Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, grade: 85%, Stellenbosch Universitiy, language: English, abstract: The financing strategy is the mix of capital chosen by each enterprise. This strategy is of extreme importance, because it can have a profound effect on the value of the enterprise. In general, firms have different possibilities to design its capital structure. Debt can be issued in a large quantity or only in a small amount. Furthermore, warrants, convertible bonds, caps, callers or preferred stock can be issued. Firms can use lease financing, bond swaps or forward contracts. The variations in capital structures are infinite, due to the endless number of financing instruments. Variables such as demand and supply, the capital requirement, the price of capital (interest rates), types of security, etc. are given at a particular point in time. We will discuss how a firm should finance in order to establish an optimal combination of equity and debt capital in the interests of the welfare of the owners. Uncertainty and risk are central to the financing problem and therefore financing must in essence be dynamic by nature. The single most important basis for making any financial decision is prognosis. The techniques used are mainly those of budgets and analysis by means of ratios. Prognosis, income expectations and developments in the money and capital markets, play a central role as the single most important basis of each financing decision. The optimal combinations of equity capital and debt to maximise the interest of the owners, are achieved by means of the sensible use of debt. The question thus arises to what extent this approach can be utilised and therefore the determining factors of the financial structure must be considered in more detail. This paper will focus on these factors. It will not discuss sources of financing in detail, which should be treated as a separate topic.