27

Figuring ROI

The Nitty-Gritty

Capital expenditures. Cap-ex. Capital investments. Capital budgeting. And of course, return on investment—ROI. Many companies use these terms loosely or even interchangeably, but they’re usually referring to the same thing; namely, the process of deciding what capital investments to make to improve the value of the company.

ANALYZING CAPITAL EXPENDITURES

Capital expenditures are large projects that require a significant investment of cash. Every organization defines significant differently; some draw the line at $1,000, others at $5,000 or more. Capital expenditures go toward items and projects expected to help generate revenue for more than a year. The category is broad. It includes equipment purchases, business ...

Get Financial Intelligence, Revised Edition: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.