Healthcare America is weighing the purchase of a new $3M MRI facility to serve its expanding presence in the area of orthopedic medicine. The expectation is that the machine will be nearly fully utilized in next five years. The government recently exempted taxes on profits from new investments to encourage capital investments. The equipment is expected to have 10 years of useful life with no salvage value. The company employs straight-line depreciation. Net cash inflows of $800,000 are expected each year for five years. The company uses a rate of 9% in evaluating its capital investment projects.

Explain your overall approach to evaluating the capital purchase.

• What criteria are most important?

• What questions do you need answered?