DISCUSS the liquidity vs. profitability issue in management of working capital.

Liquidity versus Profitability Issue in Management of Working Capital: Working capital management entails the control and monitoring of all components of working capital i.e. cash, marketable securities, debtors, creditors etc. Finance manager has to pay particular attention to the levels of current assets and their financing. To decide the level of financing of current assets, the risk return trade off must be taken into account. The level of current assets can be measured by creating a relationship between current assets and fixed assets. A firm may follow a conservative, aggressive or moderate policy. A conservative policy means lower return and risk while an aggressive policy produces higher return and risk. The two important aims of the working capital management are profitability and solvency. A liquid firm has less risk of insolvency i.e. it will hardly experience a cash shortage or a stock out situation. However, there is a cost associated with maintaining a sound liquidity position. So, to have a higher profitability the firm may have to sacrifice solvency and maintain a relatively low level of current assets.