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With regard to accounts receivable, explain how the average sales per day ratio and collection period ratio could be used.As a company relaxes its credit policies, how would the values of these ratios usually change? Why?

Short Answer

Expert verified
The average sales per day ratio and collection period ratio can indicate the business activity and cash flow efficiency of a company. Relaxing credit policies generally increases both these ratios as more sales are achieved and the collection period is extended. The impact of these changes should be carefully evaluated to ensure the financial health of the company isn't negatively affected.

Step by step solution

01

Describe Average Sales Per Day Ratio

The Average Sales Per Day Ratio provides insight into a company's revenue on a daily basis during a specific period. It is calculated by dividing the total sales in a period by the total number of days in that period.
02

Describe Collection Period Ratio

The Collection Period Ratio indicates the average number of days it takes for a company to collect payments from its customers after a sale has been made. It is calculated by dividing accounts receivable by average sales per day.
03

Effect of relaxing credit policies on ratios

When a company relaxes its credit policies, it's usually allowing customers a longer period to pay for their purchases. This would likely increase the Average Sales Per Day Ratio because more sales can occur as a result of more customers being able to buy on credit. Simultaneously, the Collection Period Ratio will usually increase too, because customers have more time to make their payments.
04

Conclusion

Relaxing credit policies can stimulate sales, but it also means that cash flow might be affected due to a longer waiting period to collect customer payments. Executives should consider these trade-offs when deciding if such a strategy is beneficial overall for the company.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Average Sales Per Day Ratio
Understanding the Average Sales Per Day Ratio is essential for analyzing how much revenue a company generates each day over a set period of time. To calculate this ratio, take the total sales revenue for the period and divide it by the number of days in that period. For example, if a company makes $300,000 in sales over 30 days, the ratio would be $10,000 per day.
This metric offers a snapshot of daily revenue performance, providing insight into sales trends and helping to identify periods of high or low sales activity.
A higher average sales per day ratio generally indicates strong sales performance, signaling good customer demand and effective sales strategies. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to monitor this ratio in conjunction with other financial metrics, as factors like seasonality can affect daily sales.
Collection Period Ratio
The Collection Period Ratio demonstrates the efficiency of a company’s credit and collection practices by showing how many days it typically takes to collect payment after a sale is made. It is calculated by dividing the accounts receivable balance by the average sales per day.
For instance, if a company has $100,000 in accounts receivable and $10,000 in average sales per day, the collection period ratio would be 10 days.
A lower collection period ratio is preferable, highlighting that the company quickly collects cash from credit sales.
  • This can improve the cash flow.
  • It reduces the risk of default.
  • It indicates efficiency in managing customer payments.
Long collection periods might suggest lenient credit terms or inefficiencies in debt collection, impacting the firm's liquidity and financial health.
Credit Policies
Credit policies define the terms under which a company extends credit to customers, influencing both sales and cash flow. When a company decides to relax its credit policies, it typically allows longer payment terms or lowers credit standards.
This approach can lead to increased sales by attracting more customers who prefer or require credit for purchases, potentially boosting the average sales per day ratio. However, there's a trade-off, as relaxed credit policies often result in extended collection periods.
While increased sales may look promising, they come with potential challenges:
  • Increased risk of non-payments or defaults.
  • Potential strain on cash flow as receivables take longer to convert to cash.
Thus, effectively managing credit policies is crucial in balancing growth objectives with financial stability. Companies need to regularly review credit terms, ensuring they align with overall business strategies and risk tolerance.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Why would a business usually want to have a positive cash balance? What does a firm usually do with cash? Describe how a firm might operate with a cash balance of zero in its accounting records.

Under what circumstances could a firm's cash balance be negative? Why?

Pratsky, Inc., had the following account balances:During 2000 , the corporation had the following transactions: 1\. Issued common stock for \(\$ 40,000\) cash. 2\. Purchased inventory on account; 200 units \(@ \$ 38\), then 150 units \(@ \$ 39\) Note: Beginning inventory was comprised of 500 units @ \$35. 3\. Purchased 200 shares of IBM for \(\$ 45 /\) share and purchased 100 shares of \(\mathrm{Mi}\) crosoft for \(\$ 90 /\) share 4\. Sales at retail during 2000 were \(\$ 75,000\) (half received in cash, and the balance on account 5\. Write-offs of uncollectible accounts totaled \(\$ 2,600\). 6\. Received 38,000 dollars from receivable customers. 7\. Paid creditors on account, \(\$ 18,000\). Paid operating expenses for the current period of 51,000 dollars 8. At year-end, a physical inventory equaled 225 units.The company uses the LIFO inventory costing method. 9\. Assume that marketable securities are "available-for-sale," and the market price at December \(31,2000,\) for \(\mathrm{IBM}\) is \(\$ 42 / \mathrm{share},\) and for Microsoft 102 dollars share 10. Based on the accounts receivable aging, management feels that the allowance for uncollectible accounts should have a balance of \(\$ 5,700\) at year end.a. Set up the beginning balances in the balance sheet equation. Leave enough room to add new columns as necessary. b. Record transactions 1 through 10 using the balance sheet equation. c. Calculate the following ratios for 1999 and 2000 and evaluate the company's management of its accounts receivable:Accounts receivable/sales (assume that sales in 1999 were \(\$ 125,786\) ) Sales/day Collection period Allowance as a percentage of accounts receivable.

Why would a firm extend credit to its customers? Identify some firms that rarely offer credit terms. How have bank credit cards changed some of these credit practices? Identify some industries where credit is an essential part of daily business.

Becca's Finance and Collection Company has had a lot of trouble collecting its receivables recently. Discuss how each of the following circumstances might be reflected in the Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts:1. Dagwood Bumpstead has an "open" account that is always overdue. Dagwood makes regular payments of 500 dollars each month, but the balance in his account is always about \(\$ 4,000 dollars 2. Blondie purchased a car using 4,000 dollars borrowed from Becca's. Blondie has not made any payments for six months, and her overdue balance exceeds 1,200 dolars 3\. Sad Sack has just borrowed 4,000 dollars from Becca's, has excellent credit references, and after borrowing the money has sent Becca's a change-of- address notification showing a new address in Brazil.4. Blondie paid her overdue balance. 5\. Dagwood's son purchased a car using 4,000 dollars borrowed from Becca's. He has no credit references, other than the family connections and circumstances discussed earlier. Becca's is unable to get Dagwood to cosign the note! 6\. Blondie's daughter purchased a new sound system for her house and car, using \)\$ 4,000$ borrowed from Becca's. She has an excellent credit history, but after purchasing the sound system, it failed; she informed Becca's that because the seller provided no warranty, she was not going to make any payments on the defective sound system.

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