SYLLABUS

FIN 3300: PRINCIPLES OF FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Spring 2000







Instructor:
Class Time:
Office Hours:

Office:
Phone:

E-Mail:
 Syed Harun
Th 7:00-9:40 p.m. Slidell campus.
M W 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
and by appointment.
Lakefront campus, Room BA 327
280-6096 (Office)
280-3716 (Home)
[email protected]




The class notes and the exams/quizzes with the solutions are available from this website. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0 or higher to view the files. If you don't have it, download Acrobat Reader free.




REQUIRED MATERIALS:

·        Eugene F. Brigham and Joel F. Houston, Fundamentals of Financial Management: The Concise Second Edition, 1999, Dryden Press, Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

·        A Financial Calculator [Sharp EL733, TI BA-II + or HP 10-B]. Any calculator you get must have the ability to handle uneven cash-flows. I will be using Sharp EL733 for all in-class demonstration. It is crucial that you obtain and get familiar with the financial calculator as soon as possible. The ability to use financial calculator is essential to the success of this class.

·        TIME.



RECOMMENDED MATERIALS

  •         Study Guide for Fundamentals of Financial Management: Concise Second Edition.

  •         Wall Street Journal, Business Week and other business publications.

  •         The text book has a website which you might find useful.



    COURSE OBJECTIVES

    The course is designed for all students who want to learn and apply the techniques used in financial decision making. The objective of the course is to introduce you to the basic concepts, techniques and theories of modern financial management such as the time value of money, asset valuation, risk and return, capital budgeting etc. Anyone involved with the management of a business needs to have at least some knowledge of business finance. My intention is to help you understand concepts/theories and relate them to real world problems. I expect that by the end of the course you will have a basic understanding of the issues in modern financial management and will be able to critically analyze financial decision making processes.



    EXAMINATIONS AND GRADING POLICY

    The final course grade will be based on your performance on the final exam, quizzes and assignments using the following weights:

    Examination
    Quizzes
    Final Exam
    Assignment
    		 Weight
    60 %
    30 %
    10%


    The final letter grades will be assigned as:

    A = 90-100%
    B = 80-89%
    C = 70-79%
    D = 60-69%
    F = 59% or below

    Quizzes:

    Quizzes will be based on the materials covered in the class lectures and the practice homework problems. The quizzes will be a combination of multiple choice questions and problems. I will administer a total of six quizzes and count the best five quizzes towards your final grade.

    If you have to miss more than one quiz due to circumstances beyond your control, you need to get approval from me before the quiz. In case of emergencies, you must provide supporting documentation, such as a medical certificate. No make-ups will be administered for quizzes missed without prior approval. If these conditions are not met, a missed quiz will carry a zero grade.



    Assignment:

    You will be asked to do one computer assignment with EXCEL. The assignment will be related to the course materials and the objective of the assignment is to apply the concepts/techniques learned in the class in a real world situation. The details of the assignment will be discussed later in class.

    The assignment and the solution is available here.

    Homework:

    I will provide a list of homework problems for each of the chapters that we cover in class. You do not have to turn in the homework assignments. The solutions to the practice homework problems will be on reserve in the library.

    Final Examination:

    The final exam will be a combination of multiple choice, short questions and problems. The final exam will be comprehensive.

    In the interest of fairness to all students, no exceptions will be made.




    CLASS PROCEDURES AND OTHER INFORMATION

    1. The structure of the class makes your individual study and preparation outside of class extremely important. Reading the assigned chapter(s) and having some familiarity with them before class will be very useful for understanding lectures.

    2. Finance covers a lot of material and most students find at least some parts of it difficult. Your participation is highly encouraged in the class as it makes class more interesting and enhances your learning. I encourage you to ask questions and participate in discussions in class.

    3. The best way to learn finance is by doing problems. I strongly suggest you to solve the homework problems. It will help you understand the materials better and prepare you for the quizzes and the final exam.

    4. Attendance is not graded, but is important. However, if you miss a class, you are responsible for the material covered and the announcements made.

    5. Please bring a opscan and your financial calculator to the quizzes. I will provide a formula sheet.

    6. Academic integrity will not be compromised for any reason.

    7. If you have any questions, visit me at my office hours or meet at a mutually convenient time.






    COURSE SCHEDULE


    This schedule is tentative and subject to change. Any amendments will be announced in class.

    DATE

    Jan-20
    Jan-27
    Feb-3
    Feb-10
    Feb-17
    Feb-24
    Mar-2
    Mar-9
    Mar-16
    Mar-23
    Mar-30
    Apr-6
    Apr-13
    Apr-20
    Apr-27
    May-4

    May-11
    		 EXAMS



    Quiz 1

    Quiz 2

    Quiz 3


    Quiz 4

    Quiz 5


    Quiz 6



    		 CHAPTER

    Chapter 1
    Chapter 2
    Chapter 3
    Chapter 4
    Chapter 5
    Chapter 5-6
    Chapter 6
    Chapter 7
    Chapter 8
    Chapter 9
    Chapter 9-10
    Chapter 10

    Chapter 12
    Chapter 13



    		 TOPIC

    Overview of Financial Management
    Financial Statements, Cash Flow and Taxes
    Analysis of Financial Statements
    The Financial Environment
    Risk and Rates of Return
    Time Value of Money

    Bonds and Their Valuation
    Stocks and Their Valuation
    The Cost of Capital
    The Basics of Capital Budgeting

    Spring break
    Capital Structure and Leverage
    Dividend Policy
    Review

    Final Exam




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