Dwight Donovan, the president of Finch Enterprises, is considering two investment opportunities. Because of limited resources, he will be able to invest in only one of them. Project A is to purchase a machine that will enable factory automation; the machine is expected to have a useful life of three years and no salvage value. Project B supports a training program that will improve the skills of employees operating the current equipment. Initial cash expenditures for Project A are $106,000 and for Project B are $40,000. The annual expected cash inflows are $42,624 for Project A and $16,654 for Project B. Both investments are expected to provide cash flow benefits for the next three years. Finch Enterprises' desired rate of return is 4 percent. (PV of $1 and PVA of $1) (Use appropriate factor(s) from the tables provided.) Required a. Compute the net present value of each project. Which project should be adopted based on the net present value approach? b. Compute the approximate internal rate of return of each project. Which one should be adopted based on the internal rate of return approach?

Dwight Donovan, the president of Finch Enterprises, is considering two investment opportunities. Because of limited resources, he will be able to invest in only one of them. Project A is to purchase a machine that will enable factory automation; the machine is expected to have a useful life of three years and no salvage value. Project B supports a training program that will improve the skills of employees operating the current equipment. Initial cash expenditures for Project A are $106,000 and for Project B are $40,000. The annual expected cash inflows are $42,624 for Project A and $16,654 for Project B. Both investments are expected to provide cash flow benefits for the next three years. Finch Enterprises' desired rate of return is 4 percent. (PV of $1 and PVA of $1) (Use appropriate factor(s) from the tables provided.) Required a. Compute the net present value of each project. Which project should be adopted based on the net present value approach? b. Compute the approximate internal rate of return of each project. Which one should be adopted based on the internal rate of return approach?

Cornerstones of Cost Management (Cornerstones Series)

4th Edition

ISBN:9781305970663

Author:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. Mowen

Publisher:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. Mowen

Chapter19: Capital Investment

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 25P

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Friedman Company is considering installing a new IT system. The cost of the new system is estimated to be 2,250,000, but it would produce after-tax savings of 450,000 per year in labor costs. The estimated life of the new system is 10 years, with no salvage value expected. Intrigued by the possibility of saving 450,000 per year and having a more reliable information system, the president of Friedman has asked for an analysis of the projects economic viability. All capital projects are required to earn at least the firms cost of capital, which is 12 percent. Required: 1. Calculate the projects internal rate of return. Should the company acquire the new IT system? 2. Suppose that savings are less than claimed. Calculate the minimum annual cash savings that must be realized for the project to earn a rate equal to the firms cost of capital. Comment on the safety margin that exists, if any. 3. Suppose that the life of the IT system is overestimated by two years. Repeat Requirements 1 and 2 under this assumption. Comment on the usefulness of this information.
After discovering a new gold vein in the Colorado mountains, CTC Mining Corporation must decide whether to go ahead and develop the deposit. The most cost-effective method of mining gold is sulfuric acid extraction, a process that could result in environmental damage. Before proceeding with the extraction, CTC must spend 900,000 for new mining equipment and pay 165,000 for its installation. The mined gold will net the firm an estimated 350,000 each year for the 5-year life of the vein. CTCs cost of capital is 14%. For the purposes of this problem, assume that the cash inflows occur at the end of the year. a. What are the projects NPV and IRR? b. Should this project be undertaken if environmental impacts were not a consideration? c. How should environmental effects be considered when evaluating this or any other project? How might these concepts affect the decision in part b?
Newmarge Products Inc. is evaluating a new design for one of its manufacturing processes. The new design will eliminate the production of a toxic solid residue. The initial cost of the system is estimated at 860,000 and includes computerized equipment, software, and installation. There is no expected salvage value. The new system has a useful life of 8 years and is projected to produce cash operating savings of 225,000 per year over the old system (reducing labor costs and costs of processing and disposing of toxic waste). The cost of capital is 16%. Required: 1. Compute the NPV of the new system. 2. One year after implementation, the internal audit staff noted the following about the new system: (1) the cost of acquiring the system was 60,000 more than expected due to higher installation costs, and (2) the annual cost savings were 20,000 less than expected because more labor cost was needed than anticipated. Using the changes in expected costs and benefits, compute the NPV as if this information had been available one year ago. Did the company make the right decision? 3. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Upon reporting the results mentioned in the postaudit, the marketing manager responded in a memo to the internal audit department indicating that cash inflows also had increased by a net of 60,000 per year because of increased purchases by environmentally sensitive customers. Describe the effect that this has on the analysis in Requirement 2. 4. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Why is a postaudit beneficial to a firm?
Gina Ripley, president of Dearing Company, is considering the purchase of a computer-aided manufacturing system. The annual net cash benefits and savings associated with the system are described as follows: The system will cost 9,000,000 and last 10 years. The companys cost of capital is 12 percent. Required: 1. Calculate the payback period for the system. Assume that the company has a policy of only accepting projects with a payback of five years or less. Would the system be acquired? 2. Calculate the NPV and IRR for the project. Should the system be purchasedeven if it does not meet the payback criterion? 3. The project manager reviewed the projected cash flows and pointed out that two items had been missed. First, the system would have a salvage value, net of any tax effects, of 1,000,000 at the end of 10 years. Second, the increased quality and delivery performance would allow the company to increase its market share by 20 percent. This would produce an additional annual net benefit of 300,000. Recalculate the payback period, NPV, and IRR given this new information. (For the IRR computation, initially ignore salvage value.) Does the decision change? Suppose that the salvage value is only half what is projected. Does this make a difference in the outcome? Does salvage value have any real bearing on the companys decision?
Dauten is offered a replacement machine which has a cost of 8,000, an estimated useful life of 6 years, and an estimated salvage value of 800. The replacement machine is eligible for 100% bonus depreciation at the time of purchase- The replacement machine would permit an output expansion, so sales would rise by 1,000 per year; even so, the new machines much greater efficiency would cause operating expenses to decline by 1,500 per year The new machine would require that inventories be increased by 2,000, but accounts payable would simultaneously increase by 500. Dautens marginal federal-plus-state tax rate is 25%, and its WACC is 11%. Should it replace the old machine?
Manny Carson, certified management accountant and controller of Wakeman Enterprises, has been given permission to acquire a new computer and software for the companys accounting system. The capital investment analysis showed an NPV of 100,000. However, the initial estimates of acquisition and installation costs were made on the basis of tentative costs without any formal bids. Manny now has two formal bids, one that would allow the firm to meet or beat the original projected NPV and one that would reduce the projected NPV by 50,000. The second bid involves a system that would increase both the initial cost and the operating cost. Normally, Manny would take the first bid without hesitation. However, Todd Downing, the owner of the firm presenting the second bid, is a close friend. Manny called Todd and explained the situation, offering Todd an opportunity to alter his bid and win the job. Todd thanked Manny and then made a counteroffer. Todd: Listen, Manny, this job at the original price is the key to a successful year for me. The revenues will help me gain approval for the loan I need for renovation and expansion. If I dont get that loan, I see hard times ahead. The financial stats for loan approval are so marginal that reducing the bid price may blow my chances. Manny: Losing the bid altogether would be even worse, dont you think? Todd: True. However, if you award me the job, Ill be able to add personnel. I know that your son is looking for a job, and I can offer him a good salary and a promising future. Additionally, Ill be able to take you and your wife on that vacation to Hawaii that weve been talking about. Manny: Well, you have a point. My son is having an awful time finding a job, and he has a wife and three kids to support. My wife is tired of having them live with us. She and I could use a vacation. I doubt that the other bidder would make any fuss if we turned it down. Its offices are out of state, after all. Todd: Out of state? All the more reason to turn it down. Given the states economy, it seems almost criminal to take business outside. Those are the kind of business decisions that cause problems for people like your son. Required: Evaluate the ethical behavior of Manny. Should Manny have called Todd in the first place? Would there have been any problems if Todd had agreed to meet the lower bid price? Identify the parts of the Statement of Ethical Professional Practice (Chapter 1) that Manny may be violating, if any.
Mallette Manufacturing, Inc., produces washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers. Because of increasing competition, Mallette is considering investing in an automated manufacturing system. Since competition is most keen for dishwashers, the production process for this line has been selected for initial evaluation. The automated system for the dishwasher line would replace an existing system (purchased one year ago for 6 million). Although the existing system will be fully depreciated in nine years, it is expected to last another 10 years. The automated system would also have a useful life of 10 years. The existing system is capable of producing 100,000 dishwashers per year. Sales and production data using the existing system are provided by the Accounting Department: All cash expenses with the exception of depreciation, which is 6 per unit. The existing equipment is being depreciated using straight-line with no salvage value considered. The automated system will cost 34 million to purchase, plus an estimated 20 million in software and implementation. (Assume that all investment outlays occur at the beginning of the first year.) If the automated equipment is purchased, the old equipment can be sold for 3 million. The automated system will require fewer parts for production and will produce with less waste. Because of this, the direct material cost per unit will be reduced by 25 percent. Automation will also require fewer support activities, and as a consequence, volume-related overhead will be reduced by 4 per unit and direct fixed overhead (other than depreciation) by 17 per unit. Direct labor is reduced by 60 percent. Assume, for simplicity, that the new investment will be depreciated on a pure straight-line basis for tax purposes with no salvage value. Ignore the half-life convention. The firms cost of capital is 12 percent, but management chooses to use 20 percent as the required rate of return for evaluation of investments. The combined federal and state tax rate is 40 percent. Required: 1. Compute the net present value for the old system and the automated system. Which system would the company choose? 2. Repeat the net present value analysis of Requirement 1, using 12 percent as the discount rate. 3. Upon seeing the projected sales for the old system, the marketing manager commented: Sales of 100,000 units per year cannot be maintained in the current competitive environment for more than one year unless we buy the automated system. The automated system will allow us to compete on the basis of quality and lead time. If we keep the old system, our sales will drop by 10,000 units per year. Repeat the net present value analysis, using this new information and a 12 percent discount rate. 4. An industrial engineer for Mallette noticed that salvage value for the automated equipment had not been included in the analysis. He estimated that the equipment could be sold for 4 million at the end of 10 years. He also estimated that the equipment of the old system would have no salvage value at the end of 10 years. Repeat the net present value analysis using this information, the information in Requirement 3, and a 12 percent discount rate. 5. Given the outcomes of the previous four requirements, comment on the importance of providing accurate inputs for assessing investments in automated manufacturing systems.