Average Rate of Return Method, Net Present Value Method, and Analysis

The capital investment committee of Ellis Transport and Storage Inc. is considering two investment projects. The estimated income from operations and net cash flows from each investment are as follows:

	Warehouse					Tracking Technology
Year	Income from Operations		Net Cash Flow			Income from Operations		Net Cash Flow
1	$63,000		$207,000			$132,000		$331,000
2	63,000		207,000			101,000		279,000
3	63,000		207,000			50,000		197,000
4	63,000		207,000			22,000		135,000
5	63,000		207,000			10,000		93,000
Total	$315,000		$1,035,000			$315,000		$1,035,000

Each project requires an investment of $600,000. Straight-line depreciation will be used, and no residual value is expected. The committee has selected a rate of 12% for purposes of the net present value analysis.

Present Value of $1 at Compound Interest
Year	6%	10%	12%	15%	20%
1	0.943	0.909	0.893	0.870	0.833
2	0.890	0.826	0.797	0.756	0.694
3	0.840	0.751	0.712	0.658	0.579
4	0.792	0.683	0.636	0.572	0.482
5	0.747	0.621	0.567	0.497	0.402
6	0.705	0.564	0.507	0.432	0.335
7	0.665	0.513	0.452	0.376	0.279
8	0.627	0.467	0.404	0.327	0.233
9	0.592	0.424	0.361	0.284	0.194
10	0.558	0.386	0.322	0.247	0.162

1a. Compute the average rate of return for each investment. Average Rate of Return Warehouse % Tracking Technology % 1b. Compute the net present value for each investment. Use the present value of $1 table above. If required, use the minus sign to indicate a negative net present value. If required, round to the nearest dollar. Warehouse Tracking Technology Present value of net cash flow total Less amount to be invested Net present value 2. The warehouse has a smaller net present value as tracking technology cash flows occur earlier in time. Thus, if only one of the two projects can be accepted, the tracking technology would be the more attractive