Working Capital Management
Cambridge AS & A Level Business (9609) - Topic 5.1.4
Strategic Finance Assessment
📋 Assessment Structure
Section A: The Dictionary Test
AO1 Knowledge • 10 Marks Total • Precision Definitions Required
State the formula for calculating Working Capital.
Define 'Trade Receivables'.
Define 'Trade Payables'.
Which of the following is NOT a component of Current Assets?
What does the term 'Liquidity' mean in business finance?
Section B: Calculation Mastery
AO2 Application • 18 Marks Total • Show All Workings
GreenTech Ltd has the following: Inventory $500, Cash $200, Trade Payables $400, Trade Receivables $300. Calculate the Total Current Assets.
Using the data from Question 6, calculate GreenTech's Working Capital.
BlueSky Manufacturing has Current Assets of $80,000 and Current Liabilities of $95,000. Calculate the Working Capital and state whether the business is liquid or illiquid.
RetailCo's Inventory is $25,000, Trade Receivables are $15,000, Cash is $5,000, and Trade Payables are $30,000. Calculate the Current Ratio (Current Assets ÷ Current Liabilities).
FastGrowth Ltd increases inventory from $40,000 to $60,000 to meet seasonal demand. Trade Payables increase from $25,000 to $35,000. Calculate the change in Working Capital.
Section C: Strategic Analysis
AO3/AO4 Analysis & Evaluation • 40 Marks Total • Extended Response Required
Analyse the risk of a business having too little Working Capital.
Analyse why a business might deliberately operate with negative Working Capital.
Analyse the impact of offering customers longer credit terms (e.g., from 30 to 60 days) on Working Capital.
TechStart Ltd, a software startup, has negative working capital of -$50,000. The CEO argues this is acceptable because 'we're growing fast and customers pay upfront.' Evaluate whether negative working capital is a strategic risk or a competitive advantage for TechStart.
LuxuryGoods PLC operates in the high-end fashion industry with working capital of $2 million. The Finance Director proposes reducing this to $500,000 by: (a) reducing inventory levels, (b) offering customers shorter payment terms. Evaluate whether this strategy would improve or harm business performance.
Section C essays are marked manually. Auto-grading applies to Sections A & B only.
📚 Working Capital Mastery Resources
- • Working Capital = Current Assets - Current Liabilities
- • Current Ratio = Current Assets ÷ Current Liabilities
- • Acid Test = (Current Assets - Inventory) ÷ Current Liabilities
- • Liquidity ≠ Profitability (profitable firms can still fail)
- • Context determines "optimal" working capital level
- • Negative WC is not always bad (depends on business model)
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