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IMANET Exam CMA Topic 6 Question 93 Discussion

Actual exam question for IMANET's CMA exam
Question #: 93
Topic #: 6
[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:

Kirk
3 months ago
Haha, I bet the folks at Union Electric are really sweating this one. Hope they hired some savvy accountants!
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Nieves
2 months ago
True, Plan B's PV of costs is $15,650,000.
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Denae
2 months ago
Yeah, but it's better than Plan B's PV of costs.
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Carole
2 months ago
That's a pretty high cost for clean-up.
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Jaime
2 months ago
Plan A has a PV of costs of $15,432,000.
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Dick
3 months ago
Alright, time to crunch some numbers. Where's my trusty spreadsheet? Gotta love a good financial analysis.
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Lavonda
3 months ago
Yes, Plan A is the better option based on the PV of costs.
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Sheridan
3 months ago
That's the better project, right?
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Billi
3 months ago
Plan A has a PV of costs of $15,432,000.
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Benton
4 months ago
Ooh, time to break out the calculator. Let's see, 12% cost of capital, 2 percentage point adjustment for risk... This is gonna be good.
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Latonia
4 months ago
Hmm, this is a tricky one. Gotta factor in the cost of capital and the risk levels. Let's see, Plan A is average risk and Plan B is high risk. I'll give it a go!
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Merilyn
3 months ago
Yeah, Plan A is the better choice considering the cost of capital and risk levels.
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Sang
3 months ago
So, Plan A is the better project.
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Staci
3 months ago
Plan A has a PV of costs of $15,432,000.
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Paulina
4 months ago
I calculated the PV of costs for both projects, and Plan A is indeed the better option.
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Elvera
4 months ago
But Plan B has a lower initial cost, maybe that's better in the long run.
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Ria
4 months ago
I agree with Florinda, Plan A seems more cost-effective.
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Florinda
4 months ago
I think the better project is Plan A.
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