Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations 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 Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by George Serafeim, David Freiberg. The Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations (referred as “Summa Indahl” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Finance & Accounting. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Corporate governance, Entrepreneurial finance, Financial management, Financial markets, Innovation, Leadership, Social enterprise.

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 Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations Case Study

In 2015, Reynir Indahl left top Nordic private equity firm Altor Equity Partners to found Summa Equity (Summa). After long contemplation following the financial crisis, Indahl was convinced the financial system was producing negative externalities and that the current private equity model adopted by most firms would no longer be successful. Summa was developed under a new private equity model that sought to "future-proof" businesses by focusing on long term value creation and growth, in addition to traditional private equity practices of implementing best practices and productivity improvements. To find businesses best suited for long term growth with disruptive potential, Summa invested in four thematic areas that were mapped to megatrends outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - trends Summa believed presented long term growth opportunities for businesses that presented commercial solutions for these challenges. After a period of successful recruiting, fund raising and deal completion, Summa needed to develop a set of practices and expectations across portfolio companies and partners. The case concludes with Indahl making three recommendations to his partners on how to align portfolio company management with Summa, build purpose-driven high performance organizations, and introduce greater clarity in the management processes.

Case Authors : George Serafeim, David Freiberg

Topic : Finance & Accounting

Related Areas : Corporate governance, Entrepreneurial finance, Financial management, Financial markets, Innovation, Leadership, Social enterprise

---

Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10019046)	-10019046	-	-
Year 1	3460087	-6558959	3460087	0.9434	3264233
Year 2	3981531	-2577428	7441618	0.89	3543548
Year 3	3947651	1370223	11389269	0.8396	3314524
Year 4	3242946	4613169	14632215	0.7921	2568717
TOTAL			14632215		12691022

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2671976

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. Net Present Value
2. Profitability Index
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. Magnitude of both incoming and outgoing cash flows – Projects can be capital intensive, time intensive, or both. Summa Indahl 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 Summa Indahl have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.

---

Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations

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 Summa Indahl 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 Summa Indahl 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	(10019046)	-10019046	-	-
Year 1	3460087	-6558959	3460087	0.8696	3008771
Year 2	3981531	-2577428	7441618	0.7561	3010609
Year 3	3947651	1370223	11389269	0.6575	2595645
Year 4	3242946	4613169	14632215	0.5718	1854165
TOTAL					10469190

The Net NPV after 4 years is 450144

(10469190 - 10019046 )

---

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	(10019046)	-10019046	-	-
Year 1	3460087	-6558959	3460087	0.8333	2883406
Year 2	3981531	-2577428	7441618	0.6944	2764952
Year 3	3947651	1370223	11389269	0.5787	2284520
Year 4	3242946	4613169	14632215	0.4823	1563921
TOTAL					9496799

The Net NPV after 4 years is -522247

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9496799 - 10019046 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Summa Indahl 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 Summa Indahl has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Summa Indahl 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 Summa Indahl, then the stock price of the Summa Indahl 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 Summa Indahl 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 will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

What can impact the cash flow of 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.

Understanding of risks involved in 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.

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 Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations

References & Further Readings

George Serafeim, David Freiberg (2018), "Summa Equity: Building Purpose-Driven Organizations Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.