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Finance Theory & Financial Strategy

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Finance Theory & Financial Strategy
By Stewart C Myers

How do firms integrate strategic planning and financial analysis? It appears to be somewhat haphazard in many cases. Senior management sets a direction, vision and mission statement based upon who the firm is now and how it has evolved. Then sets the firm’s course based upon their ideas of who they are and who they may wish to become. The finance department that handles the financial planning and analysis may support the strategic initiative in some manner, but not in an integrated, holistic approach.

The firm may evaluate projects based upon the net present value (NPV) of expected cash flows for that project. In a strategic sense, the financial planning deals with the …show more content…

One way that some companies appear to address this is by having artificially high required rates of return. This may account for optimistic views, higher risk that may not be identified properly, and the accounting of the financial statements, which may be vastly different than the financial results.

According to Myers, managers distrust the stock market and volatility, even if it is a fact of the market. Middle and senior management tend to look for at job preservation than wonderful opportunities. So keeping their jobs, their income, their perks may be more important that undertaking a new project.

Where financial theory may drop the ball is in estimating the opportunity cost of capital. It is difficult to measure since its an expected rate of return. So one person estimate is 10%, another’s is 12%, another is 14%. Which one is correct? Myers believes that estimating the cash flows is more important than determining the discount rate. This estimate is difficult, so accurate assessment of the mean of cash flows is more important. How can you determine what the future holds? (Ask the marketing department, blame them if it goes

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