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Essay on Cartwright Lumber Company case

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ID #: 502
Name of the business: Cartwright Lumber Company
Nature of the business: Retail distribution of lumber products

Overview The Cartwright Lumber Company had been found in 1994 as a partnership by Mark Cartwright and his brother-in-law Henry Stark. Later in 2001, Mr. Cartwright bought out Stark’s shares and incorporated the business. Now, Mr. Cartwright is a sole owner and president of the company. The business is located in the Pacific Northwest region and does the retail distribution of lumber products in the local area. Plywood, moldings, and sash and door are some of the typical products of the company. In recent years, the company experienced a rapid growth and expects a substantial increase in sales in the spring of …show more content…

Operations Analysis Cartwright is a retail distributor of lumber products. It built its competitive edge based on pricing and having a careful control over its operations. The company reported an operating income of $86,000 and $111,000 in 2003 and 2004, respectively. This is a 29% increase in operating income in one year, which shows the firm’s strong ability to generate cash. The firm’s account receivables and inventory are increasing from year to year which is a good sign of a growing business. Cartwright is not an asset intensive company. It does not have to have huge fixed assets; most of its assets are cash, accounts receivable and inventory which all depend on future sales. Sourcing of materials is managed very well, purchased at discounts most of the time and contribute to having lower prices.
The company’s day-to-day operations did not change significantly over the last few years. Average collection period, inventory turnover, accounts payable, accounts receivable as well as cash conversion cycle all went up and down over the last four years but mainly stayed in the same range. So, there is no any significant change in operations. Mr. Cartwright has a very sound control over operations of the firm. Therefore, I believe, the company needs few more years to recover from the debts

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