Microsoft: Is the Creative Spark Burning Out? Net Present Value (NPV) / MBA Resources

Introduction to Net Present Value (NPV) - What is Net Present Value (NPV) ? How it impacts financial decisions regarding project management?

NPV solution for Microsoft: Is the Creative Spark Burning Out? case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Microsoft: Is the Creative Spark Burning Out? case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Ali Farhoomand, Havovi Joshi. The Microsoft: Is the Creative Spark Burning Out? (referred as “Microsoft Microsoft's” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Organizational Development. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Leadership, Marketing, Research & development.

The net present value (NPV) of an investment proposal is the present value of the proposal’s net cash flows less the proposal’s initial cash outflow. If a project’s NPV is greater than or equal to zero, the project should be accepted.

NPV = Present Value of Future Cash Flows LESS Project’s Initial Investment

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Case Description of Microsoft: Is the Creative Spark Burning Out? Case Study

In July 2010, Microsoft, the global leader in software, services, and solutions, announced record revenue of US$62.48 billion for the year ending June 30, 2010, an increase of 7% from the previous year. This came as a relief to investors, given that the previous year had seen the company report its first-ever annual drop in sales. Founded in 1975, Microsoft's software pervaded computers worldwide. The company had traditionally been regarded as being on the cutting edge of software and services. However, for some time-particularly since the middle of the last decade-it had been increasingly criticised for having had the opportunity for massive disruptive potential in the market but repeatedly allowing it to slip away. Its huge employee base of bright and talented engineers had not kept up with the creativity and innovation displayed by its competitors, whether it was Apple's iPod or iPad, Google's search engine, Nintendo's Wii, Amazon's Kindle, or social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter. Despite its undisputed financial success, Microsoft was being described as having become a "clumsy, uncompetitive innovator". In a tangible reflection of this concern, on 26 May 2010, Microsoft's position as the technology industry's most valuable player was overtaken for the first time in many years, when Apple exceeded the company's US$219.2 billion market capitalisation by almost US$3 billion. Then on 4 October 2010, Goldman Sachs downgraded Microsoft's stock, which it had supported since the company's initial public offering in 1986. Why was Microsoft no longer creating the truly disruptive and breakthrough technological products and services that the company used to pride itself on? How could the company once again regain its position as the powerhouse of technology innovation?

Case Authors : Ali Farhoomand, Havovi Joshi

Topic : Organizational Development

Related Areas : Leadership, Marketing, Research & development

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Microsoft: Is the Creative Spark Burning Out? Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10003426)	-10003426	-	-
Year 1	3454611	-6548815	3454611	0.9434	3259067
Year 2	3972725	-2576090	7427336	0.89	3535711
Year 3	3959583	1383493	11386919	0.8396	3324542
Year 4	3243334	4626827	14630253	0.7921	2569024
TOTAL			14630253		12688345

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2684919

In isolation the NPV number doesn't mean much but put in right context then it is one of the best method to evaluate project returns. In this article we will cover -

Different methods of capital budgeting

What is NPV & Formula of NPV,
How it is calculated,
How to use NPV number for project evaluation, and
Scenario Planning given risks and management priorities.

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Capital Budgeting Approaches

Methods of Capital Budgeting

There are four types of capital budgeting techniques that are widely used in the corporate world –

1. Internal Rate of Return
2. Payback Period
3. Net Present Value
4. Profitability Index

Apart from the Payback period method which is an additive method, rest of the methods are based on Discounted Cash Flow technique. Even though cash flow can be calculated based on the nature of the project, for the simplicity of the article we are assuming that all the expected cash flows are realized at the end of the year.

Discounted Cash Flow approaches provide a more objective basis for evaluating and selecting investment projects. They take into consideration both –

1. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Microsoft Microsoft's have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.
2. Magnitude of both incoming and outgoing cash flows – Projects can be capital intensive, time intensive, or both. Microsoft Microsoft's shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.

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Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Microsoft: Is the Creative Spark Burning Out?

NPV = Net Cash In Flowt1 / (1+r)t1 + Net Cash In Flowt2 / (1+r)t2 + … Net Cash In Flowtn / (1+r)tn
Less Net Cash Out Flowt0 / (1+r)t0

Where t = time period, in this case year 1, year 2 and so on.
r = discount rate or return that could be earned using other safe proposition such as fixed deposit or treasury bond rate. Net Cash In Flow – What the firm will get each year.
Net Cash Out Flow – What the firm needs to invest initially in the project.

Step 1 – Understand the nature of the project and calculate cash flow for each year.
Step 2 – Discount those cash flow based on the discount rate.
Step 3 – Add all the discounted cash flow.
Step 4 – Selection of the project

Why Organizational Development Managers need to know Financial Tools such as Net Present Value (NPV)?

In our daily workplace we often come across people and colleagues who are just focused on their core competency and targets they have to deliver. For example marketing managers at Microsoft Microsoft's often design programs whose objective is to drive brand awareness and customer reach. But how that 30 point increase in brand awareness or 10 point increase in customer touch points will result into shareholders’ value is not specified.

To overcome such scenarios managers at Microsoft Microsoft's needs to not only know the financial aspect of project management but also needs to have tools to integrate them into part of the project development and monitoring plan.

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 15%

After working through various assumptions we reached a conclusion that risk is far higher than 6%. In a reasonably stable industry with weak competition - 15% discount rate can be a good benchmark.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 15 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10003426)	-10003426	-	-
Year 1	3454611	-6548815	3454611	0.8696	3004010
Year 2	3972725	-2576090	7427336	0.7561	3003951
Year 3	3959583	1383493	11386919	0.6575	2603490
Year 4	3243334	4626827	14630253	0.5718	1854387
TOTAL					10465837

The Net NPV after 4 years is 462411

(10465837 - 10003426 )

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 20%

If the risk component is high in the industry then we should go for a higher hurdle rate / discount rate of 20%.

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 20 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10003426)	-10003426	-	-
Year 1	3454611	-6548815	3454611	0.8333	2878843
Year 2	3972725	-2576090	7427336	0.6944	2758837
Year 3	3959583	1383493	11386919	0.5787	2291425
Year 4	3243334	4626827	14630253	0.4823	1564108
TOTAL					9493212

The Net NPV after 4 years is -510214

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9493212 - 10003426 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Microsoft Microsoft's to discount cash flow at lower discount rates such as 15%.

Acceptance Criteria of a Project based on NPV

Simplest Approach – If the investment project of Microsoft Microsoft's has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Microsoft Microsoft's can ACCEPT the project, otherwise they can reject the project. This means that project will deliver higher returns over the period of time than any alternate investment strategy.

In theory if the required rate of return or discount rate is chosen correctly by finance managers at Microsoft Microsoft's, then the stock price of the Microsoft Microsoft's should change by same amount of the NPV. In real world we know that share price also reflects various other factors that can be related to both macro and micro environment.

In the same vein – accepting the project with zero NPV should result in stagnant share price. Finance managers use discount rates as a measure of risk components in the project execution process.

Sensitivity Analysis

Project selection is often a far more complex decision than just choosing it based on the NPV number. Finance managers at Microsoft Microsoft's should conduct a sensitivity analysis to better understand not only the inherent risk of the projects but also how those risks can be either factored in or mitigated during the project execution. Sensitivity analysis helps in –

What are the uncertainties surrounding the project Initial Cash Outlay (ICO’s). ICO’s often have several different components such as land, machinery, building, and other equipment.

What will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

What are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

Some of the assumptions while using the Discounted Cash Flow Methods –

Projects are assumed to be Mutually Exclusive – This is seldom the came in modern day giant organizations where projects are often inter-related and rejecting a project solely based on NPV can result in sunk cost from a related project.

Independent projects have independent cash flows – As explained in the marketing project – though the project may look independent but in reality it is not as the brand awareness project can be closely associated with the spending on sales promotions and product specific advertising.

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Negotiation Strategy of Microsoft: Is the Creative Spark Burning Out?

References & Further Readings

Ali Farhoomand, Havovi Joshi (2018), "Microsoft: Is the Creative Spark Burning Out? Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.