THE ROLE OF CORPORATE FINANCE MANAGEMENT IN THE POLICY MAKING DECISION OF A CORPORATE BODY.
A CASE STUDY OF HALLMARK ASSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED OWERRI IMO STATE BRANCH
ABSTRACT
            This project posed at x-raying the degree, of “the role of corporate finance management in the policy making decision of a corporate body” making reference to Hallmark Assurance company limited.  Financial management is the management activities concerned with raising of capital, planning cash and credit requirements, including the effective control of financial resource.           Some though to were given to financial management to provide skilled planning,  control and executive of financial activities.  The practicing managers are interested in this subject because among the most crucial decisions of the firm are those which related to finance.     The financial manager must take steps to ensure the funds will actually be available and committed to the firm.  The financial manager is usually responsible for gathering and analyzing the relevant information making forecast of profit level to estimate profits form future sell, the firm must be aware of current cost and likely changes in the ability of the firm to sell its product as planned.
-                      forecasting and profit planning:
financial planning and control, financial ratio analysis, working capital policy stocks, cash receivable,  marketable securities financial risk and structure, medium, short and long term sources of funds, valuation of stocks and cost of capital, internal financing,  curricle policy and techniques for capital investment analysis.
      The issue  of whether these stated roles of financial managers are executed or not of financial managers or not in a case to be bodies and also satisfy the curiosity of the general reaching public who many have the desire to become acquainted with the role of corporate, finance  management in policy making decision  in our corporate firms.
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
1.0       INTRODUCTION
1.1              STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
1.2              PURPOSE OF HE STUDY
1.3              SIGNIFICANCE  OF THE STUDY
1.4              STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS
1.5              SCOPE OF THE STUDY
1.6              LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
1.7              DEFINITION OF TERMS
CHAPTER TWO
2.0              REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1       VALUE OF THIS TYPE OF RESEARCH
2.2              DIRECTLY RELATED RESEARCH
2.3              INDIRECTLY RELATED LITERATURE
 CHAPTER THREE
3.0       RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
3.1              SOURCES OF DATA
3.2              SAMPLE USED
3.3              METHOD OF INVESTIGATION
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0       PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1       DATA PRESENTATION AND   ANALYSIS
4.2              TEST OF HYPOTHESIS
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0       SUMMARY OF FINDING
5.1              FINDING
5.2              CONCLUSION
5.3              RECOMMENDATIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
APPENDIX (ES)
CHAPTER ONE
1.0       INTRODUCTION AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND TO             THE STUDY
Financial management involves all activities of a financial manger concerned with raising of capital, planning cash and credit requirements including the effective control of financial resource of a corporate body.
                        The activities could be segregated as follows
            i)          Converting of forecast into plans and budgets
ii)                  Planning the appropriate capital structure
iii)                Raising cash from outside the business
iv)                Forecasting the future availability of and requirements of cash.
v)                  Investing surplus funds
vi)                Controlling cash balances and flows in accordance with plans and with changing circumstance.
Gray etal (1977)  
            With the emergence of finance as a separate field of  study the emphasis was more or less on legal matters such as
            Since most business firm’s    objectives are profit maximization the search for profitability under imperfect/perfect competition continues to be the induction to improve the wealth of the owners.
            This urge to implore and maximize, wealth has led to the study of financial management of which attribute factors can be socialized as follows:
a.                   Saving
b.                  Business growth
c.                   Research and development expenses
d.                  Inflation
e.                   Competitor etc.
Based on the above background,  some taught to were given a financial management to provide skillful planning control and execution of financial   activities.    The praising   managers are interested in this subject because among the most crucial decisions of the firm are those which related, to finance and therefore need to understand financial management which provides them with conceptual and analytical insight of the capital funds and using the suppliers of fund are called the finance function of any firm.
1.1       GOALS AND OBJECTIVE/ROLES OF FINANCIAL MANAGERS.
                        Finance which is the life wire of any business organization and it is developed in 1900s since it concerns with the actual flow of money as well as any clam.  Against money.
                        The financial manager subsequently decisions are made in much  more co-ordinated marker directly responsible for   the control process.
                        The principal responsibility of financial manager involves a theory of Evaluation of investment financial and dividend decisions with the objective of maximizing wealth.   The financial manager studies the factors which influence both internal and external environment.  Only   sound financial decision based on analysis    the planning and control activates therefore can help optimization of value of operations.
                        Optimization of profits and share holders wealth is one of those guiding objectives  of business  enterprise,  which govern it allocation of resource and other financial  decision of managers.
                        The financial manager, finally must be aware of the source available for financing the business   and be guided by time selection and combination of these variables that is the financial  managers determinant  the principles of suitability.  Financial manager determine is that of profitability and liquidity while suitability is the principle of time balancing between assets and liabilities that is using short term liabilities to finance short term assets and long term liabilities for finance long term assets , the financial manager is concerned with note  T.P. Martin
a)                  Financial planning within the enterprise.
b)                  Allocation of fund
c)                  Financial controlling
d)                 Interpretation
 FINANCIAL PLANNING
This involves estimating and planning of the future flow of cash receipts and disbursement.
RAISING OF FUNDS
            The raising of funds involves organizing and ensuring that fund necessary for carrying on the operations of the planning is available.  The second fact of financial manager is the acquisition of fund.   There is wide Varity of sources available for the acquisition of  fund. Each has certain characteristic as cost, maturity availability, the encumbrance of assets and other terms imposed by the supplier of capital.
            On the basis of these factors, the financial manager must determine the best mix financial for the firm.
            Therefore, the financial manager has task of formulation and execution of suitable financial policies in the interest of the organization
            The major purpose of such polices is to plan, coordinate, motivate and control those activities of the firm which are responsible for an efficient management of resources.   An efficient financial manager thus serves as a valuable aid to the process of decision – making and a major contribution to the pale of Economic progress.
ALLOCATION OF FUNDS
            Wise use of funds by allocating such funds in such project or ventures that would yield optimal returns ensuring efficient use of funds.   The financial manager oversees the allocation of funds.    Among attentive uses, the allocation must be  in accordance with the underlying objectives of the firm, to maximize shareholders wealth.  The role of financial  manager has expanded from the management of working capital to long-term assets and liabilities.
            He concerns with ways of efficiently managing these current assets in order to maximize profitability  relatives to the amount of fund tied  up in the assets.
FINANCING CONTROLLING:
            Financial  manager monitors financial operation to ensure that cash flows are proceeding according to plan.
 INTERPRETATION:
            A company is part of the financial community it’s financial management can be fully interpreted only with the context created by the working of financial institution and markets.
1.2       ORGANIZATION  GOALS  
Since   this project is concerned with the role of financial managers in a cooperate organization therefore, it is important to note the goals of any corporate organization.
            a.         MAXIMIZATION OF WEALTH:
            The main objective of financial management is the maximization of owners wealth owners maximization is accomplished by maximizing the sum of the present value of the increased in the market value of the shares of stock lead by the shareholder.  This apparent wealth maximization is the best Economic objective for shareholders as the owners and for the company whose primary interest is to shareholder/owners.
a)                  b.         Profit Maximization:   This is              the  second of frequently encountered goals of any business in fact,  all business firms believed that as long as they are earning as much as possible while holding down cost they are achieving this goal of profit maximization. the in availability  or the lack of human resources and the organizational self- imposed standard.
b)                  The eternal environment factor such as the political legal framework,  cultural and social values the Economic climate technological trend and investors at attitude.
It is therefore imperatives that financial management should take cognizance of  environmental factor that effect their decision.
1.3       STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
There have been unprecedented increase in the quest for the answer of the following questions posed in order to clarify the duties of financial managers which is the prospect rank of a student studying finance.
What is managerial finance? How important  is finance functions to the company; If the financial manager is responsible for the performance of certain tasks does this mean that his actions are designed to accomplish the firms objectives?  What is the financial managers definition  of a far price and how it is related to his firms return and investment capital; one may logically ask, why are we interested in these cash flows,  if they do not affect profit, why their profit effect not be taken directly into account.
In the analysis? What tools and techniques are available to him and how does one go about measuring his performance? On a general scale do they have any operational meaning?  That is how can managerial finance be used to further national goal?
Having identified these questions,  the provisions of the possible answer to be the aforemention questions constitute the area of consideration of this project.
A stated ”The financial manager must find a rational bases for answering the following three questions.
a.                   How large should an enterprise be and how fast it grows?
b.                  What should be the composition of it’s facility
c.                   In what form should it held it’s Assets.
“The question stated above related to three bound decision area of financial management, investment     financing and dividend decisions (2)
Therefore the above roles of financial management become important that the primary researcher conducted on a named company serves dual purpose.  This not only serves as part of the tool in answering the questions but it mainly used to unfold the extent  the financial manager of the company is executing his duties according to the project.
1.4       SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this project, the role of financial manager in corporate organization is to equip the practicing financial managers,  financial controllers directors of finance treasures students of finance  and reader with a basic understanding of financial decision.
The financial manager caries out financial decisions in manner that the wealth of shareholders is maximized through the following:
 
a.                   Current Asset management
b.                  Capital budgeting Decision
c.                   Dividend Decision
d.                  Financial Decision.
a.         CURRENT ASSET MANAGEMENT:
            Financial manager has every right to manage the long term assets, and also the  duty to mange current assets efficiently to safeguard the firm against liquidity  or insolvency.   Investment in current assets affects firm’s profitability:  liquidity and risk, if the firm close not invest sufficient fund in current assets it may become liquid.   But it would less profitability, as idle current assets would not earn anything’s.   In order to ensure those neither insufficient nor unnecessary fund are invested in current intact he should develop sound techniques of managing current assets.
b.         CAPITAL BUDGETING DECISION
            Capital budgeting is investment decisions of the firm  to have it fund invested in long-term project  in anticipation of expected flow of future benefit over a period of years.
            These decisions could be either to mechanize a process, replace a machine with another modern type, selecting between two machines, production of new product or business expansions it’s features are:
i.                    Investing current funds for future benefits
ii.                  The period of investment which involves long  term activities
iii.                To potential benefit which will accrue to the firm over a period of time
c.         DIVIDEND DECISION:
            The financial manager must determine the optimum dividend payment ratio; he should consider the questions of dividend stability stock dividend and cash dividend:
            The financial manager must decide whether the firms should distribute all profits or retain the balance.
d.         FINANCIAL  DECISIONS:
            The financial manager must determine the time the method and who to acquire fund to meet the firm’s investment need.  The significant issue before him is to determine the proportion of equity capital and debt capital.  A proffer balance will have to be struck between return and risk once the financial manager is able to determine the best combination of debt and equity, he must raise the appropriate  amount through best available sources.
1.5       RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
The company uses both short and medium term sources of fund to financing the company’s business and also as  a sources of their working capital.
The method used by the company in forecasting when additional funds is needed to support their current, sales volumes and also for future profits planning’s.
While they apply financial ratios in evaluating and understanding of the performance or the result of their business operations.
The company’s objectives and policies are established towards furtherance of their budgeting system.
1.7       DEFINITION OF TERMS
1)                  Capital Budgeting: In this context means the whole process of planning expenditure whose returns are expected to cover a serves of years.
2)                  Cash flow management:  The ability to manage efficiently the movement of cash in and outside the corporate organization (Accelerate cash in flows and decelerate cash out flows.
3)                  Liquidity Decision:  current assets of the firm should be managed very efficiently to prevent the firm from becoming insolvent or illiquid.
4)                  Interpretation:  Analyzing and giving  full details of working of financial institution and markets