Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization 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 Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Owen Hall, Kenneth Ko. The Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization (referred as “Rci's Rougir” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Technology & Operations. 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 Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization Case Study

Rougir Cosmetics International (RCI), founded in 2010 and with headquarters in California, experienced double-digit growth for several years. At a board meeting in June 2016, RCI's chief executive officer (CEO) announced a large new order that represented a major opportunity to further expand into the ever-growing home shopping cosmetic business sector. However, the firm did not have the capacity to meet this transaction along with its normal business production schedule. Therefore, the only short-term possibility was to outsource some work to a third-party supplier. RCI had tried to avoid this in the past because of the proprietary nature of the company's product line. The board cautioned the CEO and asked how much of the pending order might have to be subcontracted out. The CEO had one week to complete an analysis using RCI's new analytics-based resource management system, and provide a recommendation. The authors Owen P. Hall and Kenneth Ko are affiliated with Pepperdine University.

Case Authors : Owen Hall, Kenneth Ko

Topic : Technology & Operations

Related Areas : Manufacturing

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10015505)	-10015505	-	-
Year 1	3463364	-6552141	3463364	0.9434	3267325
Year 2	3958343	-2593798	7421707	0.89	3522911
Year 3	3948616	1354818	11370323	0.8396	3315334
Year 4	3248025	4602843	14618348	0.7921	2572740
TOTAL			14618348		12678310

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2662805

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. Internal Rate of Return
2. Profitability Index
3. Net Present Value
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. Rci's Rougir 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 Rci's Rougir 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 Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization

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 Rci's Rougir 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 Rci's Rougir 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	(10015505)	-10015505	-	-
Year 1	3463364	-6552141	3463364	0.8696	3011621
Year 2	3958343	-2593798	7421707	0.7561	2993076
Year 3	3948616	1354818	11370323	0.6575	2596279
Year 4	3248025	4602843	14618348	0.5718	1857069
TOTAL					10458045

The Net NPV after 4 years is 442540

(10458045 - 10015505 )

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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	(10015505)	-10015505	-	-
Year 1	3463364	-6552141	3463364	0.8333	2886137
Year 2	3958343	-2593798	7421707	0.6944	2748849
Year 3	3948616	1354818	11370323	0.5787	2285079
Year 4	3248025	4602843	14618348	0.4823	1566370
TOTAL					9486435

The Net NPV after 4 years is -529070

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9486435 - 10015505 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Rci's Rougir 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 Rci's Rougir has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Rci's Rougir 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 Rci's Rougir, then the stock price of the Rci's Rougir 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 Rci's Rougir 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.

Understanding of risks involved in the project.

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.

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 Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization

References & Further Readings

Owen Hall, Kenneth Ko (2018), "Rougir Cosmetics International: Production Optimization Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.