Overview Objective Materials grading Exam ELI Policies and Procedures Contacting the Instructor Beginning the Course
FIN 215 Financial Management- 3 Credits

Overview

In this course, you will learn basic financial management topics including statement analysis, working capital, capital budgeting, and long-term financing.  You will learn by completing various assignments using all the materials available to you including the textbook, study guide, and the textbook companion web site.  You will become familiar with the types of decisions required of financial managers and with contemporary principles and techniques in financial decision making and also acquire the fundamental knowledge of financial management for further study in finance.  This course will also help you to make personal financial decisions.


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Objectives

 A working knowledge of arithmetic and basic algebra, average skills in reading comprehension, and the ability to visualize and understand the basic operations of individual business activities in a free enterprise economic system. ACC 211 and BUS 125 are strongly suggested before taking this course. Although there is no prerequisite, most students who take this course have already had several business and/or accounting courses. The course is a 200 level course which is more difficult than the 100 level.

Upon completion of the course, you will:

  1. Understand the role and place of the finance functions in the business organization.
  2. Know the objectives of financial management in the business organization.
  3. Be able to evaluate the financial condition and financial performance of a firm by computing and interpreting key financial ratios derived from the firm’s financial statement.
  4. Understand the tradeoffs between risk and expected return.
  5. Understand the concepts of operating leverage, financial leverage, and combines leverage.
  6. Be able to calculate the degree of operating leverage, financial leverage, and combined leverage.
  7. Know how to study the interrelationships between a firm’s sales and costs of various output levels by using break-even analysis techniques.
  8. Know how to project a firm’s future financing needs by using the percent of sales method, trend analysis, linear regression, cash budgets, and proforma financial statement.
  9. Recognize the relationships between types of assets and how they are financed.
  10. Be familiar with the concept of optimal capital structure.
  11. Be familiar with principles and techniques of working capital management including cash management, management of marketable securities, accounts receivable management, inventory management, and sources of short-term financing.
  12. Be familiar with capital budgeting techniques.
  13. Understand how to assign a required rate of return to a capital investment.
  14. Know how to evaluate investment proposals by using the playback method, the net present value method, and the internal rate of return methods.
  15. Know the advantages and limitations of each method.
  16. Know how to make compound interest and present value calculations to solve valuation problems including bond prices, common stock valuation, future value and present value of single sums, annuities, and uneven cash flows.
  17. Be familiar with the sources of intermediate and long-term funds including the primary and secondary security markets.
  18. Recognize the principal advantages and disadvantages of common stock, financing, preferred stock financing, bond financing, and lease financing.
  19. Know how to calculate a firm’s cost of capital by weighing the cost of debt, preferred stock, and common equity.
  20. Know how to use the Internet in order to obtain financial information about business firms, specific industries, and securities markets.

 

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Materials


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Grading

 

Your course grade will be determined by the introductory letter, 1 project, 6 quizzes and 3 exams, according to the following points:

Item

Points

Percent of Grade

Letter of Introduction

20

2.3 %

Definition of Terms

20

2.3%

Exam #1 – Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4

100

11.49 %

Exam #2 – Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8

100

11.49 %

Exam #3 – Chapters 9, 10, 11, 12

100

11.49 %

Group Project - Take home Problems 1

100

11.49 %

Group Project - Take home Problems 2

90

10.3 %

Stock Market Project (Part I, II, III)

20 + 10 + 40 = 70

8 %

Chapter Quizzes (8 at 20 points each)

160

18.39%

Case Study @ 50 points

50

5.75 %

Online exercises – Discussion Forum

60

6.9%

Total Points

870

100%

 

 

Course Grading Scale:

Points

Percent

Grade

783-870

90%-100%

A

696-782

80%-89%

B

609-695

70%-79%

C

522-608

60%-69%

D

607 and below

Below 60%

F

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Exams

There are 3 exams in this course. You are expected to take your examinations at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

 

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ELI Policies and Procedures


This is an Extended Learning Institute (ELI) course. ELI courses differ from campus courses in several important ways, including enrollment dates, communication with faculty, assignment completion requirements, and exams. You must follow ELI's policies and procedures if you take this course. Read (or review) ELI's Policies and Procedures before you begin the course. If you have questions, call ELI at (703) 323-3347 or (888) 435-6822.
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Beginning the Course

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.