Answer = b: You want to lengthen the time you have to disburse funds so you have use of these funds. For example, you gain nothing by paying invoices early to vendors.
One way of decreasing the collection time for cash receipts is to:
Accept cash payments only.
Issue vendor payments immediately.
Invoice customers quickly.
Treat all customers the same.
Answer = c: For sales that involve collection, you will want to invoice the customer as quickly as possible in order to collect the cash.
We can estimate total cash flow cycle times by calculating three ratios: (a) Average Days in Accounts Receivable, (b) Average Days in Inventory and (c) Average Days in Accounts Payable. Using these three ratios, the formula for calculating the total cash flow cycle time would be:
(a) - (b) - (c)
(a) + (b) + (c)
(a) x (b) x (c)
(a) + (b) - (c)
Answer = d: The time cash is tied up in receivables and inventory is added to your cycle time while the time related to disbursements would be subtracted to arrive at the net overall cycle time for all cash.
The amount of cash that should be held is a function of four amounts: Transaction Amount (includes compensating balances), Precautionary Amount, Speculative Amount, and Financial Amount. As a general rule, the minimal amount of cash that should be held is:
Transaction Amount
