Chapter 15 Managing Short-Term Assets 333
47. Reston Inc. has expected sales of $17,000,000. While 10 percent of its customers pay cash, the
remaining 90 percent pay on credit with 40 percent paying on Day 10, 30 percent paying on Day
20, 15 percent paying on Day 25, and 15 percent paying on Day 30. Assume that the cost of funds
invested in receivables is 10 percent. Suppose that the firm’s customers begin paying later, such
that the new DSO increases to 24 days, that the firm uses a 360-day year, and that the firm’s
variable cost ratio is 80 percent. What is the additional interest cost to Reston of the additional
investment in A/R caused by the delay in payment by its customers?
East Lansing Appliances
East Lansing Appliances (ELA) expects to have sales this year of $15 million under its current
credit policy. The present terms are net 30; the days sales outstanding (DSO) is 60 days; and the
bad debt loss percentage is 5 percent. Since ELA wants to improve its profitability, the treasurer
has proposed that the credit period be shortened to 15 days. This change would reduce expected
sales by $500,000, but it would also shorten the DSO on the remaining sales to 30 days. Expected
bad debt losses on the remaining sales would fall to 3 percent. The variable cost percentage is 60
percent, and the cost of capital is 15 percent.
48. Refer to East Lansing Appliances. What would be the incremental bad debt losses if the change
were made?
-$260,500 (bad debt losses would decline)
-$315,000 (bad debt losses would decline)
$0 (no change would occur)