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Frontstep in Russia (A): High-Tech Start-up and Survival in a New "Time of Troubles" 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 Frontstep in Russia (A): High-Tech Start-up and Survival in a New "Time of Troubles" case study


At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Frontstep in Russia (A): High-Tech Start-up and Survival in a New "Time of Troubles" case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries, Konstantin Korotov, Elizabeth Florent-Treacy. The Frontstep in Russia (A): High-Tech Start-up and Survival in a New "Time of Troubles" (referred as “Frontstep Russia” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Entrepreneurship, Human resource management, Leadership, Organizational structure.

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 Frontstep in Russia (A): High-Tech Start-up and Survival in a New "Time of Troubles" Case Study


It was long believed that entrepreneurship in Russia is close to impossible without government or mafia connections. This case study argues that, on the contrary, garage-type entrepreneurship is possible in Russia. For the Russians at Frontstep, the company in this case study, however, there were no how-to manuals to turn to. When the employees started making demands for Western-level salaries and benefits, matters came to a head. The problem was solved as the founders developed a hybrid organization, with Western incentives and structures, and Russian corporate culture.


Case Authors : Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries, Konstantin Korotov, Elizabeth Florent-Treacy

Topic : Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Related Areas : Entrepreneurship, Human resource management, Leadership, Organizational structure




Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Frontstep in Russia (A): High-Tech Start-up and Survival in a New "Time of Troubles" Case Study


Years              Cash Flow     Net Cash Flow     Cumulative    
Cash Flow
Discount Rate
@ 6 %
Discounted
Cash Flows
Year 0 (10013485) -10013485 - -
Year 1 3461448 -6552037 3461448 0.9434 3265517
Year 2 3964020 -2588017 7425468 0.89 3527964
Year 3 3946462 1358445 11371930 0.8396 3313526
Year 4 3231487 4589932 14603417 0.7921 2559640
TOTAL 14603417 12666647




The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2653162

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. 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. Timing of the expected cash flows – stockholders of Frontstep Russia 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. Frontstep Russia shareholders have preference for diversified projects investment rather than prospective high income from a single capital intensive project.






Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Frontstep in Russia (A): High-Tech Start-up and Survival in a New "Time of Troubles"

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 Innovation & Entrepreneurship 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 Frontstep Russia 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 Frontstep Russia 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 (10013485) -10013485 - -
Year 1 3461448 -6552037 3461448 0.8696 3009955
Year 2 3964020 -2588017 7425468 0.7561 2997369
Year 3 3946462 1358445 11371930 0.6575 2594863
Year 4 3231487 4589932 14603417 0.5718 1847613
TOTAL 10449799


The Net NPV after 4 years is 436314

(10449799 - 10013485 )








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 (10013485) -10013485 - -
Year 1 3461448 -6552037 3461448 0.8333 2884540
Year 2 3964020 -2588017 7425468 0.6944 2752792
Year 3 3946462 1358445 11371930 0.5787 2283832
Year 4 3231487 4589932 14603417 0.4823 1558395
TOTAL 9479558


The Net NPV after 4 years is -533927

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9479558 - 10013485 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Frontstep Russia 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 Frontstep Russia has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Frontstep Russia 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 Frontstep Russia, then the stock price of the Frontstep Russia 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 Frontstep Russia 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.

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.

What are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

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 Frontstep in Russia (A): High-Tech Start-up and Survival in a New "Time of Troubles"

References & Further Readings

Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries, Konstantin Korotov, Elizabeth Florent-Treacy (2018), "Frontstep in Russia (A): High-Tech Start-up and Survival in a New "Time of Troubles" Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.


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