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SAP's Platform Strategy in 2006 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 SAP's Platform Strategy in 2006 case study


At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. SAP's Platform Strategy in 2006 case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Ali F. Farhoomand, Samuel Tsang. The SAP's Platform Strategy in 2006 (referred as “Sap Software” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Strategy & Execution. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Competitive strategy, Globalization, IT, Operations management.

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 SAP's Platform Strategy in 2006 Case Study


In face of globalization, outsourcing, changing regulations, and rapid technological innovations, companies in the 2000s were increasingly challenged to devise and implement adaptable business models. This entailed putting in place enterprise applications that were open-source, simple to implement, and easy to integrate within and without the organizational bounds. Because traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems were generally complex, proprietary, and difficult to install, ERP systems providers had to reposition themselves strategically. SAP, the leading company in this space, faced this challenge by transforming itself from a closed-source software developer to an open-source software integrator. By opening up its proprietary software products as an open development and integration platform, SAP allowed its customers to modify their ERPs to suit their specific needs. This new strategy, however, would fundamentally affect the company's business architecture. In other words, SAP had to rethink how it would define its value proposition, identify and target its customers, deploy its resources, configure its business processes, manage its alliances, and develop and maintain its profit and growth engines. How could the company pull off this repositioning initiative? Would it be able to attract the global army of independent developers in supporting its new software platform strategy? How would the ongoing consolidation in the software industry affect the Company's new strategy? How would the main competitors such as Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, and a host of companies emerging in India react?


Case Authors : Ali F. Farhoomand, Samuel Tsang

Topic : Strategy & Execution

Related Areas : Competitive strategy, Globalization, IT, Operations management




Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for SAP's Platform Strategy in 2006 Case Study


Years              Cash Flow     Net Cash Flow     Cumulative    
Cash Flow
Discount Rate
@ 6 %
Discounted
Cash Flows
Year 0 (10017693) -10017693 - -
Year 1 3453901 -6563792 3453901 0.9434 3258397
Year 2 3981235 -2582557 7435136 0.89 3543285
Year 3 3945354 1362797 11380490 0.8396 3312595
Year 4 3232143 4594940 14612633 0.7921 2560160
TOTAL 14612633 12674437




The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2656744

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. 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. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Sap Software 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. Sap Software shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.






Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of SAP's Platform Strategy in 2006

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 Strategy & Execution 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 Sap Software 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 Sap Software 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 (10017693) -10017693 - -
Year 1 3453901 -6563792 3453901 0.8696 3003392
Year 2 3981235 -2582557 7435136 0.7561 3010386
Year 3 3945354 1362797 11380490 0.6575 2594134
Year 4 3232143 4594940 14612633 0.5718 1847988
TOTAL 10455900


The Net NPV after 4 years is 438207

(10455900 - 10017693 )








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 (10017693) -10017693 - -
Year 1 3453901 -6563792 3453901 0.8333 2878251
Year 2 3981235 -2582557 7435136 0.6944 2764747
Year 3 3945354 1362797 11380490 0.5787 2283191
Year 4 3232143 4594940 14612633 0.4823 1558711
TOTAL 9484899


The Net NPV after 4 years is -532794

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9484899 - 10017693 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Sap Software 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 Sap Software has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Sap Software 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 Sap Software, then the stock price of the Sap Software 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 Sap Software 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 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.

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.






Negotiation Strategy of SAP's Platform Strategy in 2006

References & Further Readings

Ali F. Farhoomand, Samuel Tsang (2018), "SAP's Platform Strategy in 2006 Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.


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