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A Destabilizing Situation for Binatone: The Market for 1000W Stabilizers in Nigeria 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 A Destabilizing Situation for Binatone: The Market for 1000W Stabilizers in Nigeria case study


At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. A Destabilizing Situation for Binatone: The Market for 1000W Stabilizers in Nigeria case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by David A. Soberman. The A Destabilizing Situation for Binatone: The Market for 1000W Stabilizers in Nigeria (referred as “1000w Binatone” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Sales & Marketing. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Communication, 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






Case Description of A Destabilizing Situation for Binatone: The Market for 1000W Stabilizers in Nigeria Case Study


The case takes place in 2006 and is focussed on Binatone's stabilizer business in Nigeria. Stabilizers are used in many developing countries to transform irregular current (from wall outlets) into a current that is safe for electrical appliances and equipment. Binatone's 1000W stabilizer business was under pressure due to multiple factors. The first source of pressure was that the market had become increasingly price sensitive. The buyers of stabilizers seemed unresponsive to quality differences between different brands in the 1000W category. Second, the market was flooded with low-priced, low quality brands that were not government approved. Finally, the Nigerian government has recently enacted a new set of regulations to ensure the safety of electrical equipment throughout the country. The regulations forced legitimate manufacturers like Binatone to go through a long, expensive and unpredictable approval process. Faced with this situation, management at Binatone was contemplating a number of potential responses to revitalize its 1000W stabilizer business. These included the possibility of changing the standard mark-up policy employed for all Binatone products, the launch of a 1000W stabilizer line extension, and new distribution and communication policies.


Case Authors : David A. Soberman

Topic : Sales & Marketing

Related Areas : Communication, Pricing




Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for A Destabilizing Situation for Binatone: The Market for 1000W Stabilizers in Nigeria Case Study


Years              Cash Flow     Net Cash Flow     Cumulative    
Cash Flow
Discount Rate
@ 6 %
Discounted
Cash Flows
Year 0 (10006835) -10006835 - -
Year 1 3444676 -6562159 3444676 0.9434 3249694
Year 2 3976164 -2585995 7420840 0.89 3538772
Year 3 3970529 1384534 11391369 0.8396 3333733
Year 4 3231368 4615902 14622737 0.7921 2559546
TOTAL 14622737 12681745




The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2674910

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.




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. 1000w Binatone 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 1000w Binatone have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.






Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of A Destabilizing Situation for Binatone: The Market for 1000W Stabilizers in Nigeria

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 1000w Binatone 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 1000w Binatone 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 (10006835) -10006835 - -
Year 1 3444676 -6562159 3444676 0.8696 2995370
Year 2 3976164 -2585995 7420840 0.7561 3006551
Year 3 3970529 1384534 11391369 0.6575 2610687
Year 4 3231368 4615902 14622737 0.5718 1847545
TOTAL 10460154


The Net NPV after 4 years is 453319

(10460154 - 10006835 )








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 (10006835) -10006835 - -
Year 1 3444676 -6562159 3444676 0.8333 2870563
Year 2 3976164 -2585995 7420840 0.6944 2761225
Year 3 3970529 1384534 11391369 0.5787 2297760
Year 4 3231368 4615902 14622737 0.4823 1558337
TOTAL 9487885


The Net NPV after 4 years is -518950

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9487885 - 10006835 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of 1000w Binatone 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 1000w Binatone has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at 1000w Binatone 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 1000w Binatone, then the stock price of the 1000w Binatone 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 1000w Binatone 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 can impact the cash flow of 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 will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

Understanding of risks involved in 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.

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.






Negotiation Strategy of A Destabilizing Situation for Binatone: The Market for 1000W Stabilizers in Nigeria

References & Further Readings

David A. Soberman (2018), "A Destabilizing Situation for Binatone: The Market for 1000W Stabilizers in Nigeria Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.


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