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The Cost of Capital

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Cost of Capital

Introduction
This paper examines key elements of a cost of capital policy to facilitate objective management and allocation of corporate funds. In order for a company to make long-term investments to grow, whether that is new equipment, new products or other assets, managers must be aware of the cost of acquiring any of these assets. The obvious objective for these managers is to earn more than the cost of capital and in doing so will increase their company’s market value. If they fail to adequately estimate their cost of capital and their long-term investments fall beneath the cost of capital, their company’s market value will decline as a result. This ongoing battle of managing and calculating the cost of capital and how to budget them accordingly is extremely important in providing the necessary goals of increasing value to their company’s stockholders.
The information that managers use will ultimately dictate the outcomes of their company’s cost of capital policy and how the allocate corporate funds. This paper will highlight several processes and elements managers use in determining capital cost.
Functions for Decision Making
When corporate managers think about the cost of capital and cost allocation, there are several factors that must be analyzed and weighed. First, managers need to look at the general economic condition for their industry as well as overall market. These would include the demand and supply of capital within the economy, and any level of expected inflation.
Second, managers need to take a look at the health of market conditions. If conditions are poor, this can lead to higher interest rates being charged for companies looking for access to capital. If the rates are higher than what the company is willing to pay or afford, the results may vary from having to wait on expansion projects, to companies going bankrupt.

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