Medium2 marksMultiple Choice
Investment AppraisalSection AFinancial ManagementSyllabus DInvestment Appraisal

ACCA · Question 05 · Investment Appraisal

'SteelForge Inc' is deciding between two heavy forging machines. Machine A has a life of 3 years and a Net Present Value (NPV) of costs of $120,000. Machine B has a life of 5 years and an NPV of costs of $180,000. The company's cost of capital is 10%.

The 3-year annuity factor at 10% is 2.487. The 5-year annuity factor at 10% is 3.791.

Based on the Equivalent Annual Cost (EAC), which machine should be chosen and why?

Answer options:

A.

Machine A, because its total NPV of costs ($120,000) is lower than Machine B's.

B.

Machine A, because its EAC is $48,251, which is lower than Machine B's EAC.

C.

Machine B, because its EAC is $47,481, which is lower than Machine A's EAC.

D.

Machine B, because it has a longer operational life, delaying replacement costs.

How to approach this question

Calculate the EAC for both machines by dividing the NPV of costs by the respective annuity factor. Choose the machine with the lowest EAC.

Full Answer

C.Machine B, because its EAC is $47,481, which is lower than Machine A's EAC.✓ Correct
When comparing assets with different useful lives, we must use the Equivalent Annual Cost (EAC) method. EAC for Machine A = $120,000 / 2.487 = $48,251. EAC for Machine B = $180,000 / 3.791 = $47,481. Since Machine B has a lower equivalent annual cost, it is the preferred choice.

Common mistakes

Comparing the absolute NPVs directly without converting to EAC.

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