Family Care Products Company is considering an investment in one of two new product lines. The investment required for either product line is $600,000. The net cash flows associated with each product are as follows:

Year

Liquid Soap

Cosmetics

1

$120,000

$165,000

2

120,000

155,000

3

120,000

140,000

4

120,000

140,000

5

120,000

110,000

6

120,000

90,000

7

120,000

80,000

8

120,000

80,000

Total

$960,000

$960,000

a. Recommend a product offering to Family Care Products Company, based on the cash payback period for each product line.

b. Why is one product line preferred over the other, even though they both have the same total net cash flows through eight periods?