Last year Vaughn Corp. had sales of $315,000 and a net income of $17,832, and its year-end assets were $210,000. The firm's total-debt-to-total-assets ratio was 47.5%. Based on the DuPont equation, what was Vaughn's ROE?

Select the correct answer.

a. 16.17%

b. 16.45%

c. 17.29%

d. 16.73%

e. 17.01%