Business financing

An important function of business is financing, that is the way business raises and monitors funds. Most organizations have finance departments or a manager in charge of financial operations.

Most of the money used by business comes from the sale of its products and services. As these funds come from within the firm they are described as internal funds. The rest must come from outside and is described as external funds.

As a firm sells its products or services it receives money, which it uses to meet its expenses. One of these expenses is depreciation, which represents the cost of replacing assets (like tools, machinery, and buildings) that wear out. Typically business uses internal funds to cover the cost of depreciation.

Business can raise external funds in two ways: it can issue shares (stock) in exchange for money or property (equity funding), or by borrowing in exchange for bonds (notes), that is debt funding. Both stocks and bonds are negotiable, that is one can buy and sell them at the security exchange (Stock Exchange).

Banks make loans to corporations, organizations, to small companies and individuals. For this service banks always charge interest. To decide whether a business should receive a loan the bank examines its financial statement. If the company is eligible for a loan, it may choose a long-term loan or a short-term loan.

For short-term loans the principal (the amount borrowed) must be repaid within a year. Long-term loans mature (come due) in more than a year. Short-term loans are used to finance the everyday costs of doing business such as wages and salaries, raw materials, etc. Long-term loans are used to buy equipment, buildings and other expensive items.

The amount of money that company can borrow from a bank is a line of credit. This top amount of customer’s credit is based on the profits and earnings of a business.

Two of the most important pieces of financial information on business are the balance sheet and the income statement. The balance sheet summarizes the firm’s assets (what it owns), the firm’s liabilities (what it owes) and its net worth (the difference between the two sums) at a given time. The income statement summarizes the firm’s revenues, costs and the difference between the two (the profit or loss) over a period of time.

Exercise 3. Answer the following questions:

1. What is financing?

2. What personnel are in charge of financial operations?

3. What are internal funds and how are they used?

4. What does depreciation represent?

5. How do businesses raise external funds?

6. How do short-term and long-term loans differ?

7. What documents reflect financial information on business?

8. How do banks take part in business?

9. What do we call credit line?

10. What information is given in the balance sheet?

11. What can we learn from the income statement?

Exercise 4. Translate into English.

спосіб, яким бізнес залучає та контролює кошти; решта/залишок; покривати витрати на амортизацію; акції; облігації; фондова біржа; довгострокові кредити підлягають оплаті; сировина; підсумовувати; борги фірми; в певний час; збитки.

Exercise 5. Translate into Ukrainian.

money comes from the sale; within/outside the firm; typically; to raise external funds; securities; negotiable; must be repaid; everyday costs of doing business; expensive items; firm’s assets; firm’s revenues; over a period of time.

Exercise 6. Match and learn the synonyms.

A: shares, bond, loan, revenues, expenses, funds;

B: credit, profit, stocks, capital, note, costs.

Exercise 7. Match and learn the opposites.

A: costs, cheap, liabilities, outside, internal, loss;

B: external, within, expensive, assets, profit, revenues.

Exercise 8. Complete the sentences with the proper words from the list below:

the cost of depreciation, to raise funds, net worth, to meet, raising and monitoring, internal funds, loan

1. Our finance department is in charge of … the company funds. 2. The firm has received a 5-year… to buy new machinery. 3. We have started a new project so we have to work hard … our expenses. 4. Don’t forget to include … into income statement. 5. The balance sheet shows the firm’s … at a given time. 6. The management of the firm decided … by borrowing. 7. As the company started a new line of products their … have increased.

Exercise 9. Translate into English.

1. Фінансування – це спосіб залучення та контролювання коштів.

2. Власні кошти фірми надходять від продажу продукції, тоді як залучені кошти надходять зовні.

3. Ми можемо покрити витрати на амортизацію власними коштами.

4. Чи фірма вже виплатила цю довгострокову позику?

5. В цьому році компанія придбала деяке нове устаткування для заміни старого.

6. Фінансовий відділ вже склав балансовий звіт за перший квартал.

7. Бізнес може залучити зовнішні кошти двома шляхами: або випустити акції, або отримати позику.

8. Акції цієї компанії продаються на фондовій біржі.

9. Звідки надійшли ці кошти?

10. Строк виплати вашої позики настав.

Exercise 10. Make a list of the key terms on the topic. Get ready to define the terms on your list using the information from the text.

Grammar point:

The Present Perfect tense: Active and Passive forms (p.141)

The Present Perfect Continuous tense (p.142)

*The Present Perfect: simple vs. continuous forms (p.142)

Present Perfect vs. Past Indefinite (p.143)

* The use of since and for with Present Perfect

Exercise 11. Use the verb in brackets in the Present Perfect tense to state the ‘present result’ of the past action or event. Translate the sentences.

1. Our company (to issue) stocks. Now they are on sale at Stock Exchange. 2. Their funds are limited. They (to cover) the cost of depreciation with all their internal funds. 3. We are going to have bad times. Our financial manager (to state) the negative balance. 4. Why is there no money on our bank account? - We (to use) it to cover our expenses. 5. Let’s go shopping. I (to receive) my salary. 6. They (to get) a long-term loan and plan to replace the equipment.

Exercise 12. Use the Present Perfect tense instead of the negative form of the Present Continuous tense as in the model:

I am not reading the book. - I have just read the book.

1. He is not calculating his profits. 2. They are not financing this project. 3. We are not exchanging our money. 4. She is not selling her shares. 5. I am not buying these bonds. 6. He is not receiving a loan. 7. They are not making a balance sheet. 8. We are not repaying the principal. 9. They are not using equity funding to raise funds. 10. She is not performing this transaction. 11. We are not discussing his plan. 12. He is not writing a report. 13. I am not answering their letter. 14. They are not ordering these goods. 15. She is not calling her partner.

Exercise 13. We use the Present Perfect tense when we talk about the period of time that continues up to the present, e.g. today, this week, this month, etc. Make questions with the words given as in the model:

You/ repay/ loan/ this month? - Have you repaid loan this month?

1. You/ read/ the newspaper/ today?

2. He/ buy/ any bonds/ this year?

3. She/ prepare/ the income statement/ this week?

4. They /replace/ their equipment / this month?

5. This company/ issue / shares/ this year?

Exercise 14. We often use the Present Perfect tense with “indefinite expressions of time”, such as just, already, recently, ever, never (in middle position after the verb “have”), yet (at the end of questions and negative sentences). Use the verb in brackets in the Present Perfect tense, mind the position of “time expression”:

1. He (already, to buy) this company’s shares. 2. They (never, to use) internal funds to repay the loans. 3. She (yet, not to prepare) the balance sheet? 4. I (just, to see) the manager to discuss the firm’s assets. 5. You (ever, to be) at the Stock Exchange? 6. The loan (already, to mature). 7. I (never, to speak) at the company meetings. 8. We (yet, not to negotiate) the terms of the loan. 9. He (just, to read) their income statement. 10. She (already, to sell) her shares in business.

* Learn the two meanings of since: 1)сполучник часу, що вказує на початок процесу, що безперервно триває з якогось часу в минулому - з; з того часу, як; 2) сполучник причини, що вводить підрядні речення причини— оскільки; так як; через те, що.

Exercise 15. Read and translate the following sentences.

1. You can give them a long-term loan since we have checked their financial statement. 2. We have been partners since 1998. 3. Since the equipment is worn out we have to replace it. 4. He has performed these transactions since the time he was employed by this firm. 5. We do not travel a lot since we are saving money for a new flat. 6. She has written a lot since her first book was published.

* Learn the difference between since and for.

Since is used to give the starting point of actions or situations that continue up to the moment of speaking; it is followed by the reference to the point of time (e.g. since April 24^th).

For is used to say how long an action or situation lasts; it is followed by a reference to a period of time (e.g. for three months).

Since: 8 o’clock; he finished school; 2002; last Monday; etc.

For: 2 hours; a week; a long time; ages; etc.

e.g. I have known him since he finished school.

I have known him for a long time.

Exercise 16. Insert since or for in the following sentences:

1. His father has been a managing director …10 years. 2.We have been friends … school years. 3. She has not written to us … two months. 4. They have not heard from him … he went abroad. 5. I have not met him … a week. 6. She has lived here … 2002.

* The Present Perfect Simpleis used to say that the action is completed and to talk about its result while the Present Perfect Continuous tense emphasizes the continuation of the action, compare:

I have read your book (= I have finished it).

I have been reading your book (= I have not finished it).

The Present Perfect Simple is used to talk about more permanent situation while the Present Perfect Continuous is especially used for more temporary situations, compare:

I have worked for this firm all my life.

I have been working for this firm since last month.

Both tense-forms have nearly the same meaning, the continuous form stressing the process and the simple form emphasizing the result. Thus, both these sentences are correct:

He has lived in Kyiv since 1987.

He has been living in Kyiv since 1987.

But we tend to use the continuous form if it is possible. Sometimes it is not – with the verbs that are not used in Continuous tenses (see p.136). In such cases we use Perfect Simple forms.

Exercise 17. Use the verb in brackets in either Perfect Simple or Perfect Continuous form.

1. He (not to work) very well recently. 2. He (not to work) for years. 3. I (to learn) irregular verbs all afternoon. 4. I (to learn) irregular verbs – ask me any. 5. I am tired – I (to calculate) our expenses all day. 6. I (to calculate) our expenses – we spend too much on clothes. 7. Sorry about the mess - the workers (to install) new computers in my office. 8. The workers (to install) new computers and we can start working now. 9. They (to monitor) the situation since the elections started. 10. They (to monitor) the situation – here is their report.

* Compare the use of Present Perfect and Past Indefinite:

e.g. We have just seen them (a past action which time is not definite) –Present Perfect.

We saw them last week (a past action, completed at a definite time in the past) –Past Indefinite.

Exercise 18. Use the verbs in brackets in either Present Perfect or Past Indefinite. Pay attention to time expressions.

1. They already (finish) writing their report. 2. They (finish) writing their report two hours ago. 3. Last time we (see) him, he (look) very tired. 4. I (not see) him recently. 5. He (want) to be a star in his childhood. 6. His dream recently (to come) true. 7. Last month they (increase) his salary. 8. They already (increase) his salary to 1200 UAH. 9. At our last meeting we (decide) to sell a part of our assets. 10. Now we can complete our report- they just (provide) us with all necessary information. 11. He (leave) for Kyiv 2 years ago and he (live) there since then. 12. The morning (be) cold and rainy, but since 10 o’clock the weather (change). 13. I (keep) these photos since we first (meet). 14. She (dream) of becoming a well-known economist since she (start) working at our institute. 15. He (have) this computer since this model (appear) in the market.

Exercise 19. Make the following sentences passive.

1. They have already transferred the money. 2. The company has not received the loan yet. 3. We have just sold the last computer. 4. The accountant has already prepared the balance sheet. 5. He has never paid his debts in time. 6. The bank has recently charged the interest on our loan. 7. I have already answered their letter. 8. We have never raised this problem at our meetings. 9. He has already applied for a loan. 10. She has just calculated our revenues for the last quarter.

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