Union Pearson Express: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion 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 Union Pearson Express: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Union Pearson Express: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Eric Dolansky. The Union Pearson Express: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion (referred as “Pearson Union” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Sales & Marketing. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Pricing.

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 Union Pearson Express: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion Case Study

In February 2016, the president of the Union Pearson Express was being pressured to lower the fare price. The rail link between Union Station in downtown Toronto and the Toronto Pearson International Airport had only been running for eight months, but ridership was well below targets. On average, the train ran at only 10 per cent of capacity, and current revenue only covered 35 per cent of operating costs. The president and her team had set the one-way fare price at CA$27.50 to reflect the high-value positioning of the train. However, this price had received a great deal of criticism. The president had attempted to combat the criticism both in the press and with marketing actions, blaming entrenched consumer behaviours regarding travel. She also offered discounts and promotions to boost ridership, which ultimately failed. Now she had to decide whether to lower fares and how to market the Union Pearson Express. Eric Dolansky is affiliated with Brock University.

Case Authors : Eric Dolansky

Topic : Sales & Marketing

Related Areas : Pricing

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Union Pearson Express: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10008562)	-10008562	-	-
Year 1	3455629	-6552933	3455629	0.9434	3260027
Year 2	3960401	-2592532	7416030	0.89	3524743
Year 3	3949258	1356726	11365288	0.8396	3315873
Year 4	3247509	4604235	14612797	0.7921	2572331
TOTAL			14612797		12672975

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2664413

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. Payback Period
2. Internal Rate of Return
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. Magnitude of both incoming and outgoing cash flows – Projects can be capital intensive, time intensive, or both. Pearson Union 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 Pearson Union 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 Union Pearson Express: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion

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 Pearson Union 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 Pearson Union 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	(10008562)	-10008562	-	-
Year 1	3455629	-6552933	3455629	0.8696	3004895
Year 2	3960401	-2592532	7416030	0.7561	2994632
Year 3	3949258	1356726	11365288	0.6575	2596701
Year 4	3247509	4604235	14612797	0.5718	1856774
TOTAL					10453002

The Net NPV after 4 years is 444440

(10453002 - 10008562 )

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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	(10008562)	-10008562	-	-
Year 1	3455629	-6552933	3455629	0.8333	2879691
Year 2	3960401	-2592532	7416030	0.6944	2750278
Year 3	3949258	1356726	11365288	0.5787	2285450
Year 4	3247509	4604235	14612797	0.4823	1566121
TOTAL					9481541

The Net NPV after 4 years is -527021

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9481541 - 10008562 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Pearson Union 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 Pearson Union has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Pearson Union 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 Pearson Union, then the stock price of the Pearson Union 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 Pearson Union 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 can impact the cash flow of the project.

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.

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 Union Pearson Express: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion

References & Further Readings

Eric Dolansky (2018), "Union Pearson Express: A Train Wreck in Slow Motion Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.