Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Denyse Lafrance-Horning. The Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? (referred as “Lakers Nipissing” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Sales & Marketing. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, .

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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? Case Study

In the summer of 2008, Nipissing University announced their intent to launch a men's varsity hockey team. Since that time, excitement had been mounting throughout the halls of Nipissing University and within the local community of North Bay, Ontario. It had been a long and at times, challenging journey to bring this team to fruition but with the help of a private group of investors, the Nipissing University Lakers men's varsity hockey team would finally hit the ice in September 2009 and kick-off a much anticipated inaugural season. In January 2009 the Lakers Hockey marketing committee gathered to discuss how best to promote this new team. The Lakers would be playing in North Bay's largest recreational facility - Memorial Gardens, which had a total building capacity of 4,048. Their objectives were clear - the coveted Lakers varsity hockey team would have to garner widespread support and maximize fan attendance. With approximately nine months until the opening game, the marketing team focused on developing the most effective marketing plan to realize these objectives. On March 2nd, they would present their recommendations to the Lakers ownership group for final approval and implementation.

Case Authors : Denyse Lafrance-Horning

Topic : Sales & Marketing

Related Areas :

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10008876)	-10008876	-	-
Year 1	3466758	-6542118	3466758	0.9434	3270526
Year 2	3961798	-2580320	7428556	0.89	3525986
Year 3	3974047	1393727	11402603	0.8396	3336686
Year 4	3222198	4615925	14624801	0.7921	2552283
TOTAL			14624801		12685482

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2676606

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. Net Present Value
3. Profitability Index
4. Payback Period

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

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Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come?

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 Sales & Marketing 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 Lakers Nipissing 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 Lakers Nipissing 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	(10008876)	-10008876	-	-
Year 1	3466758	-6542118	3466758	0.8696	3014572
Year 2	3961798	-2580320	7428556	0.7561	2995688
Year 3	3974047	1393727	11402603	0.6575	2613000
Year 4	3222198	4615925	14624801	0.5718	1842302
TOTAL					10465563

The Net NPV after 4 years is 456687

(10465563 - 10008876 )

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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	(10008876)	-10008876	-	-
Year 1	3466758	-6542118	3466758	0.8333	2888965
Year 2	3961798	-2580320	7428556	0.6944	2751249
Year 3	3974047	1393727	11402603	0.5787	2299796
Year 4	3222198	4615925	14624801	0.4823	1553915
TOTAL					9493924

The Net NPV after 4 years is -514952

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9493924 - 10008876 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Lakers Nipissing 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 Lakers Nipissing has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Lakers Nipissing 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 Lakers Nipissing, then the stock price of the Lakers Nipissing 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 Lakers Nipissing 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 –

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

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

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

What can impact the cash flow of 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 Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come?

References & Further Readings

Denyse Lafrance-Horning (2018), "Nipissing University Varsity Hockey - If We Build It, Will They Come? Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.