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J
5/7/2005

Chapter 21. Mini Case for Working Capital Management

Dan Barnes, financial manager of Ski Equipment Inc. (SKI), is excited, but apprehensive. The company's founder recently sold his
51 percent controlling block of stock to Kent Koren, who is a big fan of EVA (Economic Value Added). EVA is found by taking the
after-tax operating profit and then subtracting the dollar cost of all the capital the firm uses:
EVA

= NOPAT - Capital costs

= EBIT(1 - T) - WACC (Operating capital).

If EVA is positive, then the firm is creating value. On the other hand, if EVA is negative, the firm is not covering its cost of capital,
and stockholders' value is being eroded. Koren rewards managers handsomely if they create value, but those whose operations
produce negative EVAs are soon looking for work. Koren frequently points out that if a company can generate its current level of
sales with less assets, it would need less capital. That would, other things held constant, lower capital costs and increase its EVA.
Shortly after he took control of SKI, Kent Koren met with SKI's senior executives to tell them of his plans for the company. First, he
presented some EVA data which convinced everyone that SKI had not been creating value in recent years. He then stated, in no
uncertain terms, that this situation must change. He noted that SKI's designs of skis, boots, and clothing are acclaimed throughout
the industry, but something is seriously amiss elsewhere in the company. Costs are too high, prices are too low, or the company
employs too much capital, and he wants SKI's managers to correct the problem or else.
Barnes has long felt that SKI's working capital situation should be studied--the company may have the optimal amounts of cash,
securities, receivables, and inventories, but it may also have too much or too little of these items. In the past, the production manager
resisted Dan's efforts to question his holdings of raw materials inventories, the marketing manager resisted questions about finished
goods, the sales staff resisted questions about credit policy (which affects accounts receivable), and the treasurer did not want to talk
about her cash and securities balances. Koren's speech made it clear that such resistance would no longer be tolerated.
Dan also knows that decisions about working capital cannot be made in a vacuum. For example, if inventories could be lowered
without adversely affecting operations, then less capital would be required, the dollar cost of capital would decline, and EVA would
increase. However, lower raw materials inventories might lead to production slowdowns and higher costs, while lower finished goods
inventories might lead to the loss of profitable sales. So, before inventories are changed, it will be necessary to study operating as well
as financial effects. The situation is the same with regard to cash and receivables. Following are some ratios for SKI:

Current
Quick
Debt/assets
Turnover of cash
Days sales outstanding
Inventory turnover
Fixed assets turnover
Total assets turnover
Profit margin on sales
Return on equity (ROE)
Payables deferral period

SKI
1.75
0.83
58.76%
16.67
45.63
4.82
11.35
2.08
2.07%
10.45%
30

Industry
2.25
1.2
50.00%
22.22
32
7
12
3
3.50%
21.00%
33

a. Dan plans to use the preceding ratios as the starting point for discussions with SKI's operating executives. He wants everyone to
think about the pros and cons of changing each type of current asset and how changes would interact to affect profits and EVA. Based
on the data in the table, does SKI seem to be following a relaxed, moderate, or restricted working capital policy?
Working capital policy is reflected in a firms current ratio, quick ratio, turnover of cash and securities, inventory turnover, and DSO.
These ratios indicate SKI has large amounts of working capital relative to its level of sales. Thus, SKI is following a relaxed (fat cat)
policy.
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A capital policy
B is reflected
C in a firmsDcurrent ratio,Equick ratio, turnover
F
H inventory turnover,
I
Working
of cashGand securities,
andJDSO.
These ratios indicate SKI has large amounts of working capital relative to its level of sales. Thus, SKI is following a relaxed (fat cat)
policy.
b. How can one distinguish between a relaxed but rational working capital policy and a situation where a firm simply has a lot of
current assets because it is inefficient? Does SKI's working capital policy seem appropriate?
A relaxed policy may be appropriate if it reduces risk more than profitability. However, SKI is much less profitable than the average
firm in the industry. This suggests that the company probably has excessive working capital.
c. Calculate SKIs cash conversion cycle (assuming all calculations use a 365-day year).

Cash
Conversion
cycle (CCC)

Inventory
conversion
period

Receivables
collection
period

Payables
Deferral
Period

CCC
CCC

=
=

75.7
91.4

45.6

30

d. What might SKI do to reduce its cash and securities without harming operations?
Use lockboxes.
Insist on wire transfers from customers.
Synchronize inflows and outflows.
Use a remote disbursement account.
Increase forecast accuracy to reduce the need for a cash safety stock.
Hold marketable securities instead of a cash safety stock.
Negotiate a line of credit (also reduces need for a safety stock).
In an attempt to better understand SKI's cash position, Dan developed a cash budget. Data for the first two months of the year are
shown at the end of this mini case. (Note that Dan's preliminary cash budget does not account for interest income or interest expense.)
He has the figures for the other months, but they are not shown in this mini case.
Cash Balance as presented in the Mini Case
Nov

Dec

I. COLLECTIONS AND PURCHASES WORKSHEET

( 1 ) Sales (gross)
$71,218
$68,212
Collections
( 2) During month of sale
(0.2)(0.98)(month's sales)
( 3 ) During first month after sale
0.7(previous month's sales)
( 4 ) During second month after sale
0.1(sales 2 months ago)
( 5 ) Total collections (Lines 2 + 3 + 4)
Purchases
( 6 ) 0.85(forecasted sales 2 months from now)
$44,603.75
( 7) Payments (1-month lag)
II. CASH GAIN OR LOSS FOR MONTH
( 8 ) Collections (from Section I)
( 9 ) Payments for purchases (from Section I)
( 10 ) Wages and salaries

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

$65,213

$52,475

$42,909

$30,524

12,781.75

10,285.10

47,748.40

45,649.10

7,121.80
$67,651.95

6,821.20
$62,755.40

$36,472.65
44,603.75

$25,945.40
36,472.65

$67,651.95
44,603.75
6,690.56

$62,755.40
36,472.65
5,470.90

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A
B
C
( 11) Rent
( 12 ) Taxes
( 13 ) Total payments
( 14 ) Net cash gain (loss) during month
(Line 8 - Line 13)

III. CASH SURPLUS OR LOAN REQUIREMENT

( 15 ) Cash at beginning of month if no borrowing is done
( 16 ) Cumulative cash (cash at start + gain or loss =
Line 14 + Line 15)
( 17 ) Target cash balance
( 18 ) Cumulative surplus cash or loans outstanding to
maintain $1,500 target cash balance
(Line 16 - Line 17)

F
2,500.00

G
2,500.00

$53,794.31

$44,443.55

$13,857.64

$18,311.85

$3,000.00

$16,857.64

16,857.64
1,500.00

35,169.49
1,500.00

$15,357.64

$33,669.49

e. Should depreciation expense be explicitly included in the cash budget? Why or why not?
No. Depreciation is a noncash charge. Only cash payments and receipts appear on cash budget. However, depreciation does affect
taxes, which do appear in the cash budget.

f. In his preliminary cash budget, Dan has assumed that all sales are collected and, thus, that SKI has no bad debts. Is this realistic?
If not, how would bad debts be dealt with in a cash budgeting sense? (Hint: Bad debts will affect collections but not purchases.)
No! In almost all situations there are bad debts
Collections would be reduced by the amount of bad debt losses. For example, if the firm had 3% bad debt losses, collections would
total only 97% of sales.

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g. Dan's cash budget for the entire year, although not given here, is based heavily on his forecast for monthly sales. Sales are expected
to be extremely low between May and September but then increase dramatically in the fall and winter. November is typically the
firm's best month, when SKI ships equipment to retailers for the holiday season. Interestingly, Dan's forecasted cash budget indicates
that the company's cash holdings will exceed the targeted cash balance every month except for October and November, when
shipments will be high but collections will not be coming in until later. Based on the ratios in the first table, does it appear that SKI's
target cash balance is appropriate? In addition to possibly lowering the target cash balance, what actions might SKI take to better
improve its cash management policies, and how might that affect its EVA?
Cash budget indicates the company probably is holding too much cash.
SKI could improve its EVA by either investing its excess cash in more productive assets or by paying it out to the firms shareholders.

h. What reasons might SKI have for maintaining a relatively high amount of cash?
If sales turn out to be considerably less than expected, SKI could face a cash shortfall.
A company may choose to hold large amounts of cash if it does not have much faith in its sales forecast, or if it is very conservative.
The cash may be there, in part, to fund a planned fixed asset acquisition.
i. What are the three categories of inventory costs? If the company takes steps to reduce its inventory, what effect would this have on
the various costs of holding inventory?
Carrying Costs: Storage and handling costs, insurance, property taxes, depreciation, and obsolescence.

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Ordering Costs: Cost of placing orders, shipping, and handling costs.

Costs of Running Short: Loss of sales, loss of customer goodwill, and the disruption of production schedules.
j. Is there any reason to think that SKI may be holding too much inventory? If so, how would that affect EVA and ROE?
SKIs inventory turnover (4.82) is considerably lower than the industry average (7.00). The firm is carrying a lot of inventory per
dollar of sales. By holding excessive inventory, the firm is increasing its operating costs which reduces its NOPAT. Moreover, the
excess inventory must be financed, so EVA is further lowered.
k. If the company reduces its inventory without adversely affecting sales, what effect should this have on the company's cash position
(1) in the short run and (2) in the long run? Explain in terms of the cash budget and the balance sheet.
Short run: Cash will increase as inventory purchases decline.
Long run: Company is likely to then take steps to reduce its cash holdings.
l. Dan knows that SKI sells on the same credit terms as other firms in its industry. Use the ratios presented in the first table to
explain whether SKI's customers pay more or less promptly than those of its competitors. If there are differences, does that suggest
that SKI should tighten or loosen its credit policy? What four variables make up a firm's credit policy, and in what direction should
each be changed by SKI?
SKIs days sales outstanding (DSO) of 45.63 days is well above the industry average (32 days). SKIs customers are paying less
promptly. So, SKI should consider tightening its credit policy to reduce its DSO.

Cash Discounts: Lowers price. Attracts new customers and reduces DSO.
Credit Period: How long to pay? Shorter period reduces DSO and average A/R, but it may discourage sales.
Credit Standards: Tighter standards reduce bad debt losses, but may reduce sales. Fewer bad debts reduces DSO.
Collection Policy: Tougher policy will reduce DSO, but may damage customer relationships.
m. Does SKI face any risks if it tightens its credit policy?
YES! A tighter credit policy may discourage sales. Some customers may choose to go elsewhere if they are pressured to pay their bills
sooner.
n. If the company reduces its DSO without seriously affecting sales, what effect would this have on its cash position (1) in the short
run and (2) in the long run? Answer in terms of the cash budget and the balance sheet. What effect should this have on EVA in the
long run?
Short run: If customers pay sooner, this increases cash holdings.
Long run: Over time, the company would hopefully invest the cash in more productive assets, or pay it out to shareholders. Both of
these actions would increase EVA.
o. Is it likely that SKI could make significantly greater use of accruals?
Accruals are free in the sense that no explicit interest is charged. However, firms have little control over accrual levels, which are
influenced more by industry custom, economic factors, and tax laws than by managerial actions.
p. Assume that SKI buys on terms of 1/10, net 30, but that it can get away with paying on the 40th day if it chooses not to
take discounts. Also, assume that it purchases $506,985 of components per year, net of discounts. How much free trade
credit can the company get, how much costly trade credit can it get, and what is the percentage cost of the costly credit?
Should SKI take discounts?
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p. Assume that SKI buys on terms of 1/10, net 30, but that it can get away with paying on the 40th day if it chooses not to
take discounts. Also, assume that it purchases $506,985 of components per year, net of discounts. How much free trade
creditAcan the company
get, howCmuch costlyDtrade credit can
cost of H
the costly credit?
B
E it get, and what
F is the percentage
G
I
213 Should SKI take discounts?
214
215 Terms: free credit period
10
days.
216 "Official" credit period =
30
days.
217 Credit period taken =
40
218 Discount =
1%
219 Annual net purchases = $506,985
220
221 Annual gross purchases = $512,106
222 Gross - net purchase =
$5,121
223
224 Company buys goods worth $506,985. Thats the cash price.
225 They must pay $5,070 more over the year if they forego the discount.
226 Think of the extra $5,070 as a financing cost similar to the interest on a loan.
227
228
229 Net daily purchases =
$1,389
230
231 Payables level if discount is taken:
232 Payables =
$1,389
x
10
233 Payables =
$13,890
234
235 Payables level if dont take discount:
236 Payables =
$1,389
x
40
237 Payables =
$55,560
238
239 Credit Breakdown
Total trade credit =
240
$55,560
Free trade credit =
241
$13,890
Costly trade credit =
242
$41,670
243
244 Nominal cost of costly trade credit:
245
$5,121
246 r(nom) =
/
$41,670
12.29%
247 r(nom) =

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