FIN 531 (ADVANCED CORPORATE FINANCE)

This advanced course will provide you with an opportunity to apply the knowledge you acquired in prerequisite classes to real-life financial decisions of a company. The financial manager's task is to attempt to maximize the value of the firm to its owners by making investing decisions (to what projects should funds be allocated) and financing decisions (where should the funds be obtained) that improve the firms risk/return trade-off. You should end up with a very good knowledge and deep understanding of the behavior of the people on the financial side of the firm. A particular emphasis will be placed on how various financial decisions interrelate, and on careful analysis of the various factors that contribute to a well-thought-out financial decision.

As the course progresses we will cover such topics as financial statements, financial planning, cost of capital, project analysis, capital budgeting, and capital structure, mergers and acquisitions among others.