KITKAT in Japan (A): Sparking a Cultural Revolution 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 KITKAT in Japan (A): Sparking a Cultural Revolution case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. KITKAT in Japan (A): Sparking a Cultural Revolution case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Philip Sugai, Adrian Sossna. The KITKAT in Japan (A): Sparking a Cultural Revolution (referred as “Kitkat Nestla” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Sales & Marketing. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Customers, Growth strategy, Innovation.

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 KITKAT in Japan (A): Sparking a Cultural Revolution Case Study

In 2008, the marketing manager for NestlA? Japan's confectionery business and his team were struggling to redefine the KITKAT brand within the Japanese market. KITKAT as a brand faced a real threat as the retail environment rapidly shifted toward increasingly powerful convenience store chains and consumer preferences shifted toward more novel consumable products. With more than 200 companies competing within Japan's crowded and relatively stable confectionery market, NestlA? Japan was facing the harsh realities of Japan's famed position as the world's toughest consumer market. To address these challenges, NestlA? Japan worked over 15 years to instill deep meaning in the KITKAT brand and then, based upon this foundation, created a comprehensive product portfolio. How can KITKAT capitalize on its past success as it moves forward? Philip Sugai is affiliated with Doshisha University.

Case Authors : Philip Sugai, Adrian Sossna

Topic : Sales & Marketing

Related Areas : Customers, Growth strategy, Innovation

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for KITKAT in Japan (A): Sparking a Cultural Revolution Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10012770)	-10012770	-	-
Year 1	3450879	-6561891	3450879	0.9434	3255546
Year 2	3971792	-2590099	7422671	0.89	3534881
Year 3	3947302	1357203	11369973	0.8396	3314231
Year 4	3224036	4581239	14594009	0.7921	2553738
TOTAL			14594009		12658396

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2645626

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 Kitkat Nestla 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. Kitkat Nestla 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 KITKAT in Japan (A): Sparking a Cultural Revolution

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 Sales & Marketing 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 Kitkat Nestla 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 Kitkat Nestla 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	(10012770)	-10012770	-	-
Year 1	3450879	-6561891	3450879	0.8696	3000764
Year 2	3971792	-2590099	7422671	0.7561	3003245
Year 3	3947302	1357203	11369973	0.6575	2595415
Year 4	3224036	4581239	14594009	0.5718	1843353
TOTAL					10442778

The Net NPV after 4 years is 430008

(10442778 - 10012770 )

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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	(10012770)	-10012770	-	-
Year 1	3450879	-6561891	3450879	0.8333	2875733
Year 2	3971792	-2590099	7422671	0.6944	2758189
Year 3	3947302	1357203	11369973	0.5787	2284318
Year 4	3224036	4581239	14594009	0.4823	1554801
TOTAL					9473041

The Net NPV after 4 years is -539729

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9473041 - 10012770 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Kitkat Nestla 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 Kitkat Nestla has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Kitkat Nestla 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 Kitkat Nestla, then the stock price of the Kitkat Nestla 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 Kitkat Nestla 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 –

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.

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

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 KITKAT in Japan (A): Sparking a Cultural Revolution

References & Further Readings

Philip Sugai, Adrian Sossna (2018), "KITKAT in Japan (A): Sparking a Cultural Revolution Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.