Task: You are the CFO at a manufacturing company. Your company is anticipating an impending cash crunch. What short-term working capital strategies might you employ? Why? In what order would you implement them? Why?
Q1. What part of working capital management does a company have the most control over? Why? What does a company have the least control over? Why?
Q2. What is the most important part of cash flow planning? Which variable must be determined accurately? Is it healthy to have a cash balance at the end of each month? Why or why not?
Q3. What are the main inputs needed to begin the financial portion of a strategic plan? Who is responsible for providing those inputs? Why are these inputs so important? How would you use these inputs to create the plan?