Course Lecturer Name(s): Ms. Zanifa Payne
Course Director Name: N/A
Course Lecturer(s) Contact Information: 473 444 4175 Ext. 3443
Course Director Contact Information: Email: zpayne@sgu.edu
Course Lecturer(s) Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 10am-12pm and 1pm to 4pm or by appointment via email.
Course Director Office Hours: N/A
Course Lecturer(s) Office Location: Caribbean House (Ground floor -AQAU)
Course Director Office Location: N/A
Course Support: Tracy Fortune tfortune@sgu.edu (ext. 3373) & Mahalia Charles mcharl11@sgu.edu (ext. 3863)
Course Management tool: To learn to use Sakai, the Course management tool, access the link https://apps.sgu.edu/members.nsf/mycoursesintro.pdf
Course Description:
Emphasis is placed on valuation and on how financial decisions effect cash flows and profitability. The capital markets for stocks and bonds will be studied. This course will present the student with basic measures of business performance, methods for analyzing the value of business investments, an assessment of the importance of financial market conditions to the profitability of the firm, techniques of financial forecasting, and rules for making long term investment decisions. This course emphasizes the decisions financial managers must make as well as individuals with their investments. Finally, the course recognizes the relationship of finance to other business disciplines. Through extensive problem solving in an interactive group environment, students will have the opportunity to understand fundamental concepts and their application to business decision-making
Course Objectives:
The principal objective of this course is to provide students with the analytical and quantitative skills needed to make sound financial decisions. At the end of the course, a student should be able to:
- Interpret and analyze and forecast financial statements and cash budgets.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of the time value of money.
- Explain and identify the concept of capital budgeting, both under conditions of certainty and risk.
- Explain asset valuation, particularly as it pertains to bonds and common stock.
- Evaluate an investment project's profitability using standard investment criteria.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Interpret and analyze financial statements for the measurement of liquidity, profitability, solvency, activity, and market structure.
- Demonstrate the financial planning process through the preparation, evaluation of cash budgets and proforma financial statements.
- Apply the principles of time value of money
- Exhibit and explain the basic valuation techniques pertaining to bonds, time to maturity and yield to maturity.
- Demonstrate the concept of stock valuation using zero-growth, constant-growth and variable-growth models.
- Calculate and estimate free cash flows and the impact of net working capital in cash flow generation.
- Explain the key elements of the capital budgeting process and calculate and evaluate the payback period, discounted payback period, net present value and internal rate or return.
Program Outcomes Met By This Course:
Accounting:
- Students will be able to utilize the relevant ICT tools to analyze problems and propose solutions that aid in management decision-making (ISLO-2).
- Students will demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills (ISLO-3).
- Students will be able to analyze financial and non-financial reports to assist local and global internal managers and external users in making decisions (ISLO-5).
SAS Grading Scale: Grades will be assigned as follows:
A = 89.5% or better
B+ = 84.5 - 89.4%
B = 79.5 - 84.4%
C+ = 74.5 - 79.4%
C = 69.5 - 74.4%
D = 64.5 - 69.4%
F = 64.4% or less
Course Materials:
Text: Principles of Managerial Finance 15th Edition by Lawrence Gitman (On ProQuest)
Supplementary Readings/Resources: Software: Microsoft Excel
Course Grading Requirement:
- This is a seminar course. Lectures are limited to that required to identify and explain concepts and terminology. Students must keep up with the reading in the text and be prepared to discuss the material in class. Read critically, evaluating in light of your own experience and knowledge. Use the calendar included as your guide to keep on track. Check Sakai often, as valuable information is posted time to time. Suggested problems will be identified from each chapter in the textbook. These should be done prior to all examinations to ensure the information is grasped. They are for your practice and will not be graded. Proof of their completion must be presented to gain access to the solutions during my office hours.
- Attendance. Students are allowed two unexcused absences for the semester. All remaining unexcused absences will affect the final grade. For each class session to be marked “present,” a student must be in attendance for at least 70% of the allotted time. Please email all excuses to zpayne@sgu.edu with BUSI 306: Corporate Finance Excuse in the subject line.
- Participation: An essential obligation is to keep up with the assigned readings within the course study outline contained in this syllabus. Class attendance is essential, and participation will be evaluated on your responses to class polls, activities, and pop quizzes.
- Forums on Sakai: Students are to participate in the forum discussions for both original posts and replies on the platform and not via email. Late submittals will not be accepted.
- Quizzes: There will be eight (8) announced quizzes, each taken either during the class session, or out of class, throughout the semester and at the discretion of the lecturer. The lowest score will be dropped. See the Course Calendar for dates.
If you are absent the day of a quiz, you have up ONE (1) week from the day it was assigned to do a makeup quiz. Beyond this time the grade assigned will be a zero (0). - Midterm to be administered on ExamSOFT and/or MS Excel. More details will be given at a later date.
- Assignments: Assignments must be your own work and submitted as advised by the instructor.
- Comprehensive Final Exam to be administered on ExamSOFT and/or MS Excel. More details will be given at a later date.
- Extra Credit. Opportunities for extra credit will arise during the semester. More details will be given by the instructor.
Course Requirements:
Subject to change as determined by the lecturer during semester.
|
Course Grading Requirements |
Percentage of Final Grade |
Date |
|
Attendance |
10% |
|
|
Forum Discussions on Sakai |
10% |
|
|
Quizzes |
40% |
See Calendar Attachment |
|
Midterm |
15% |
Midterm Week |
|
Participation Activities |
10% |
Lessons & Assignments |
|
Comprehensive Final |
15% |
Finals Week |
|
TOTAL |
100% |
|
Course Schedule:
Tentative Course Schedule: This schedule represents our expected class plan. However, as the term progresses, we may need to make changes if we spend more or less time than planned on any particular topic. The calendar of activities and quizzes dates will be distributed the first week.
- Introduction to Managerial Finance & The Financial Market Environment - To read prior to first day of class
- Financial Statements and Ratio Analysis – Three sessions
- Cash Flow and Financial Planning – Three sessions
- Time Value of Money –Five sessions
- Interest Rates and Bond Valuation – Two sessions
- Stock Valuation – Three sessions
- Capital Budgeting Techniques – Three sessions
- Capital Budgeting Cash Flows – Four Sessions
School of Arts and Sciences Master Syllabi — Info for All Sections
Academic Integrity
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“Plagiarism is regarded as a cardinal offense in academia because it constitutes theft of the work of someone else, which is then purported as the original work of the plagiarist. Plagiarism draws into disrepute the credibility of the Institution, its faculty, and students; therefore, it is not tolerated” (p. 48).
Plagiarism also includes the unintentional copying or false accreditation of work, so double check your assignments BEFORE you hand them in.
Be sure to do good, honest work, credit your sources and reference accordingly and adhere to the University’s Honor Code. Plagiarism and cheating will be dealt with very seriously following the university’s policies on Plagiarism as outlined in the Student Manual.
Your work may be subject to submission to plagiarism detection software, submission to this system means that your work automatically becomes part of that database and can be compared with the work of your classmates.
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“Students are expected to attend all classes and or clinical rotations for which they have registered. Although attendance may not be recorded at every academic activity, attendance may be taken randomly. Students’ absence may adversely affect their academic status as specified in the grading policy. If absence from individual classes, examinations, and activities, or from the University itself is anticipated, or occurs spontaneously due to illness or other extenuating circumstances, proper notification procedures must be followed. A particular course may define additional policies regarding specific attendance or participation” (p. 9).
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“All matriculated students are expected to attend all assigned academic activities for each course currently registered. Medical excuses will be based on self-reporting by students. Students who feel they are too sick to take an examination or other required activity on a specific day must submit the online SAS medical excuse, which is available on Carenage. Students are only allowed two such excuses a year. Upon consultation with the Director of University Health Service, the third excuse will result in a mandatory medical leave of absence. The policies regarding make-up examinations are at the option of the Course Director” (p.46).
For additional specific examination policies and procedures, refer to the St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020), pages 31 through 37.
The St. George’s University Student Manual (2019/2020) states as follows:
“A student with a disability or disabling condition that affects one or more major life activities, who would like to request an accommodation, must submit a completed application form and supporting documentation to the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (SAAS) located in the Dean of Students Office. It is highly recommended that students applying for accommodations do so at least one month before classes begin to allow for a more efficient and timely consideration of the request. If a fully completed application is not submitted in a timely fashion, an eligibility determination may not be made, and accommodations, where applicable, may not be granted prior to the commencement of classes and/or examinations” (p. 8).
It is the responsibility of the student to read and understand the policies, laws, rules and procedures that while they could affect your grade for a course, have not been specifically outlined in the course syllabus. These are contained in the St. George’s University Student Manual.