Fuzzy Logic and Intelligent Agents: Towards the Next Step of Capital Budgeting Decision Support

The economic life of large investments is long and thus necessitates constant dynamic managerial actions. To be able to act in an optimal way in the dynamic management of large investments managers need the support of advanced analytical tools. They need to have constant access to information about the real time situation of the investment, as well as, access to up-to-date information about changes in the business environment. What is more challenging, they need to integrate qualitative information into quantitative analysis process, and to integrate foresight information into the capital budgeting process. In this paper we will look at how emerging soft computing technologies, specifically fuzzy logic and intelligent agents, will help to provide a better support in such a context and then to frame a support system that will make an integrated application of the aforementioned technologies. We will first develop a holistic framework for an agent-facilitated capital budgeting system using a fuzzy real option approach. We will then discuss how intelligent agents can be applied to collect decision information, both qualitative and quantitative, and to facilitate the integration of foresight information into capital budgeting process. Integration of qualitative information into quantitative analysis process will be discussed. Methods for integrating qualitative and quantitative information into fuzzy numbers, as well as, methods for using the fuzzy numbers in capital budgeting will be presented. A specification of how the agents can be constructed is elaborated.Intelligent Agents, Fuzzy Sets, Capital Budgeting, Real Options, DSS

An alternative approach to firms’ evaluation: expert systems and fuzzy logic

Discounted Cash Flow techniques are the generally accepted methods for valuing firms. Such methods do not provide explicit acknowledgment of the value determinants and overlook their interrelations. This paper proposes a different method of firm valuation based on fuzzy logic and expert systems. It does represent a conceptual transposition of Discounted Cash Flow techniques but, unlike the latter, it takes explicit account of quantitative and qualitative variables and their mutual integration. Financial, strategic and business aspects are considered by focusing on twenty-nine value drivers that are combined together via “if-then” rules. The output of the system is a real number in the interval [0,1], which represents the value-creation power of the firm. To corroborate the model a sensitivity analysis is conducted. The system may be used for rating and ranking firms as well as for assessing the impact of managers’ decisions on value creation and as a tool of corporate governance.Firms’ evaluation, fuzzy logic, expert system, rating, acquisition, sensitivity analysis

NEW ASPECTS REGARDING THE EVALUATION OF INVESTMENTS IN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

The additional risks associated to the actual global and contagious crisis put a severe pressure on the investments in critical infrastructure and there is a real need for new valuations especially those regarding the synergic financing strategies in critsynergic investments, critical infrastructure, real options valuation (ROV)

New Method for Real Option Valuation Using Fuzzy Numbers

Real option analysis offers interesting insights on the value of assets and on the profitability of investments, which has made real options a growing field of academic research and practical application. Real option valuation is, however, often found to be difficult to understand and to implement due to the quite complex mathematics involved. Recent advances in modeling and analysis methods have made real option valuation easier to understand and to implement. This paper presents a new method for real option valuation using fuzzy numbers that is based on findings from earlier real option valuation methods and from fuzzy real option valuation. The method is intuitive to understand and far less complicated than any previous real option valuation model to date.Real Options, Fuzzy Numbers, New Method

Yapay sinir ağları ile yatırım değerlemesi analizi

This paper shows that discounted cash flow and net present value, which are traditional investment valuation models, can be combined with artificial neural network model forecasting. The main inputs for the valuation models, such as revenue, costs, capital expenditure, and their growth rates, are heavily related to sector dynamics and macroeconomics. The growth rates of those inputs are related to inflation and exchange rates. Therefore, predicting inflation and exchange rates is a critical issue for the valuation output. In this paper, the Turkish economy’s inflation rate and the exchange rate of USD/TRY are forecast by artificial neural networks and implemented to the discounted cash flow model. Finally, the results are benchmarked with conventional practices.Bu çalışmada geleneksel yatırım değerleme metotlarından olan indirgenmiş nakit akım ve net bugünkü değer modeli ile yapay sinir ağları modelinin tahmin etme özelliğinin birleştirilmesi analiz edilmiştir. Değerleme modellerinin temel bileşenlerinden olan satış gelirleri, maliyetler, yatırım harcamaları ve bunların yıllar içerisindeki büyüme oranları sektörel dinamikler ve makroekonomik faktörlerle yakından ilişkilidir. Bununla birlikte, enflasyon oranı ve döviz kurları bu bileşenlerin değişim oranlarını etkilemektedir. Dolayısıyla enflasyon oranını ve döviz kurlarını tahmin etmek değerlemenin sonucu açısından kritik bir önem taşımaktadır. Bu çalışmada Türkiye enflasyonu ve USD/TRY döviz kuru yapay sinir ağları modeli ile tahmin edilmiş ve bu değişkenler indirgenmiş nakit akım modeli içerisine yerleştirilmiştir. Bu modelin sonuçları geleneksel yöntemler ile karşılaştırılmıştır

Valuation of real estate investments through Fuzzy Logic

This paper aims to outline the application of Fuzzy Logic in real estate investment. In literature, there is a wide theoretical background on real estate investment decisions, but there has been a lack of empirical support in this regard. For this reason, the paper would fill the gap between theory and practice. The fuzzy logic system is adopted to evaluate the situations of a real estate market with imprecise and vague information. To highlight the applicability of the Possibility Theory, we proceeded to reconsider an example of property investment evaluation through fuzzy logic. The case study concerns the purchase of an office building. The results obtained with Fuzzy Logic have been also compared with those arising from a deterministic approach through the use of crisp numbers

Rating and ranking firms with fuzzy expert systems: the case of Camuzzi

In this paper we present a real-life application of a fuzzy expert system aimed at rating and ranking firms. Unlike standard DCF models, it integrates financial, strategic and business determinants and processes both quantitative and qualitative variables. Twenty-one value drivers are defined, concerning the target firm (strategic assets in place and expected financial performance), the acquisition (synergies, quality of management) and the sector (intensity of competition, entry barriers). Their combination via “if-then” rules leads to the definition of an output represented by a real number in the interval [0,1]. Such a number expresses the value-generating power of the target firm inclusive of synergies with the bidder (Strategic Enterprise Value). The system may be used for rating and ranking firms operating in the same sector. A regression analysis using hostile takeovers multiples may be employed to translate the score into price. The real-life case refers to Camuzzi (a natural gas distributor), acquired by Enel, the Italian ex monopolist of electric energy.Corporate finance, firm, rating, ranking, expert system, fuzzy, evaluation

Investment Valuation Analysis with Artificial Neural Networks

This paper shows that discounted cash flow and net present value, which are traditional investment valuation models, can be combined with artificial neural network model forecasting. The main inputs for the valuation models, such as revenue, costs, capital expenditure, and their growth rates, are heavily related to sector dynamics and macroeconomics. The growth rates of those inputs are related to inflation and exchange rates. Therefore, predicting inflation and exchange rates is a critical issue for the valuation output. In this paper, the Turkish economy’s inflation rate and the exchange rate of USD/TRY are forecast by artificial neural networks and implemented to the discounted cash flow model. Finally, the results are benchmarked with conventional practices

Rating and ranking firms with fuzzy expert systems: the case of Camuzzi

In this paper we present a real-life application of a fuzzy expert system aimed at rating and ranking firms. Unlike standard DCF models, it integrates financial, strategic and business determinants and processes both quantitative and qualitative variables. Twenty-one value drivers are defined, concerning the target firm (strategic assets in place and expected financial performance), the acquisition (synergies, quality of management) and the sector (intensity of competition, entry barriers). Their combination via “if-then” rules leads to the definition of an output represented by a real number in the interval [0,1]. Such a number expresses the valuegenerating power of the target firm inclusive of synergies with the bidder (Strategic Enterprise Value). The system may be used for rating and ranking firms operating in the same sector. A regression analysis using hostile takeovers multiples may be employed to translate the score into price. The real-life case refers to Camuzzi (a natural gas distributor), acquired by Enel, the Italian ex monopolist of electric energy.Corporate finance, firm, rating, ranking, expert system, fuzzy logic, evaluation

Investment Valuation Analysis with Artificial Neural Networks

This paper shows that discounted cash flow and net present value, which are traditional investment valuation models, can be combined with artificial neural network model forecasting. The main inputs for the valuation models, such as revenue, costs, capital expenditure, and their growth rates, are heavily related to sector dynamics and macroeconomics. The growth rates of those inputs are related to inflation and exchange rates. Therefore, predicting inflation and exchange rates is a critical issue for the valuation output. In this paper, the Turkish economy’s inflation rate and the exchange rate of USD/TRY are forecast by artificial neural networks and implemented to the discounted cash flow model. Finally, the results are benchmarked with conventional practices