Dividend Policy at Fuyao Glass 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 Dividend Policy at Fuyao Glass case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Dividend Policy at Fuyao Glass case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Hugh Thomas, Joyce L. Wang, Yuhui Wu. The Dividend Policy at Fuyao Glass (referred as “Fuyao Glass” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Finance & Accounting. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Manufacturing.

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 Dividend Policy at Fuyao Glass Case Study

The chief financial officer (CFO) of Fuyao Glass Industry Group., Ltd. had to recommend dividend distributions prior to the company's global initial public offering in Hong Kong. Fuyao was China's largest automotive-glass manufacturer and the second-largest, most profitable, and fastest-growing automotive-glass manufacturer in the world. Controlled by its founder and largest minority shareholder, Mr. Cho Tak Wong, Fuyao was in the midst of substantial global expansion into the United States and Russia. The CFO had to project cash flows from operations, as well as substantial investment needs and the potential effects of the IPO, all while taking into consideration the effect of Fuyao's dividends on existing and planned investors. Hugh Thomas is affiliated with Chinese University of Hong Kong. Joyce L. Wang is affiliated with Chinese University of Hong Kong. Wu Yuhui is affiliated with Xiamen University.

Case Authors : Hugh Thomas, Joyce L. Wang, Yuhui Wu

Topic : Finance & Accounting

Related Areas : Manufacturing

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Dividend Policy at Fuyao Glass Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10004368)	-10004368	-	-
Year 1	3460345	-6544023	3460345	0.9434	3264476
Year 2	3968898	-2575125	7429243	0.89	3532305
Year 3	3973951	1398826	11403194	0.8396	3336606
Year 4	3244510	4643336	14647704	0.7921	2569956
TOTAL			14647704		12703343

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2698975

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. Payback Period
3. Net Present Value
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 Fuyao Glass 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. Fuyao Glass 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 Dividend Policy at Fuyao Glass

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 Finance & Accounting 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 Fuyao Glass 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 Fuyao Glass 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	(10004368)	-10004368	-	-
Year 1	3460345	-6544023	3460345	0.8696	3008996
Year 2	3968898	-2575125	7429243	0.7561	3001057
Year 3	3973951	1398826	11403194	0.6575	2612937
Year 4	3244510	4643336	14647704	0.5718	1855059
TOTAL					10478049

The Net NPV after 4 years is 473681

(10478049 - 10004368 )

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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	(10004368)	-10004368	-	-
Year 1	3460345	-6544023	3460345	0.8333	2883621
Year 2	3968898	-2575125	7429243	0.6944	2756179
Year 3	3973951	1398826	11403194	0.5787	2299740
Year 4	3244510	4643336	14647704	0.4823	1564675
TOTAL					9504215

The Net NPV after 4 years is -500153

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9504215 - 10004368 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Fuyao Glass 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 Fuyao Glass has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Fuyao Glass 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 Fuyao Glass, then the stock price of the Fuyao Glass 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 Fuyao Glass 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.

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.

Understanding of risks involved in 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 Dividend Policy at Fuyao Glass

References & Further Readings

Hugh Thomas, Joyce L. Wang, Yuhui Wu (2018), "Dividend Policy at Fuyao Glass Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.