BCE Inc., whose offerings include Bell Canada, reports the following current assets and current liabilities at December 31, 2017 (in millions of dollars):

Cash .................................................................... $ 442
Cash equivalents  ..................................................183
Current tax liabilities ............................................ 140
Debt due within one year ................................. 5,178
Dividends payable ................................................ 678
Interest payable ................................................... 168
Inventory ............................................................... 380
Other current assets ........................................... 124
Prepaid expenses ................................................ 375
Trade and other receivables ........................... 3,135
Trade payables and other liabilities ............... 4,623

Instructions

a. Prepare the current liabilities section of the balance sheet.

b. Calculate the current and the acid-test ratio.

c. On December 31, 2016, BCE Inc. had current assets of $4,855 million. This included cash and cash equivalents of $853 million, and trade and other receivables of $2,979 million. Current liabilities were $10,108 million. Did the current and acid-test ratios improve or weaken in 2017?

What other factors should be considered in assessing BCE Inc.’s liquidity?