Explain why accounting profits and cash flows are not the same thing.

Ans: Stock value relies on future cash flows, their timing, and their riskiness.  Profit calculations do not refer these three factors.  Profit, as described in accounting, is just the difference among sales revenue and expenses.  It is true that much more profits are usually better than less profit, but while the pursuit of short-term profits unfavorably affects the size of future cash flows, their timing, or their riskiness, after that these profit maximization attempts are detrimental to the firm.