Corporate finance

• Coursera:
  • Corporate Finance I: Measuring and Promoting Value Creation
  • Corporate Finance II: Financing Investments and Managing Risk
• Illinois Catalog FIN 580: CORPORATE FINANCE
• Offered in Winter Term (Aug-Oct)

This course is part of the Financial Management Specialization

Course Description

In this course you will learn how to use key finance principles to understand and measure business success and to identify and promote true value creation. You will also learn financial management tools that allow us to determine the optimal financing and risk management strategies for corporations.

In the first part of the course, you will learn how to use accounting information to form key financial ratios to measure a company’s financial health, and to manage a company’s short-term and long-term liquidity needs. You will also learn how to use valuation techniques to make sound business investment and acquisition decisions. Finally, you will learn how to incorporate risk and uncertainty into investment decisions, and how to evaluate the performance of existing investments.

In the second part of the course, you will learn how companies choose how much debt to have, and which type of debt to issue. You will also learn how payout decisions (dividends and share repurchases) affect firm value and how to determine a company’s optimal payout policy. Finally, you will learn how to use risk management tools such as derivatives and liquidity to mitigate specific risks, such as currency risk. You will apply these tools to develop a financial management framework for M&A decisions, and R&D investments.

Beyond work done in Coursera, this course will include an additional four group assignments and one final exam. The course will also include weekly live sessions in which the students have an opportunity to interact directly with the instructor.

Instructor

Coursera Profile

Course Goals and Objectives

• Understand how companies make financing and investment decisions that create value for shareholders.
• Use accounting statements to measure the financial health of a company.
• Forecast and manage a company’s short- and long-term liquidity needs.
• Measure the contribution of a new project or acquisition to shareholder value.
• Incorporate risk into investment decisions using the appropriate discount rates.
• Evaluate the performance of a company or divisions of a company.
• Understand how companies make financing, payout and and risk management decisions that create value.
• Measure the effects of leverage on profitability, risk, and valuation.
• Manage credit risk and financial distress using appropriate financial tools.
• Understand the links between payout policies and company performance.
• Use derivatives and liquidity management to offset financial risks.
• Pick an appropriate financing package for an M&A or leveraged buyout deal.

Topics of this course

• Module 1: The Objective of the Corporation and Analysis of Financial Ratios
• Module 2: Financial Planning
• Module 3: Making Investment Decisions
• Module 4: Mergers and Acquisitions, Risk, and Performance Evaluation

Course Materials

All materials will be provided.

Live Sessions

August 16th, 2017 – October 10th, 2017

Course Elements

IN COURSERA

• Lecture Videos
• In-lecture Questions
• Practice Quizzes
• Graded Quizzes
• Honors Assignments (optional)

IN COMPASS 2G

• Readings
• Individual Final Exam
• Team Assignments
• Peer Evaluations
• Live Sessions: