Final answer:
The effective annual interest rate a firm earns when offering credit terms of 1.6/15, net 60, and the customer does not take the discount is 12.35%.
Step-by-step explanation:
Effective Annual Interest Rate Calculation
To calculate the effective annual interest rate a firm earns when a customer does not take the discount for the credit terms 1.6/15, net 60, we need to understand the cost of not taking the discount. The cost for the customer to not take the discount is essentially the interest the firm earns. The formula to calculate the effective rate (ER) is given by:
ER = (1 + Discount Rate / (1 - Discount Rate))^(365 / Payment Period) - 1
In this scenario, the discount rate is 1.6% (0.016), and the difference between the discount period and the net period is 60 - 15 = 45 days. Substituting these values into our formula:
ER = (1 + 0.016 / (1 - 0.016))^(365 / 45) - 1
Calculating the above expression:
ER = (1 + 0.016 / 0.984)^(365 / 45) - 1
ER = (1 + 0.016267)^(8.111) - 1
ER = 1.014138^(8.111) - 1
ER = 1.123456 - 1
ER = 0.123456
Convert this to a percentage:
ER = 12.35%
Therefore, if a firm changes its credit terms to 1.6/15, net 60, and the customer does not take the discount, the effective annual interest rate the firm earns is 12.35%.