Milk Baths and Charm Necklaces: Had Randy Weiner (Finally) Gone Too Far? 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 Milk Baths and Charm Necklaces: Had Randy Weiner (Finally) Gone Too Far? case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Milk Baths and Charm Necklaces: Had Randy Weiner (Finally) Gone Too Far? case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Mukti Khaire, Hannah Catzen. The Milk Baths and Charm Necklaces: Had Randy Weiner (Finally) Gone Too Far? (referred as “Weiner Theater” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, .

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 Milk Baths and Charm Necklaces: Had Randy Weiner (Finally) Gone Too Far? Case Study

The case on Randy Weiner explores the tensions between artistic and financial imperatives in a for-profit immersive theater venture. In order to revive the dormant Manhattan nightclub "The Diamond Horseshoe," theater-impresario Randy Weiner created "The Queen of the Night," a hybrid performance that combines food, opera, circus arts, and dance. While "The Queen of the Night" is the latest in a string of productions categorized as "immersive theater," a category Weiner is credited with inventing, it is also more expensive and more artistically risky than anything he has ever done before. Has Weiner finally gone too far, or will he be able to pull this off? This case explores the creation of a market for immersive theater, as well as structures Weiner has created to fund, manage, and create his productions. Additionally, this case examines the psyche of Weiner, a successful artist-entrepreneur, and investigates the role of risk, controversy, and the line between avant-garde and controversial art in creating works that are both financially profitable and artistically impactful.

Case Authors : Mukti Khaire, Hannah Catzen

Topic : Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Related Areas :

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Milk Baths and Charm Necklaces: Had Randy Weiner (Finally) Gone Too Far? Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10024638)	-10024638	-	-
Year 1	3454196	-6570442	3454196	0.9434	3258675
Year 2	3973583	-2596859	7427779	0.89	3536475
Year 3	3947185	1350326	11374964	0.8396	3314133
Year 4	3224449	4574775	14599413	0.7921	2554066
TOTAL			14599413		12663348

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2638710

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. Payback Period
2. Profitability Index
3. Net Present Value
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. Weiner Theater 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 Weiner Theater 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 Milk Baths and Charm Necklaces: Had Randy Weiner (Finally) Gone Too Far?

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 Weiner Theater 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 Weiner Theater 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	(10024638)	-10024638	-	-
Year 1	3454196	-6570442	3454196	0.8696	3003649
Year 2	3973583	-2596859	7427779	0.7561	3004600
Year 3	3947185	1350326	11374964	0.6575	2595338
Year 4	3224449	4574775	14599413	0.5718	1843589
TOTAL					10447176

The Net NPV after 4 years is 422538

(10447176 - 10024638 )

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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	(10024638)	-10024638	-	-
Year 1	3454196	-6570442	3454196	0.8333	2878497
Year 2	3973583	-2596859	7427779	0.6944	2759433
Year 3	3947185	1350326	11374964	0.5787	2284251
Year 4	3224449	4574775	14599413	0.4823	1555000
TOTAL					9477180

The Net NPV after 4 years is -547458

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9477180 - 10024638 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Weiner Theater 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 Weiner Theater has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Weiner Theater 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 Weiner Theater, then the stock price of the Weiner Theater 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 Weiner Theater 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 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 will be a multi year spillover effect of various taxation regulations.

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 Milk Baths and Charm Necklaces: Had Randy Weiner (Finally) Gone Too Far?

References & Further Readings

Mukti Khaire, Hannah Catzen (2018), "Milk Baths and Charm Necklaces: Had Randy Weiner (Finally) Gone Too Far? Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.