In this study we formulate the cash flow management problem encountered in a typical agroindustrial company as a network flow optimization model (with gains and losses) proposed in Golden, Liberatore e Lieberman (1979). The objective is to maximize the cash return of the financial resources at the end of a multi-period and finite planning horizon. Two examples are studied applying linear programming: in the first, the original network flow model is used to support operational cash flow decisions and in the second, the model is extended to deal with a tactical planning of loan payments. The mathematical models are solved using the optimization tool of a widely-used software spreadsheet package. The numerical results obtained show that the models are flexible and effective, being able to generate solutions, equal to or superior to the company solutions.
Cash flow management; Mathematical modeling; Linear programming; Network flows; Agroindustry
