3 FINANCIAL CASES AND BUSINESS CASES

OBJECTIVES

When you have studied this chapter you should be able to:

  • explain why organisations should attempt to quantify both the benefits and costs of a proposed investment;
  • explain the difference between a financial case and a business case;
  • describe some ways in which it may be possible to quantify ‘intangible benefits’;
  • list four kinds of financial benefit;
  • describe the difference between cash flow and profit, and explain why cash flow is usually regarded as the fundamental basis for investment decision-making.

The achievement of these objectives is a necessary prerequisite for understanding how to build a financial case to justify a proposed IT investment.

COST CASES

The financial case that we considered ...

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