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average investment method

NNikita5y ago
Link Co has been prevented by the competition authorities from buying a competitor, Twist Co, on the basis that this prevents a monopoly position arising. Link Co has therefore decided to expand existing business operations instead and as a result the finance director has prepared the following evaluation of a proposed investment project for the company: $m Present value of sales revenue 6,657 Present value of variable costs 2,777 Present value of contribution 3,880 Present value of fixed costs 1,569 Present value of operating cash flow 2,311 Initial capital investment 1,800 Net present value 511 The project life is expected to be four years and the finance director has used a discount rate of 10% in the evaluation. The investment project has no scrap value. The finance director is considering financing the investment project by a new issue of debt. Ques - Using the average investment method and assuming operating cash flows of $729,000 per year, what is the return on capital employed of the investment project? So for average annual profit should we take 729,000 only as they have clearly mentioned it as a operating flow ? How have they calculated the average accounting profit?
John MoffatJohn MoffatTutor5y ago#1
$729,000 is the operating cash flow, not the profit. The return on capital employed is an accounting measure and uses the average profit per annum. The profit is the operating cash flow less the average depreciation per year. I do not know how 'they' have calculated the profit because I have not seen their answer, but what they should have done is what I have written above :-)
NNikita5y ago#2
they have done: The total operating cash flow = 4 ? (2,311/3.170) = $2,916,088 The average annual accounting profit = (2,916,088 – 1,800,000)/4 = $279,022 Average investment = 1,800,000/2 = $900,000 ROCE = 100 ? 279,022/900,000 = 31% should we multiple the annuity factor for 4? 3.170 ?
John MoffatJohn MoffatTutor5y ago#3
No we should not!!! The question is asking for the ROCE, not for the present value!!! We only use discount factors when calculating the present values. The ROCE is the annual accounting profit (which is after depreciation) expressed as a % of the average investment. The ROCE is the same as the accounting rate of return which I explain in my free lectures on methods of investment appraisal.
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