THE DETERMINATION AND USE OF INVESTMENT HURDLE RATES IN CAPITAL BUGETING: A SURVEY OF AUSTRALIAN PRACTICE*

This paper summarizes the results of a survey, conducted in 1979, which investigated Australian practice in the determination and use of investment hurdle rates, and in certain other areas of capital budgeting which impinge on hurdle rate practice. The study suggests a significant closure of the gap between theory and practice in capital budgeting in terms of the use of discounted cash flow techniques of capital project evaluation, and in terms of the use of some tools of finance such as the weighted average cost of capital. However, many developments in the determination and use of investment hurdle rates appear to have taken place at a slower rate, and it is possible that some “back-tracking” may be required in order to improve practice.     

INTEREST ON EQUITY CAPITAL AS AN EX POST COST: A COMMENT

This paper attempts to rebut some criticisms advanced by Amey against the conceptual basis of proposals to make an ex post imputation for the cost of equity capital in external fmancial reports. The principle argument is that 'implicit' opportunity costs are relevant not only ex ante, for decision-making, but also ex post, if suitably defined and measured, for performance evaluation. An allowance for the foregone earnings of the equity does, therefore, seem justified. But rather than a standardised imputation of 'interest', the need for comparability across firms suggests firm - or industry - specific allowances which would take account of each firm's gearing and overall riskiness.