Business Simulation & Ratio Analysis Guide
Two years of financial data. Fifteen ratios per year. Specific Excel tabs for each figure. The simulation workbook is mostly automated — but the ratio analysis sections require you to pull the right numbers from the right tabs and apply the right formulas. Here’s exactly how to approach each one.
The simulation runs itself. You make the decisions — business type, pricing, location, staffing, advertising — and the workbook generates your financial statements automatically. That part is done. What remains is the ratio analysis: two separate Excel tabs where you manually enter calculated ratios from the simulation’s own financial statements. Get the data sources wrong and every ratio will be off. Get the formula wrong and the same. This guide walks through both years, ratio by ratio, with the exact tab sources for each figure.
What This Guide Covers
How the Workbook Is Structured
The Excel file has three distinct sections. The first section (tabs 1–9 roughly) is the business setup: you make decisions about business type, location, pricing, ingredients, staffing, advertising, capital investments, and financing. Those decisions feed into the simulation automatically.
The second section generates your financial reports for 2019: a 6-month preliminary cash budget, full year cash budget, sales data, accounts receivable schedule, inventory report, income statement, and balance sheet. The 2020 section does the same for the COVID year. You don’t fill any of these in manually — they populate from your setup decisions.
The third section — and the only place you enter calculated values — is the ratio analysis. There are two tabs: 2019 Ratio Analysis and 2020 Ratio Analysis. These are blank. You calculate each ratio from the financial statements generated in the previous tabs and enter your answers as decimals, rounded to 4 decimal places.
The simulation uses Excel-specific formulas and functions. Opening it in another application will break the calculations. All Curtin students have free Office 365 access — check students.curtin.edu.au/essentials/it/software/ if you need to download it. Also: the simulation does not work on iPads. Use a PC or Mac.
Which Tab Feeds Which Ratio
This is where most mistakes happen. The ratio analysis instructions tell you to use specific tabs — but students often pull figures from the wrong year’s data or the wrong report type. Here’s the complete map.
| Data Required | 2019 Source Tab | 2020 Source Tab |
|---|---|---|
| Net Profit, Net Sales, Gross Profit, EBIT, Interest Expense, Cost of Sales | 2019 Inc Statement | 2020 Inc Statement |
| Total Assets, Total Current Assets, Total Current Liabilities, Cash, Accounts Receivable, Inventories, Total Liabilities, Total Equity | 2019 Bal Sheet | 2020 Bal Sheet |
| Average Accounts Receivable (for A/R Turnover ratio) | 2019 Schedule of AC — “Average Combined Accounts Receivable” cell | 2020 Schedule of AC — “Average Accounts Receivable” cell |
| Average Inventory (for Inventory Turnover ratio) | 2019 Inventory Rpt — “Average Combined Inventory Balance” cell | 2020 Inventory Rpt — “Average Combined Inventory” cell |
| Net Credit Sales (for A/R Turnover ratio) | 2019 Schedule of AC — “Net Credit Sales” cell | 2020 Income Statement — Net Sales (all sales are credit-eligible; check your simulation’s A/C schedule) |
Both the accounts receivable and inventory turnover ratios use averages, not year-end figures. The simulation calculates these for you. For 2019 accounts receivable, look for the cell labelled “COMBINED Average Accounts Receivable” on the 2019 Schedule of AC tab. For inventory, find “Average Combined Inventory Balance” on the 2019 Inventory Rpt tab. The 2020 tabs have equivalents. Don’t calculate these averages yourself — use the pre-calculated values the simulation provides.
Profitability Ratios — All Five
These five ratios all draw from the income statement. The formulas are consistent across 2019 and 2020. What changes between the two years is the actual figures — and the direction they move (mostly downward in 2020, due to COVID).
Profitability Ratios — Formulas and Data Sources
Net Profit ÷ Net Sales RevenueBoth figures: Income Statement tab. Net Profit is the bottom line after interest. Net Sales = Gross Sales less Returns. If Net Profit is in brackets (negative), enter it as a negative number.
Gross Profit ÷ Net Sales RevenueGross Profit = Net Sales minus Cost of Sales. Both from Income Statement. This ratio stays positive even when Net Profit goes negative — it only measures revenue minus direct production costs.
Net Profit ÷ Total AssetsNet Profit: Income Statement. Total Assets: Balance Sheet (the bottom of the assets section). A negative Net Profit produces a negative ROA — enter it as negative.
Net Profit ÷ Total EquityNet Profit: Income Statement. Total Equity: Balance Sheet (Net Assets = Total Equity in this simulation). A negative Net Profit produces a negative ROE — enter as negative.
Net Sales Revenue ÷ Total AssetsNet Sales: Income Statement. Total Assets: Balance Sheet. This ratio measures how much revenue is generated per dollar of assets. It stays positive regardless of profitability.
The income statement shows both Total Net Profit and “Owner’s share of profits.” Use the total Net Profit figure (before the profit-sharing split) for all ratio calculations unless your simulation’s instructions specify otherwise. In most simulations with no private investors, both figures are the same — but it’s worth checking the income statement to confirm.
Liquidity Ratios — 2019 Has Six, 2020 Has Seven
Here’s something that confuses students every year. The 2019 Ratio Analysis tab does not include a Working Capital row. Working Capital only appears in the 2020 Ratio Analysis tab. So you calculate 6 liquidity ratios for 2019 and 7 for 2020. Everything else is the same structure.
Liquidity Ratios — Formulas and Data Sources
Total Current Assets ÷ Total Current LiabilitiesBoth from Balance Sheet. A ratio above 1 means the business can cover short-term obligations. Below 1 in 2020 COVID indicates liquidity problems.
Total Current Assets − Total Current LiabilitiesBalance Sheet only. This is a dollar value, not a ratio. Negative working capital = current liabilities exceed current assets. Enter as a negative number if that’s the result.
Cash ÷ Total Current LiabilitiesCash: Balance Sheet current assets section. Note: if Cash appears as a current liability (negative balance), it must be entered as a negative number in the formula. The tab instruction reminds you of this.
(Cash + Accounts Receivable) ÷ Total Current LiabilitiesAll three figures from Balance Sheet. Excludes inventory — that’s the key difference from the Current Ratio. For 2020, Accounts Receivable comes from the 2020 Balance Sheet (not the A/C schedule). The tab notes this explicitly.
Net Credit Sales ÷ Average Accounts ReceivableNet Credit Sales: from the Schedule of Accounts Receivable tab (labelled “Net Credit Sales”). Average A/R: use the “COMBINED Average Accounts Receivable” value from the same tab — do not calculate it yourself.
Cost of Sales ÷ Average Combined InventoryCost of Sales: Income Statement. Average Combined Inventory: from the “Average Combined Inventory Balance” cell in the Inventory Report tab — use the combined total, not burgers or chips separately.
The 2020 Ratio Analysis tab specifically states: “For Accounts Receivable, please use the values from Tab ‘2020 Balance Sheet’.” In 2020, the business closed during COVID lockdowns from March onwards, meaning no credit sales occurred. Accounts Receivable on the 2020 Balance Sheet is $0 for many simulation outcomes. That’s correct — don’t substitute a different number. If your balance sheet shows $0 AR, the Acid Test Ratio will equal the Cash Ratio.
Financial Stability Ratios — All Four
Financial Stability (Solvency) Ratios — Formulas and Data Sources
Total Liabilities ÷ Total AssetsBoth from Balance Sheet. Measures the proportion of assets financed by debt. A ratio above 0.5 means more than half of assets are debt-financed — generally considered higher financial risk.
Total Liabilities ÷ Total EquityTotal Liabilities and Total Equity both from Balance Sheet. A ratio above 1 means debt exceeds equity. In 2020, this ratio typically exceeds 1 due to losses depleting equity while liabilities remain.
Total Equity ÷ Total AssetsBoth from Balance Sheet. The complement of the Debt Ratio — they should sum to 1.0000 (check your work: Debt Ratio + Equity Ratio = 1). If they don’t, you’ve pulled the wrong figure somewhere.
EBIT ÷ Interest ExpenseEBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxation) and Interest Expense both from Income Statement. EBIT is shown explicitly on the income statement. In 2020, EBIT is negative — enter it as a negative value, giving a negative TIE ratio.
After entering both the Debt Ratio and the Equity Ratio, add them together. They should sum to exactly 1.0000 (within rounding). If they don’t, one of them is wrong. The most common cause is using different Total Assets figures for each — make sure you’re referencing the same cell from the Balance Sheet for both calculations.
Handling Negative Numbers — The Brackets Rule
The simulation displays negative numbers in brackets. (1,000) means −$1,000. This is standard accounting presentation. But when you enter values into the ratio analysis cells, you enter them as negative numbers — not in brackets.
Wrong — Copying the Bracket Notation
Entering (281,461) into an Excel cell doesn’t make it negative in most cases — Excel may treat it as text or as a formula error. It will produce an incorrect ratio or an error message.
Correct — Enter as a Negative Number
Type -281461.76 (or reference the source cell directly). If you’re referencing a cell where the number is already stored as negative, Excel handles it automatically when you use it in a formula.
Wrong — Ignoring the Sign on Net Profit
In 2020, Net Profit is a loss. Using the absolute value (positive) in ratio calculations produces incorrect ROA, ROE, Net Profit Margin, and TIE ratios — all of which should be negative in 2020 for most simulation outcomes.
Correct — Preserve the Sign Through the Calculation
If Net Profit = −$281,461.76, then Net Profit Margin = −281,461.76 ÷ 684,201.80 = −0.4114. The negative sign must carry through to the final ratio. Enter −0.4114, not 0.4114.
Transferring Results to the Word Report
Once both ratio analysis tabs are complete, your results automatically populate the Ratio Student Answers tab. That tab shows your 2019 and 2020 answers side by side. You copy from there into your Word report template.
Read-Only — Don’t Try to Edit It
The Ratio Student Answers tab is locked for editing. It mirrors whatever you’ve entered in the two ratio analysis tabs. If you see zeros there, it means you haven’t entered your ratio answers into the 2019 Ratio Analysis or 2020 Ratio Analysis tabs yet. Fill those in first, then come back to this tab to copy your results.
How to use it: Select the values you need, copy them (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C), then paste into the corresponding cells in your Word template. The Word report template has a table with spaces for each ratio’s 2019 and 2020 values. Copy-paste rather than retyping to avoid transcription errors.What Goes Into the Report Table
- The ratio label (already in the template)
- The 2019 calculated ratio — from your 2019 Ratio Analysis tab
- The 2020 COVID ratio — from your 2020 Ratio Analysis tab
- Discussion/Analysis for each ratio (written by you — not copied from anywhere)
Report Structure Overview
- Introduction — provided in the template (review and personalise if needed)
- 15 ratio tables — each with the two calculated values and your written analysis
- Conclusion and Recommendations — written by you based on your results
- References — not typically required for this simulation report, but check your unit’s submission instructions
How to Write the Analysis Sections
Each ratio in the report needs a written discussion — typically 150–250 words. The structure is consistent across all 15 ratios. Stick to it and the analysis writes itself relatively quickly.
Definition → 2019 Result → 2020 Result → Reason for Change → Implication
Start with one sentence defining what the ratio measures. Then state the 2019 figure and what it indicates. Then state the 2020 figure and how it compares. Then explain the likely reasons for the change — COVID-19’s impact on sales, expenses, cash flow, or debt depending on the ratio. Close with what that change means for the business’s financial health.
COVID-19 context to use: Sales dropped to zero from March 2020 due to lockdowns. The business still paid rent ($28,000/month), insurance, salaries, and loan repayments even with no revenue coming in. This is why profitability ratios collapse, liquidity ratios fall below safe thresholds, and debt ratios increase. The inventory turnover increase in 2020 is the one ratio that moves in the “positive” direction — because the business reduced inventory to preserve cash when trading stopped.Don’t just restate the numbers: “The ratio went from 0.4373 to -1.2563” is description, not analysis. Explaining why — reduced asset productivity caused by lockdown-forced closure while fixed costs continued — is what earns marks.
Inventory Turnover typically increases substantially in 2020. That looks like an improvement. But it’s not a sign of strong sales performance. When the business closed during COVID, it stopped ordering inventory. The remaining inventory was sold or depleted without replacement. A very low average inventory balance combined with any cost of sales produces a high turnover ratio. In your analysis, note this is a defensive response to the crisis — minimising stock to preserve cash — rather than evidence of improved operational efficiency. The business was still recording major losses during the same period.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Finance Writing Services Get StartedBefore You Submit — Checklist
Run through these before uploading either the Excel file or the Word report. Small errors here are the difference between submitting clean work and submitting work with avoidable mistakes that cost marks.
Excel Workbook Checks
- All 14 cells in 2019 Ratio Analysis filled (no zeros left from blank cells)
- All 15 cells in 2020 Ratio Analysis filled (including Working Capital)
- All answers rounded to 4 decimal places
- Negative values entered as negatives (not in brackets)
- Debt Ratio + Equity Ratio sums to 1.0000 for both years
- Capital shortfall warning resolved on Financing tab
- Student Details (name, ID) filled in on Student Details I tab
Word Report Checks
- Ratio values transferred correctly from Ratio Student Answers tab
- Each of the 15 ratios has both a 2019 and 2020 value shown
- Each ratio has a written analysis — not just the numbers
- Analysis explains both the definition and the reason for movement
- COVID-19 context used where relevant (2020 sections)
- Conclusion includes specific recommendations tied to ratio findings
- Assignment cover sheet completed and signed