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Blue Ocean or Stormy Waters? Buying Nix Check Cashing 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 Blue Ocean or Stormy Waters? Buying Nix Check Cashing case study


At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Blue Ocean or Stormy Waters? Buying Nix Check Cashing case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Peter Tufano, Andrea Ryan. The Blue Ocean or Stormy Waters? Buying Nix Check Cashing (referred as “Cashing Nix” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Finance & Accounting. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Financial management, Strategic planning.

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






Case Description of Blue Ocean or Stormy Waters? Buying Nix Check Cashing Case Study


Kinecta Federal Credit Union has the opportunity to purchase Nix Check Cashing as part of their "blue ocean" strategy to reach the financially underserved and increase credit union membership and deposits. But they face financial as well as reputational risk. Check cashing, payday lending and other alternative financial services are maligned in mainstream financial circles. This case asks students to evaluate both organizations, their respective industries, and the proposed $45 million deal and determine whether or not it makes sense for Kinecta to purchase Nix.


Case Authors : Peter Tufano, Andrea Ryan

Topic : Finance & Accounting

Related Areas : Financial management, Strategic planning




Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Blue Ocean or Stormy Waters? Buying Nix Check Cashing Case Study


Years              Cash Flow     Net Cash Flow     Cumulative    
Cash Flow
Discount Rate
@ 6 %
Discounted
Cash Flows
Year 0 (10021297) -10021297 - -
Year 1 3452484 -6568813 3452484 0.9434 3257060
Year 2 3972410 -2596403 7424894 0.89 3535431
Year 3 3958286 1361883 11383180 0.8396 3323453
Year 4 3226231 4588114 14609411 0.7921 2555477
TOTAL 14609411 12671422




The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2650125

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.




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 Cashing Nix 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. Cashing Nix shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.






Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Blue Ocean or Stormy Waters? Buying Nix Check Cashing

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 Cashing Nix 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 Cashing Nix 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 (10021297) -10021297 - -
Year 1 3452484 -6568813 3452484 0.8696 3002160
Year 2 3972410 -2596403 7424894 0.7561 3003713
Year 3 3958286 1361883 11383180 0.6575 2602637
Year 4 3226231 4588114 14609411 0.5718 1844608
TOTAL 10453118


The Net NPV after 4 years is 431821

(10453118 - 10021297 )








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 (10021297) -10021297 - -
Year 1 3452484 -6568813 3452484 0.8333 2877070
Year 2 3972410 -2596403 7424894 0.6944 2758618
Year 3 3958286 1361883 11383180 0.5787 2290675
Year 4 3226231 4588114 14609411 0.4823 1555860
TOTAL 9482223


The Net NPV after 4 years is -539074

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9482223 - 10021297 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Cashing Nix 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 Cashing Nix has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Cashing Nix 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 Cashing Nix, then the stock price of the Cashing Nix 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 Cashing Nix 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 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.

What can impact the cash flow of the project.

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

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.






Negotiation Strategy of Blue Ocean or Stormy Waters? Buying Nix Check Cashing

References & Further Readings

Peter Tufano, Andrea Ryan (2018), "Blue Ocean or Stormy Waters? Buying Nix Check Cashing Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.


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