What should a financial manager try to maximize profits or shareholder wealth?
The correct answer is d) maximize shareholder wealth.
A goal of financial management can be to maximize shareholder wealth by paying dividends and/or causing the market value to increase.
The main goal of the financial manager is to maximize the value of the firm to its owners. The value of a publicly owned corporation is measured by the share price of its stock. A private company's value is the price at which it could be sold.
In order to maximize shareholder value, there are three main strategies for driving profitability in a company: (1) revenue growth, (2) increasing operating margin, and (3) increasing capital efficiency. We will discuss in the following sections the major factors in boosting each of the three measures.
Shareholder wealth maximization means that a company's primary goal is raising its stock price. Shareholder wealth maximization can be a good thing because it gives a firm's managers a clear objective that builds value.
In contrast to a singular focus on profit maximization, the modern goal of financial management in a corporation is typically centered around maximizing shareholder wealth. This goal acknowledges that shareholders are the owners of the company and are interested in the long-term value generated by their investments.
Why is shareholders' wealth maximization important? Shareholders' wealth maximization is the only way to measure the value of a company. This is because shareholder value represents a company's ability to make money for its shareholders in the future.
Long-Term Focus: Wealth maximization focuses on achieving sustainable financial growth and value creation over an extended period rather than short-term gains. It's like playing a long game. Instead of quick wins, it's about making choices that help your money grow steadily over a long time.
Wealth maximization (shareholders' value maximization) is also a main objective of financial management. Wealth maximization means to earn maximum wealth for the shareholders. So, the finance manager tries to give maximum dividend to the shareholders.
Objectives of Financial Management
Maximizing profits: Provide insights on, for example, rising costs of raw materials that might trigger an increase in the cost of goods sold. Tracking liquidity and cash flow: Ensure the company has enough money on hand to meet its obligations.
Will maximizing profits maximize shareholder wealth?
Just to be very clear: modern corporate law does not require profits at the expense of everything else, and maximizing profits or shareholder value is not the same thing as serving shareholders' best interest.
Answer and Explanation: A financial manager can maximize the wealth of shareholders by being a good steward of the capital of shareholders.
Comparing Profit Maximization and Wealth Maximization
The essential difference between the maximization of profits and the maximization of wealth is that the profits focus is on short-term earnings, while the wealth focus is on increasing the overall value of the business entity over time.
Maximizing shareholders' wealth subject to ethical constraints means that managers should strive to make maximum company profits while maintaining a firm's moral and social responsibility. When managers attempt to maximize the wealth of shareholders, they, in turn, increase a firm's stock price and value.
To stakeholder theory advocates, an exclusive focus on maximizing stockholder wealth is both unwise and ethically wrong; instead, the firm and its managers have special obligations to ensure that the shareholders receive a “fair” return on their investment, but the firm also has special obligations to other ...
- Helps businesses focus on long-term sustainability.
- Focuses more on cash flow rather than profits. ...
- Takes into account the time value of money. ...
- Considers risk and uncertainty factors while computing the discount rate, leading to more accurate results.
Favourable Arguments for Wealth Maximization
It provides extract value of the business concern. (iii) Wealth maximization considers both time and risk of the business concern. (iv) Wealth maximization provides efficient allocation of resources. (v) It ensures the economic interest of the society.
- Investment decision.
- Financing decision.
- Dividend decision.
Financial managers perform data analysis and advise senior managers on profit-maximizing ideas. Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They create financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.
Financial managers are responsible for the financial health of an organization. They produce financial reports, direct investment activities, and develop strategies and plans for the long-term financial goals of their organization.
What is the problem with shareholder wealth maximization?
The problems involved in implementing the goal of maximizing shareholder wealth are: Wrong assumptions, speculation, different objectives, and fair treatment to all social groups.
Another negative consequence of shareholder value maximization is that it can hurt employees. The lower a corporation's costs, the more profit it stands to make if its total revenue is constant, so corporations can benefit from cutting employee benefits and wages.
Strategic financial management is about creating profits for the business over the long run. It seeks to maximize return on investment for stakeholders. This differs from tactical management, which looks to seize near-term opportunities.
Corporate managers mainly strive to increase shareholder wealth not because of their ideological beliefs, but because of the reality that investors constantly assess their performance based on their ability to meet metrics of financial performance.
Increase in shares value. The trend of a company listed on the stock exchange market can be used as an example of wealth maximization. When the price of a unit share of the company increases from one value to another, for instance from $ 1 to $ 3, this shows an increase in the value of the company.
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