ABSTRACT
This chapter gives basic understanding of finance and budgeting so that you will be ready to sit and participate at the corporate decision making table with greater understanding. It focuses on primarily on the first two functions. At the front line of finances are the cash managers who make sure there is sufficient cash flow to run the day-to-day business. There will be more on budgeting later in this chapter but at this stage, the subject is part of the effort to frame the activities of financial management. The areas feeding numbers upward generally include the following: sales, operations, marketing, capital investments, special projects and cash flow management: In this traditional series of activities, the finance manager generally oversees the process. Since the primary focus on activities that deal directly with end user, support functions may feel underappreciated. It is an on-demand source of emergency financing that should be considered in the company's overall bag of cash flow tricks.
