Beacon Company is considering automating its production facility. The Initial investment in automation would be $$15$

million, and the equipment has a useful life of $10$ years with a residual value of $$500,000.$ The company will use straight$-$

IIne depreclation. Beacon could expect a production Increase of $40,000$ units per year and a reduction of $20$ percent in the labor cost per unit

$1)$ Calculate project's accounting rate of return

$2)$ Using a discount rate of $15$ percent, calculate the net present value $($NPV$)$ of the proposed investment.