Higher Education and the Digital Revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, Social Media, and the Cookie Monster 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 Higher Education and the Digital Revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, Social Media, and the Cookie Monster case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Higher Education and the Digital Revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, Social Media, and the Cookie Monster case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Andreas M. Kaplan, Michael Haenlein. The Higher Education and the Digital Revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, Social Media, and the Cookie Monster (referred as “Distance Moocs” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Technology & Operations. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Internet, IT, Social platforms.

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 Higher Education and the Digital Revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, Social Media, and the Cookie Monster Case Study

Distance learning-that is, providing education to students who are separated by distance and in which the pedagogical material is planned and prepared by educational institutions-is a topic of regular interest in the popular and business press. In particular, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), which are open-access online courses that allow for unlimited participation, as well as SPOCs (Small Private Online Courses), are said to have revolutionized universities and the corporate education landscape. In this article we provide a nuanced analysis of the phenomenon of online distance learning. We first provide an overview of its historical evolution, and subsequently define and classify key concepts. We further discuss in detail the optimal target group in terms of participating students and teaching professors and propose corresponding frameworks for driving intrinsic student motivation and for choosing a successful online teacher. We also outline the benefits that institutions can achieve by offering online distance learning. Finally, we speak about the specific connection between online distance learning and social media by focusing on the difference between MOOCs based on traditional lecture formats (xMOOCs) and connectivist cMOOCs.

Case Authors : Andreas M. Kaplan, Michael Haenlein

Topic : Technology & Operations

Related Areas : Internet, IT, Social platforms

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Higher Education and the Digital Revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, Social Media, and the Cookie Monster Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10027052)	-10027052	-	-
Year 1	3449219	-6577833	3449219	0.9434	3253980
Year 2	3971259	-2606574	7420478	0.89	3534406
Year 3	3964134	1357560	11384612	0.8396	3328363
Year 4	3222603	4580163	14607215	0.7921	2552603
TOTAL			14607215		12669353

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2642301

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. Profitability Index
2. Net Present Value
3. Payback Period
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. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Distance Moocs 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. Distance Moocs 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 Higher Education and the Digital Revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, Social Media, and the Cookie Monster

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 Distance Moocs 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 Distance Moocs 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	(10027052)	-10027052	-	-
Year 1	3449219	-6577833	3449219	0.8696	2999321
Year 2	3971259	-2606574	7420478	0.7561	3002842
Year 3	3964134	1357560	11384612	0.6575	2606482
Year 4	3222603	4580163	14607215	0.5718	1842534
TOTAL					10451179

The Net NPV after 4 years is 424127

(10451179 - 10027052 )

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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	(10027052)	-10027052	-	-
Year 1	3449219	-6577833	3449219	0.8333	2874349
Year 2	3971259	-2606574	7420478	0.6944	2757819
Year 3	3964134	1357560	11384612	0.5787	2294059
Year 4	3222603	4580163	14607215	0.4823	1554110
TOTAL					9480337

The Net NPV after 4 years is -546715

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9480337 - 10027052 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Distance Moocs 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 Distance Moocs has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Distance Moocs 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 Distance Moocs, then the stock price of the Distance Moocs 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 Distance Moocs 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 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 will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

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.

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 Higher Education and the Digital Revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, Social Media, and the Cookie Monster

References & Further Readings

Andreas M. Kaplan, Michael Haenlein (2018), "Higher Education and the Digital Revolution: About MOOCs, SPOCs, Social Media, and the Cookie Monster Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.