For Exercises 1 to 4, obtain financial statements for the firms either from the company websites or from a service such as finance.google.com or finance.yahoo.com.
1. Look at the financial statements of Ann Inc. (ANN) and The Buckle Inc. (BKE), two fashion-clothing retailers. Compare the inventory level and turnover of each. What might explain the differences you uncover?
2. Check out the recent performance of a nice coffee shop with attached free reading rooms: Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS). BKS is sometimes characterized as an "inventory business." In what way is this the case?