For example, most growing companies must purchase land, buildings, equipment, and materials. To make these purchases, companies can reinvest a portion of their earnings, but most must also raise additional funds externally, by some combination of selling stock or borrowing from banks and other creditors. An Overview of Corporate Finance