Polaroid Corp., 1996 (v. 1.7) 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 Polaroid Corp., 1996 (v. 1.7) case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Polaroid Corp., 1996 (v. 1.7) case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Robert F. Bruner, Susan Chaplinsky. The Polaroid Corp., 1996 (v. 1.7) (referred as “Polaroid Debt” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Finance & Accounting. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Reorganization.

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 Polaroid Corp., 1996 (v. 1.7) Case Study

This is a Darden case study.Puts the student in the shoes of the recently appointed treasurer of Polaroid Corporation, who must consider several matters concerning the firm's debt policy. An immediate concern is the company's outstanding $150 million 7.25% notes, due to mature in several months. Although investment bankers interested in doing business with Polaroid have been trying to present proposals for refunding the issue, the new treasurer believes that any refunding decision should be part of a larger review of the firm's financial policies. Accordingly, he has undertaken a review of the firm's overall debt policy, focusing primarily on the mix of debt and equity and on the maturity structure of the debt. Asks students to consider how much flexibility Polaroid's business will require in future years and to pick a target debt ratio that provides the necessary flexibility. Students must evaluate, in addition to internal demands for funds, the role of bond ratings and investment-grade status in maintaining ongoing access to capital markets.

Case Authors : Robert F. Bruner, Susan Chaplinsky

Topic : Finance & Accounting

Related Areas : Reorganization

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Polaroid Corp., 1996 (v. 1.7) Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10012948)	-10012948	-	-
Year 1	3445618	-6567330	3445618	0.9434	3250583
Year 2	3956137	-2611193	7401755	0.89	3520948
Year 3	3944510	1333317	11346265	0.8396	3311887
Year 4	3244560	4577877	14590825	0.7921	2569995
TOTAL			14590825		12653413

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2640465

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. Net Present Value
2. Payback Period
3. Internal Rate of Return
4. Profitability Index

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. Polaroid Debt 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 Polaroid Debt 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 Polaroid Corp., 1996 (v. 1.7)

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 Polaroid Debt 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 Polaroid Debt 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	(10012948)	-10012948	-	-
Year 1	3445618	-6567330	3445618	0.8696	2996190
Year 2	3956137	-2611193	7401755	0.7561	2991408
Year 3	3944510	1333317	11346265	0.6575	2593579
Year 4	3244560	4577877	14590825	0.5718	1855088
TOTAL					10436265

The Net NPV after 4 years is 423317

(10436265 - 10012948 )

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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	(10012948)	-10012948	-	-
Year 1	3445618	-6567330	3445618	0.8333	2871348
Year 2	3956137	-2611193	7401755	0.6944	2747317
Year 3	3944510	1333317	11346265	0.5787	2282703
Year 4	3244560	4577877	14590825	0.4823	1564699
TOTAL					9466067

The Net NPV after 4 years is -546881

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9466067 - 10012948 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Polaroid Debt 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 Polaroid Debt has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Polaroid Debt 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 Polaroid Debt, then the stock price of the Polaroid Debt 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 Polaroid Debt 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 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.

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 Polaroid Corp., 1996 (v. 1.7)

References & Further Readings

Robert F. Bruner, Susan Chaplinsky (2018), "Polaroid Corp., 1996 (v. 1.7) Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.