Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics 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 Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Robert G. Eccles, George Serafeim, Shelley Xin Li, Alan Knight. The Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics (referred as “Venter Altron” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Finance & Accounting. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Decision making, Leadership, Motivating people, Strategy, Sustainability.

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 Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics Case Study

Robert Venter, second-generation Chief Executive (CE) of family-owned Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd (Altron), considered the pros and cons of more clearly linking the firm's compensation system to sustainability performance. In June 2011, Altron, a conglomerate headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, controlled more than 200 companies in Africa, Europe, the US, the UK, Australia, and the Far East. More than 14,000 employees designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed a range of telecommunications, electronics, power electronics, and information technology systems and products. Having made a clear commitment to sustainable development, Venter was confident that the commitment was shared across the senior management team. However, there appeared to be more acceptance in the operating units for meeting financial targets than for meeting sustainability targets. Did the existing incentive structure send the correct message about the sustainability-oriented corporate strategy? Looking at the reshaped strategic themes, Venter considered the pros and cons of more clearly linking the firm's compensation system to sustainability performance.

Case Authors : Robert G. Eccles, George Serafeim, Shelley Xin Li, Alan Knight

Topic : Finance & Accounting

Related Areas : Decision making, Leadership, Motivating people, Strategy, Sustainability

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10001076)	-10001076	-	-
Year 1	3462574	-6538502	3462574	0.9434	3266579
Year 2	3969762	-2568740	7432336	0.89	3533074
Year 3	3950684	1381944	11383020	0.8396	3317070
Year 4	3224036	4605980	14607056	0.7921	2553738
TOTAL			14607056		12670462

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2669386

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. 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. Venter Altron 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 Venter Altron 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 Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics

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 Venter Altron 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 Venter Altron 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	(10001076)	-10001076	-	-
Year 1	3462574	-6538502	3462574	0.8696	3010934
Year 2	3969762	-2568740	7432336	0.7561	3001710
Year 3	3950684	1381944	11383020	0.6575	2597639
Year 4	3224036	4605980	14607056	0.5718	1843353
TOTAL					10453636

The Net NPV after 4 years is 452560

(10453636 - 10001076 )

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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	(10001076)	-10001076	-	-
Year 1	3462574	-6538502	3462574	0.8333	2885478
Year 2	3969762	-2568740	7432336	0.6944	2756779
Year 3	3950684	1381944	11383020	0.5787	2286275
Year 4	3224036	4605980	14607056	0.4823	1554801
TOTAL					9483334

The Net NPV after 4 years is -517742

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9483334 - 10001076 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Venter Altron 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 Venter Altron has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Venter Altron 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 Venter Altron, then the stock price of the Venter Altron 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 Venter Altron 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.

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Negotiation Strategy of Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics

References & Further Readings

Robert G. Eccles, George Serafeim, Shelley Xin Li, Alan Knight (2018), "Allied Electronics Corporation Ltd: Linking Compensation to Sustainability Metrics Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.