Q$7($Chapter $13)(16$ marks$)$

ABC Corporation is considering launching a new project that entails an initial investment and generates expected cash inflows over a four$-$year period. This project, while promising, carries inherent risks that need careful analysis to ensure its viability and alignment with the corporation's financial goals.

a$.$ Discuss how cash flow estimation differs from profit estimation and the impact of this difference on project evaluation. $(4$ marks$)$

b$.$ How do systematic and unsystematic risks affect the decision$-$making process in financial management? Provide examples of each type of risk. $(4$ marks$)$

c$.$ Given the initial investment of $$500,000,$ forecasted cash inflows are $$150,000$ for Year $1,$$$200,000$ for Year $2,$ $$250,000$ for Year $3,$ and $$300,000$ for Year $4.$ Operating costs are expected to be $40\%$ of the cash inflows, and the tax rate is $30\%.$ Calculate the net cash flows for each year of the project's life. $(4$ marks$)$

d$.$ ABC Corporation's financial team has identified different probabilities for the Year $1$ cash inflow: a $30\%$ chance of being $$120,000,$ a $50\%$ chance of being $$150,000,$ and a $20\%$ chance of being $$180,000.$ Calculate the expected cash inflow for Year $1$ and its standard deviation to evaluate the project's risk profile. $(4$ marks$)$