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Why Some Digital Companies Should Delay Profitability for as Long as They Can

Harvard Business Review

When most of the great companies of the industrial era were founded, even the most brilliant economists believed deeply in the law of diminishing marginal returns. The law of diminishing marginal returns held firm throughout the industrial era. He speculated that some industries actually demonstrated increasing returns.

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Why Is an App Worth as Much as a Small Oil Field?

Harvard Business Review

While on the surface, the dirty business of fossil fuels is nothing like Silicon Valley, many in the oil business have moved beyond the standard net present value (NPV) model for assessing the merit of investments. But Facebook has also bought itself time to figure out how to extract value from that audience.

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How to Improve Your Finance Skills (Even If You Hate Numbers)

Harvard Business Review

But having a grasp of terms like EBITDA and net present value are important no matter where you sit on the org chart. The Refresher: Net Present Value. Next time you're deciding about a big investment, NPV can help you make a more informed decision. How can you boost your financial acumen?

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Stop Focusing on Profitability and Go for Growth

Harvard Business Review

In these circumstances, strategies that generate faster growth create more value for most companies than those that improve profit margins. The Refresher: Net Present Value. Next time you're deciding about a big investment, NPV can help you make a more informed decision. Related Video.

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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.