Question

Pembroke-Hawk Limousine is deciding if they should invest in a charter company to run trips to various educational and cultural sites throughout the southeast of the. To make the vehicles more cost-effective and the trips more popular, each of eight new buses will be equipped with a kitchenette and a video screen for movies and sports telecasts.

Each bus costs $200,000 and requires customized equipment that costs an additional $100,000 per bus. All the buses and the equipment have a recovery period (MACRS life) of 5 years. An advertising campaign, which will start immediately, costs $750,000 and will be paid for immediately. Other start-up costs total $75,000.

The sports trips are scheduled for 3-10 days and will generate revenues of $100 per day per seat. For the eight video buses, total revenues are expected to be $3,168,000 for the first year and $3,484800 for the second year (a 10% increase), and increase at a rate of 10% each year for the life of the project. Operating costs are 35% of total revenues. Personnel expenses, including driver salaries, are $650,000 in year 1 and will increase by 10% in year 2 and each year for the life of the project.

The company expects to discontinue operation of its video bus tours after the third  year. Each bus will be sold to a university for $65,000 ($55,000 for the bus itself and $10,000 for the equipment). The finance department has determined that the beta of this project is 1.75, while the market return is expected to be 10%. Treasury bills pay a nice safe 2 percent.  Hawk Transport can finance the entire project with a bank loan from their local First Guaranty Bank at 9%.

Should the company proceed with this project? Demonstrate your decision by answering the following questions (build a cash flow estimate, and in it show):

o   What are the cash flows for the initial investment period (CF₀)?

o   What is the MACRS depreciation schedule for the of the projecr for all of the buses and the equipment? Include this in your Income Statement (*and Cash Flow) They fall into the MACRS 5 year class. See below

o   What are the after-tax cash flows for the years that the bus tours will be in operation if their tax rate is 24%?

o   What are the termination cash flows in the final year?

o   If NPV analysis is used, should the buses be purchased?