a)Payback period computation (Project A) Initial investment = $ 250,000 Total amount of cashflows in three years = 90,000 + 80,000 + 75,000 =$ 245,000 Remaining investment to be recovered =$ 250,000- $ 245,000 = $ 5,000 Time in fourth year required to recover remaining investment = (5000/60000) = 0.083 Payback Period = 3 + 0.083 = 3.08 years Payback period computation (Project B) Initial investment = $ 260,000 Total amount of cashflows in three years = 120,000 + 90,000 =$ 210,000 Remaining investment to be recovered =$ 260,000- $ 210,000 = $ 50,000 Time in third year required to recover remaining investment = (50000/80000) = 0.625 Payback Period = 2 + 0.625 = 2.63 years b)ARR computation (Project A) Average profit = (40,000+30,000+25,000+5,000+5,000)/5 = $21,000 Average investment = (250,000 +10,000)/2 = $130,000 ARR = (Average profit/Average investment)*100 = (21000/130000)*100 = 16.15% ARR computation (Project B) Average profit = (60,000+40,000+30,000+5,000+5,000)/5 = $28,000 Average investment = (260,000 +25,000)/2 = $142,500 ARR = (Average profit/Average investment)*100 = (28,000/142,500)*100 = 19.65%
c)Net Present Value (Project A) NPV=-$250,000+(90000/1.16)+(80000/1.162)+(75000/1.163)+(60000/1.164)+ (55000/1.165) = - $5,587.75 Net Present Value (Project B) NPV=-$260,000+(120000/1.16)+(90000/1.162)+(80000/1.163)+(50000/1.164)+ (50000/1.165) = $13,005.76 d)Project B should be accepted on account of the following reasons (Arnold, 2015). NPV of project B is positive which implies that it is financially feasible. This is not the case for project A whose NPV is negative. The payback period for project B is lower for project A. e)The following two non-financial factors should be considered by the management before making a decision (Brealey, Myers & Allen, 2014). Long term strategic intent ought to be considered keeping in consideration the underlying strategies deployed by the key competitors. The support of the employees and the management is also a key factor which could influence the decision with regards to choice of project.
References Arnold,G.(2015).CorporateFinancialManagement(3rded.).Sydney:FinancialTimes Management. Brealey, R. A., Myers, S. C., & Allen, F. (2014).Principles of corporate finance(2nded.). New York: McGraw-Hill Inc.