CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Debolina Dutta, D.V.R. Seshadri. The CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies (referred as “Cocubes Colleges” 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies Case Study

CoCubes.com, (CoCubes) an entrepreneurial firm, instituted a paradigm change in the way campus recruitment occurred in India. In a paradoxical environment of the high availability of a formally educated yet not readily employable talent pool in a growing economy, CoCubes offered unique value propositions to its dual set of customers (colleges and companies). It was critical for CoCubes to effectively manage engagement with the recruiting companies and attempt to change their mindset regarding recruitment from non-established, non-premier institutes. Conventionally, colleges have not paid to have their students placed. Getting colleges to see the value in this and to pay for it was critical for CoCubes to succeed and grow in the face of increasing competition. Debolina Dutta is affiliated with Indian Institute of Management Indore. D.V.R. Seshadri is affiliated with Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

Case Authors : Debolina Dutta, D.V.R. Seshadri

Topic : Sales & Marketing

Related Areas :

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10029510)	-10029510	-	-
Year 1	3459057	-6570453	3459057	0.9434	3263261
Year 2	3973351	-2597102	7432408	0.89	3536268
Year 3	3974611	1377509	11407019	0.8396	3337160
Year 4	3248654	4626163	14655673	0.7921	2573238
TOTAL			14655673		12709928

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2680418

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. Net Present Value
3. Profitability Index
4. Internal Rate of Return

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. Cocubes Colleges 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 Cocubes Colleges 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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies

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 Cocubes Colleges 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 Cocubes Colleges 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	(10029510)	-10029510	-	-
Year 1	3459057	-6570453	3459057	0.8696	3007876
Year 2	3973351	-2597102	7432408	0.7561	3004424
Year 3	3974611	1377509	11407019	0.6575	2613371
Year 4	3248654	4626163	14655673	0.5718	1857428
TOTAL					10483100

The Net NPV after 4 years is 453590

(10483100 - 10029510 )

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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	(10029510)	-10029510	-	-
Year 1	3459057	-6570453	3459057	0.8333	2882548
Year 2	3973351	-2597102	7432408	0.6944	2759272
Year 3	3974611	1377509	11407019	0.5787	2300122
Year 4	3248654	4626163	14655673	0.4823	1566673
TOTAL					9508615

The Net NPV after 4 years is -520895

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9508615 - 10029510 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Cocubes Colleges 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 Cocubes Colleges has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Cocubes Colleges 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 Cocubes Colleges, then the stock price of the Cocubes Colleges 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 Cocubes Colleges 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 will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

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.

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.

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 CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies

References & Further Readings

Debolina Dutta, D.V.R. Seshadri (2018), "CoCubes.com: Connecting Colleges (to) Companies Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.