Ranking conflicts occur between the NPV and IRR methods because I NPV profiles have differing slopes. II IRR assumes reinvestment of intermediate cash flows at the IRR rate. III IRR doesn't take into account cash flows occurring far in the future. IV NPV incorrectly uses the same discount rate for all cash flows.
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A. B. C. D. E. F.Explanation
Project with differing initial investments and cash flow patterns may have NPV profiles with differing slopes. The point at which the NPV profiles cross represents the discount rate at which the NPV of both projects is the same. There will be ranking conflicts between NPV and IRR at discount rates below this point. The NPV method implicitly assumes that the rate at which cash flows can be reinvested is the cost of capital, whereas the IRR method assumes that the firm can reinvest at the IRR. IRR does take all cash flows into account, even those far in the future. It is correct to use the same discount rate for all project cash flows, unless you know project risk will change in the future.