Keeping the cash flowing

This book explores an important but often neglected aspect of a firm's finances: trade credit management (TCM). When firms offering credit to each other so purchases can be made on open account it is a vital source of business-to-business credit flows. Trade credit is the life-blood of competitive economies. Trade credit involves taking calculated credit risks. In return, selling firms boost sales and profitability. Buying firms get access to credit. But trade credit has to be carefully managed. To generate cash, accounts receivable need to be collected. In the meantime, working capital must be managed so that cash flow is sufficient to pay the firm's bills. The price of error is financial distress and even bankruptcy. The book explores the topic from many angles and is anchored in the hard realities of Poland's marketplace. Particular attention is paid to the dynamics of trade credit in small to medium enterprises, firms which often have special needs. The focus of this book is threefold: • the analysis of the role of TCM from inside and outside of the firm; • a detailed investigation of best practice in TCM collection processes; • the presentation of issues concerning working capital management.