The Payback Method Is a Popular Way to Analyze Investment

question 34

Essay

The payback method is a popular way to analyze investment proposals.
Required:
A. Explain how the payback period is determined. Generally speaking, from a payback perspective, which projects are viewed to be the most attractive?
B. Does the payback method take income taxes into consideration? Explain.
C. What are the deficiencies of the payback method?

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Definitions:

Actual Sales

The monetary value of goods and services sold by a company during a specific accounting period, as recorded in financial statements.

Top Management

The highest level of managers within an organization, responsible for setting policies and making critical decisions.

Materiality

A company-specific aspect of relevance. An item is material when its size makes it likely to influence the decision of an investor or creditor.

Activity Level

An indicator of the volume of business activity or operations in a specific period, often used in costing and budgeting to measure performance.