The results indicate that WACC was the strong preference among the respondents, in alignment with academia.
IV. Conclusion and Implications
It appears the views of academics and senior financial managers of Fortune 1000
companies on basic capital budgeting techniques are in stronger agreement than ever before. Discounted capital budgeting methods are generally preferred over non-discounted techniques. While it is possible the survey results reflect the increased
financial sophistication and availability of inexpensive computer technology, it was
shown that net present value is the most frequently cited capital budgeting tool of choice,
followed closely by IRR. Additionally, firms with larger capital budgets tend to favor
NPV and IRR. The vast majority of respondents agree that WACC is the best starting
point to determine the appropriate discount rate. Popular supplemental methods include
sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis, inflation adjusted cash flows, economic value
added, and incremental IRR. It will be interesting to track the progression of MIRR over
the next decade to see if this technique gains more acceptance, especially for those firms with large capital budgets.