Assessment Of The Economic Efficiency Of Investment Projects In Industrial Enterprises

Abstract

The economic assessment of investment projects in industrial enterprises remains a persistent challenge in applied corporate finance, particularly given the limitations of conventional discounted cash flow methods in capturing risk heterogeneity, strategic optionality, and sustainability imperatives. This study proposes and empirically validates the Multi-Dimensional Investment Efficiency Framework (MDIEF), which integrates traditional financial metrics—Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and Discounted Payback Period (DPP)—with advanced tools, including Monte Carlo simulation-based risk modelling, Real Options Analysis (ROA), and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance indicators. Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study analyses longitudinal panel data from 87 industrial enterprises across three emerging market economies during 2015–2023, complemented by structured expert interviews and scenario analysis. The empirical findings demonstrate that the MDIEF achieves a predictive accuracy of 91.3% relative to ex-post project outcomes, significantly outperforming conventional single-metric approaches. Furthermore, projects evaluated under the integrated framework exhibit a 34.7% reduction in post-implementation variance, indicating more effective ex-ante risk identification. The findings have important implications for industrial policy, corporate governance, and development finance institutions, supporting a transition from one-dimensional appraisal methods to context-sensitive, multi-criteria investment assessment frameworks.