Corporate Finance

Catalog description

Corporate Finance expands upon the principles and techniques of financial management with an emphasis on applications vital for corporate managers. We discuss most of the major financial decisions made by corporate managers both within the firm and in their interactions with investors. Essential in most of these decisions is the process of valuation, which will be emphasized throughout the course. Topics include criteria for making investment decisions, valuation of financial assets and liabilities, relationships between risk and return, capital structure choice, payout policy, the effective use and valuation of derivative securities, and risk management. The course enables students to examine important issues in corporate finance from the perspective of financial managers who are responsible for making significant investment and financing decisions. The concept of net present value, suitably adapted to account for taxes, uncertainty, and strategic concerns, is used to analyze how investment and financing decisions interact to affect the value of the firm. The course covers topics that are important to decision-making in marketing, operations management, and corporate strategy. The course uses case studies and emphasizes the design of financial models in Excel to analyze problems in corporate finance. Recommended background : Knowledge of Finance fundamentals (equivalent to that in FIN 2070)