Basics of Cash Management for Financial Management and Reporting

Abstract

This paper examines the basics of cash management for financial management and financial reporting purposes. This study makes use of descriptive research method to examine the importance, essence, influence, relationship, and impact of cash management on financial management and financial reporting. It establishes the strong impact of cash management on corporate survival, linkage to practically every account on financial report, maximisation of shareholders’ wealth, fraud prevention and detection, and liquidity enrichment. It also ascertains the need for the use of net cash flows as a measure of performance. Organisations should give cash management serious attention and make it a strategic partner, and should maintain a dedicated cash module for cash management because accrual accounting is not adequate for cash management. Regulatory bodies should enhance disclosure requirements in respect of cash and cash equivalents to enhance transparency and prevent creative cash management.