Model Blood Bank, Indore: Supply Chain Management 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 Model Blood Bank, Indore: Supply Chain Management case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Model Blood Bank, Indore: Supply Chain Management case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Harshal Lowalekar, T.S. Raghu, Ajay Vinze. The Model Blood Bank, Indore: Supply Chain Management (referred as “Blood Perishable” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Technology & Operations. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Business models, Supply chain.

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 Model Blood Bank, Indore: Supply Chain Management Case Study

In 2015, the medical officer in charge of a blood bank in India needed to manage a chronic shortage of blood products that was likely to worsen over the summer months. The blood products were perishable and had a limited useful life which complicated matters when maintaining adequate stock. Furthermore, demand for blood products was unpredictable and varied widely each month. The blood blank attracted few blood donors and they were likely to become even fewer over the summer. A shortage of blood products could mean cancelled surgeries and, in worst-case scenarios, the loss of lives. The medical officer needed to decide whether the blood bank should optimize its inventory of perishable blood products by organizing large blood donation camps or by holding smaller but more frequent blood donation camps. Harshal Lowalekar is affiliated with Indian Institute of Management Indore. T.S. Raghu is affiliated with Arizona State University. Ajay Vinze is affiliated with Arizona State University.

Case Authors : Harshal Lowalekar, T.S. Raghu, Ajay Vinze

Topic : Technology & Operations

Related Areas : Business models, Supply chain

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Model Blood Bank, Indore: Supply Chain Management Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10003768)	-10003768	-	-
Year 1	3443382	-6560386	3443382	0.9434	3248474
Year 2	3960245	-2600141	7403627	0.89	3524604
Year 3	3955316	1355175	11358943	0.8396	3320960
Year 4	3225679	4580854	14584622	0.7921	2555040
TOTAL			14584622		12649077

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2645309

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. Internal Rate of Return
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. Blood Perishable 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 Blood Perishable 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 Model Blood Bank, Indore: Supply Chain Management

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 Blood Perishable 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 Blood Perishable 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	(10003768)	-10003768	-	-
Year 1	3443382	-6560386	3443382	0.8696	2994245
Year 2	3960245	-2600141	7403627	0.7561	2994514
Year 3	3955316	1355175	11358943	0.6575	2600684
Year 4	3225679	4580854	14584622	0.5718	1844292
TOTAL					10433736

The Net NPV after 4 years is 429968

(10433736 - 10003768 )

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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	(10003768)	-10003768	-	-
Year 1	3443382	-6560386	3443382	0.8333	2869485
Year 2	3960245	-2600141	7403627	0.6944	2750170
Year 3	3955316	1355175	11358943	0.5787	2288956
Year 4	3225679	4580854	14584622	0.4823	1555594
TOTAL					9464205

The Net NPV after 4 years is -539563

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9464205 - 10003768 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Blood Perishable 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 Blood Perishable has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Blood Perishable 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 Blood Perishable, then the stock price of the Blood Perishable 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 Blood Perishable 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 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.

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 Model Blood Bank, Indore: Supply Chain Management

References & Further Readings

Harshal Lowalekar, T.S. Raghu, Ajay Vinze (2018), "Model Blood Bank, Indore: Supply Chain Management Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.