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A B C D E F G H I J
Days sales outstanding (365-day basis) 45.63 32.00
Inventory turnover 10.80 20.00
Fixed assets turnover 7.75 13.22
Total assets turnover 2.60 3.00
Profit margin on sales 2.07% 3.50%
Return on equity (ROE) 10.45% 21.00%
Turnover of cash 16.67 22.22
Payables deferral period 30.00 33.00
Karen Johnson, CFO for Raucous Roasters (RR), a specialty coffee manufacturer, is rethinking her company’s working capital
policy in light of a recent scare she faced when RR’s corporate banker, citing a nationwide credit crunch, balked at renewing
RR’s line of credit. Had the line of credit not been renewed, RR would not have been able to make payroll, potentially forcing the
company out of business. Although the line of credit was ultimately renewed, the scare has forced Johnson to examine carefully
each component of RR’s working capital to make sure it is needed, with the goal of determining whether the line of credit can be
eliminated entirely. In addition to (possibly) freeing RR from the need for a line of credit, Johnson is well aware that reducing
Historically, RR has done little to examine working capital, mainly because of poor communication among business functions. In
the past, the production manager resisted Johnson’s efforts to question his holdings of raw materials, 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 the cash and securities balances. However, with the recent credit scare,
this resistance became unacceptable and Johnson has undertaken a company-wide examination of cash, marketable securities,
Chapter 16. Mini Case for Supply Chains and Working Capital Management
Johnson 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, and free cash flow would increase. However,
lower raw materials inventories might lead to production slowdowns and higher costs, and lower finished goods inventories
might lead to stock-outs and loss of 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. Johnson has begun her investigation by