sources and uses of cash 
the activities that the cash flow statement describes can be classified in two categories: 1 activities that generate cash, called sources of cash, and 2 activities that involve spending cash, called uses of cash. of course, an entity's operations routinely generate cash (especially from cash sales to customers and collection of customer accounts receivable) and use cash (for most operating expenses, especially the payment of wages and accounts payable). the user of a cash flow statement is interested primarily in the net amount of cash generated by operations rather than in the detailed operating cash inflows and outflows. thus, rather than separately showing operating cash inflows as source and outflows as uses, this net amount is shown. operations ordinarily are a net source of cash; however, operations are a net use of cash if they use more cash than they generate. A net use of cash is common in start-up companies and in that are expanding rapidly.