The payback method helps firms establish and identify a maximum acceptable payback period that helps in their capital budgeting decisions. Consider the case of Green Caterpillar Garden Supplies Inc.: Green Caterpillar Garden Supplies Inc. is a small firm, and several of its managers are worried about how soon the firm will be able to recover its initial investment from Project Alpha’s expected future cash flows. To answer this question, Green Caterpillar’s CFO has asked that you compute the project’s payback period using the following expected net cash flows and assuming that the cash flows are received evenly throughout each year

Essentials Of Investments
11th Edition
ISBN:9781260013924
Author:Bodie, Zvi, Kane, Alex, MARCUS, Alan J.
Publisher:Bodie, Zvi, Kane, Alex, MARCUS, Alan J.
Chapter1: Investments: Background And Issues
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1PS
icon
Related questions
Question
The payback method helps firms establish and identify a maximum acceptable payback period that helps in their capital budgeting decisions.
Consider the case of Green Caterpillar Garden Supplies Inc.:
Green Caterpillar Garden Supplies Inc. is a small firm, and several of its managers are worried about how soon the firm will be able to recover its initial investment from Project Alpha’s expected future cash flows. To answer this question, Green Caterpillar’s CFO has asked that you compute the project’s payback period using the following expected net cash flows and assuming that the cash flows are received evenly throughout each year.
 
Complete the following table and compute the project’s conventional payback period. For full credit, complete the entire table. (Note: Round the conventional payback period to two decimal places. If your answer is negative, be sure to use a minus sign in your answer.)
 
Year 0
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Expected cash flow -$4,500,000 $1,800,000 $3,825,000 $1,575,000
Cumulative cash flow
 
 
 
 
Conventional payback period:
 
 years
     
 
The conventional payback period ignores the time value of money, and this concerns Green Caterpillar’s CFO. He has now asked you to compute Alpha’s discounted payback period, assuming the company has a 9% cost of capital. Complete the following table and perform any necessary calculations. Round the discounted cash flow values to the nearest whole dollar, and the discounted payback period to two decimal places. For full credit, complete the entire table. (Note: If your answer is negative, be sure to use a minus sign in your answer.)
 
Year 0
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Cash flow -$4,500,000 $1,800,000 $3,825,000 $1,575,000
Discounted cash flow
 
 
 
 
Cumulative discounted cash flow
 
 
 
 
Discounted payback period:
 
 years
     
 
Which version of a project’s payback period should the CFO use when evaluating Project Alpha, given its theoretical superiority?
The regular payback period
 
The discounted payback period
 
 
One theoretical disadvantage of both payback methods—compared to the net present value method—is that they fail to consider the value of the cash flows beyond the point in time equal to the payback period.
How much value in this example does the discounted payback period method fail to recognize due to this theoretical deficiency?
$4,435,615
 
$1,216,189
 
$2,867,565
 
$1,586,991
Expert Solution
trending now

Trending now

This is a popular solution!

steps

Step by step

Solved in 4 steps

Blurred answer
Similar questions
  • SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Essentials Of Investments
Essentials Of Investments
Finance
ISBN:
9781260013924
Author:
Bodie, Zvi, Kane, Alex, MARCUS, Alan J.
Publisher:
Mcgraw-hill Education,
FUNDAMENTALS OF CORPORATE FINANCE
FUNDAMENTALS OF CORPORATE FINANCE
Finance
ISBN:
9781260013962
Author:
BREALEY
Publisher:
RENT MCG
Financial Management: Theory & Practice
Financial Management: Theory & Practice
Finance
ISBN:
9781337909730
Author:
Brigham
Publisher:
Cengage
Foundations Of Finance
Foundations Of Finance
Finance
ISBN:
9780134897264
Author:
KEOWN, Arthur J., Martin, John D., PETTY, J. William
Publisher:
Pearson,
Fundamentals of Financial Management (MindTap Cou…
Fundamentals of Financial Management (MindTap Cou…
Finance
ISBN:
9781337395250
Author:
Eugene F. Brigham, Joel F. Houston
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Corporate Finance (The Mcgraw-hill/Irwin Series i…
Corporate Finance (The Mcgraw-hill/Irwin Series i…
Finance
ISBN:
9780077861759
Author:
Stephen A. Ross Franco Modigliani Professor of Financial Economics Professor, Randolph W Westerfield Robert R. Dockson Deans Chair in Bus. Admin., Jeffrey Jaffe, Bradford D Jordan Professor
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Education