As soon as a firm starts operating, and especially once it starts to grow, it needs to come to a decision about how to invest funds, how much cash and inventory to maintain, how much financing to provide to customers, how to obtain the necessary funds, and how much debt to take on and in which terms--all the answers to these questions have serious consequences for a firm's cash flow and profitability.

Working Capital Management is a hands-on look at the crucial decision of how to define and finance the operating investments of a business. Starting with an overview of the...