Read the Paragraph given below carefully and answer the following question.

Sunrises Ltd. dealing in readymade garments, is planning to expand its business operations in order to cater to international market. For this purpose the company needs additional ₹80,00,000 for replacing machines with modern machinery of higher production capacity. It involves committing the finance on a long term basis. These decisions are very crucial for any business since they affect its earning capacity in the long run. The company wishes to raise the required funds by issuing debentures. The debt can be issued at an estimated cost of 10%. The EBIT for the previous year of the company was ₹8,00,000 and total capital investment was ₹1,00,00,000. Instead of issuing 10% Debenture the Company can issue Equity Shares for raising the fund. The financial manager of the company would normally opt for a source which is the cheapest.

A decision for replacing machines with modern machinery of higher production capacity is a:

Investment decision

The correct answer is option 3- Investment decision.

The decision to replace machines with modern machinery of higher production capacity is a investment decision.

Investment decision can be long term or short-term. A long-term investment decision is also called a Capital Budgeting decision. It involves committing the finance on a long term basis. For example, making investment in a new machine to replace an existing one or acquiring a new fixed asset or opening a new branch, etc. These decisions are very crucial for any business since they affect its earning capacity in the long run. The size of assets, profitability and competitiveness are all affected by capital budgeting decisions. Moreover, these decisions normally involve huge amounts of investment and are irreversible except at a huge cost. Therefore, once made, it is often almost impossible for a business to wriggle out of such decisions. Therefore, they need to be taken with utmost care. These  decisions must be taken by those who understand them comprehensively. A bad capital budgeting decision normally has the capacity to severely damage the financial fortune of a business.