Pasha Corporation produces motorcycle batteries. Pasha turns out 1,400 batteries a day at a cost of $7 per battery for materials and labor. It takes the firm 22 days to convert raw materials into a battery. Pasha allows its customers 40 days in which to pay for the batteries, and the firm generally pays its suppliers in 30 days. a. What is the length of Pasha’s cash conversion cycle? b. At a steady state in which Pasha produces 1,400 batteries a day, what amount of working capital must it finance? c. By what amount could Pasha reduce its working capital financing needs if it was able to stretch its payables deferral period to 33 days? d. Pasha’s management is trying to analyze the effect of a proposed new production process on its working capital investment. The new production process would allow Pasha to decrease its inventory conversion period to 17 days and to increase its daily production to 2,400 batteries. However, the new process would cause the cost of materials and labor to increase to$12. Assuming the change does not affect the average collection period (40 days) or the payables deferral period (30 days), what will be the length of its cash conversion cycle and its working capital financing requirement if the new production process is implemented?

Rentz Corporation is investigating the optimal level of current assets for the coming year. Management expects sales to increase to approximately $2 million as a result of an asset expansion presently being undertaken. Fixed assets total$1 million, and the firm plans to maintain a 60% debt-to-assets ratio. Rentz’s interest rate is currently 8% on both short- and long-term debt (which the firm uses in its permanent structure). Three alternatives regarding the projected current assets level are under consideration: (1) a restricted policy where current assets would be only 45% of projected sales, (2) a moderate policy where current assets would be 50% of sales, and (3) a relaxed policy where current assets would be 60% of sales. Earnings before interest and taxes should be 12% of total sales, and the federal-plus-state tax rate is 40%. a. What is the expected return on equity under each current assets level? b. In this problem, we assume that expected sales are independent of the current assets investment policy. Is this a valid assumption? Why or why not? c. How would the firm’s risk be affected by the different policies?

Zane Corporation has an inventory conversion period of 64 days, an average collection period of 28 days, and a payables deferral period of 41 days. a. What is the length of the cash conversion cycle? b. If Zane’s annual sales are $2,578,235 and all sales are on credit, what is the investment in accounts receivable? c. How many times per year does Zane turn over its inventory? Assume that the cost of goods sold is 75% of sales. Use sales in the numerator to calculate the turnover ratio.