Corporation Finance (Honors)

Catalog description

FIN 301H honors course provides insight into real world issues that are needed to effectively run a business. Students will utilize the fundamental concepts learned in finance (integrated with accounting, marketing, management, logistics, operations, and business law/ethics) as a foundation for running a business in the classroom. The "product" in this business will be a comprehensive strategic business plan for a real, live local, state, national, or international business that will serve not only as an articulation of understanding of core course concepts, but also as a supplement to the existing core package of introductory business courses. The honor students in this course will be building their strategic business plan products in electronic format in closely-knit, high performance teams. The strategic plan product development process in this course inherently involves integration across the functional areas of business: marketing, logistics, finance, and management. There is also inclusion and integration of courses in accounting, business law, management information systems, and statistics as applicable. Each student team will allocate product development responsibilities according to areas of expertise and interest. An appropriate balance of students from several majors will be assigned to each group. Class time will involve exchanging information within and across groups and coordinating activities between groups where necessary. Students will periodically meet with individual and team-based corporate mentors who will provide one-on-one advice on an as-needed basis. Students will also receive specialized training in team-based processes, leadership, and technology tools required to implement the products under development. Select members of the Penn State faculty and Smeal College alumni will be on hand at times to provide this specialized training and consulting expertise. Company owners and principals will provide periodic (monthly) reviews of honor students' work to assist them in the development of a first-class, professional business plan product.