World Wide Technology and ClearOrbit: Enabling Supply Chain Collaboration 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 World Wide Technology and ClearOrbit: Enabling Supply Chain Collaboration case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. World Wide Technology and ClearOrbit: Enabling Supply Chain Collaboration case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Luis C. Blancas, Hau Lee. The World Wide Technology and ClearOrbit: Enabling Supply Chain Collaboration (referred as “Wwt Clearorbit” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Technology & Operations. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Strategic planning, Supply chain, Technology.

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 World Wide Technology and ClearOrbit: Enabling Supply Chain Collaboration Case Study

Covers inter-firm, IT-enabled supply chain collaboration and focuses on supplier-manufacturer collaboration. To assess collaboration from a holistic point of view, the case describes the distinct role played by the various parties involved in the collaborative effort: the manufacturer and its supply base, as well as a consulting firm, a supply chain process outsourcing company, and a software provider. Centers on the two latter companies--World Wide Technology (WWT), a $2 billion supply chain process outsourcing company based in St. Louis, and ClearOrbit, a rapidly growing software company based in Austin, Texas. Presents the story of a world-class automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) whose purchasing operations for maintenance, repair, and operations material had grown complex, costly, and error prone. In mid-2004, WWT, along with a consulting firm, proposed an outsourcing program to the OEM: the consulting firm would perform strategic sourcing and WWT would manage the entire fulfillment cycle. A critical feature of this program was that it would be collaborative. Early on in the program, however, it became apparent to WWT that delivering on the collaborative requirements of the program demanded the aid of specialized technological capabilities. WWT decided to partner with ClearOrbit, a company that had recently developed an Internet-based solution for companies to manage POs, deliveries, and invoices with a supply base regardless of size and technological resources available at each supplier. Describes the challenges of design, implementation, and growth of the program.

Case Authors : Luis C. Blancas, Hau Lee

Topic : Technology & Operations

Related Areas : Strategic planning, Supply chain, Technology

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for World Wide Technology and ClearOrbit: Enabling Supply Chain Collaboration Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10029635)	-10029635	-	-
Year 1	3459101	-6570534	3459101	0.9434	3263303
Year 2	3960216	-2610318	7419317	0.89	3524578
Year 3	3962968	1352650	11382285	0.8396	3327384
Year 4	3229442	4582092	14611727	0.7921	2558021
TOTAL			14611727		12673286

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2643651

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. Net Present Value
2. Internal Rate of Return
3. Payback Period
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 Wwt Clearorbit 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. Wwt Clearorbit shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.

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Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of World Wide Technology and ClearOrbit: Enabling Supply Chain Collaboration

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 Technology & Operations 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 Wwt Clearorbit 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 Wwt Clearorbit 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	(10029635)	-10029635	-	-
Year 1	3459101	-6570534	3459101	0.8696	3007914
Year 2	3960216	-2610318	7419317	0.7561	2994492
Year 3	3962968	1352650	11382285	0.6575	2605716
Year 4	3229442	4582092	14611727	0.5718	1846444
TOTAL					10454566

The Net NPV after 4 years is 424931

(10454566 - 10029635 )

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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	(10029635)	-10029635	-	-
Year 1	3459101	-6570534	3459101	0.8333	2882584
Year 2	3960216	-2610318	7419317	0.6944	2750150
Year 3	3962968	1352650	11382285	0.5787	2293384
Year 4	3229442	4582092	14611727	0.4823	1557408
TOTAL					9483527

The Net NPV after 4 years is -546108

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9483527 - 10029635 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Wwt Clearorbit 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 Wwt Clearorbit has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Wwt Clearorbit 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 Wwt Clearorbit, then the stock price of the Wwt Clearorbit 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 Wwt Clearorbit 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.

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 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.

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 World Wide Technology and ClearOrbit: Enabling Supply Chain Collaboration

References & Further Readings

Luis C. Blancas, Hau Lee (2018), "World Wide Technology and ClearOrbit: Enabling Supply Chain Collaboration Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.