...CAPITAL BUDGETING: ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS. SEPTEMBER 2012 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.0 Background Study Capital budgeting is the process by which firms determine how to invest their capital. Included in this process are the decisions to invest in new projects, reassess the amount of capital already invested in existing projects, allocate and ration capital across divisions, and acquire other firms. In essence, the capital budgeting process defines the set and size of a firm’s real assets, which in turn generate the cash flows that ultimately determine its profitability, value and viability. In principle, a firm’s decision to invest in a new project should be made according to whether the project increases the wealth of the firm’s shareholders. For example, the Net Present Value (NPV) rule specifies an objective process by which firms can assess the value that new capital investments are expected to create. As Graham and Harvey (2001) document this rule has steadily gained in popularity since Dean (1951) formally introduced it, but its widespread use has not eliminated the human element in capital budgeting. Because the estimation of a project’s future cash flows and the rate at which they should be discounted is still a relatively subjective process, the behavioural traits of managers still affect this process. Capital budgeting is a process...
Words: 7612 - Pages: 31
...CHAPTER ONE Introduction Understanding and being able to use capital budgeting techniques and investment appraisal tools is usually a standard requirement for most business degrees. In addition learning such methods will also give one an advantage in a real business situation, in which there is the consideration of significant capital expenditure project. Capital budgeting assists management decisions making on the process of ensuring growth of the organization. The techniques are divided into two types: one, Traditional (non-discounting) that includes pay back method, accounting rate of return (ARR). Two, discounting cash flow that includes net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) Profitability Index (PI). Before an investment appraisal is conducted, there are a number of points to keep in mind. Whilst the tool presented will give an evaluation of the worth of a project, one should consider that the answer is only a guide. In short, the results of an investment appraisal should be considered in conjunction with both common sense and other qualitative factors such as a business’s overall strategy. Secondly, before an investment appraisal is conducted, one should consider whether or not the project is mutually exclusive. Where a project is mutually exclusive, then only the best project should be selected. Where on the other hand, projects are independent; one may select all projects which give the appropriate return. 1.1 Background of the study Corporate finance...
Words: 7901 - Pages: 32
...Risk Management in Capital Budgeting Process Introduction: Capital investment decision, like the capital budgeting process, includes series of analysis and decision making processes that have long term impact on the company. Any investment conducted for future net cash growth by company’s management, regardless of investing in intangible or tangible assets can be described as capital budgeting. Company management has obligations towards company owners to increase company wealth. Risk has been recognized as an important component in the capital budget decision making. The future is uncertain and investments techniques that fail to recognize this fact will almost certainly lead to incorrect conclusions and erroneous recommendations. In today’s uncertain and unpredictable global market, where technical, technological and economic development speed is rapidly increasing, selection of optimal process and selection of optimal project is significantly difficult. In many respects, capital budgeting defines an organization’s leadership. Capital budgeting decisions establish strategic priorities, allocate managers to assemble and communicate information across traditional organizational boundaries, for example, marketing, engineering, production, and accounting. The information is evaluated within a rational cost/benefit decision framework by analyzing cash inflows and outflows over time. In project selection process, corporate manager uses various criteria and methods in selecting...
Words: 697 - Pages: 3
...Stryker Corporation is a medical company founded in 1946 by Homer Stryker. It specializes in medical technology and it is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This report will be focused Stryker Corporation’s capital budgeting process and identifying some of the strengths and weaknesses that come along with it. The missions of CERs and the capital budgeting at Stryker: Stryker Corporation has had an outstanding growing background since it started. They have a benchmark of 20% growth annually, and one of the reasons the firm has been able to do this is their way of managing their capital budgeting process. Stryker used CERs (Capital Expenditure Requests) in their capital allocation process. These were basically permission forms that were submitted to be filled out by the authorities in order to get allowance to spend a certain amount of money. The mission of the CERs and the capital budgeting process at striker is to standardize and formalize the capital budgeting process. The CERs made it easier for the company to keep track of the expenditures that were made in each division. Thus, the firm was able to support cash flow targets and maintain the 20% growth of the company. The CERs have been shaped by elements of corporate finance theory. The fact that the CERs are made to have a smarter way of managing the expenditures of the company, automatically refers to the principal goal of corporate finance which is to maximize shareholder’s wealth. Since the CERs are helping...
Words: 885 - Pages: 4
...Management J. Volume 2 No. 1 (January 1989) ,' CAPITAL BUDGETING PRACTICES OF INDIAN COMPANIES I. M. PANDEY ' Objective " The objectives of this study are: (a) to document the capital bud geting policies and practices of companies in India, a developing country, and contrast them with those of USA and UK, the developed countries, and (b) to ascertain how business executives look upon the linkage between corporate strategy and investment decision-making. Capital expenditure planning and control is a process of facilitating decisions covering expenditures on long-term assets. Since a company's survival and profitability hinges on capital expenditures, specially the major ones, the importance of the capital budgeting process cannot be over-emphasized. Sample and Methodology We have followed an intensive interview-cum-questionnaire method. Two questionnaires—one dealing with investment evaluation practice and second with other phases—were sent to companies which had agreed to participate in the study. In all, 14 companies were studied. The responding companies belonged to different businesses. In terms of size (sales and number of employees), capital intensity (net tangible fixed assets), volume of spending (capital expenditure incurred), and level of technology, they represent a variety (Table 1). The study relates to 1984. •-, Capital Expenditure: How Defined Strictly speaking, capital expenditure includes all those expenditures which are expected to produce...
Words: 4786 - Pages: 20
...Part A “Capital budgeting over the years has become a sophisticated process for the finance officer. The different methods available to the finance officer have increased and become more accurate and centred upon the goal of maximizing wealth. However has there been an increase in the usage of these new methods or are decision makers still using the easier methods?” Capital budgeting is a tool management use to make investment decisions. Despite the pitfalls pointed out in Yee-Ching Lilian Chan’s article “Use of capital budgeting techniques and an analytic approach to capital investment decisions in Canadian Municipal Governments”, which includes overemphasis on the quantifiable aspects of capital projects, random cut offs on the timing and the amount of cash flows, Unrealistic discount rates or IRR assumptions. Methods such as profitability index, internal rate of return, breakeven, payback period and net present value are all discounted cash flows which are commonly used in practice. In 2001 Elijelly, A & Abuldris published an article “ A survey of capital budgeting techniques in the public and private sectors of a less developed country, Sudan” They concluded that most public enterprises in less developed countries, do not apply any capital budgeting methods when making investment decisions. The payback method was the most widely used followed by the Internal rate of return in the private and public sectors that did use capital budgeting techniques. “In contrast to the...
Words: 553 - Pages: 3
...Phase 3 Individual Project/DB Capital Budgeting Janella Chapman ACCT-614/Applied Managerial Accounting March 15, 2013 Professor Tracie Edmond I. Overview As companies look to grow and expand operations, product lines, or locations, capital budgeting is the method used by management in evaluating if projects and long-term investments will be profitable for the company. Capital budgeting analysis evaluates projects that will have cash flows for longer than a year. Capital budgeting helps management analysis if investments will be profitable and valuable to the company compared to the initial investment needed and the risk associated with the investment. There are many capital budgeting methods management may use to ensure the project or investment is aligned with the corporate strategy of a company. In the capital budgeting process, management evaluates different capital budgeting techniques to ensure the company has the resources to invest in the project, and also helps management determine if the investment will help achieve the goals and objectives of the company. The goal of capital budgeting is to evaluate the costs of an investment to the initial capital to determine if the investment will generate more capital or cash flow for the company. The four capital budgeting techniques used by management are Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), Profitability Index (PI), and Payback method. SAC has developed new manufacturing techniques to offer special...
Words: 1154 - Pages: 5
...Name: Professor’s name: Dr. Wright Course: AF 211 Accounting for Planning and Control Managers in making investment decisions are faced with the problem of limited resources. This, therefore, necessitates an understanding of the topic of capital budgeting. Capital budgeting is the process of determining and pursuing investments which cash flows are expected in the future period usually more than a year. It entails the decision on the acquisition of new assets or equipment that is to be utilized by the business to increase its future cash flows and profitability. Managers are, therefore, faced with the challenge of determining which project to invest in order to avert the adverse effect on the financial performance. In making investment decisions, various factors must be considered. Managers have to know that the success of the business entirely depends on how best the investments are analyzed before they are undertaken. First, capital budgeting requires large capital outlay (Dugdale 16). Most of the capital budgeting decisions require a large proportion of business funds. It, thus, implies that failure to make proper investment decisions will lead to losses for the organization. Secondly, investment decisions are irreversible. After deciding on what projects to invest in, managers will lack the ability to reverse their decisions, i.e., equipment once acquired cannot be easily disposed of. The managers must therefore be careful before settling on a particular investment...
Words: 946 - Pages: 4
...SUMMARY OUTLINE CAPITAL BUDGETING PRACTICES OF INDIAN COMPANIES Introduction Corporate strategy provides the focal point for the firm's long-run strategic planning. The capital budgeting system, particularly for large strategic projects, is determined in the context of strategic planning and, thus, it is a top-down process. Corporate strategy and strategic planning play the most crucial role at the identification and evaluation phases. Operating and administrative capital budgeting decisions can be decided at lower /middle level of management within the overall strategic framework and guidelines from top management. The capital budgeting system at lower/middle level will largely be a bottom up process. It may be noted that external and internal environment provides a context to the company to establish and review its missions, concerns, and multiple objectives which, in turn, shape its corporate strategy. Objectives There are two objectives of this study: a) To document the capital budgeting policies and practices of companies in India, a developing" country, and contrast them with those of USA and UK, the developed countries b) To ascertain how business executives look upon the linkage between corporate strategy and investment decision-making. Sample and Methodology The study used interview-cum-questionnaire method and sent to 14 companies different businesses which had agreed to participate in all. Methods of Evaluation The study was...
Words: 441 - Pages: 2
...also succeed within their market, and the second has to do with changes in the local economy. In an effort to determine an appropriate response to these changes, Mr. Navallez and his team has begun analyzing these changes that are affecting his business. Mr. Navallez does have a few ideas on how to move forward but will have to research more on the correct capital budgeting that is best for his organization. Capital budgeting is defined as the process of choosing the organizations long term capital investment strategy, this often consist of things like land, property and equipment (Emery, Finnerty, & Stowe, 2007). Alternatives With the changes the Mr. Navallez and his team are tasked to deal with there are some alternatives that they must decide on to adjust to the new market. They must first decide if they are going to maintain their same type of operation without changing to the industry, become an agent for the new company, or cross their organization over to becoming high tech like the new competition. Capital budgeting will be applied to the options discussed to choose the best one. Through capital budgeting the risk associated with each alternative will also be...
Words: 1123 - Pages: 5
...Capital Budgeting Case for week 6 Capital Budgeting Process: Capital budgeting (or investment appraisal) is the planning process used to determine whether an organization's long term investments such as new machinery, replacement machinery, new plants, new products, and research development projects are worth pursuing. In the capital budget case the team analyzed and put a 5 year income statement for corporation A and corporation B. The income statement started with the information provided by the case information for the assignment It is important for business owners to analyze projects and their costs before going through with them. In order to do this they must project the value of the project to see if it is going to bring them the profits they desire. For example, if a business owner is interested in acquiring a new company, he or she must look at different aspects of the company as it is now and project the value over several years to ensure that a profit will be made. In the case presented, two companies are being compared to see which would be the better company to acquire based on income statement and cash flow projections, Net present value (NPV), and Internal rate of return (IRR). This paper will go over the reasoning for the final decision based on the analysis of the projections as well as the importance and differences of NPV and IRR. Net Present Value (NPV) The NPV is the difference of the discounted cash inflows and the discounted cash outflows. The NPV...
Words: 271 - Pages: 2
...Capital Budget Policy and Process Vernita Davis-Knight Susan Friguglietti Edna Primas Ronald Rehn University of Phoenix-Online February 27, 2008 Capital Budget Policy and Process Capital budgeting is the process by which capital investment decisions are made. Capital can be described as an organization’s operating assets (Diamond, Hanson &, Murphy, 1994). The capital budgeting process includes "planning, setting goals and priorities, arranging financing, and identifying criteria for making long-term investments" (Diamond et al., 1994, p. 463). Previously, capital budgets were known as plant and equipment budgets (Berman, Kukla &, Weeks, 1994). As the previous term implies, most capital expenditures are long-term investments for plant or equipment investments. Most, if not all, organizations have limited financial resources and must decide how to invest the financial resources for the best advantage of the organization. Capital investment decisions have a significant impact on the organization since large amounts of the organization’s resources are at risk for extended periods of time. This makes capital budgeting one of the most important decision making opportunities an organization can undertake (Diamond et al., 1994). There are two basic types of capital budgeting projects, independent projects and mutually exclusive projects. The independent project does not affect the cash flow of other projects. That is, regardless of whether the project is accepted...
Words: 4291 - Pages: 18
...1 HOTEL OWNER / OPERATOR STRUCTURES: IMPLICATIONS FOR CAPITAL BUDGETING PROCESS Chris GUILDING Service Industry Research Centre, and School of Accounting and Finance Griffith University – Gold Coast Campus Queensland AUSTRALIA C.Guilding@griffith.edu.au Tel: (07) 5552 8790 Fax: (07) 5552 8068 I am grateful for funding support for this study provided by the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism. I would also like to acknowledge the helpful comments and suggestions provided by two anonymous referees. 23 HOTEL OWNER / OPERATOR STRUCTURES: IMPLICATIONS FOR CAPITAL BUDGETING PROCESS ABSTRACT The findings of a field study concerned with appraising capital budgeting process implications arising from different owner / operator structures employed in the hotel industry are reported. Dimensions of conflict that can arise between hotel operators and owners are examined. Consistent with expectations motivated by agency theory, data collected suggest that capital budgeting systems in hotels operating under a divorced owner / operator structure exhibit more formalisation and a greater propensity for investment proposal cash forecast biasing. These findings suggest a degree of dysfunctionalism associated with the divorced / owner operator structure widely adopted in the hotel industry. Key words: Hotel, Capital Budgeting, Ownership structure, Agency theory.4 ...
Words: 12681 - Pages: 51
...Handouts for Corporate Finance 1 Capital Budgeting Introduction A logical prerequisite to the analysis of investment opportunities is the creation of investment opportunities. Unlike the field of investments, where the analyst more or less takes the investment opportunity set as a given, the field of capital budgeting relies on the work of people in the areas of industrial engineering, research and development, and management information systems (among others) for the creation of investment opportunities. As such, it is important to suggest that students keep in mind the importance of creativity in this area, as well as the importance of analytical techniques. Because a project is financially sound, it must be ethically sound, right? Well . . . the question of ethical appropriateness is less frequently discussed in the context of capital budgeting than that of financial appropriateness. Consider the following simple example: The American Association of Colleges and Universities estimates that 10 percent of all college students cheat at some time during their postsecondary education careers. You might pose the ethical question of whether it would be proper for a publishing company to offer a new book How to Cheat: A User's Guide. The company has a cost of capital of 8% and estimates it could sell 10,000 volumes by the end of year one and 5,000 volumes in each of the following two years. The immediate printing costs for the 20,000 volumes would be $20,000. The...
Words: 3456 - Pages: 14
...Management Blekinge Institute of Technology THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PAYBACK METHOD IN CAPITAL BUDGETING DECISION. By Alaba Femi, AWOMEWE & Oludele Olawale, OGUNDELE Supervisor: Anders Hederstierna Thesis for the Master’s degree in Business Administration Fall/Spring 2008 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PAYBACK METHOD IN CAPITAL BUDGETING DECISION. By Alaba Femi, AWOMEWE & Oludele Olawale, OGUNDELE A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MBA (Master of Business Administration) Blekinge Institute of Technology 2008 Supervisor Anders Hederstierna ii Abstract Title: The importance of the Payback method in Capital budgeting decision. Authors: Alaba Femi, Awomewe and Oludele Olawale, Ogundele Supervisor: Anders Hederstierna Department: School of Management, Blekinge Institute of Technology Course: Master’s thesis in business administration, 15 credits (ECTS). Background and Problem Discussion: The capital budgeting decision has been a very typical issue in the sustenance of a company. Several companies have lost their identity or liquidated due to wrong capital budgeting decision they made at one particular time or the other. Based on these prevalent problems in industries and the effect of globalisation on industries, it is important to use effective method to analyse investment before decision is made. Capital budgeting is extremely important because the decision made involve the direction and opportunity...
Words: 17797 - Pages: 72
