Question:

Arjun ran a successful retail store specialising in organic products. Over the last few years, his business had been doing very well and the number of customers visiting the store had increased significantly. To meet the growing demand, he decided to expand his business. He was evaluating two investment options :

Option A : Open a new store in the city.

Option B : Launch an online e-commerce platform.

Both the options would involve a huge amount of investment and once made, it would be almost impossible for him to wriggle out of such a decision. Therefore, this decision needed to be taken with utmost care. Arjun was proceeding very carefully as one wrong decision could severely damage the financial fortune of his business.

(i) Identify the financial decision to be taken by Arjun.

(ii) Explain any three factors which would affect this decision.

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A decision about putting large long-term funds in assets, which cannot be reversed easily, is the investment (capital budgeting) decision. Cash flows, rate of return and investment criteria are its factors.
Updated On: Oct 26, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Spot the decision from the case:
The case says both options need a huge amount of investment. It also says Arjun cannot easily wriggle out once the money is put in.
A decision about where to put long-term funds in assets, which is hard to reverse, is the investment decision. It is also called the capital budgeting decision.
Arjun is choosing between a new store (Option A) and an online platform (Option B). Choosing one long-term project out of two is exactly what this decision means.

Step 2: Why it is not a financing or dividend decision:
The financing decision is about how to raise funds, such as debt or equity. The dividend decision is about how much profit to pay out. The case talks about neither.
The case talks only about spending money on an asset that will bring returns over many years. So the matching decision is the investment decision.

Step 3: Factor 1: Cash flows of the project:
Every project brings in cash and also takes cash out over its life. Arjun must estimate the cash receipts from the store and from the online platform.
The project with larger and surer cash inflows after meeting all outflows is a better choice. If the inflows are small, the business may struggle to repay the funds used.

Step 4: Factor 2: The rate of return:
Arjun must compare the expected return from Option A with that from Option B. He should prefer the project that gives the higher rate of return on the money invested.
A project with a low return will not justify a huge investment, so this comparison is a key part of the decision.

Step 5: Factor 3: The investment criteria involved:
Each project must be tested with tools such as payback period, net present value and internal rate of return. These tools look at the amount of investment, interest rates, cash flows and returns.
Arjun can apply the same criteria to both options and pick the one that passes better. Different criteria may suit different projects, so he must choose them with care.

Final Answer:
(i) The financial decision taken by Arjun is the investment decision (capital budgeting decision). (ii) Three factors affecting it are the cash flows of the project, the rate of return and the investment criteria involved.
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