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Decision-Making Techniques

Investment appraisal

  • 9 things to know
  • Paper 2 and Paper 3

Overview

Payback period, average rate of return and net present value, how each is calculated, and what each one ignores.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

How is the payback period calculated when payback falls mid-year?

Numbers

What does the average rate of return measure, and how is it calculated?

Numbers

How is the total profit of an investment calculated, and when is a project accepted using ARR?

Evaluation

What are the limitations of the payback method?

Evaluation

Why is selecting an appropriate discount rate a limitation of NPV?

Numbers

How should payback results be interpreted in terms of acceptability?

Numbers

State the present-value formula.

Numbers

State the mid-year payback formula.

Numbers

State the ARR formula.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is simple payback?

    Model answer

    The time taken for a project to recover its initial investment from its net cash inflows.

  2. 2

    What is the first step in calculating the payback period?

    Model answer

    Calculate cumulative cash inflows for each period.

  3. 3

    After calculating cumulative cash inflows, how do you determine when payback occurs?

    Model answer

    Identify the period where cumulative inflows equal or exceed the initial investment.

  4. 4

    If payback occurs partway through a year, how is the exact payback time determined?

    Model answer

    Interpolate to find the exact time within that year when cumulative inflows equal the initial investment.

  5. 5

    State the formula for calculating payback period when payback occurs mid-year.

    Model answer

    Payback = Years before full recovery + (Remaining amount to recover ÷ Cash inflow in recovery year).

  6. 6

    Calculate the payback period when years before full recovery = 9 years, remaining amount to recover = £39,000, cash inflow in recovery year = £65,000.

    Model answer

    Payback period = 9 + (39000 ÷ 65000) = 9.6 years.

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Net gain = − initial cost.
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AGross profit equals revenue minus cost of sales.
BOperating profit equals gross profit minus operating expenses.
CNet profit equals operating profit minus interest and taxation.

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