Suppose your boss has asked you to analyze two mutually exclusive projects-project A and project B. Both projects require the same investment amount, and the sum of cash inflows of Project A is larger than the sum of cash inflows of project B. A coworker told you that you don't need to do an NPV analysis of the projects because you already know that project A will have a larger NPV than project B. Do you agree with your coworker's statement? No, the NPV calculation is based on percentage returns, so the size of a project's cash flows does not affect a project's NPV. Yes, project A will always have the largest NPV, because its cash inflows are greater than project 8's cash inflows. No, the NPV calculation will take into account not only the projects' cash inflows but also the timing of cash inflows and outflows. Consequently, project B could have a larger NPV than project A, even though project A has larger cash inflows. 4. Internal rate of return (IRR) The internal rate of return (IRR) refers to the compound annual rate of return that a project generates based on its up-front cost and subsequent cash flows. Consider this case: Consider the following case: Blue Llama Mining Company is evaluating a proposed capital budgeting project (project Delta) that will require an initial investment of $1,400,000 Blue Llama Mining Company has been basing capital budgeting decisions on a project's NPV; however, its new CFO wants to start using the IRR method for capital budgeting decisions. The CFO says that the IRR is a better method because percentages and returns are easier to understand and to compare to required returns. Blue Lama Mining Company's WACC is 10%, and project Delta has the same risk as the firm's average project The project is expected to generate the following net cash flows: Year Cash Flow Year 1 $300,000 Year 2 $425,000 Year 3 $400,000 Year 4 $425,000 Which of the following is the correct calculation of project Delta's IRR? 4.61% 4.41% 3.61% 4.01% If this is an independent project, the IRR method states that the firm should