=+P10–29 ETHICS PROBLEM Diane Dennison is a financial analyst working for a large chain of discount retail stores. Her company is looking at the possibility of replacing the existing fluorescent lights in all of its stores with LED lights. The main advantage of making this switch is that the LED lights are much more efficient and will cost less to operate. In addition, the LED lights last much longer and will have to be replaced after 10 years, whereas the existing lights have to be replaced after 5 years. Of course, making this change will require a large investment to purchase new LED lights and to pay for the labor of switching out tens of thousands of bulbs. Diane plans to use a 10-year horizon to analyze this proposal, figuring that changes to lighting technology will eventually make this investment obsolete.

Diane’s friend and coworker, David, has analyzed another energy-saving investment opportunity that involves replacing outdoor lighting with solarpowered fixtures in a few of the company’s stores. David also used a 10-year horizon to conduct his analysis. Cash flow forecasts for each project appear below. The company uses a 10% discount rate to analyze capital budgeting proposals.