Week 2&3 Discussion 1 & 2

Week 2 - Discussion Forum 2

Required Resources

Text

Block, S. B., Hirt, G. A., & Danielsen, B. R. (2019).  Foundations of financial management (17th ed.). Retrieved from https://www.vitalsource.com

· Chapter 6: Working Capital and the Financing Decision

· Chapter 7: Current Asset Management

· Chapter 8: Sources of Short-Term Financing

 

Recommended Resources

Articles

Aiken, N. (2018, July 16). Leveraging sales. Retrieved from https://www.globalcapital.com/

· The full-text version of this article is available through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This article provides information about utilizing short-term assets to create liquidity. The article also details how accounts receivable can be financed by a bank to create quick cash for the company. This article may assist you in your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week.

Brooke, Z. (2017, April/May). Is your working capital working for or against you? Marketing News, 51(4), 12–13. Retrieved from https://www.ama.org/marketing-news-home/https://www.ama.org/

· The full-text version of this article is available through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This article provides a study on how managing working capital has propelled companies’ success. The author articulates the overall imperative to properly manage working capital. This article may assist you in your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week.

Doeringer, C. (2015). Ten questions to ask before making a seasonal loan. The RMA Journal, 97(9), 62–66. Retrieved from https://www.rmahq.org/thermajournal/

· The full-text version of this article is available through the ProQuest Central database in the Ashford University Library. This article discusses sources of short-term financing, particularly as tied to seasonal risks. This article expands on Chapter 8 from the course textbook and may assist you in your Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week.

Dzinkowski, R. (2018, September). Working capital: Suppliers can wait: The cash conversion cycle shortened in 2017, largely because many companies paid suppliers as slowly as possible. CFO, 34(4), 20–24. Retrieved from https://www.cfo.com/cfo-magazine/

· The full-text version of this article is available through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This article discusses working capital and focuses on the importance of cash conversion to best manage working capital. Managing cash coming in DSO (days sales outstanding) and cash going out DPO (days payable outstanding) is key to overall successful cash management and boosting working capital efficiency. This article may assist you in your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week.

Fenyves, V., Tarnóczi, T., & Vörö, P. (2014). Financial indicators in managerial decision-making (Links to an external site.). Annals of the University of Oradea: Economic Science, 23(1), 893–904. Retrieved from http://anale.steconomiceuoradea.ro/volume/2014/n1/098.pdf

· This article discusses working capital management and explains how to analyze current assets accounts. The article ties working capital management to short-term financing, thereby tying together Chapters 6, 7, and 8 of the course textbook. This article may assist you with your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week. Accessibility Statement does not exist. Privacy Policy does not exist.

McCann, D. (2014, September). At Kimberly-Clark, finance pumps up cash flow: A constant focus on cost savings and working capital pays off for the consumer goods company, says CFO Mark Buthman. CFO, 30(7), 18–20. Retrieved from https://www.cfo.com/cfo-magazine/

· The full-text version of this article is available through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. This article provides a real-life example of a company using their working capital efficiently. Kimberly-Clark corporation’s CEO discusses the importance of managing working capital and the current asset line items in the question, “How have you been able to improve your working capital performance so substantially?” This article may assist you with your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week.

McCrea, B. (2016, March/April). Creative supplier financing 101. Supply Chain Management Review, 20(2), S58–S60. Retrieved from https://www.scmr.com/

· The full-text version of this article is available through the ProQuest Central database in the Ashford University Library. This article contains practical and current information on the challenges of cash management. It presents information from a recent workshop called “Cash Flow for the Business: Understanding Payment Terms for the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” This article may assist you in your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week.

Multimedia

Investor Trading Academy. (2016, February 7).  What is working capital? (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/aAOWhMAi8Yk

· This video defines the terms used in working capital management and provides visuals aids. This video may assist you in your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week. This video has closed captioning and a transcript. Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.) Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

Leong, C.-O. [Chee-Onn Leong]. (2017, September 20).  Short term financial management (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/5xa1ZtXaHb4

· This video describes in detail working capital and suggests ways companies can more efficiently handle their current assets and liabilities. This video may assist you in your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week. This video has closed captioning and a transcript. Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.) Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

PwC. (2018, November 5).  Navigating uncertainty: PwC working capital study 2018/19 (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BxgDNQ_oO4k

· This video provides facts and statistics on how real-life companies manage working capital. This video may assist you with your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week. This video has closed captioning and a transcript. Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.) Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

Supplemental Materials

PricewaterhouseCoopers. (2018/19).  Navigating uncertainty: PwC’s annual global working capital study: Unlocking cashe to shore up your business (Links to an external site.) [Annual Study]. Retrieved from https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/working-capital-management-services/assets/pwc-working-capital-survey-2018-2019.pdf

· This published study on working capital discusses trends and opportunities. This study also provides facts and statistics about real-life companies managing working capital. This study may assist you with your Working Capital Management Case Study discussion forum and Week 2 Connect Homework Problems assignment this week. Accessibility Statement does not exist. Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

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Instructions

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, watch the Week 2 Discussion video above with Brenda Forde, Program Chair of MBA, and create a free LinkedIn account using the  LinkedIn Alumni Tool for Ashford University (Links to an external site.).

LinkedIn is considered a powerful job search tool in today’s world, known primarily for online networking and job searching. However, LinkedIn can also be used to research organizations, industries, and career paths. With LinkedIn, you can access millions of other working professionals and explore things such as current job titles, past job titles, certifications, etcetera. You can see exactly what others are doing with their MBAs and then figure out how they got there based on their career history.

Before beginning this discussion forum, using the  LinkedIn Alumni Tool for Ashford University (Links to an external site.) create a free LinkedIn account, if you do not have one already, then, utilize the search bar to find fellow alumni that have completed their MBA. To do this, simply type “MBA” in the search bar. Once the results appear, take your time clicking on profiles that interest you. You should also search outside of Ashford to gain a broader perspective. To do this, you can utilize the main search bar and once again type in “MBA.” Make sure to click on “people” to begin searching through the directory.

In your initial post, discuss five MBA graduates with interesting career titles and explain their current role based on their LinkedIn profile details. You do not need to give the names of the five people. Address the following in your post:

· Discuss their titles and how they are using their degree.

· From these five roles, which one sounds the most interesting to you personally and why?

· Are any of these roles in line with how you plan to use your MBA after graduation?

· Would you consider pursuing any of these five roles?

· If you have not already created a LinkedIn profile please do so now or update your profile based on your research.

Your initial response should be a minimum of 200 words.