According to a study picked up by the FT, "US companies’ rush to boost year-end earnings by discounting products and delaying payments is counterproductive and leaves their balance sheets more than 20 per cent worse off in the ensuing three months."

"The study identifies five main practices used by companies to boost results: product discounting, delaying payment to suppliers, accelerating collection of bills due, halting buying of inventory and running at full capacity to reduce overheads," says financial consultancy REL

They seem to sound like good ideas.

Douglas A. McIntyre