Business Activities

What Are Business Activities?

Business activities include any activity a business engages in for the primary purpose of making a profit. This is a general term that encompasses all the economic activities carried out by a company during the course of business. Business activities, including operating, investing, and financing activities, are ongoing and focused on creating value for shareholders.

Understanding Business Activities

There are three main types of business activities: operating, investing, and financing. The cash flows used and created by each of these activities are listed in the cash flow statement. The cash flow statement is meant to be a reconciliation of net income on an accrual basis to cash flow. Net income is taken from the bottom of the income statement, and the cash impact of balance sheet changes are identified to reconcile back to actual cash inflows and outflows.

Non-cash items previously deducted from net income are added back to determine cash flow; non-cash items previously added to net income are deducted to determine cash flows. The result is a report that gives the investor a summary of business activities within the company on a cash basis, segregated by the specific types of activity.

Operating Business Activities

The first section of the cash flow statement is cash flow from operating activities. These activities include many items from the income statement and the current portion of the balance sheet. The cash flow statement adds back certain non-cash items such as depreciation and amortization. Then changes in balance sheet line items, such as accounts receivable and accounts payable, are either added or subtracted based on their previous impact on net income.

These line items impact the net income on the income statement but do not result in a movement of cash in or out of the company. If cash flows from operating business activities are negative, it means the company must be financing its operating activities through either investing activities or financing activities. Routinely negative operating cash flow is not common outside of nonprofits.

Investing Business Activities

Investing activities are in the second section of the statement of cash flows. These are business activities that are capitalized over more than one year. The purchase of long-term assets is recorded as a use of cash in this section. Likewise, the sale of real estate is shown as a source of cash. The line item "capital expenditures" is considered an investing activity and can be found in this section of the cash flow statement.

Financing Business Activities

The cash flow statement's final section includes financing activities. These include initial public offerings, secondary offerings, and debt financing. The section also lists the amount of cash being paid out for dividends, share repurchases, and interest. Any business activity related to financing and fundraising efforts is included in this section of the cash flow statement.

How Is the Cash Flow Statement Linked to Business Activities?

The cash flows used and created by each of the three main classifications of business activities — operating, investing, and financing — are listed in the cash flow statement. This financial statement is meant to be a reconciliation of net income on an accrual basis to cash flow.

Net income is taken from the bottom of the income statement, and the cash impact of balance sheet changes are identified to reconcile back to actual cash inflows and outflows. Non-cash items previously deducted from or added to net income are added or deducted respectively to determine cash flows. The result is a report that gives the investor a summary of business activities within the company on a cash basis, segregated by the specific types of activity.

What Are Operating Business Activities?

Cash flow from operating business activities, usually the first section of the cash flow statement, includes many items from the income statement and the current portion of the balance sheet. The cash flow statement adds back certain non-cash items such as depreciation and amortization. Then changes in balance sheet line items, such as accounts receivable and accounts payable, are either added or subtracted based on their previous impact on net income. These line items impact the net income on the income statement but do not result in a movement of cash in or out of the company. Routinely negative operating cash flow is not common outside of nonprofits.

What Are Investing Business Activities?

Investing business activities are those that are capitalized over more than one year and usually appear as the second section of the cash flow statement. The purchase of long-term assets is recorded as a use of cash in this section. Likewise, the sale of real estate is shown as a source of cash. The line item "capital expenditures" is considered an investing activity and can be found in this section of the cash flow statement.

What Are Financing Business Activities?

The cash flow statement's final section includes financing business activities. These include initial public offerings, secondary offerings, and debt financing. The section also lists the amount of cash being paid out for dividends, share repurchases, and interest. Any business activity related to financing and fundraising efforts is included in this section of the cash flow statement.