Swim Suits Unlimited, asset financing, shorten its DSO, Halka Company, Affleck Inc.'s effective annual percentage cost of funds

Hello, below is a series of five (5) multiple choice exercises related to finance I'm still having difficulty using the TI BA Plus financial calculator, which I've just recently purchased. These exercises each week help to prepare the student for our weekly, heavily-weighted two hour quizzes. I generally attempt these exercises on my own FIRST, and then compare them to your explanations.

Directions: Answer the following five questions in a separate document.

1. Swim Suits Unlimited is in a highly seasonal business, and the following summary balance sheet data show its assets and liabilities at peak and off-peak seasons (in thousands of dollars):

Peak Off-Peak

Cash $ 50-------------------------------------------------------------$30
Marketable securities 0 ------------------------------------------ 20
Accounts receivable 40 -------------------------------------------20
Inventories 100------------------------------------------------------50
Net fixed assets 500-----------------------------------------------500

Total assets $690--------------------------------------------------$620

Payables and accruals $ 30--------------------------------------$10
Short-term bank debt 50 ------------------------------------------0
Long-term debt-300----------------------------------------------- 300
Common equity 310----------------------------------------------- 310

Total claims $690--------------------------------------------------$620

From this data we may conclude that

a. Swim Suits' current asset financing policy calls for exactly matching asset and liability maturities.

b. Swim Suits' current asset financing policy is relatively aggressive; that is, the company finances some of its permanent assets with short-term discretionary debt.

c. Swim Suits follows a relatively conservative approach to current asset financing; that is, some of its short-term needs are met by permanent capital.

d. Without income statement data, we cannot determine the aggressiveness or conservatism of the company's current asset financing policy.

e. Without cash flow data, we cannot determine the aggressiveness or conservatism of the company's current asset financing policy.

2. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

a. A firm that makes 90% of its sales on credit and 10% for cash is growing at a constant rate of 10% annually. Such a firm will be able to keep its accounts receivable at the current level, since the 10% cash sales can be used to finance the 10% growth rate.

b. In managing a firm's accounts receivable, it is possible to increase credit sales per day yet still keep accounts receivable fairly steady, provided the firm can shorten the length of its collection period (its DSO) sufficiently.

c. Because of the costs of granting credit, it is not possible for credit sales to be more profitable than cash sales.

d. Since receivables and payables both result from sales transactions, a firm with a high receivables-to-sales ratio must also have a high payables-to-sales ratio.

e. Other things held constant, if a firm can shorten its DSO, this will lead to a higher current ratio.

3. Halka Company is a no-growth firm. Its sales fluctuate seasonally, causing total assets to vary from $320,000 to $410,000, but fixed assets remain constant at $260,000. If the firm follows a maturity matching (or moderate) working capital financing policy, what is the most likely total of long-term debt plus equity capital?

a. $260,642

b. $274,360

c. $288,800

d. $304,000

e. $320,000

4. Your consulting firm was recently hired to improve the performance of Shin-Soenen Inc, which is highly profitable but has been experiencing cash shortages due to its high growth rate. As one part of your analysis, you want to determine the firm's cash conversion cycle. Using the following information and a 365-day year, what is the firm's present cash conversion cycle?

Average inventory = $75,000
Annual sales = $600,000
Annual cost of goods sold = $360,000
Average accounts receivable = $160,000
Average accounts payable = $25,000

a. 120.6 days

b. 126.9 days

c. 133.6 days

d. 140.6 days

e. 148.0 days

5. Affleck Inc.'s business is booming, and it needs to raise more capital. The company purchases supplies on terms of 1/10 net 20, and it currently takes the discount. One way of getting the needed funds would be to forgo the discount, and the firm's owner believes she could delay payment to 40 days without adverse effects. What would be the effective annual percentage cost of funds raised by this action? (Assume a 365-day year.)

a. 10.59%

b. 11.15%

c. 11.74%

d. 12.36%

e. 13.01%