Crescent Electronics has enjoyed tremendous sales growth during the last 10 years. However, even though sales have steadily increased, the company's CEO, Anne Healy, is concerned about certain aspects of its performance. She has called a meeting with the corporate controller and the vice presidents of finance, operations, sales, and marketing to discuss the company's performance. Anne begins the meeting by making the following observations:

We have been forced to take significant write-downs on inventory during each of the last three years because of obsolescence. In addition, inventory storage costs have soared. We rent four additional warehouses to store our increasingly diverse inventory. Five years ago inventory represented only 20% of the value of our total assets. It now exceeds 35%.

Yet, even with all of this inventory, "stockouts" (measured by complaints by customers that the desired product is not available) have increased by 40% during the last three years. And worse yet, it seems that we constantly must discount merchandise that we have too much of.

Anne asks the group to review the following data and make suggestions as to how the company's performance might be improved.

InstructionsUsing the information provided, answer the following questions.(a) Compute the current ratio, gross profit rate, profit margin ratio, inventory turnover ratio, and days in inventory for 2010, 2011, and 2012.(b) Discuss the trends and potential causes of the changes in the ratios in part (a).(c) Discuss potential remedies to any problems discussed in part (b).(d) What concerns might be raised by some members of management with regard to your suggestions in part(c)?

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(in millions) 2009 2012 2011 2010 Inventory Raw materials $198 $128 $242 $155 Work in process Finished goods 116 77 49 33 567 482 398 257 Total inventory $757 $602 $418 $925 $841 $2,090 $420 $6,840 $3,557 $958 Current assets $1,800 $2,643 $600 $9,428 $6,328 $754 $1,423 $2,523 $590 $8,674 $5,474 $987 $1,183 $2,408 $525 $7,536 $4,445 $979 Total assets Current liabilities Sales revenue Cost of goods sold Net income