Capital Budgeting Decisions

Fadi Alkaraan

and

Trevor Hopper

University of Manchester

1
 Capital Budgeting Decisions
Capital budgeting decisions involve costly long-term investments with profound impacts upon

organisations and their long-term performance. Success or failure can hinge on one such

decision. Given this, managers must understand investment appraisal techniques.

Learning objectives

After studying this chapter you should be able to:

Appreciate the significance of capital budgeting.

Recognise the nature and importance of capital investment decisions.

Identify the four stages of capital budgeting.

Understand the opportunity cost of an investment, the time value of money, and the

difference between compounding and discounting.

Evaluate capital investment proposals using net present value (NPV), internal

rate of return (IRR), payback (PB), and accounting rate of return (ARR) methods, and

understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Use profitability indices to allocate limited funds between projects.

Identify the impact of tax and inflation on investment cash flows.

Understand risk and uncertainty and how to deal with risk in investment appraisal.

Appreciate the importance of non-financial and qualitative factors, and new approaches

such as real options.

What is capital budgeting?

Definition Capital budgeting is the decision process relating to long-term capital

investment programmes. 2
 Capital investments can commit companies to major courses of action. They can be risky as

outlays tend to be large, benefits uncertain and slow to materialise, and they are difficult to

reverse. Typical investment decisions include introducing electronic commerce, new product

lines, and computerised production processes; acquiring or merging with another company;

substantially increasing production capacity; and major research and development plans. These

decisions have common characteristics: they lay the basis for future success, commit a

substantial proportion of resources to possibly irreversible actions, involve substantial costs and

benefits, are permeated with uncertainty, and profoundly impact long-term performance.

Management accountants should direct managerial attention to significant information

(Weetman, 1999), and provide analysis and advice but investment decisions also require

expertise ranging from, inter alia, production and marketing managers, engineers, and the board

of directors (Northcott, 1998).

Definition Capital investment decisions commit resources in the hope of receiving benefits in
future time periods. Examples are:
 British Telecom’s investment in the broadband Internet service Open World.
 Rio Tinto’s investment in exploration projects.
 Tomkin’s investment in new product lines (air systems components).
 AstraZeneca’s investment in research and development (R&D) on new drugs.
 British Vita’s investment to expand in Germany and France.
 BMW, General Motors and Toyotas’ investments in computer integrated
manufacturing.

Stages of capital budgeting decisions

Figure 1 presents a simplified framework of capital investment decision-making. It assumes

decision makers will be economically rational, i.e. they will systematically collect information
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and carefully evaluate all possible alternatives. However, what executives actually do can be

different. They may use other criteria and compare alternatives using heuristics and analytical

models separately or together.

Managers have cognitive limitations – they can only cope with a limited amount of information

and are subject to biasing. And they must assess qualitative considerations, interpret data, verify

assumptions, and assess knock-on effects of ‘solutions’ - including micro-political

ramifications, before making an assessment. They cannot rely exclusively on numerical

estimates and expected values of outcomes: a decision problem may represent a unique and

poorly understood situation.

Thus investment decision-making does not depend merely on accounting information.

Managers with different expertise and information must debate amongst themselves to clarify

complex problems and the feasibility of possible solutions. Thus it is unsurprising that empirical

research reveals decision makers sometimes use simplified search and evaluation methods

(bounded rationality), intuition (garbage can theories), and employ micro-political and power

considerations. This is not necessarily irrational. For example, decision-makers who emphasise

real-time information may be developing intuition or crosschecking reports based on historical

data. However, executives tend to choose projects whose predicted outcomes (benefits) exceed

predicted costs by the greatest amount.

Stage 1- Identifying organisational objectives

Establishing organisational objectives identifies the type of capital expenditure projects a

company will pursue. Many businesses seek to maximise profits or, more accurately, their
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wealth. Traditional economic theory assumes this is their primary goal. However, as such a goal

lacks operational detail many organisations prepare mission statements, corporate objectives,

strategies, detailed plans, and budgets. Examples of a mission statement are provided in Exhibit

1. Corporate objectives may specify levels of acceptable risk, desired profit levels; obligations

to stakeholders (shareholders, employees, customers, local communities etc.), growth targets,

and the markets it will operate in.

Figure (1) Stages of capital budgeting decisions

Stage 1 Identifying investment opportunities

Stage 2 Generating and evaluating alternatives

Stage 3 Selection and authorization

Feedback Stage 4 Implementation and control

Strategic planning formulates how to achieve the objectives. Possible strategies are various, for

example, an organisation could increase profits by targeting new products, customers or

markets, or by reducing costs through improved productivity and efficiency. Executives from

functions such as marketing, customer service, production, and finance usually jointly
5
 formulate a strategy subject to board guidelines and their subsequent approval. Management

accounting has developed techniques for quantifying business strategies but these are outside

the remit of this chapter.

 At 31 December 2002, Rio Tinto had operating assets of US$13 billion located
Exhibit 1 in Australasia, North and South America, Indonesia, Africa, and Europe. Their
fundamental objective is to maximise long-term returns to shareholders.
 Britax International is an innovative and successful manufacturing and
marketing company. Expansion of new distribution channels is an important part
of its strategy.
 Tomkins is a global engineering group with market and technical leadership
across three businesses: industrial and automotive, air system components, and
engineering and construction products. It tries to enhance shareholder value by
increasing the economic value of its businesses. This is executed by
concentrating on products, regions and sectors with prospects for profitable
growth and where the firm has a sustainable competitive advantage.
 Astra Zeneca’s strategy is based on R&D and buying intellectual property (they
spent $3.1 billion on R&D in 2002).

Stage 2- Generating and evaluating alternatives

Creative searches of strategic options generate capital investment projects consistent with the

organisation’s objectives. This involves collecting considerable information, which can be

time-consuming, particularly when considering entry into new markets or investing in new

technology. An environmental analysis may ascertain matters such as market size, competition

within the industry, bargaining power of suppliers and customers, and threats of new entrants

to the market and substitute products (Louderback et al, 2000). The preliminary analysis of

alternative capital investments will estimate their costs and benefits, and their quantitative and

qualitative consequences. Management accountants are often responsible for the former.

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 Stage 3- Selection and authorisation

Theoretically, a company wishing to maximise its wealth should accept all investments that

exceed its cost of capital. However, this is unlikely because firms have capital constraints,

insufficient capacity to evaluate (or know) all alternatives and some options may clash with

their objectives. In practice firms tend to examine a limited range of alternatives, which after

preliminary screening are reduced to a smaller set for further, more rigorous evaluation.

Managers may have neither the cognitive capacity, nor the time and resources to do more.

Formal analysis emphasises financial quantification of predicted outcomes. However, managers

can over-rule conclusions of financial analyses due to non-financial and qualitative

considerations. Thus, executives combine qualitative intuitive judgement with systematic

financial analysis.

For a project to proceed, a capital authorisation request has to be prepared and approved. The

hierarchical level that authorises such requests varies according to company size and the nature

and cost of the project (see Exhibit 2). Capital expenditure limits using accrual accounting

measures are frequently used to grant managers limited discretion over investment decisions.

The larger the amount normally the higher the hierarchical level where approval occurs.

In summary, in the early stages of investment decision-making managers are subject to

considerable control such as authorisation levels, formal procedures of appraisal, minimum

hurdle rates, and designation of strategic growth areas.

Exhibit 2 At Rio Tinto each business unit’s managing director can approve capital projects7
up to $20 million. Anything above this must go to the Business Evaluation
Department for evaluation and approval.
In Tomkins top managers in each business can approve capital investments up to
£3 million without head office approval if they are in the agreed strategic plan of the
business. There is a lower limit for unplanned expenditure. Nevertheless, ultimate
authority for investment projects rests with top management (the board of directors).
Stage 4- Implementation and control

Companies should evaluate whether capital investments are meeting plans once implemented.

Following approval, expenditure on investment projects is built into capital and operating

budgets to monitor actual expenditure against that planned. Post-decision monitoring and

control may include a post-investment audit that compares actual results with predictions made

when the project was selected. However, empirical research reveals that this is not universal

practice, possibly because managers believe revisiting irreversible decisions serves little

function. On the other hand it checks managers’ predictive accuracy, discourages biasing, may

improve subsequent evaluations by learning more about the scale and location of deviations,

and can reinforce accountability.

Capital investment appraisal techniques

The main methods to financially evaluate investments are net present value (NPV), the internal

rate of return (IRR), the payback rule (PB), and accounting rates of return (ARR). To simplify

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 their introduction, it is assumed that cash flows are known with certainty, sufficient funds are

available to undertake all profitable investments, and there are no taxes or inflation.

At a meeting of the board of directors of X plc Trevor said: ‘We must make sure that the
Activity cash flows of any project we invest in recoup the investment quickly and give us a profit so
we can invest in the next project’. A second executive Helen replied, ‘It’s fine to talk about
cash flows but the outside world judges our success by our profits. We should select the
project that maximises the return on assets invested. A third executive Stuart countered, ‘I
agree with Trevor about the cash flows but I want to be sure that we cover interest charges
to HSBC bank on the money we borrowed to finance the project. The cash flows should
exceed the total cost of borrowing so we have funds for further investments or to increase
dividends to shareholders’. The managing director Bob joined in saying ‘We shouldn’t take
on projects that don’t fit with our competitive strategy regardless of whether they show a
financial return’.

All the executives seek cash flows from the project but Trevor is emphasising their speed
whereas Helen wants to convert them into accounting accrual profits shown in the financial
accounts. Stuart is concerned about total cash flows and whether they provide a surplus,
whilst Bob is more concerned about corporate strategy.

Which of these executives do you think has the most desirable approach and why?*

* Question adapted from Weetman, 1999, p.719.

Net present value

NPV requires an appropriate interest rate to discount future cash flows to their equivalent

present value. This rate is known as the opportunity cost of an investment. Finance theory

demonstrates that required returns on investments are a positive function of their risk - the

higher the risk, the higher the rate.

Opportunity cost of an investment: Investors wishing to avoid risk can invest in government

securities with a fixed return and virtual certainty of being fully repaid upon maturity. On the

other hand, they may prefer to invest in risky securities such as company ordinary shares quoted

on the stock exchange. If so, they will discover that returns can vary annually and share prices

fluctuate according to the performance of the company and future expectations. Investors
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normally prefer to avoid risk and choose risky securities only if they yield returns that

compensate for increased risk. For example, if government securities yield 10% then investors

might invest in ordinary shares only if say returns are 15%. The greater the risk, the greater the

expected returns.

Rates of return from investments in securities in financial markets represent the opportunity

cost of an investment: i.e., cash invested in a capital project that cannot be invested elsewhere

– the returns foregone are a cost of that investment. Thus companies should choose projects

with returns above the opportunity cost of the investment, which is also known as the minimum

required rate of return, discount rate, and hurdle rate.

Returns on a capital investment should be compared with investments in securities traded on

financial markets of equal risk. This is done by discounted cash flow (DCF). Discounting is

the opposite of compounding interest.

Compounding and Discounting: Suppose you invest $1,000 in a risk-free security yielding

10% payable at each year-end. If the interest is reinvested, your investment will accumulate to

$1,331 by the end of year 3. Thus $1,210 received at the end of year 2 is worth $1,100 received

at the end of year 1, for it can be invested at 10% to return $110. Similarly, $1,331 received at

the end of year 3 is equivalent to $1,210 received at the end of year 2, since $1,210 can be

invested at the end of year 2 to accumulate to $1,331.

FVn  V0 (1  K ) n (1)

These calculations are represented in the above formula. FVn denotes the future value of an

investment in n years, V0 denotes the amount invested at the beginning of the period, K denotes

the investment’s rate of return, and n denotes how many years the money is invested for. Thus 10
the future value of the investment above in 3 years time is $1,331 = $1,000(1 +0 .10)3. This

calculation is illustrated below.

The value of $ 1000 000 invested at 10 % compounded annually for three years.

End of year Interest earned ($) Total investment ($)

0 1,000
0.10 x 1,000 100
1 1,100
0.10 x 1,100 000 110
2 1,210
0.10 x 1210 000 121
3 1,331

Converting cash received in the future to today’s value using an interest rate is termed

discounting and the result the discounted present value.

Compounding estimates the value of an investment in future years, whereas discounting reduces

the value of future cash flows to the present. Equation (1) for compounding can be rearranged

to give the present value formula below.

FVn
(Present value) V0 
(1  K ) n

Using this equation, the calculation for $1,210 received at the end of year 2 can be expressed

$1,210
as V0   $1,000 . You should now realise that $1 received today is not equal to $1
(1  0.10) 2

received a year later, for one year on an investor can have the original $1 plus one year’s

interest. For example, if the interest rate is 10%, each $1 invested now will yield $1.10 a year

from now, i.e. $1 received today is equal to $1.10 one year from today given 10% interest.
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 Conversely, $1 one year from today is equal to $ 0.9091 now because its present value of

$0.9091 plus 10 % interest for one year amounts to $1. The concept of that $1 received in the

future not being equal to $1 received today is known as the time value of money.

The present value (V0) of $1 receivable at the end of (n) years when the rate of
Definition
return is (K) per cent per annum equals:

The process of calculating present value is called discounting and the interest
used is the discount rate.

Determining whether a project yields a return in excess of the alternative equal risk investment

in traded securities is done by NPV. This calculates the expected net monetary gain or loss from

a project by discounting all expected future cash inflows and outflows to the present time using

the required rate of return. The required return represents what the organisation could receive

for an investment of comparable risk. The NPV rule can be expressed as:

FV1 FV2 FV3 FVn

NPV     ..........   I0
(1  K ) (1  K ) 2 (1  K ) 3 (1  K ) n

Here I0 represents the investment outlay and FV represents the future values received in years

1 to n. The rate of return K is the return available on a security in financial markets of equivalent

risk. Only projects with a positive NPV are acceptable, as their returns exceed the cost of capital

(the return from investing elsewhere). All other things being equal, decision-makers prefer

projects with higher NPVs.

Example (1) Executives in X Plc are evaluating two projects with an expected life of three

years and an investment outlay of $500,000. The estimated net cash inflows are:

Project A Project B 12
($) ($)
Year 1 150,000 300,000
Year 2 500,000 300,000
Year 3 200,000 300,000
The NPV calculation for Project A is:

$150,000 $500,000 $200,000

NPV     $500,000  $199,850
(1.10) (1.10) 2 (1.10) 3

Alternatively, the NPV can be calculated by using published tables of present values (an

example is in Appendix A). The relevant discount factors are found by referring to the year the

cash flows occur and the appropriate interest rate. For example, if you refer to year 1 in

Appendix A, and the 10% column, this shows a discount factor of 0.9091. For years 2 and 3 the

discount factors are 0.8264 and 0.7513. The present value of cash flows is obtained by

multiplying the cash flows by the relevant discount factor. The calculation is as follows:

Year Amount ($) x Discount factor = Present value ($)

==== ========= ============ =============
1 150,000 x 0.9091 = 136,365
2 500,000 x 0.8264 = 413,200
3 200,000 x 0.7513 = 150,260
699,825
Less initial outlay 500,000
Net present value 199,825

Now the NPV for project B will be calculated. When annual cash flows are constant, the

calculation of present value is simplified. The relevant discount factors in Appendix B reveal

that the discount factor for 10 % for three years is 2.487. The total present value for the project

is calculated by multiplying the annual cash inflow by the discount factor (see below). It is

important to note that Appendix B can only be used when annual cash flows are identical.

Annual cash inflow x Discount factor = Present value ($)

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$ 300,000 x 2.487 = 746,100
Less initial outlay 500,000
Net present value 246,100
 An organisation seeking to maximise its owners’ wealth should accept any project with a

positive NPV. If finance markets are working efficiently, funds will always be available for

projects that meet or exceed their cost of capital. Project B has the highest NPV but both projects

(A and B) are acceptable as both have a positive NPV.

Definition The NPV of a project equals the present value of cash inflows minus the investment
outlay. The NPV decision rule is:
 When the NPV is positive - accept.
 When the NPV is zero, the project meets the cost of capital but yields no
surplus to owners - indifference.
 When the NPV is negative - reject.
 The major problem is selecting an appropriate discount rate. This is crucial
to the outcome of NPV analysis as it determines the relative values of cash
flows in different time periods. A common criticism is that firms
unrealistically assume a fixed/uniform discount rate over time.

(b) Internal rate of return (IRR)

The internal rate of return (IRR) (sometimes called the time-adjusted rate of return)

incorporates the time value of money but expresses the answer as a percentage return. The IRR

is the discount rate that equates the present value of cash inflows from a project to the present

value of its cash outflows, i.e. IRR is the discount rate that produces a NPV of zero. Nowadays

most practitioners have a calculator or computer programmed to give the IRR, otherwise the

answer has to be calculated by trial-and-error.

Definition IRR is the discount rate that equals the present value of cash flows inflows to the
present value of the capital invested (cash outflows), i.e. NPV is zero. IRR
decision rules are:
 When the IRR exceeds the cost of capital - accept. 14
 When the IRR equals the cost of capital, the project meets the cost of
capital but yields no surplus - indifference.
 When the IRR is less than the cost of capital - reject.
 As with NPV, sources of cash flows and the accounting treatment of
income and expenditure flows are irrelevant to IRR calculations. IRR has
NPV and IRR are the two main discounted cash flow (DCF) methods. Both measure cash

inflows and outflows of projects and compare them as if occurring at a single point in time.

DCF methods are theoretically superior to other techniques because they recognise the time

value of money and that investments have an opportunity cost foregone. DCF focuses on cash

flows rather than on operating profits and asset valuation of accrual accounting.

(c) Payback

Payback is the simplest and most frequently used investment appraisal method. It measures the

time taken to recoup the net initial investment. It is calculated by dividing the total initial cash

outlay by the expected annual cash proceeds.

Example (2): Executives of X Plc are evaluating three projects. The cash flow calculations for

each are below. Their payback period is calculated thus:

Projec Projec Projec

t t t
Initial cost ($) A 100,000 B100,000 C 100,000
Net cash
inflows ($)
Year 1 20,000 20,000 20,000 15
Year 2 40,000 20,000 40,000
Year 3 40,000 20,000 40,000
Year 4 40,000 40,000 7,000
Year 5 20,000 60,000 7,000
Year 6 - 60,000 7,000
 Here, project A repays its initial investment in three years whereas project B takes four. Using

payback speed as the criterion, project A is preferable. There are obvious deficiencies in these

calculations: payback ignores cash flows after the payback date and the timing of proceeds

earned prior to payback, and it can result in projects with a negative NPV being accepted.

Consider project C with a payback of three years. If this met the time criteria of management it

would be accepted despite its negative NPV. Note also that payback ranks project C over project

B despite B yielding a positive NPV.

Definition The payback method measures the time to recoup, in the form of net cash
inflows, the net initial investment in a project. Its major deficiencies are:
 It ignores cash flows after the payback period.
 It ignores the time value of money.
Like NPV and IRR, PB does not distinguish between sources of cash inflows.
For example, they could be from operations, disposal of equipment, or recovery
of working capital.

(d) Accounting rate of return

The accounting rate of return (ARR) is also known as return on investment and return on

capital employed. ARR is an accounting accrual measure of income divided by an

accounting accrual measure of investment. Projects with an ARR in excess of that required

are considered desirable. Executives using ARR prefer projects with higher rather than

lower ARR other things being equal. It differs from other methods as profits not cash flows

are used to measure investment returns. However, accounting profits include adjustments 16
 that are not cash flows and thus have no direct impact on investors’ wealth, such as

depreciation and gains and losses on fixed asset sales. Financial accounting profit does not

equal cash flows because it is based on the accruals concept.

If depreciation is the only non-cash expense, then profit is equivalent to cash flows less

depreciation. For example, the three projects in Example (2) required an initial outlay of

$100,000. The average investment figure used in ARR calculations varies according to

depreciation methods employed. If straight-line depreciation is used (which assumes the

investment will decline by an equal (linear) amount each year of the estimated life of the

asset) then the average investment, assuming no scrap value, is one-half of the initial

investment, i.e. $50,000. The average profit is calculated as total profits (cash flow plus

depreciation) divided by the years the project lasts. This is $60,000 divided by 5 years for

A, i.e. $12,000; $180,000 divided by 7 years for B, i.e.$25,750; and $28,000 divided by 7

years for C, i.e. $4,000. The calculation of the ARR for each project is:

12,000 25,750 4,000

Project A   24% Project B   51% Project C   8%
50,000 50,000 50,000

ARR is superior to payback as it recognises different useful lives of assets under comparison.

For example, the above calculations capture the high earnings of project B over all of its life,

thus it is ranked over A and C. Also, projects A and C have the same payback but ARR indicates

that A, the profitable project, is preferable.

Definition The ARR is an accounting measure of income divided by an accounting measure of

investment. It differs from other methods as profits rather than cash flows are used
to measure returns. It is also known as return on investment and return on capital
employed. Projects with an ARR exceeding the required accounting return are
deemed desirable. 17
 ARR ignores the time value of money. When it compares two projects with
identical average cash inflows but which occur at different times, it will
show the same ARR.
Which methods are used in practice?

Research conclusions on the extent each capital budgeting technique is used in practice are not

unanimous. Often they depend on when the research was conducted, the questions asked,

research scales used, the size of the companies, the sample, and the location of the research.

Table 1 illustrates the frequency particular capital-budgeting methods are used in Australia,

Canada, USA, UK and Belgium according to surveys.

International comparison of capital budgeting techniques

Australia† Canada†† USA* UK ^ Belgium **

NPV 45% 41% 74.93% 99% 60%

IRR 37% 62% 75.61% 89% 77%
PB 61% 50% 56.74% 96% 50%
ARR 24% 17% 20.29% 60% 65%

† cited in Horngren et al (2002)

† † Jog and Srivastava (1994), cited in Horngren et al (2000)
*Graham and Harvey (2001), the companies in their sample range from very small to very large.
^ Alkaraan (2004), large UK companies.
** Dardenne (1998), cited in Drury (2002)

The reported percentages exceed 100% because many companies use more than one technique.

For example, 98% of large UK companies used more than one method and 88% used three or

more. Because NPV calculations are beset with uncertainty associated with predictions, astute

executives typically use multiple criteria and methods to check the reliability of data.

Sophisticated DCF methods (NPV, IRR) are used more than the unsophisticated method of

ARR. However, despite its theoretical limitations payback is widely used, especially when a

firm has liquidity problems and needs quick repayment of investments, and for risky

investments in uncertain markets - say subject to rapid design and product changes - or when 18
future cash flows are unpredictable. Risk is time related: the longer the time period, the greater

the chance of failure. Hence payback is used as a rough proxy of risk. Managers may also

choose projects that payback quickly because of self-interest. If performance is evaluated by

short-term criteria, such as net profits, managers may select projects with quick paybacks to

boost short-run net profits.

Payback is often used in conjunction with NPV or IRR for payback is easily understood and

provides an important summary measure - how quickly the project will recover its initial outlay.

Ideally, payback should be used in conjunction with NPV and be calculated using cash flows

discounted before payback.

ARR is also widely used possibly because the annual ARR is often used to evaluate (and

reward) managers of business units. Hence managers are concerned with the impact of new

investments on ARR (Drury, 2003).

Mutually exclusive projects

Capital rationing and NPV: Executives frequently work within limited capital budgets.

Exhibit 2 outlines a problem of using NPV when there is a capital constraint. The executives of

X Plc can choose one of two mutually exclusive projects - A or B. The profitability index is

helpful here because it identifies the project that generates most money from the limited capital

available. The index is calculated by dividing the total present value of future net cash inflows

by the total present value of the project’s initial cost. Using this index, project B is preferable

because its profitability index of 1.4% is higher than that of project A. However, if the initial

costs of projects differ then the absolute NPV must also be considered. Profitability index

analysis assumes other factors like risk and alternative use of funds, are equal, i.e. choosing
19
project A or B has no effect on other projects planned. This is often not so, hence the

profitability index may not indicate the optimal investment.

Exhibit 2: Capital rationing and NPV

Project A Project B
Initial cost $150,000 $50,000
Present value @ 10 % $195,000 $70,000
cost of capital
NPV $45,000 $20,000
Profitability index 1.3% 1.4%

Choosing between NPV and IRR criteria: NPV and IRR applied to a single project will give

identical solutions as both discount the same cash flows. However, executives may have to

choose between mutually exclusive projects, e.g. there may be insufficient production capacity

to do all. In Exhibit 3 the executives of X Plc must decide between project C or D.

Exhibit 3: NPV and IRR for two mutually exclusive projects

Project C Project D
Initial cost 120,000 120,000
Net cash inflows
Year 1 12,000 96,000
Year 2 60,000 48,000
Year 3 108,000 12,000
NPV at 12 % cost of capital 15,419 12,521
When mutuallyNPVexclusive
ranking projects have unequal lives or1 unequal investments, IRR can
2 rank
IRR 17.6% 20.2%
projects differently from NPV. In Exhibit 3 the NPV ranking favours project C, whereas the
IRR ranking 2 1
IRR ranking favours D. Both projects are acceptable because they have a positive NPV. The

ideal would be to undertake both projects but this is impossible. NPV and IRR can give different

results because NPV assumes that proceeds are reinvested at the company’s required rate of

return, whereas IRR assumes they are reinvested at the rate of return of the project with the

20
shortest life. Readers should refer to a corporate finance textbook for guidance on ranking

projects with unequal investments or unequal lives.

Taxation and investment decisions

Income taxes can change the relative desirability of projects. Companies rarely pay taxes based

on published profits, as expenses in published accounts may not be deductible for taxation

purposes, for example depreciation calculations are not allowable. Instead taxation legislation

provides capital (writing-down) allowances on plant and machinery purchases, and other fixed

assets. Capital allowances vary across countries and type of asset. In the example below, X plc

can claim annual capital allowances of 25% on the written-down value of plant and equipment

costing $20,000 based on the reducing balance method of depreciation (as in the UK). The

assets generate net revenues (before depreciation) of $15,000 per year and the corporate tax rate

is 40%. In year 1 the taxable profit is $10,000 [$15,000 – ($20,000 x 25%)] rather than $15,000,

i.e. the tax is $4,000 ($10,000 x 40%) instead of $6,000 ($15,000 x 40%). If the company

applies a 10% straight-line depreciation method (an equal amount of depreciation in each of the

10 years assumed life of the assets) then profits in the accounts at the end of year 1 will be

$13,000 ($15,000- $2,000). Similar calculations apply in subsequent years. The timing of tax

payments is relevant for it affects cash flows, e.g. in the UK tax payments normally occur one

year after the end of a company’s accounting year.

Year Written-down 25% allowance Written-down

value (opening) value (closing)
0-1 $20,000 $5,000 $15,000
2 $15,000 $3,750 $11,250
3 $11,250 $2,812.5 $8,437.5

21
Inflation and investment decisions

Inflation is the decline in the value of the monetary unit (the dollar in Australia, the franc in

France, or the pound in the UK). Annual inflation rates vary over time and across countries.

Capital budgeting must recognise differences between the real rate of return (that required to

cover the rate of return and investment risk) and the nominal rate of return (that required to

cover the rate of return, investment risk and anticipated decline in money value due to inflation).

This is illustrated below.

The real rate of return for an investment project at X plc is 15% and the expected inflation rate

is 5%. Thus:

The nominal rate = (1 + real rate) (1 + inflation rate) –1 = (1 + 0.15) (1 + 0.05) –1= 0.21

The real rate of return can be expressed in terms of the nominal rate as follows:

Real rate = [(1 + nominal rate) / (1 + inflation rate)] – 1 = [(1.21)/ (1.05)] - 1 = 0.15

Note that the nominal rate is higher than the real rate.

Capital budgeting deals with inflation by discounting cash flows expressed in current monetary

values at the nominal rate or, if inflation is expected to vary over time, by discounting cash

flows adjusted for differential inflation rates by the real rate of return.

Dealing with risk in investment appraisal

22
Risk is an important for investment decisions given their long time scales and their size. Risk

here refers to the degree of uncertainty the decision-maker attaches to predicted cash flows from

an investment. Uncertainty is inherent in organisational life. Decision-makers virtually never

have access to all relevant information, nor can they generate all possible alternatives and

accurately anticipate all consequences. This has brought risk analysis and management science

techniques that supplement present value based decision models to the fore.

The logical reaction to a risky project is to demand a higher rate of return, which is supported

theoretically and empirically. Relationships between risk and return are illustrated in Figure 2.

Figure (2) Relationship between risk and return

Return (%)
Risk premium

Risk-free rate

Risk

Risk handling methods fall into two categories, simple risk-adjustment methods (deterministic

assessments and intuitive adjustments, i.e. raised discount rates or shortened required payback

periods) or risk analysis derived from management science. The latter calculates uncertainties

of significant variables by allocating probabilities to possible outcomes using methods such as

sensitivity analysis, probability analysis, simulation, and capital asset pricing models.

Executives often use at least one of the following methods to deal with risk:

(a) Vary the required payback period: The higher the risk, the shorter the required

payback time. 23
 (b) Adjust the required rate of return: Demand a higher rate of return when risk is higher,

i.e. demand a risk premium. The risk premium is added to a risk-free rate of return

(normally based on the rate of return from government securities) to derive the total

return required.

(c) Adjust estimated future cash inflows: (Also called the certainty equivalent approach).

Reduce the predicted cash inflows of risky projects, e.g. very high-risk projects by say

25%, high-risk projects by 20% and average risk projects by 10%.

(d) Sensitivity analysis: This widely used technique assesses risk by examining what

happens if key assumptions of investment projects are changed. In practice, key factors

affecting the sensitivity of NPV calculations vary but they frequently involve factors

such as sales price, annual sales volume, project life, financing cost, operating costs,

and initial outlay. The disadvantage of sensitivity analysis is that it gives no clear

decision rules for accepting or rejecting a project - executives must use their judgement.

Also, often only one input is considered at a time, while the rest are held constant, but

in practice more than one input value may differ from the best estimates. Simultaneous

changes to several inputs can be examined using spreadsheet models.

(e) Estimating the probability distribution of future cash flows for each project.

Assigning probabilities to different possible cash flow outcomes can help assess risks

of a project and enable decision makers appreciate the uncertainties they face.

Beyond capital budgeting

Capital budgeting focuses on quantitative financial analysis. Academicians and practitioners

agree that models analysing cash flows are a sound approach to investment decisions. However,

these approaches have been criticized, especially for their narrow perspective, exclusion of non-

financial benefits, and overemphasis on the short-term. Some researchers argue that the 24
emphasis on the DCF techniques of NPV and IRR hampers important organisational

innovations, especially within manufacturing. They argue that high discount rates and short

payback targets penalise Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) investments. This is not

a problem if calculations are sound, and the rule that companies should invest whenever the

rate of return is higher than the cost of capital is maintained. However, there is evidence that

firms do not invest until the rate rises substantially higher than the cost of capital. Raising

discount rates randomly may penalise investments such as R&D with long-term benefits.

Moreover, not all investment projects can be fully represented in monetary terms. Non-financial

factors may be important. Financial decision models may ignore intangible benefits and thus

may be inadequate for evaluating investments like AMT. Conventional investment appraisal

techniques identify a specific outlay and cash flows attributable to it but this may be difficult

for a firm deciding to invest in Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) technology (Exhibit

3). In CIM plants, computers automatically set up and run equipment, monitor the product, and

directly control processes to ensure high-quality output. It is difficult to predict costs and

revenues associated with the benefits of CIM. Faster response times, higher product quality,

and greater manufacturing flexibility to meet changing customer preferences aim to increase

revenue and contribution margins, and gain competitive and revenue advantages that are often

difficult to quantify financially. Also, the status quo may not be an option if competitors are

making similar innovations. Difficulties in predicting benefits and costs arise in other

investments with long-time horizons, e.g. R&D projects and oil exploration (Horngren et al,

2002).

Thus capital budgeting techniques can have less influence on investment decisions than

strategic considerations. Investment decisions are not always determined by financial

25
evaluations. Sometimes the latter are used merely to provide post hoc quantitative support for

a particular decision, i.e. post-decision confirmation or rationalisation. Non-financial criteria

such as product quality, fit with business strategy, and the competitive position of the firm can

be more influential upon investment decision-making. Whilst financial analysis is important,

qualitative intuitive judgement is also crucial (Butler et al, 1993). Ignoring either can render

decision-making less effective.

Exhibit 3: Examples of financial / non-financial outcomes of CIM investment

 Examples of financial  Examples of non-financial

outcomes: and qualitative outcomes:
 Lower direct labour costs  Reduction in manufacturing
 Less scrap and rework cycle time
 Lower stock costs  Increase in manufacturing
 Increase in software and flexibility
related costs  Reduction in product
development time
 Faster response to market
changes
 Improved competitive position
in the industry

The real options approach is an interesting innovation that addresses uncertainty. This discounts

cash flows after considering options like waiting before investing or abandoning the investment

temporarily depending on certain outcomes, or even integrating future investment possibilities

that are contingent on different current investment options (see Dixit and Pindyck, 1994). A

real options approach focuses on value enhancement and integrates strategic considerations

systematically into capital budgeting. Its basic principle is to conceive future investment

opportunities as a ‘growth option’, analogous to a call option on securities. It may transform

strategic investment decision-making because it enables decisions under uncertainty to be made

flexibly and it focuses on total risk of investments. In contrast, conventional investment

26
appraisal techniques only work well when there are no options or there are options but little

uncertainty. MacDougall and Pike (2003, p.2) define strategic options as “opportunities latent

in an investment, which, if exercised, enhance competitive advantage”. They offer as examples

“the option to take advantage of changes in consumer demand, respond to or curtail

competitors’ actions or to make subsequent, contingent investments which add potential and

value to the initial investment”. There is growing academic interest in using real options to

guide capital budgeting and strategic decisions in dynamic environments. It should be seen not

merely as a new investment appraisal technique but as a management process (Trigeorgis,

1999).

However, its use for analysing strategic investment decisions is relatively new and, despite a

growing body of knowledge associated with real options, much of this work remains confined

to academia. Questionnaire surveys (e.g. Busby and Pitts, 1998; Alkaraan, 2004) show

executives in large UK companies were often unaware of the term ‘real options’ or associated

academic research, and they claimed it must be more accessible to managers to be used. Pinches

(1998) and Dempsey (2000) acknowledge dramatic advances in real options approaches but

many challenges remain in its practical application to capital investment decisions.

Nevertheless, whilst the application of real options remains in its infancy it has the potential to

bridge conventional quantitative capital budgeting and qualitative approaches to strategic

investment decisions.

Summary

This chapter has noted that:

27
1. Capital budgeting involves long-term planning of proposed capital projects. It is a four-

stage process involving: identification, generation and evaluation of alternatives,

selection and authorisation, and implementation and control.

2. Capital investment decisions are vitally important because they involve commitments

of large sums of money that can affect the entire future of the business. Evaluating such

decisions entails determining investment outlays and the resulting cash flows.

3. $1 received today can be invested to earn a return (e.g. interest), so it is worth more than

$1 received tomorrow. The time value of money (the opportunity cost or return

foregone) takes this into account.

4. The assumed objective of capital investment appraisal is to maximize shareholder

wealth. This is achieved by accepting all projects that yield positive net present values.

5. Discounted cash flow (DCF) methods include project cash flows and the time value of

money in capital budgeting decisions. The two major DCF methods are net present value

(NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR). NPV calculates the expected net monetary gain

or loss from a project by discounting all expected future cash inflows and outflows to

the present using the required rate of return. All projects with a positive NPV are

acceptable. IRR calculates the rate of return (discount rate) that equalises the present

value of expected cash inflows from a project with the present value of its initial

expected cash outflows. A project is acceptable if its IRR exceeds the required rate of

return.

6. Payback (PB) and accounting rate of return (ARR) methods are frequently used in

practice. PB is the period, usually expressed in years, for a proposal’s net cash inflows

to equal its initial cost. PB neglects profitability. The ARR is operating profit divided

by an accrual accounting measure of investment. IRR considers profitability but like PB

it ignores the time value of money. Thus both are theoretically unsound.
28
 6. Mutually exclusive projects create a special problem. The profitability index is useful

when allocating limited funds. It is the total present value of future net cash inflows of

a project divided by the total present value of the net initial investment. The company’s

available funds and alternative investment opportunities should be considered rather

than relying on a single capital budgeting technique.

7. The higher the risk, the higher the required rate of return. Approaches to recognising

risk in capital-budgeting decisions include: reducing the required payback time,

increasing the required rate of return, adjusting estimated cash inflows, performing

sensitivity analysis, and estimating probability distributions of future cash flows.

8. The use of non-financial indicators within management information systems has

increased in recent years. Finance-based models such as NPV and IRR may ignore

important intangible benefits and may be inadequate for evaluating investments

involving non-financial, qualitative and strategic factors.

9. The real options approach focuses on value enhancement and integrates strategic

considerations systematically in capital budgeting.

10. Decision outcomes are rarely based exclusively on signals computed by financial

analyses. Intuition and judgement based on experience play a major role in decision-

making. Executives adopt ‘holistic’ approaches incorporating financial and strategic

considerations. They are not just technocrats anchored to financial calculations.

References and further reading

Alkaraan, F., 2004. Strategic Investment Decisions and Investment Appraisal in UK

Companies, unpublished PhD thesis, The University of Manchester, UK.

Brennan, M. J. and Trigeorgis, L, 2000. Project Flexibility, Agency and Competition, Oxford
University Press, Oxford and New York.

Busby, J. S., and Pitts C. G. C., 1998. Assessing Flexibility in Capital Investment, London: The
29
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Butler, R., Davies, L. Pike, R., and Sharp, J., 1993. Strategic Investment Decision-Making:
Theory, Practice and Process, London/New York: Routledge.

Dempsey, M. J., 2003. A Multidisciplinary Perspective on The Evaluation of Corporate

Investment Decision-Making, Accounting, Accountability & Performance, 9, 1, 1-33.

Dixit, A. K., and Pindyck, R. S., 1995. The Options Approach to Capital Investment, Harvard
Business Review, 105-115.

Drury, C., 2003. Cost and Management Accounting, 5th edition, Thomson.

Horngren, C.T., Bhimani, A., Datar, S.M, and Foster, G., 2002. Management and Cost
Accounting, 2nd edition, Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall.

Louderback, J.G., Holmen, J. S. and Dominiak, G. F., 2000. Managerial Accounting, 9th edition,
South-Western College Publishing.

MacDougall, S. L., and Pike, R.H, 2003. Consider Your Options: Changes to Strategic Value
During Implementation of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, The International Journal of
Management Science, 31, 1-15.

Northcott, D., 1998. Capital Investment Decision-Making, London: International Thomson

Business Press.

Pinches, G.E., 1998. Real Options: Developments and Applications, The Quarterly Review of
Economics and Finance, 38, 533-536.

Trigeorgis. L., 1999. Real Options and Business Strategy: Applications to Decision-Making.
Risk Books.

Weetman, P., 1999. Financial & Management Accounting, 2nd edition, Pearson Education
Limited.

30
Appendix A: Present value factors
The table gives the present value of a single payment received n years in the
future discounted at (X) % per year. For example:
 With a discount rate of 10% a single payment of $1 in one year time
has a present value of $0.9091. For years 2 and 3 the discount factors
are $0.8264 and $0.7513
 With a discount rate of 8% a single payment of $1 in five year time
has a present value of $0.6806

31
Appendix B: Present value factors
The table gives the present value of n annual payments of $1 received for the
next n years with a constant discount of (X) % per year. For example:
 With a discount rate of 10 % and with three annual payments of $1,
the present value is $2.487
 With a discount rate of 8 % and with seven annual payments of $1, the
present value is $5.206

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