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A Refresher on Internal Rate of Return

Harvard Business Review

There are a variety of methods you can use to calculate ROI — net present value , payback, breakeven — and internal rate of return , or IRR. According to Knight, it’s commonly used by financial analysts in conjunction with net present value, or NPV. A Refresher on Net Present Value.

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Will You Be Writing Off Your Investment in Egypt?

Harvard Business Review

Anyone who has had to make the argument for an investment knows the basic tool involved: a Net Present Value (NPV) calculation. The overall value of a foreign investment is equal to the NPV of the expected stream of profits for the life of the investment.

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Hospital Budget Systems Are Holding Back Innovation

Harvard Business Review

Despite a one-year payback period and a highly positive net present value (NPV) from this investment, the department will often reject the attractive opportunity. Consider the opportunity to raise spending in Year 1 by $100,000 to acquire technology that would decrease spending each year thereafter by $100,000.

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Stop Focusing on Profitability and Go for Growth

Harvard Business Review

The Refresher: Net Present Value. Next time you're deciding about a big investment, NPV can help you make a more informed decision.

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Is Your Business Biased Against Innovation?

Strategy Driven

Many conventional metrics we use to estimate value are based on faulty assumptions. Net present value [NPV] is a case in point. The logic of NPV is to project cash flows into the future and then discount those flows back into today’s dollars at a given cost of capital.