Question

Akram owns a small farm. He employs 80 workers in the field and has recently hired a manager to help him manage the farm. The income of the business varies greatly during the year. The farm makes a small profit but Akram is ambitious. He wants to take over a neighbour’s farm and increase the range of crops he sells. He thinks that he needs long-term finance and plans to take out bank loan to pay for the takeover. He has already borrowed money to buy a new tractor. A friend has advised him to form a company and sell shares

Answer 1

Question Completion:

Requirement. Identity two types of short-term finance Akram could use when the farm income is low

Answer:

Akram's Farm

Akram's farm can make good use of the following short-term financing sources:

1. Akram's farm can use Accounts Payable to provide short-term trade finance when the farm buys farm inputs, equipment, and other supplies on credit.  The farm's Accounts Payable can provide interest-free trade loans by allowing the farm to take longer time to settle the suppliers.  But, the farm should not miss out on cash discounts - an important source of trade finance.

2. Akram's farm can generate finances by ensuring early collections of the  Accounts Receivable.  Akram's farm can also go ahead and borrow on the accounts receivable through short-term bank loans guaranteed on the accounts.  The farm can also factor the accounts receivable by selling them to factoring and finance houses for less.

Explanation:

Akram's farm is still a small farm that is not yet formed as a company.  The immediate concentration is growing the entity and starting the processes for changing its corporate status so that it can take advantage of the sources of finance available to companies.