Title: Finance at Les Maisonettes
1Finance at Les Maisonettes
2Financial issues to revise
- Downward pressure on profit margins
- The concerns highlighted in the balance sheet
- Line 152 Sophie is considering applying for a
bank loan and knows she can do so with a good
interest rate. - She needs to prepare a business plan and consider
her budget for the new holiday packages (line 91)
3Sources of Finance
- Sophie already took out a bank loan initially at
the start to fund the new venture Les
Maisonettes - 300,000 to be paid back in 2026.
(Line 15) - In 2004 conversion from sole trader to LTD.
- The classes are providing a large source of
income for Sophie. But she had to take out an
additional 5 year bank loan of 15,000 for
equipment and start up costs. - Share capital see balance sheet
4Gearing
- Using the following formula calculate LMs
gearing ratio (see appendix four) - Loan capital/capital employed 100
5Gearing
- 43.1 for 2005
- 34.4 for 2008
- Using the Raffo book what does this tell you
about its gearing level?
6Non-Financial factors
7Non-Financial factors
8Non-Financial factors
9Non-Financial factors
10Dont forget
- Les Maisonettes is growing so there will be
effects on costs and profit margins as this
business grows.
11The 4 options
- Study each option and consider its impact on
Sophies financial situation. - Answer this question
- Using appropriate financial ratios, analyse the
profitability, liquidity and activity of LM.
12The 4 options
- Overall, Sophie is pleased with her small
business and the success. But she is concerned
about its future direction and potential market
share. - She consulted with her parents, her bank manager
and her employees and identified four options.
13Option One
- Retain the present focus of her business but
improve operations and profitability. - Impact on Finance?
14Impact of option One on finance
- v This will improve cost control it will allow
her to reduce her costs overtime. - vImproved marketing will lead to increased
revenue - vCreating a more flexible workforce will reduce
her costs and will allow her to be more
competitive. - v This will improve profitability of LM.
15Option Two
- Develop an education centre to promote the ideals
of sustainable tourism and fulfil the objectives
of the AFE. - This means modifying existing accommodation,
cutting outdoor activities, converting one barn
to an education centre and restaurant operations
will be restricted to guests at LM. - IMPACT ON FINANCE?
16Impact of option Two on Finance
- v This will support her move for eco-tourism so
may attract eco-tourists to her increased
revenue. - v She can now consider marketing to the 18-30
group of eco-tourists she wanted to target. - v Cost savings by being more energy efficient and
carbon neutral. - X This will cost money to implement.
- X Cutting outdoor activities means loss of
revenue, as they are a good source of income. - X Restricting restaurant operations to guests
will reduce their potential customers so loss
of revenue.
17Option Three
- Reposition LM as a luxurious eco-tourist retreat,
develop a new USP and targeting higher income
market segment. - High quality locally sourced produce will be
offered and a range of services such as saunas
etc. - Impact on Finance?
18Impact of Option Three on Finance
- v Targeting high income segment will bring in
more revenue. This move could make LM very
profitable. - v The services will add an extra source of
income. - v The quality will be a big focus and so will
improve its image increased revenue. - X She will need substantial investment to upgrade
and expand existing facilities. - X She will need to invest a great deal into
recruiting and training staff, so her costs will
increase. - X This move could increase her gearing, which is
currently low, but an increase could mean more
interest payments for her. This will not make her
very competitive.
19Option Four
- Sell the whole business to a timeshare operator
who will redevelop the business. - Money goes to her parents retirement and some
will go towards renovating the shop. - This means she loses control and ownership of LM.
20- RATIO ANALYSIS
- ANALYSING THE FINANCIAL SITUATION OF LES
MAISONNETTES
21 Ratio Analysis
- Ratios are used to interpret financial accounts.
- Ratio Analysis can be used to assess the
financial performance of a business. - Ratios can be used to analyse three separate
issues on the operations of a business - Performance which compasses profitability and
productivity - Liquidity which refers to the ability of the
business to generate cash for operating the
business as and when required - Shareholder which concerns the variables that
just the shareholders are likely to be interested
in.
22Q What are the advantages and disadvantages of
using ratio analysis?
- The main advantages of ratio analysis will be
- You will be able to look at trends
- Ratios can be used to forecast and plan,
summarise data, to identify problems before they
become acute and to assess performance. - You can do an inter-firm comparison
- You can see and analyse trends
- You can make future predictions based on your
findings - You can find areas with high problems and try to
find ways to solve them
23Disadvantages of Ratios
- However, ratios should be used with caution.
Ratio analysis does not provide a complete means
of assessing a companys financial performance.
There are problems with using ratios. The main
disadvantages of ratio analysis are - They only highlight the problem but not provide a
solution. - Based on historical information and does not take
into account positive factors within a business
such as location, quality of staff etc. all of
which can affect performance. - Ratios do not take many factors into
consideration. - They do not measure non-monetary factors.
- When making comparisons between ratios overtime,
it is necessary to take into account the
following - Inflation
- Any changes in accounting procedures
- Changes in the business activities of the firm
- Changes in general business conditions and the
economic environment.
24Profitability Ratios
- These ratios focus on the firms profit.
- We will look at profit in relation to the value
of sales revenue. - GPM known as mark-up. This shows the gross
profit made on sales turnover. - NPM helps to measure how well a business covers
its overheads. If the difference between the
gross profit and net profit is small, then
overheads are low. - ROCE an important ratio. It tells what returns
the firm has made on the resources made.
25Ratios to Calculate - Profitability
26Profitability Ratios
27Analysis of Les Maisonnettes profitability
- The level of profitability has reduced at LM.
- There is a large difference between the GPM and
NPM, showing the difficulties Sophie is facing
with controlling overheads. - A reduced NPM is not a good sign, showing she has
less profit to distribute to shareholders and to
reinvest in the business. - The drop in ROCE does not show LM to be a safe
investment.
28Analysis of Les Maisonnettes profitability
- Her overheads are clearly not being spread over a
greater level of sales. - She is not benefiting from economies of scale.
She needs to improve productivity and lower
costs. - The ROCE has decreased, this means that sales
growth has been slower than the rise in capital. - The ROCE will drop due to reduced gross and net
profit. - It seems that LM has poor cost control in terms
of direct costs.
29Causes of LMs declining profitability
- It could be because she has only relied on word
of mouth promotion and she needs to alter her
marketing strategy. - The costs of the activities are high. (Her
expenses increased by 8000 euros in 3 years (see
appendix 3). - Sales declined and cost of sales increased
(appendix 3) - She was charging the same amount all year and not
taking advantage of peak season. - Competition (Sanctuary) and other external
factors such as the housing market, weather
conditions. - Health and safety regulations meant increased
costs for her. - No business website not taking advantage of
online bookings.
30How can profitability improve?
- Improve her marketing strategy to increase sales
revenue. Strategies such as sales promotion may
help to boost sales. - Reduce costs such as labour costs (but this may
impact on morale and productivity customer
service) - Reduce indirect costs overheads - without
damaging effects to the firm.
31Liquidity Ratios
- Liquidity ratios measure how assets of a business
can be converted into cash. - A business must make sure it has enough liquid
assets to pay any immediate bills that arise. - These ratios are concerned with the short-term
financial health of the business. - They are concerned with the firms working
capital and whether or not it is being managed
effectively. - Too much and it may not be making the most
efficient use of its financial resources.
32Liquidity Ratios to Calculate
33Liquidity Ratios - Calculations
34Analysis of LMs Liquidity
- It is generally accepted that a current ratio of
1.5 to 2.0 is desirable this will allow for a
safety margin. - In 2005, LMs current ratio was in a comfortable
position at 1.751. However, in 2008, it had
declined to 0.55, showing insufficient working
capital. This means that as a result of the ratio
being below 11, the short term debts of the
business are greater than its liquid assets,
which is not a good position to be in.
35Analysis of LMs Liquidity
- This means that LM does not have enough working
capital it could be over-borrowing or over
trading. - As a general rule, the ATR should be at least
11. This means that, in 2008, LMs ratio fell to
0.221, and this is not a good sign. This shows
that Sophie may be experiencing working capital
problems, and if this continues, she could face a
liquidity crisis. - ATR shows that she could be unable to cover
short-term debts
36Solutions to LMs liquidity problems
- Increase its current assets relative to its
current liabilities. OR - Reduce its current liabilities relative to its
current assets. - In LMs case, it is her short term borrowing that
has increased drastically by 15,000 Euros and
this will have to reduce in order to improve
liquidity. - She should also consider reducing short term
creditors.
37Efficiency Ratios
- Also called activity ratios.
- These are used to measure how effectively a
business employs its resources. - They look at how well a firms financial
resources are being used.
38Efficiency (Activity) Ratios
39Efficiency Ratios - Calculations
40Summary of LMs Efficiency
- Stock turnover has reduced, which is not a good
sign for LM. This means less stock is sold and
less profit generated. Sophie is not benefiting
from purchasing economies of scale. - LMs debtors days ratio is low, which is good,
but increasing. This means that it takes upto 4
days for debtors to pay. But too low a ratio is
not good either, as customers may seek other
suppliers if the credit period given to them is
uncompetitive. It could also suggest that there
are not enough firms buying on credit. Good
credit control should be within 30-60 days. - Creditors days should also be between 30-60
days. LMs is very high. This could mean that LM
is taking too long to may have a harmful effect
on her cash flow.
41Solutions to LMs efficiency
- Develop a closer relationship with customers,
suppliers and creditors. - Improve levels of stock control in the business.
- Improve credit control, which will help improve
its working capital. - Increase turnover using the same assets, so that
assets work more effectively is a way to improve
asset turnover.
42You must also revise
- Advantages and disadvantages of bank loan as a
source of finance? - What additional sources of finance would you
recommend for Les maisonettes? - Revise what a business plan and what should be
included in it and why it is used? - You need to revise budgeting!!
- You need to revise the meaning of all ratios and
apply them to LM. - You need to learn and revise WORKING CAPITAL.