Evaluating Capital Projects

Some capital expenditures are selected out of necessity, such as a is not considered and the cash flows over the entire life of the project are not considered.
Table of contents

When projects are mutually exclusive, only one project can be chosen and the others must be abandoned.

Assess how much current performance is at risk

The choice in this case must be made based on the ranking of projects in order of increasing shareholder wealth. Choices are made based on various financial evaluation methods, one of which is to discount future net cash flows into present value terms using the cost of capital or a discount rate. This article will help decision makers determine which of these two evaluation methods—NPV or IRR—is better for evaluating mutually exclusive projects. In this equation, CF t represents the expected cash flow at the Period t, k represents the cost of capital, and n is the life of the project.

NPV is also expressed as a dollar value, which provides a good indicator of profitability and growth in shareholder wealth.

Net Present Value Method

It is the rate that forces NPV to equal 0 as shown in the following equation. The IRR is always expressed as a percentage.

An IRR less than the hurdle rate represents a cost to shareholders, while an IRR greater than the hurdle rate represents a return on investment, increasing shareholder wealth. We must first analyze the reinvestment rate assumptions for each evaluation method. Mutually Exclusive or Independent? All investment projects are considered to be mutually exclusive or independent.

Evaluate each project consistently

An independent project is one where the decision to accept or reject the project has no effect on any other projects being considered by the company. The cash flows of an independent project have no effect on the cash flows of other projects or divisions of the business.

Capital Project Evaluation | leondumoulin.nl

For example the decision to replace a company's computer system would be considered independent of a decision to build a new factory. A mutually-exclusive project is one where acceptance of such a project will have an effect on the acceptance of another project.

Capital Budgeting Decisions

In mutually exclusive projects, the cash flows of one project can have an impact on the cash flows of another. Most business investment decisions fall into this category. Starbucks decision to buy Teavana will most certainly have a profound effect on the future cash flows of the coffee business as well as influence the decision making process of other future projects undertaken by Starbucks.

Read about some of the most important subsidiary companies in the Starbucks family, and learn a little more about how they fit into the company's operations. Additionally, capital budgeting techniques -- used to assess alternative investments option -- can be an effective tool in evaluating large-scale investments.

For example, the capital budgeting payback approach involves calculating how many years it will take to recover initial investment outlays. Another capital budgeting approach calculates the average rate of return on a given capital investment. Vanessa Cross has practiced law in Tennessee and lectured as an adjunct professor on law and business topics. She has also contributed as a business writer to news publications, including the "Chicago Tribune," and published in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Capital Project Evaluation

Cross holds a B. Skip to main content. Purpose Revisit a capital project's original purpose or intended outcome at the beginning of the evaluation process. Quality Capital project evaluations include a quality assessment. Timescales Capital project timescales include an estimated duration for each stage of the project with precise deadlines. Budgets Capital project evaluations include comparing projected budgets against actual budget costs. Intellectual House Celerant Consulting: Resources 1 Capital Budgeting Valuation: