Valuation of Information Technology Investments as Real Options

Eduardo S. Schwartz and Carlos Zozaya-Gorostiza

University of California at Los Angeles, Anderson Graduate School of Management from Anderson Graduate School of Management, UCLA

Abstract: This article describes a methodology for evaluating information technology investments using the real options approach. IT investment projects are categorized into development and acquisition projects depending upon the time it takes to start benefiting from the IT asset once the decision to invest has been taken. A couple of models that account for uncertainty both in the costs and benefits associated with the investment opportunity are proposed for these project types. Our stochastic cost function for IT development projects incorporates the technical and input cost uncertainties of Pindyck’s model (1993) but also considers the fact that the investment costs of some IT projects might change even if no investment takes place. In contrast to other models in the real options literature in which benefits are summarized in the underlying asset value, our model for IT acquisition projects represents these benefits as a stream of stochastic cash flows.

Date: 2000-11-18
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