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IMANET Exam CMA Topic 4 Question 91 Discussion

Actual exam question for IMANET's CMA exam
Question #: 91
Topic #: 4
[All CMA Questions]

Union Electric Company must clean up the water released from its generating plant. The company's cost of capital is 12 percent for average risk projects, and that rate is normally adjusted up or down by 2 percentage points for high- and low- risk projects. Clean-Up Plan A . which is of average risk, has an initial cost of $10 million, and its operating cost will be $1 million per year for its 10-year life. Plan B, which is a high-risk project, has an initial cost of $5 million, and its annual operating cost over Years 1 to 10 will be $2 million. What is the approximate PV of costs for the better project?

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Suggested Answer: B

The cash flows of Plan A are discounted at 12%, the company's cost of capital for average risk projects. Plan B is evaluated with a lower cost of capital that reflects a greater risk of the cash outflow of the project. Thus, the cash flows of Plan B are discounted at 10% (12% --- 2%). the company's adjusted cost of capital for high risk projects. The net present value of each plan is the initial cost plus the present value of an annuity for 10 years at the appropriate rate multiplied times the annual operating cost.

The present value factors are found in the tools section of CMA Test Prep.

Plan A NPV = $10,000,000 + ($1,000,000 x 5.650)

Plan A NPV = $15,650,000

Plan B NPV = $5,000,000 + ($2,000,000 x 6.145)

Plan B NPV = $17,290,000

Plan A has a lower NPV and thus is the better project.


Contribute your Thoughts:

Salome
4 months ago
This question is making my head spin. Can we get a calculator that runs on caffeine and sarcasm? That might be the only way to solve this.
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Marguerita
4 months ago
Wait, is this a trick question? What if the 'better' project is actually the riskier one? I'm going to double-check my work on this one.
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Allene
2 months ago
I see your point, it's important to consider all factors before making a decision.
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Pamela
3 months ago
True, Plan B has higher risk but could have higher returns.
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Leslie
3 months ago
But Plan B might be the better project in the long run.
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Amie
3 months ago
Plan A has a PV of costs of $15,432,000.
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Elvera
4 months ago
I'm going to go with option B. $15,650,000 sounds about right for the better (lower cost) project.
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Tresa
4 months ago
I agree with you. Option A seems to have a better present value of costs compared to option B.
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Floyd
4 months ago
I think option A is better. It has a lower initial cost and lower annual operating cost.
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Pedro
4 months ago
I calculated the PV of costs for both projects, and it turns out that Plan B is actually the better option with a PV of $15,650,000.
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Staci
4 months ago
I see your point, Paola. It's important to consider the risk-adjusted cost of capital when evaluating the projects.
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Mitsue
4 months ago
Let's see, Plan A has an initial cost of $10 million and annual operating costs of $1 million for 10 years. Plan B has an initial cost of $5 million and annual operating costs of $2 million for 10 years. Gotta love those high-risk projects!
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Roy
3 months ago
Plan A seems to have lower total costs compared to Plan B. So, I would go with option A) $15,432,000.
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Alberta
3 months ago
I think we should calculate the present value of costs for both projects to determine which one is better.
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Paola
5 months ago
I disagree, Plan B may have higher costs but it could be worth it if it reduces the risk significantly.
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Valene
5 months ago
Hmm, I think the key here is determining the risk level of each plan. A 12% cost of capital with a 2 percentage point adjustment seems pretty straightforward.
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Winfred
4 months ago
User 2
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Myra
4 months ago
User 1
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Kami
5 months ago
I think Plan A is better because it has lower initial cost and operating cost.
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