Week 1 Overview

Week 1: Overview

Introduction to Finance

Welcome everyone to the first week of BUSN 5200: Basic Finance for Managers. This week we will begin our study of finance by discussing:

  • The field of finance
  • Finance ethics, and
  • The goal of the firm

We will also be discussing the Case Study, which consists of a financial analysis of a real business firm. The firm selected for this term will be provided to you by your instructor. Each week you will complete a portion of the analysis until by the end of the term you will have a complete report.

Notice that for your required readings this week is some get started information which will help set up your computer for online learning, the course syllabus, my personal introduction, as well as chapter 1 from your M: Finance 3e textbook. Be sure to also read the classroom introductions of your classmates in the discussion forum.

Reminder: If you don't have your textbooks yet, the assigned readings and questions for the first two weeks in the course are available through the Textbook eReserves folder found on the course homepage.

Objectives

By the end of this week, students will be expected to:

  • Have a basic familiarity with the field of finance and an understanding of the financial goal of a business.
  • Have an appreciation for the ethical considerations inherent in financial management.
  • Explain the broad structure of the financial field, how the finance department functions in a typical organization, and they can define the financial goal of all business firms.
  • Differentiate between wealth and profit maximization.
  • Give illustrations of the ethical issues that arise in connection with financial management and explain how the principles in this course apply to non-profit entities as well as profit seeking firms.