Wes, a Neighbour of Stan, Wished to Borrow a Sum

question 30

True/False

Wes, a neighbour of Stan, wished to borrow a sum of money from a local bank. Stan was quite wealthy, but elderly, with very poor eyesight. He frequently requested Wes to read his newspaper to him when Wes would drop by for a visit, because reading bothered his eyes. One evening, Wes placed a paper before Stan, and explained to him that he wished to borrow a sum of money but required a letter of reference before the bank would make the loan. He requested Stan to sign the paper to satisfy this requirement. Stan trusted his friend Wes and signed the paper at his request without reading it. Unknown to Stan, the paper was a guarantee of Wes's indebtedness, and not a letter of reference. Wes later defaulted on his debt. If Wes had told Stan that the paper was a guarantee for $1,500 when it was in fact for $2,000, Stan could still successfully plead non est factum as a defence.

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Definitions:

Fixed Expenses

Costs that do not change with the level of production or sales over the short term, such as rent, salaries, and insurance.

Break-even Point

The break-even point is the sales level at which total revenues equal total costs, resulting in neither profit nor loss.

Degree of Operating Leverage

A financial ratio that measures the sensitivity of a company's operating income to its sales volume, showing the impact of fixed costs on earnings.

Net Operating Income

A measure of a company's profitability, calculated by subtracting operating expenses from gross profit, not including non-operating income and expenses, interest, and taxes.