Case Analysis 3: You are the General Manager at the Bicker, Slaughter, and Lynch Law Firm. There is an opportunity to buy out a small law firm that was just started by a young MBA/JD, and you believe the firm can be grown and become a lucrative part of your Firm. With help from your finance leader, you have estimated the following benefit streams for this new division:

Before Tax Cash Flow From Operations

Year 1 $(149,000)

Year 2 $0

Year 3 $51,380

Year 4 $88,760

Year 5 $114,100

Year 6 $129,780

Year 7 $143,640

Year 8 $167,300

After Tax Net Income From Operations

Year 1 $(103,500)

Year 2 $(50,500)

Year 3 $36,700

Year 4 $63,400

Year 5 $81,500

Year 6 $92,700

Year 7 $102,600

Year 8 $119,500

After Tax Cash Flow From Operations

Year 1 $(85,600)

Year 2 $15,000

Year 3 $48,600

Year 4 $72,200

Year 5 $95,550

Year 6 $101,300

Year 7 $125,200

Year 8 $140,200

You estimate that the purchase price for this firm would be $200,000 and that additional net working capital would be needed in the amount of $60,000 in year 0, an additional $15,000 in year 2 and then $15,000 in year 5.

BSL usually spend about $275,000 per year in advertising. If you make this acquisition, you would ask that advertising spending be increased by an incremental one-time amount of $45,000 in year 0 to publicize the firms expansion.

Your finance leader has indicated that the firm has access to a credit line and could borrow the funds at a rate of 6%. He also mentions that when he runs project economics for capital budgeting (such as a new copier or a company car), he recommends a standard 10% rate discount, but the one other time they looked at an acquisition of a smaller firm, he used a 13% rate discount. Obviously you will want to select the most appropriate discount rate for this type of project.

At the end of 8 years, the plan is to sell this division. The estimated terminal value (the sale and the return of working capital) is conservatively estimated to be $350,000 of after-tax cash flow help. Using the data that you need (and ignoring the extraneous information), for this potential acquisition, calculate each of the following items:

- the Nominal Payback

- the Discounted Payback

- the Net Present Value

- the IRR

1) From a purely financial (numbers) perspective, would you recommend this purchase to management? Why?

2) What are some of the non-financial elements that need to be considered for this proposal?

3) Assumptions in project economics can have a huge impact on the result. Identify 3 financial elements/assumptions in your analysis that would make this project financially unattractive? In other words, what would have to be true for this to be a bad investment?

4) If you were the CEO, would you approve this proposal? Why or why not?