Ratio of sales to assets OBJ. 3 Three major segments of the transportation industry are motor carriers, such as YRC Worldwide; railroads, such as Union Pacific; and transportation arrangement services, such as C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. Recent financial statement information for these three companies is shown as follows (in thousands of dollars):

YRC Worldwide Union Pacific C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc.

Sales $4,334,640 $16,965,000 $9,274,305 Average total assets 2,812,504 42,636,000 1,914,974

a. Determine the ratio of sales to assets for all three companies. Round to one decimal place.

b. Assume that the ratio of sales to assets for each company represents their respective industry segment. Interpret the differences in the ratio of sales to assets in terms of the operating characteristics of each of the respective segments.