WALL STREET JOURNAL
Very Important Comments about Wall Street Journal
An introductory course emphasizing the concepts of financial management. Topics covered include the goals and environment of Managerial Finance, Basic Financial Concepts, Long-Term and Short-Term financial and investment decisions and the financial Systems in both domestic and international environment.
The objective of this course is to help students understand and appreciate the fundamentals of financial management and asset pricing-pricing of all assets can be traced back to a single idea-price equals expected discounted payoff-that captures the macroeconomic risks underlying each security's value. Other objectives include:
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The student must have read the assigned material and completed the assigned work before each class. Each student must be able to discuss the chapter material. The lecture shall concentrate on the analytical material and place less emphasis on descriptive material. Learning business finance demands extensive individual effort outside of class. Three examinations will be administered. All exams will contain both conceptual questions (note: questions are also chosen from supplementary readings) and numerical problems, and some portion of each exam may be in a "multiple choice" format. The nature of course material is such that if you do not get a firm grasp of the first block of material, then you are highly unlikely to understand the subsequent blocks. Please make a note of dates of three exams, since you are expected to take all exams when they are scheduled. Makeup exams will be given only in the event that you (1) inform me that you have a problem prior to the exam, and (2) provide me with a written justification (e.g., a note from the doctor) for not taking the exam at the scheduled time. Missing an exam without meeting the above requirements will result in a grade zero for that exam. (The dept. will retain all exams.) In order to assure uniform information regarding tests: (a) I will not discuss a test outside of the classroom, and (b) I will not answer questions about the material on a test after the last class before a test. On the last class day before the exams, I reserve time for review. You are strongly encouraged to have your questions ready for that review time. For some exams, you may bring one 3" x 5" index card for formulae and notes (You'll be notified in class).
Class attendance and participation is very important and will be observed carefully. Excused absences for illnesses and or emergencies will be honored. The student is responsible for obtaining notes/assignments immediately after an unexpected absence. An excused absence does not relieve a student of the responsibility for the classwork missed. An excessive absence, even up to the number allowed (two absences) without penalty, may cause you to miss essential elements of the course. See See Class Participation evaluation here 5% of the course grade will depend upon the contributions to our class sessions and attendance.
The instructor is not obligated to allow makeup test or to repeat instructions for a student whose absence has not been officially excused. Since the course sequence is important, class attendance and participation become very crucial to your success in the course. After the second unexcused absence, your grade may be lowered a letter for each additional miss. Students with special needs or those having difficulty with the course, are strongly encouraged to make an appointment for individual meeting with the class instructor.
There will be three exams for TR classes before the final exam. The final exam is comprised of Multiple Choice Questions, is comprehensive and worth 150 points. Three exams (each worth 100 points), plus attendance/participation (100 points), plus assignments (100 points), plus final exam bring up to a total of 650 points max. Note that the exams, and assignments (on Financelab) are weighed differently. Test 1 (.2), Test 2 (.3), Test 3 (.3), Assignments (.15) and Attendance/Participation (.05) are the weights. The general grading system of A: equal to orgreater than 90 percent, B:equal to or greater than 80 percent,C: equal to or greater than 70 percent, etc. will be followed. I and my teaching assistant will be the graders and we do make mistakes. If we screw up, bring it to my attention and I will fix it. The problems are designed to provide numerical drill to complement the conceptual class discussions and may not be representative of exam questions. You must submit handwritten answers (no word processors or photocopies) to these problems, when they are due. Late submissions of Assignments will not be accepted. No partial credit can be given if students do not make their reasoning clear.
Tentative Exam. Schedule for TR classes:
Test one: Feb. 10; Test two: March 17.
; Test three: April 26.
FINAL Test (Cumulative):
See a Countdown to Tests for TR classes.
Any changes in dates will be announced in the class or on Moodle which can be accessed through ULINK at Moodle. Grades will be posted on Moodle.
To access Moodle as a student, you should have UCS account. Once you have an account, you will be permitted to login with your UCS username (CLID) and password. UCS accounts are activated at the Help Desk (Stephens Hall, Room 201). Moodle may be accessed from any computer equipped with a connection to the Internet and a web browser.
Before every class period, check the announcements on Moodle.
Instructional methods will consist of lecture, presentation and discussion.
Text material will be substantially supplemented by additional reading material.
Instructor reserves the right to make changes in course content or instructional technique without notice or obligation. Subject to change, the schedule is as follows:
(Note that it is assumed that students have a good understanding of Ch. 3 (Cash Flow and Financial Planning)and therefore it is skipped. However, if time permits and the students reqiuire this chapter to be covered, we can do so toward the end of the semester.
TOPIC
I INTRODUCTION TO MANAGERIAL FINANCE
Ch. 1: Role and Environment of Managerial Finance
Ch. 2: Financial Statements and Analysis
Ch. 3: Cash Flow and Financial Planning(****Skip****)
Ch. 4: The Time Value of Money
II IMPORTANT FINANCIAL CONCEPTS
Ch. 4: The Time Value of Money
Ch. 5: Risk and Return (International Diversification)
Ch. 6: Interest Rates and Bond Valuation
Ch. 7: Stock Valuation
III LONG TERM INVESTMENT DECISIONS
Ch. 4: The Time Value of Money
Ch. 8: Capital Budgeting Cash Flows
Ch. 9: Capital budgeting techniques
Ch. 10:Risk and Refinements in Capital Budgeting
IV LONG TERM FINANCIAL DECISIONS
Ch. 04: The Time Value of Money
Ch. 11: The Cost of capital
Ch. 12: Leverage and Capital Structure
Ch. 13: Dividend Policy
VI Ch. 16: Hybrid and Derivative Securities
Assignment Problems
These assignments are posted in MyFinance Lab. They are expected to be worked on before
or immediately after the class discussion. Built in tools available in myfinance lab guide you through the
problems with similar examples, textbook references etc.
Also, try these additional problems/cases:
Ch. 1: Case, "Assessing the Goal of Sports Products".
Ch. 2: EPI_Problem.xls from Moodle.
Ch. 3: Skipped and may be covered toward the end.
Ch. 4: Chapter 4 CASE "Funding Jill Moran's Retirement Annuity;
Ch. 5: Chapter 5 CASE "Analyzing risk and return on Chargers Products' Investments".
Ch. 8: Case, "Developing Relevant Cashflows for Clark Upholstery Company's Machine Renewal or Replacement Decision".
Ch. 9: Case, "Making Norwich tool's Lathe Investment Decision" and NPV simulation exercise.
Ch. 03: 10, 15, 17, 19
Note: Other assignment problems may be announced in class or Moodle.
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