Final Voyage of the Challenger 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Final Voyage of the Challenger case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Oscar Hauptman, George Iwaki. The Final Voyage of the Challenger (referred as “Shuttle Challenger” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Technology & Operations. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Design, Ethics, Product development, Project management, Risk management, 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger Case Study

Provides a summary of technical and organizational details that led to the decision to launch the Challenger Space Shuttle, and to the ensuing accident. Details of design and testing milestones of the Space Shuttle, with a focus on the Solid Rocket Booster, offer opportunities for project management and organizational analysis. NASA's risk management structure and its use for the Space Shuttle program exposes students to issues of risk associated with the use of technology. Principles of engineering versus managerial decision making, the role of professional knowledge, and issues related to data representation, and qualitative versus quantitative analysis are addressed. Some issues of professional ethics and individual responsibilities, as related to complex decision making in a technology intensive environment are presented in a context of a crisis situation. The analysis of the case should include assessment of project management, and ideas about organizational changes to avoid recurrence.

Case Authors : Oscar Hauptman, George Iwaki

Topic : Technology & Operations

Related Areas : Design, Ethics, Product development, Project management, Risk management, Technology

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Final Voyage of the Challenger Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10007948)	-10007948	-	-
Year 1	3458388	-6549560	3458388	0.9434	3262630
Year 2	3973347	-2576213	7431735	0.89	3536265
Year 3	3970491	1394278	11402226	0.8396	3333701
Year 4	3239396	4633674	14641622	0.7921	2565905
TOTAL			14641622		12698501

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2690553

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. Internal Rate of Return
4. Net Present Value

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. Shuttle Challenger 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 Shuttle Challenger 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 Final Voyage of the Challenger

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 Shuttle Challenger 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 Shuttle Challenger 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	(10007948)	-10007948	-	-
Year 1	3458388	-6549560	3458388	0.8696	3007294
Year 2	3973347	-2576213	7431735	0.7561	3004421
Year 3	3970491	1394278	11402226	0.6575	2610662
Year 4	3239396	4633674	14641622	0.5718	1852135
TOTAL					10474513

The Net NPV after 4 years is 466565

(10474513 - 10007948 )

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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	(10007948)	-10007948	-	-
Year 1	3458388	-6549560	3458388	0.8333	2881990
Year 2	3973347	-2576213	7431735	0.6944	2759269
Year 3	3970491	1394278	11402226	0.5787	2297738
Year 4	3239396	4633674	14641622	0.4823	1562209
TOTAL					9501205

The Net NPV after 4 years is -506743

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9501205 - 10007948 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Shuttle Challenger 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 Shuttle Challenger has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Shuttle Challenger 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 Shuttle Challenger, then the stock price of the Shuttle Challenger 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 Shuttle Challenger 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 can impact the cash flow of the project.

What will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

What are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

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.

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 Final Voyage of the Challenger

References & Further Readings

Oscar Hauptman, George Iwaki (2018), "Final Voyage of the Challenger Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.