Use the same information as in Question 11 (the question above) , except that Hughes has a debit balance of $5,000 in its Allowance for Doubtful Accounts before any adjustments are made at the end of the year. In this situation, the amount of bad debt expense that should be reported for the year is:

a) $5,000
b) $10,000
c) $15,000
d) $20,000