Corporate capital budgeting and cost of capital estimation are among the most
important decisions made by the financial manager. In this process, it is crucial that
management use accurate methods that will result in the maximization of shareholder
wealth. Over time, managers have used various commonly taught capital budgeting
models and cost of capital estimations procedures; however, the use of models has not
always aligned with what is taught in collegiate finance. This study re-examines the
capital budgeting decision methods used by the Fortune 1000 companies. We show
management views net present value (NPV) as the most preferred capital budgeting tool.
Both NPV and internal rate of return (IRR) are superior to other capital budgeting tools, a
result that represents alignment between corporate America and academia.