Final answer:
Portable Pet Care faced a cash flow problem due to a lengthy credit term to customers. A finance professional's role would be to analyze and rectify this through changes in credit policy for better working capital management.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Portable Pet Care, a mobile veterinary service, began offering a three-month credit period to its customers, it encountered financial challenges, particularly with cash flow. The company then decided to bring in a finance professional to address the issue. The role of the finance professional in this scenario would likely involve analyzing the company's financial statements, understanding the cash cycle, and implementing policies that could include reducing the credit term, asking for deposits, or offering discounts for early payments to mitigate the cash flow problem. These changes would help Portable Pet Care better manage its working capital and ensure it has the necessary funds for day-to-day operations.