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2010•Technology and InvestmentOpen access

An Application of Fuzzy Set Theory to the Weighted Average Cost of Capital and Capital Structure Decision

Shin‐Yun Wang, Chih‐Chiang Hwang

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present the use of fuzzy logic to improve the calculation of weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The fuzzy WACC approach not only allows the pre-tax cost of debt, the effective tax rate, the tax benefit, and cost of equity to be treated as fuzzy numbers, it also offers ranking means to find the optimal debt ratio. This paper contributes to the literature by offering alternative methods to calculate the WACC and the optimal debt ratio for firms under uncertainty. Compared with the traditional WACC, the fuzzy WACC model can overcome the problems pertinent to uncertainty, complexity and imprecision. This paper thus sheds light on capital structure decision making.

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What this paper is about

The purpose of this paper is to present the use of fuzzy logic to improve the calculation of weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The fuzzy WACC approach not only allows the pre-tax cost of debt, the effective tax rate, the tax benefit, and cost of equity to be treated as fuzzy numbers, it also offers ranking means to find the optimal debt ratio. This paper contributes to the literature by offering alternative methods to calculate the WACC and the optimal debt ratio for firms under uncertainty. Compared with the traditional WACC, the fuzzy WACC model can overcome the problems pertinent to uncertainty, complexity and imprecision. This paper thus sheds light on capital structure decision making.

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Available abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present the use of fuzzy logic to improve the calculation of weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The fuzzy WACC approach not only allows the pre-tax cost of debt, the effective tax rate, the tax benefit, and cost of equity to be treated as fuzzy numbers, it also offers ranking means to find the optimal debt ratio. This paper contributes to the literature by offering alternative methods to calculate the WACC and the optimal debt ratio for firms under uncertainty. Compared with the traditional WACC, the fuzzy WACC model can overcome the problems pertinent to uncertainty, complexity and imprecision. This paper thus sheds light on capital structure decision making.

Key concepts: Weighted average cost of capital, Cost of capital, Economics, Capital structure, Cost of equity, Fuzzy logic, Tax shield, Ranking (information retrieval)

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