Answer: A. decreases as the required rate of return increases
Explanation: The net present value decreases as the required rate of return increases. The net present value is often employed by Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) as a method of investment analysis and as an evaluation method for capital expenditures to analyze the profitability of a projected investment or project. It is defined as the difference between the present values of cash inflows and cash outflows both positive and negative, over a period of time (or over the entire life of an investment discounted to the present.