Q4.
Cash cycle is defined as the time between cash disbursement and cash collection. When defining cash cycle in terms of working capital management it is shown as operating cycle less accounts payable period. When we need to compare the cash cycle of a retailer like HBS and that of insurance service, then it is obvious that a retailer would have a longer cash cycle. Cash cycle is calculated as:
Cash Cycle = Inventory Period + Average Collection Period – Average Payment Period
It is clear from the equation that cash cycle is calculated through the involvement of inventory, account receivables and accounts payable. A retailer can have varied amounts of inventory level, accounts receivables and accounts payable. A retailer like HBS primarily focuses on the fixed assets, hence they are capital intensive. Fixed assets like land, building and warehouses are used to continue their operations. In order to continue their daily operations, they deserve the greatest attention when it comes to working capital analysis.
On contrarily, services sector would have a shorter cash cycle, as there are fewer or no inventory levels, account receivables are less as compared to a retailing business and accounts payable would be of minimum level.