ORIX KK 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 ORIX KK case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. ORIX KK case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Malcolm S. Salter, Andrew Eggers. The ORIX KK (referred as “Orix Japanese” 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, Financial management, Motivating people.

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 ORIX KK Case Study

Describes the challenges facing a Japanese financial services company as it attempts to maintain its ability to attract and retain talented employees. The CEO's ideas of corporate governance and evidence from the competitive labor environment suggest the need for more performance-based compensation. But employees at all levels of the firm understand that any new compensation system must carefully consider the strategic goals of the firm, the cultural context of the Japanese workplace, and the legal framework of the Japanese corporation. Considers how a particular performance measurement system known as ORIX Value Added (OVA) might be used in the firm.

Case Authors : Malcolm S. Salter, Andrew Eggers

Topic : Finance & Accounting

Related Areas : Corporate governance, Financial management, Motivating people

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for ORIX KK Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10010345)	-10010345	-	-
Year 1	3460831	-6549514	3460831	0.9434	3264935
Year 2	3973197	-2576317	7434028	0.89	3536131
Year 3	3964908	1388591	11398936	0.8396	3329013
Year 4	3227465	4616056	14626401	0.7921	2556455
TOTAL			14626401		12686534

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2676189

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

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

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Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of ORIX KK

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 Orix Japanese 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 Orix Japanese 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	(10010345)	-10010345	-	-
Year 1	3460831	-6549514	3460831	0.8696	3009418
Year 2	3973197	-2576317	7434028	0.7561	3004308
Year 3	3964908	1388591	11398936	0.6575	2606991
Year 4	3227465	4616056	14626401	0.5718	1845314
TOTAL					10466031

The Net NPV after 4 years is 455686

(10466031 - 10010345 )

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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	(10010345)	-10010345	-	-
Year 1	3460831	-6549514	3460831	0.8333	2884026
Year 2	3973197	-2576317	7434028	0.6944	2759165
Year 3	3964908	1388591	11398936	0.5787	2294507
Year 4	3227465	4616056	14626401	0.4823	1556455
TOTAL					9494152

The Net NPV after 4 years is -516193

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9494152 - 10010345 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Orix Japanese 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 Orix Japanese has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Orix Japanese 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 Orix Japanese, then the stock price of the Orix Japanese 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 Orix Japanese 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 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.

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.

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 ORIX KK

References & Further Readings

Malcolm S. Salter, Andrew Eggers (2018), "ORIX KK Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.