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Garden State's Financial Summary

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• Because of diversification in operation, it is challenging for firms to develop meaningful industry averages for comparing purposes.
• Different operating and accounting practices misrepresent comparisons. Different firms employ operating leases to different extents, and this could distort comparisons of profitability ratios, asset turnovers, leverage levels, etc. Similarly, differing practices regarding inventory values, depreciation methods, and provisions for doubtful accounts receivable could also invalidate comparisons. For example, Garden State’s debt ratio in 1992 is almost 60 percent. However, if the firm has obtained significant amounts of equipment through the use of operating leases, or if it had factored all of its receivables, then its true debt ratio would have been substantially higher.
• Firms comprising the industry average might have different financial year-ends. The industry average might not, therefore, be representative for the specific period under review.
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Profits can also be affected because inflation impacts depreciation and inventories. For example, one reason that Garden State’s level of current assets is growing so fast is that the buildup in accounts receivable and inventories is taking place in "current" dollars. On the other hand, the majority of the firm’s fixed assets may have been acquired several years ago, so the balance sheet values would not reflect the true value of these assets today. This would cause the value of current assets to be overstated relative to that of the fixed

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