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ECG Group: Fraud and Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China 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 ECG Group: Fraud and Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China case study


At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. ECG Group: Fraud and Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Neale O'Connor, Grace Loo. The ECG Group: Fraud and Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China (referred as “Ecg Realton” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Global Business. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Costs, Design, Ethics, International business, Joint ventures, Negotiations.

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 ECG Group: Fraud and Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China Case Study


In 1994, US-based building-control systems specialist ECG US created a joint venture with China-based CIG Ltd, Realton JV, in order to manufacture and sell building-control system products, such as air-conditioning valves and fire safety equipment, on the mainland. The joint venture was out of control from the beginning. Sales were weak and, unbeknown to ECG US, the joint venture used complex maneuvers in order to gain contracts. With Realton unable to generate a profit, ECG US decided to dissolve the venture altogether by 2001. Nonetheless, the Chinese partner was adamant about continuing its operation, maintaining that Realton was profitable by Chinese accounting standards. As the two parties enter negotiation, how can they find a solution to this quagmire and protect their interests at the same time?


Case Authors : Neale O'Connor, Grace Loo

Topic : Global Business

Related Areas : Costs, Design, Ethics, International business, Joint ventures, Negotiations




Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for ECG Group: Fraud and Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China Case Study


Years              Cash Flow     Net Cash Flow     Cumulative    
Cash Flow
Discount Rate
@ 6 %
Discounted
Cash Flows
Year 0 (10029618) -10029618 - -
Year 1 3459549 -6570069 3459549 0.9434 3263725
Year 2 3972862 -2597207 7432411 0.89 3535833
Year 3 3948629 1351422 11381040 0.8396 3315345
Year 4 3251433 4602855 14632473 0.7921 2575439
TOTAL 14632473 12690343




The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2660725

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. Net Present Value
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. Ecg Realton 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 Ecg Realton 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 ECG Group: Fraud and Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China

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 Global Business 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 Ecg Realton 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 Ecg Realton 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 (10029618) -10029618 - -
Year 1 3459549 -6570069 3459549 0.8696 3008303
Year 2 3972862 -2597207 7432411 0.7561 3004054
Year 3 3948629 1351422 11381040 0.6575 2596288
Year 4 3251433 4602855 14632473 0.5718 1859017
TOTAL 10467663


The Net NPV after 4 years is 438045

(10467663 - 10029618 )








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 (10029618) -10029618 - -
Year 1 3459549 -6570069 3459549 0.8333 2882958
Year 2 3972862 -2597207 7432411 0.6944 2758932
Year 3 3948629 1351422 11381040 0.5787 2285086
Year 4 3251433 4602855 14632473 0.4823 1568014
TOTAL 9494989


The Net NPV after 4 years is -534629

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9494989 - 10029618 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Ecg Realton 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 Ecg Realton has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Ecg Realton 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 Ecg Realton, then the stock price of the Ecg Realton 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 Ecg Realton 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 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.

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 ECG Group: Fraud and Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China

References & Further Readings

Neale O'Connor, Grace Loo (2018), "ECG Group: Fraud and Liquidation of a Joint Venture in China Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.


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