HealthReach and HABLA (B) 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 HealthReach and HABLA (B) case study

At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. HealthReach and HABLA (B) case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Pat Werhane, Justin Sheehan, Jenny Mead. The HealthReach and HABLA (B) (referred as “Habla Healthreach” 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, Ethics, Leadership, Social responsibility.

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 HealthReach and HABLA (B) Case Study

This is a Darden case study.Jim Zimmerman, executive director of HealthReach clinic, approached the Abbott Fund, one of the organizations that helped fund HABLA in 1992, about providing additional funds to continue the very successful and valuable medical interpretation program. The Abbott Fund agreed to additional funds for HABLA, pledging $100,000 to be split over two years, which would keep the program afloat and support its expansion. With this support, Zimmerman and his staff expanded the program so that it reached more non-English-speaking people in the Chicago area. After several years of growth, the HABLA program caught the media's attention, and with this publicity, was poised to serve as a model for other communities in the United States.

Case Authors : Pat Werhane, Justin Sheehan, Jenny Mead

Topic : Leadership & Managing People

Related Areas : Ethics, Leadership, Social responsibility

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Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for HealthReach and HABLA (B) Case Study

Years	Cash Flow	Net Cash Flow	Cumulative     Cash Flow	Discount Rate @ 6 %	Discounted Cash Flows
Year 0	(10003831)	-10003831	-	-
Year 1	3465220	-6538611	3465220	0.9434	3269075
Year 2	3975790	-2562821	7441010	0.89	3538439
Year 3	3963522	1400701	11404532	0.8396	3327849
Year 4	3230601	4631302	14635133	0.7921	2558939
TOTAL			14635133		12694302

The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2690471

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. Net Present Value
3. Profitability Index
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. Habla Healthreach 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 Habla Healthreach 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 HealthReach and HABLA (B)

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 Habla Healthreach 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 Habla Healthreach 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	(10003831)	-10003831	-	-
Year 1	3465220	-6538611	3465220	0.8696	3013235
Year 2	3975790	-2562821	7441010	0.7561	3006268
Year 3	3963522	1400701	11404532	0.6575	2606080
Year 4	3230601	4631302	14635133	0.5718	1847107
TOTAL					10472690

The Net NPV after 4 years is 468859

(10472690 - 10003831 )

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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	(10003831)	-10003831	-	-
Year 1	3465220	-6538611	3465220	0.8333	2887683
Year 2	3975790	-2562821	7441010	0.6944	2760965
Year 3	3963522	1400701	11404532	0.5787	2293705
Year 4	3230601	4631302	14635133	0.4823	1557967
TOTAL					9500321

The Net NPV after 4 years is -503510

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9500321 - 10003831 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Habla Healthreach 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 Habla Healthreach has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Habla Healthreach 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 Habla Healthreach, then the stock price of the Habla Healthreach 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 Habla Healthreach 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 can impact the cash flow of 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 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 HealthReach and HABLA (B)

References & Further Readings

Pat Werhane, Justin Sheehan, Jenny Mead (2018), "HealthReach and HABLA (B) Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.