Snapdeal: A Nightmare or a Benefit in Reverse Logistics? 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 Snapdeal: A Nightmare or a Benefit in Reverse Logistics? case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Snapdeal: A Nightmare or a Benefit in Reverse Logistics? case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Poonam Garg, Rashmi Kumar Aggarwal, Vaibhav Garg. The Snapdeal: A Nightmare or a Benefit in Reverse Logistics? (referred as “Snapdeal Return” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Technology & Operations. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, .

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 Snapdeal: A Nightmare or a Benefit in Reverse Logistics? Case Study

In 2015, Snapdeal, an e-commerce company in India, faced a supply chain situation in reverse logistics. In conforming to the industry trends, the company had a policy on assured product returns, which led to most customers returning to an online merchant for future purchases. However, by the end of 2015, the estimated worth of products returned under the Indian e-commerce platform was $800 million to $1 billion. The rate of returns of online products could add substantial logistics costs to each product return, hampering the industry's growth. Snapdeal had some serious questions to address. Should it reverse its policy and not give customers a chance to return products? Should the company connect organizations and retailers with customers and derive valuable feedback from them? Should Snapdeal alter its product return policy in favour of a "free returns" or "no questions asked" return policy? Would corrective action be required for the e-commerce industry so companies like Snapdeal could create a return policy for customers who had legitimate reasons to return products? Poonam Garg is affiliated with Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad. Rashmi Kumar Aggarwal is affiliated with Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad.

Case Authors : Poonam Garg, Rashmi Kumar Aggarwal, Vaibhav Garg

Topic : Technology & Operations

Related Areas :

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Snapdeal: A Nightmare or a Benefit in Reverse Logistics? Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10008727)	-10008727	-	-
Year 1	3456767	-6551960	3456767	0.9434	3261101
Year 2	3982010	-2569950	7438777	0.89	3543975
Year 3	3950204	1380254	11388981	0.8396	3316667
Year 4	3221962	4602216	14610943	0.7921	2552096
TOTAL			14610943		12673839

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2665112

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. 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. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Snapdeal Return 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. Snapdeal Return 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 Snapdeal: A Nightmare or a Benefit in Reverse Logistics?

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 Snapdeal Return 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 Snapdeal Return 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	(10008727)	-10008727	-	-
Year 1	3456767	-6551960	3456767	0.8696	3005884
Year 2	3982010	-2569950	7438777	0.7561	3010972
Year 3	3950204	1380254	11388981	0.6575	2597323
Year 4	3221962	4602216	14610943	0.5718	1842167
TOTAL					10456346

The Net NPV after 4 years is 447619

(10456346 - 10008727 )

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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	(10008727)	-10008727	-	-
Year 1	3456767	-6551960	3456767	0.8333	2880639
Year 2	3982010	-2569950	7438777	0.6944	2765285
Year 3	3950204	1380254	11388981	0.5787	2285998
Year 4	3221962	4602216	14610943	0.4823	1553801
TOTAL					9485723

The Net NPV after 4 years is -523004

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9485723 - 10008727 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Snapdeal Return 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 Snapdeal Return has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Snapdeal Return 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 Snapdeal Return, then the stock price of the Snapdeal Return 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 Snapdeal Return 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 can impact the cash flow of 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.

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 Snapdeal: A Nightmare or a Benefit in Reverse Logistics?

References & Further Readings

Poonam Garg, Rashmi Kumar Aggarwal, Vaibhav Garg (2018), "Snapdeal: A Nightmare or a Benefit in Reverse Logistics? Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.