Which of the following statements is CORRECT?

a$.$ The basic earning power ratio $($BEP$)$ reflects the earning power of a firm's assets after giving consideration to financial leverage and tax effects.

b$.$ It is appropriate to use the fixed assets turnover ratio to appraise firms' effectiveness in managing their fixed assets if and only all the firms being compared have the same proportion of fixed assets to total assets.

c$.$ In general, if investors regard a company as relatively risky and$/$or having relatively poor growth prospects, then it will have relatively high P$/$E and M$/$B ratios.

d$.$ The market$/$book $($M$/$B$)$ ratio tells us how much investors are willing to pay for a dollar of accounting book value. In general, investors regard companies with higher M$/$B ratios as more risky and$/$or less likely to enjoy higher future growth.

e$.$ The "apparent," but not necessarily the "true," financial position of a company whose sales are seasonal can change dramatically during a given year, depending on the time of year when the financial statements are constructed.