3 Accounts and finance

Table of Contents

1. Topic pack - Accounts and finance - introduction
2. 3.1 Sources of finance - notes
3. 3.1 Sources of finance - questions
4. 3.2 Investment appraisal - notes
5. Investment appraisal
6. 3.2 Investment appraisal - questions
7. 3.3 Working capital - notes
8. 3.3 Working capital - questions
9. 3.4 Budgeting - notes (HL only)
10. 3.4 Budgeting - questions
11. 3.5 Final accounts - notes
12. 3.5 Final accounts - questions
13. 3.5 Final accounts - simulations and activities
14. 3.6 Ratio analysis - notes
    1. Ratio analysis
    2. Profitability ratios
    3. Interpretation of profitability ratios
    4. Profitability - examples
    5. Liquidity ratios - introduction
    6. Current ratio
    7. Acid test ratio
    8. Efficiency ratios
    9. Efficiency ratios - ROCE
    10. Efficiency ratios - asset turnover ratio
    11. Efficiency ratios - stock turnover ratio
    12. Debtor days
    13. Creditor days
    14. Efficiency ratios - use and calculation
    15. Financial efficiency ratios - examples
    16. Shareholders' ratios
    17. Factors affecting share prices
    18. Gearing
    19. Ratio analysis - A summary
15. 3.6 Ratio analysis - questions
16. 3.6 Ratio analysis - simulations and activities
17. Printable version

Debtor days AO2, AO4

AO2 You need to be able to: Demonstrate application and analysis of knowledge and understanding Command Terms: These terms require students to use their knowledge and skills to break down ideas into simpler parts and to see how the parts relate: Analyse, Apply, Comment, Demonstrate, Distinguish, Explain, Interpret, Suggest

AO4 You need to be able to Demonstrate a variety of appropriate skills. Command Terms These terms require you to demonstrate the selection and use of subject-specific skills and techniques: Annotate, Calculate, Complete, Construct, Determine, Draw, Identify, Label, Plot, Prepare

Efficiency ratios - debtor days (debtors' collection period)

Debtors are customers, who owe the firm money for the product they have bought on credit. Debtors should be kept as low as possible because they have the firm's products, but are yet to pay for them. However, it is tempting for the firm to increase sales revenue by selling on extended credit. Indeed it may be part of a firm's marketing strategy to capture market share by offering better credit terms than its competitors.

So, this ratio examines the average time in days taken to collect trade debts. It provides feedback on how well the level of debts is being managed. If debtors are taking too long to pay the firm may also experience difficulty in paying its debts. Apart from strictly cash businesses like supermarkets with virtually zero debtors, normal payment terms are at the end of the month following delivery, giving an average credit of between six and seven weeks.

For this ratio we want the days to be as low a value as possible. Too high a figure may show the need for better credit control procedures.

Problems can arise over the debtor's figures. Some debtors will never pay, so should be written off. This will 'improve' the ratio but reduce the asset value of the firm. Writing off bad debts will then change a whole series of other ratios.