×




Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) 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 Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) case study


At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Net Present Value (NPV) case study solution. Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Naeem Zafar, Jack Fuchs. The Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) (referred as “Amici's Pizzeria” 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, Growth strategy, International business.

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 Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) Case Study


University of California, Berkeley-Haas collectionThe Amici's East Coast Pizzeria case study presents the history of Amici's East Coast Pizzeria, started by Peter Cooperstein and Mike Forter in 1987. The case study allows students to evaluate the company's launch in terms of opportunity identification, as well as to evaluate the company's scaling and growth strategy and options - all in the context of an entrepreneurial startup environment. The (A) case focuses on the history and the founding of Amici's, as well as its strategy, culture, and operations. The (A) case also presents several potential growth options such as selling the company; expanding within the Bay Area; expanding into different regions such as Southern California; franchising; expanding overseas; opening non-conventional distribution venues such as airports; sports venues; and small-location take-out venues; and selling pizza and other products through supermarkets and other retail locations. The (B) case shows what Cooperstein and Forter chose to do such as expanding into Southern California, opening a small venue in the San Jose Sharks arena, and opening a restaurant in Shanghai, China with partner Sophie Lo and her brother Jimmy Lo. Please note: this case also has a supplementary case available. The (B) supplement can be found using product number B5759.


Case Authors : Naeem Zafar, Jack Fuchs

Topic : Leadership & Managing People

Related Areas : Growth strategy, International business




Calculating Net Present Value (NPV) at 6% for Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) Case Study


Years              Cash Flow     Net Cash Flow     Cumulative    
Cash Flow
Discount Rate
@ 6 %
Discounted
Cash Flows
Year 0 (10018074) -10018074 - -
Year 1 3457551 -6560523 3457551 0.9434 3261841
Year 2 3959556 -2600967 7417107 0.89 3523991
Year 3 3961919 1360952 11379026 0.8396 3326504
Year 4 3250454 4611406 14629480 0.7921 2574664
TOTAL 14629480 12686999




The Net Present Value at 6% discount rate is 2668925

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

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. Amici's Pizzeria 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 Amici's Pizzeria have higher preference for cash returns over 4-5 years rather than 10-15 years given the nature of the volatility in the industry.






Formula and Steps to Calculate Net Present Value (NPV) of Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A)

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 Amici's Pizzeria 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 Amici's Pizzeria 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 (10018074) -10018074 - -
Year 1 3457551 -6560523 3457551 0.8696 3006566
Year 2 3959556 -2600967 7417107 0.7561 2993993
Year 3 3961919 1360952 11379026 0.6575 2605026
Year 4 3250454 4611406 14629480 0.5718 1858458
TOTAL 10464043


The Net NPV after 4 years is 445969

(10464043 - 10018074 )








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 (10018074) -10018074 - -
Year 1 3457551 -6560523 3457551 0.8333 2881293
Year 2 3959556 -2600967 7417107 0.6944 2749692
Year 3 3961919 1360952 11379026 0.5787 2292777
Year 4 3250454 4611406 14629480 0.4823 1567541
TOTAL 9491303


The Net NPV after 4 years is -526771

At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9491303 - 10018074 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Amici's Pizzeria 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 Amici's Pizzeria has a NPV value higher than Zero then finance managers at Amici's Pizzeria 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 Amici's Pizzeria, then the stock price of the Amici's Pizzeria 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 Amici's Pizzeria 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 are the key aspects of the projects that need to be monitored, refined, and retuned for continuous delivery of projected cash flows.

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.

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 Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A)

References & Further Readings

Naeem Zafar, Jack Fuchs (2018), "Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.


GAMCO SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Financial , Misc. Financial Services


Uluru Co SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Technology , Computer Services


Mamezou Holdings SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Technology , Computer Services


Jiangsu Xinquan Automotive SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Consumer Cyclical , Auto & Truck Parts


Goldlion SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Consumer Cyclical , Apparel/Accessories


Fuji Hyogo SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Consumer Cyclical , Textiles - Non Apparel


Shree Cements SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Capital Goods , Construction - Raw Materials


Sindoh SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix

Technology , Office Equipment