The correct answer is: D. All of the above
Risk is a major factor in capital budgeting decisions. The risk of a project can be incorporated into the decision-making process by adjusting the cash flows, the discount rate, or the life of the project.
Adjusting the cash flows is the most common way to incorporate risk into capital budgeting. The cash flows of a project are adjusted to reflect the possibility of different outcomes. For example, if there is a risk that the project will not generate the expected cash flows, the cash flows can be adjusted downward to reflect this risk.
Adjusting the discount rate is another way to incorporate risk into capital budgeting. The discount rate is the rate at which future cash flows are discounted to present value. A higher discount rate reflects a higher risk of the project.
Adjusting the life of the project is a third way to incorporate risk into capital budgeting. The life of a project is the number of years that the project is expected to generate cash flows. A shorter life reflects a higher risk of the project.
In general, the more risk a project has, the lower the expected return should be. This is because investors are willing to take on more risk only if they are compensated for it. Therefore, when incorporating risk into capital budgeting, it is important to consider the risk of the project and the expected return.