Battalion Chief James Scott of the Lynchburg Fire Department 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 Battalion Chief James Scott of the Lynchburg Fire Department case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Battalion Chief James Scott of the Lynchburg Fire Department case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Lynn A. Isabella, Forbes Ted, Sheila McMillen. The Battalion Chief James Scott of the Lynchburg Fire Department (referred as “Fire Lynchburg” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Leadership & Managing People. It also touches upon business topics such as - Value proposition, Organizational culture.

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 Battalion Chief James Scott of the Lynchburg Fire Department Case Study

James Scott, one of two sector commanders at the Lynchburg (Virginia) Fire Department, is about to retire. Since Scott had been promoted to this position, he had tried to inculcate a new management style in the department. Where there had once been a rigid, paramilitary hierarchy, Scott had attempted to create a team-based environment that empowered each fire fighter to do his or her job without having to report to their immediate supervisor first. The story of Scott's management style is interwoven with the story of an actual fire that took place in Lynchburg in 1996. This story reveals the high degree of stress, uncertainty, and danger to which a fire fighter is subjected. The environment of the fireground is very different from that of the station house; the fire fighters must immediately make the transition from the relatively relaxed and informal milieu of the latter, where individuals are free to question the decisions and actions of their colleagues, to the highly structured and hierarchical environment of the former, where both civilians' and fire fighters' lives hang in the balance. The decision points in the case explore Scott's philosophy and the changes he has made, and challenge the student to consider how to sustain the momentum of such changes.

Case Authors : Lynn A. Isabella, Forbes Ted, Sheila McMillen

Topic : Leadership & Managing People

Related Areas : Organizational culture

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Battalion Chief James Scott of the Lynchburg Fire Department Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10013833)	-10013833	-	-
Year 1	3458253	-6555580	3458253	0.9434	3262503
Year 2	3980508	-2575072	7438761	0.89	3542638
Year 3	3973165	1398093	11411926	0.8396	3335946
Year 4	3227836	4625929	14639762	0.7921	2556748
TOTAL			14639762		12697835

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2684002

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. Net Present Value
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 Fire Lynchburg 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. Fire Lynchburg 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 Battalion Chief James Scott of the Lynchburg Fire Department

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 Leadership & Managing People 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 Fire Lynchburg 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 Fire Lynchburg 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	(10013833)	-10013833	-	-
Year 1	3458253	-6555580	3458253	0.8696	3007177
Year 2	3980508	-2575072	7438761	0.7561	3009836
Year 3	3973165	1398093	11411926	0.6575	2612420
Year 4	3227836	4625929	14639762	0.5718	1845526
TOTAL					10474959

The Net NPV after 4 years is 461126

(10474959 - 10013833 )

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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	(10013833)	-10013833	-	-
Year 1	3458253	-6555580	3458253	0.8333	2881878
Year 2	3980508	-2575072	7438761	0.6944	2764242
Year 3	3973165	1398093	11411926	0.5787	2299285
Year 4	3227836	4625929	14639762	0.4823	1556634
TOTAL					9502038

The Net NPV after 4 years is -511795

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9502038 - 10013833 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Fire Lynchburg 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 Fire Lynchburg has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Fire Lynchburg 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 Fire Lynchburg, then the stock price of the Fire Lynchburg 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 Fire Lynchburg 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 can impact the cash flow of 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.

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 Battalion Chief James Scott of the Lynchburg Fire Department

References & Further Readings

Lynn A. Isabella, Forbes Ted, Sheila McMillen (2018), "Battalion Chief James Scott of the Lynchburg Fire Department Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.