Vernon-Nelson Chemicals is planning to release a new brand of insecticide, Bee-Safe, that will kill many insect pests but not harm useful pollinators. Buying new equipment to manufacture the product will cost $15 million, and there will be an additional $2 million cost to reconfigure existing plant. The equipment is expected to have a lifetime of eight years and will be depreciated by the straight-line method over its lifetime. The firm expects that they should be able to sell 1,500,000 gallons per year at a price of $50 per gallon. It will take $37 per gallon to manufacture and support the product. If Vernon-Nelson's marginal tax rate is 40%, what are the incremental earnings in year 3 of this project? O A. $7.0 million O B. $10.6 million O C. $17.6 million O D. $19.5 million

Mallette Manufacturing, Inc., produces washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers. Because of increasing competition, Mallette is considering investing in an automated manufacturing system. Since competition is most keen for dishwashers, the production process for this line has been selected for initial evaluation. The automated system for the dishwasher line would replace an existing system (purchased one year ago for 6 million). Although the existing system will be fully depreciated in nine years, it is expected to last another 10 years. The automated system would also have a useful life of 10 years. The existing system is capable of producing 100,000 dishwashers per year. Sales and production data using the existing system are provided by the Accounting Department: All cash expenses with the exception of depreciation, which is 6 per unit. The existing equipment is being depreciated using straight-line with no salvage value considered. The automated system will cost 34 million to purchase, plus an estimated 20 million in software and implementation. (Assume that all investment outlays occur at the beginning of the first year.) If the automated equipment is purchased, the old equipment can be sold for 3 million. The automated system will require fewer parts for production and will produce with less waste. Because of this, the direct material cost per unit will be reduced by 25 percent. Automation will also require fewer support activities, and as a consequence, volume-related overhead will be reduced by 4 per unit and direct fixed overhead (other than depreciation) by 17 per unit. Direct labor is reduced by 60 percent. Assume, for simplicity, that the new investment will be depreciated on a pure straight-line basis for tax purposes with no salvage value. Ignore the half-life convention. The firms cost of capital is 12 percent, but management chooses to use 20 percent as the required rate of return for evaluation of investments. The combined federal and state tax rate is 40 percent. Required: 1. Compute the net present value for the old system and the automated system. Which system would the company choose? 2. Repeat the net present value analysis of Requirement 1, using 12 percent as the discount rate. 3. Upon seeing the projected sales for the old system, the marketing manager commented: Sales of 100,000 units per year cannot be maintained in the current competitive environment for more than one year unless we buy the automated system. The automated system will allow us to compete on the basis of quality and lead time. If we keep the old system, our sales will drop by 10,000 units per year. Repeat the net present value analysis, using this new information and a 12 percent discount rate. 4. An industrial engineer for Mallette noticed that salvage value for the automated equipment had not been included in the analysis. He estimated that the equipment could be sold for 4 million at the end of 10 years. He also estimated that the equipment of the old system would have no salvage value at the end of 10 years. Repeat the net present value analysis using this information, the information in Requirement 3, and a 12 percent discount rate. 5. Given the outcomes of the previous four requirements, comment on the importance of providing accurate inputs for assessing investments in automated manufacturing systems.

Newmarge Products Inc. is evaluating a new design for one of its manufacturing processes. The new design will eliminate the production of a toxic solid residue. The initial cost of the system is estimated at 860,000 and includes computerized equipment, software, and installation. There is no expected salvage value. The new system has a useful life of 8 years and is projected to produce cash operating savings of 225,000 per year over the old system (reducing labor costs and costs of processing and disposing of toxic waste). The cost of capital is 16%. Required: 1. Compute the NPV of the new system. 2. One year after implementation, the internal audit staff noted the following about the new system: (1) the cost of acquiring the system was 60,000 more than expected due to higher installation costs, and (2) the annual cost savings were 20,000 less than expected because more labor cost was needed than anticipated. Using the changes in expected costs and benefits, compute the NPV as if this information had been available one year ago. Did the company make the right decision? 3. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Upon reporting the results mentioned in the postaudit, the marketing manager responded in a memo to the internal audit department indicating that cash inflows also had increased by a net of 60,000 per year because of increased purchases by environmentally sensitive customers. Describe the effect that this has on the analysis in Requirement 2. 4. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Why is a postaudit beneficial to a firm?

After discovering a new gold vein in the Colorado mountains, CTC Mining Corporation must decide whether to go ahead and develop the deposit. The most cost-effective method of mining gold is sulfuric acid extraction, a process that could result in environmental damage. Before proceeding with the extraction, CTC must spend 900,000 for new mining equipment and pay 165,000 for its installation. The mined gold will net the firm an estimated 350,000 each year for the 5-year life of the vein. CTCs cost of capital is 14%. For the purposes of this problem, assume that the cash inflows occur at the end of the year. a. What are the projects NPV and IRR? b. Should this project be undertaken if environmental impacts were not a consideration? c. How should environmental effects be considered when evaluating this or any other project? How might these concepts affect the decision in part b?