Question

In: Finance

Access the main shortcomings of the payback method.

Access the main shortcomings of the payback method.

Solutions

Expert Solution

* It ignores the time value of money :--  The payback method does not use discounted cash flows, and so it ignores the time value of money.

* It encourages establishing a short payback period : -- Whether a project is acceptable or unacceptable is totally dependent on the length of the payback period selected, and that is a purely subjective, arbitrary choice. Since the payback method does not consider the time value of money, a project with a short payback period might actually have a negative NPV.

* It offers no consideration of cash flows beyond the expiration of the payback period :---  Cash flows after the payback point has been reached do not count for anything in the payback analysis. If two projects are being compared and they both reach their payback point in 3years time, Project A may have significant cash flows following that payback point whereas Project B’s cash flows may drop off very quickly after that point. If management looks only at the payback periods for both projects, it could miss recognizing the difference in the longer-term profitability of the two projects.


Related Solutions

What are the main shortcomings for Hertz's human resources?
What are the main shortcomings for Hertz's human resources?
Explain the shortcomings of the IRR(internal rate of return )and PB(the payback). Which alternatives correct for...
Explain the shortcomings of the IRR(internal rate of return )and PB(the payback). Which alternatives correct for these issues? Understanding the major issues with these why are they among the most popular for financial managers to reference?
The payback periodThe payback method helps firms establish and identify a maximumacceptable payback period...
The payback periodThe payback method helps firms establish and identify a maximum acceptable payback period that helps in their capital budgeting decisions.Consider the case of Blue Hamster Manufacturing Inc.:Blue Hamster Manufacturing 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 Sigma’s expected future cash flows. To answer this question, Blue Hamster’s CFO has asked that you compute the project’s payback period using...
Briefly explain:        (a) What are the main shortcomings of the forward contracts?         (b) How...
Briefly explain:        (a) What are the main shortcomings of the forward contracts?         (b) How are futures contracts designed to overcome these shortcomings?
Explain how the following techniques work, pointing out any shortcomings and advantages of each approach. Payback...
Explain how the following techniques work, pointing out any shortcomings and advantages of each approach. Payback Method Net Present Value Method Internal Rate of Return Method Accounting Rate of Return Method
a. What are the redeeming qualities and shortcomings of the internal rate of return (IRR) method...
a. What are the redeeming qualities and shortcomings of the internal rate of return (IRR) method in capital budgeting analysis? explain b.Explain conceptually in detail what the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is and the role it plays in capital budgeting. c. Explain why the opportunity cost and net working capital (NWC) are included, while the financing costs and sunk costs are NOT in the cash flow analysis.
What are the redeeming qualities and shortcomings of the internal rate of return (IRR) method in...
What are the redeeming qualities and shortcomings of the internal rate of return (IRR) method in capital budgeting analysis? Explain conceptually in detail what the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is and the role it plays in capital budgeting. Explain why the opportunity cost and net working capital (NWC) are included, while the financing costs and sunk costs are NOT in the cash flow analysis.
The payback method helps firms establish and identify a maximum acceptable payback period that helps in...
The payback method helps firms establish and identify a maximum acceptable payback period that helps in their capital budgeting decisions. Consider the case of Cold Goose Metal Works Inc.: Cold Goose Metal Works 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 Delta’s expected future cash flows. To answer this question, Cold Goose’s CFO has asked that you compute the project’s payback...
a) discuss three potential flows with the regular payback method.  Discuss whether or not the discounted payback...
a) discuss three potential flows with the regular payback method.  Discuss whether or not the discounted payback method corrects all three flaws. b) explain why the NPV of a relatively long-term project (one for which a high percentage of its cash flows occurs in the distant future) is more sensitive to changes in the WACC than that of a short-term project. c) explain why IRR might be overly optimistic metric (give example of cash flows that might drive IRR artificially too...
Evaluate the following projects using the payback method assuming a rule of 4 years for payback....
Evaluate the following projects using the payback method assuming a rule of 4 years for payback. Year Project A Project B 0. -10,000 -10,000 1. 4000 4000 2. 4000 3000 3. 4000 2000 4. 0. 1,000,000 A. Project A can be accepted because the payback period is 2.5 years but Project B cannot be accepted because its payback period is longer than 3 years. B. Project B should be accepted, since there is a $1,000,000 payoff in the 4th year...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT