Sample Syllabus

DR. KENNETH ROSKELLEY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS FINANCE & ECONOMICS

Financial Management, FIN 3123

Time & Location:

Internet

Prerequisites:

EC 2123, ACC 2023, BQA 2113 and junior standing

Credit Hours:

3 Hours (budget 10 hours each week for study time)

Office Hours:

Online. Even if you live in Starkville you must use the MyCourses website to ask me questions. You should post your question in the “Discussions” section, listed in the “Course Tools” panel on the left hand side of your MyCourses page. For instance, if you don’t understand problem 3 on the Chapter 5 homework, go into “Discussions”, select “Chapter 5”, and submit your question under the heading “Question 3.” Be sure to check if another student has already asked about the question.

Course Goals:

The main objective of Finance 3123 is to provide students with an overview of financial management. By the end of this course you should be able to 1) perform basic financial accounting analysis of a firm 2) understand the concept of the present and future value of money and 3) be capable of analyzing simple capital budgeting projects for firms.

Course Websites:

http://mycourses.msstate.edu http://mymedia.msstate.edu http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/class/roskelley_spring2012

Required Text:

Fundamentals of Corporate Finance by Ross, Westerfield, and Jordan, 9th edition.

Other Materials:

MyCourses: Lecture outlines and review questions can all be found on your MyCourses webpage for this class. Make sure to watch the introduction video to Connect, MyCourses, and MyMedia that is posted on MyCourses. You may also use MyCourses to ask fellow students and me questions about the homework in the “Discussion” board listed in the “Course Tools” menu. I will typically answer questions each morning, but you are encouraged to answer each other’s questions. NOTE: Please be specific when asking a question on MyCourses. Write down the problem number in the title of your post, tell us exactly what the question is, and explain how you are calculating the answer. If you don’t do this, it may not be possible to give you adequate feedback.

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Course:

MyMedia: Lecture videos are posted on MyMedia. To view the videos, you must first download and install a small codec file. The codec may be found in the “Course Content” section of MyCourses. If you do not download the codec, you will hear but not see the video. The first person to inform me of any errors in the video lectures will receive 5 bonus points on that chapter’s homework assignment. Connect: You will need to open an account with Connect to complete the assigned homework. An account may be opened either by using the code that came with your textbook, or you may purchase a code at the Connect website listed above. An account to complete the homework costs $40, and an account that includes the text as an eBook costs $80. If you don’t mind reading the book online, you can skip purchasing a hard copy of the text with this $80 option. If you have trouble registering for Connect, please contact the support group at http://mpss.mhhe.com.

Grades:

Your grade is evenly distributed between 3 exams, one comprehensive final exam, and homework problems. The lowest score out of these 5 will be dropped from the calculation of your final grade and the remaining 4 will each comprise 25% of your final grade. Because of this, no make-up exams will be given, and the course grades will not be curved. Grades are not rounded and they will be assigned on the traditional 90-80-70 scale. That means that a final score of 89.99% is a B. Exam #1

Exam #2

Exam #3

Final Exam

Homework

25%

25%

25%

25%

25%

The homework problems must be completed online via McGraw-Hill’s Connect website. You may attempt most of the homework problems two times. Once the homework due date has passed, you will be able to view the solutions to these problems. Most homework assignments will be calculation problems, but prior to each exam you will also answer a set of conceptual questions. These conceptual questions will be similar in difficulty to the conceptual questions you will see on the exam. Your lowest homework score will be dropped from the calculation of your overall homework grade, divided by 10, and added as bonus points to your final exam score. That means if your lowest homework score were 80, you would get 8 points added to your final exam score. All the remaining graded homework problem sets will receive equal weight when calculating your overall homework grade. Because of this, no extensions will be given to a homework assignment for any reason. Also, before each exam I will list a set of ungraded sample calculation problems on Connect that you may work as often as you would like. Due dates for all assignments are listed on the Connect website, but you will typically have one homework assignment due each week. Note that if you do not open an assignment before the due date, you will not be able to see the solutions or questions.

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Homework:

You will have approximately 1.5 hours to complete the first three exams, and 3 hours for the comprehensive final exam. Each exam will include some bonus points. Exams will be open note and open book. Most questions will be multiple choice, and you may use a calculator or Excel on all four exams. The calculation problems will be similar in topic to the homework, and I have posted review questions for the conceptual problems on MyCourses. Answer these posted conceptual problems from MyCourses as you read the chapters. I would also suggest creating one page with condensed notes and trying to work through the sample calculation problems on Connect (see above) without the use of your text. One problem students often experience is that having the notes and text available on an exam induces them to study less prior to taking the exam. Then they waste too much time looking answers up in the text and they do not finish the exam.

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Exams:

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Remember that each person will receive a different set of homework questions, which makes it likely that someone will have a homework problem with an error. The first person to notice and inform me of any error in the homework questions will receive 5 bonus points on that assignment.

Honor Code:

“As a Mississippi State University student I will conduct myself with honor and integrity at all times. I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will I accept the actions of those who do.”

Upon accepting admission to Mississippi State University, a student immediately assumes a commitment to uphold the Honor Code, to accept responsibility for learning, and to follow the philosophy and rules of the Honor Code. Students will be required to state their commitment on examinations, research papers, and other academic work. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the MSU community from the requirements or the processes of the Honor Code. For additional information please visit: http://www.msstate.edu/dept/audit/1207.html

Professionalism:

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheaters will be dismissed from the class and assigned an 'F' for their course grade. No "incomplete" will be given for marginal or failing work at the end of the quarter. Students are responsible for the grade they earn. Begging for unearned credit is not considered professional demeanor and will result in a 5% reduction of your final exam score. I also reserve the right to reduce your final grade by 5% for disruptive or disrespectful comments and behavior. In both cases you will be issued a formal warning before any grade reduction is carried out.

Support Services:

I have made an effort to avoid scheduling exams during religious holidays or holy days. Nevertheless, you should check the scheduled exam dates and notify me immediately of any conflict.

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Course Schedule:

Part 1: Financial Accounting (5 Weeks) Financial Statements; Chapter 2 Working with Financial Statements; Chapter 3 Financial Planning; Chapter 4 Review Financial Accounting

FIRST EXAM Part 2: Time Value of Money (6 Weeks)

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Time Value of Money; Chapter 5 Discounted Cash Flow; Chapter 6 Bond Valuation; Chapter 7 Stock Valuation; Chapter 8 Review Time Value of Money

SECOND EXAM

Part 3: Risk and the Cost of Capital (5 Weeks)

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Net Present Value; Chapter 9 Risk & Return; Chapter 13 Cost of Capital; Chapter 14 Review Risk & the Cost of Capital

THIRD EXAM

FINAL EXAM Be sure to verify all the exam and homework dates on Connect! Readings 1. 2. 3. 4.

Read the chapter’s review questions before reading the chapter. Read each chapter before the lecture. Read each chapter again after the lecture and take detailed, organized notes. Answer the chapter’s review questions (posted on MyCourses) as you read through the chapter for the second time.

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Suggestions:

Exams 1.

2. 3.

Get lots of practice using your financial calculators or Excel. Look at the links on MyCourses to see video demonstrations of how to work the problems. Answer the exam practice problems with your book closed and only a page or two of condensed notes as a reference. That way you know you are prepared for the exam. If you can’t answer a review problem, look in the text and add any relevant information to your notes. Re-attempt the same problem the following day to see if you remember the solution.

Homework 1. 2. 3.

Start the homework before the due date. This will give you time to ask questions. Attempt the homework using only your notes from the text, but not the text itself. Rework the homework problems using one or two pages of condensed notes.

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