Financial Management of a Small Handicraft Business (Oxfam, 1988, 43 p.): Introduction

Financial Management of a Small Handicraft Business (Oxfam, 1988, 43 p.)

		Acknowledgements
		Introduction
		I. Cost calculations in the handicraft industry
		II. Pricing
		III. The concept of working capital
		IV. Financial planning and decision making
		Conclusion
		A manual of credit & savings for the poor of developing countries

Introduction

The origin of this pamphlet is a series of training programmes organized during my period in India as Oxfam Trading's representative. It looks at the basic approach to product costing and pricing, and the internal financial management of a small scale production unit. The objective is to assist such units to achieve profitable production, to gather the financial information necessary for planning and decision making, and to meet their working capital requirements.

Some common financial management topics are omitted. For example, it is assumed that a small handicrafts production unit would not undertake significant capital expenditures, nor seek alternative investments. The concentration throughout is on day-to-day operations of a business with a social purpose.

The pamphlet is intended for use by course leaders who have a basic understanding of the subject matter. It is hoped that it might provide useful resource material for training sessions aimed at managers of small businesses.