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University of Washington, Bothell

Spring 2014 B BUS 350 - Business Finance

Instructor: Phone/Office: E-Mail: Office Hours:

Gowri Shankar, Ph.D., CFA


425-352-5498; UW1-132 shankar@uw.edu Monday/Wednesday: 1.30 pm - 3 pm

Course Overview: This course is designed to provide you an introduction to the basic principles of finance. A working knowledge of these principles is essential preparation for any career in business and industry. By the end of this quarter, you will have learned how to analyze financial statements, value securities such as stocks and bonds, evaluate investment opportunities, measure risk and return and learn about the efficient market hypothesis. You will also get opportunities to develop your critical thinking and teamwork skills. The principles you will learn here can also be applied in making personal financial decisions such as investing your 401(k) funds or choosing between different mortgage options. Required Text: The required text for the course is "Fundamentals of Corporate Finance by Berk, DeMarzo & Harford, 2nd edition, Pearson/PrenticeHall. The UWB bookstore carries copies of this book along with access cards to www.myfinancelab.com. Access to myfinancelab is required to complete homework assignments in this course. If you are buying a used copy of the text, you will have to buy separate access to use the myfinancelab module (costs about $60). Alternately, Pearson allows you to buy the MyFinanceLab access and an e-text version of the text for a total of about $100. See the MyFinanceLab Registration Handout for details. In addition to the text, you will need a financial calculator for this course. I recommend the TI-BA II Plus and the TI-83 for this and other finance/accounting/statistics courses; you could also consider buying a smartphone app that allows you to do financial math computations. I also recommend that you cultivate the habit of reading the Wall Street Journal and/or Business Week on a regular basis. I intend to devote some time in each class to discussing current financial news and issues and relating them to the topic under discussion. Attendance & Class participation: Attendance is required and is essential to your success in this course. This course, like most quantitative courses, requires active participation in classroom learning exercises that are designed to illustrate and reinforce the concepts covered in the textbook. Please bring your textbook and your financial calculator to class every day.

Grading: The course grade will be based on your performance in: First Exam 30% Final exam 35% Homework Quizzes 15% Group Project 15% Class participation 5% The exams will include multiple choice questions, short essays and problems similar to what is covered in class. You will be allowed to bring in your calculator. A formula sheet containing formulas relevant for the exam will be provided to you, if necessary. The homework quizzes will be administered through myfinancelab software. There will be a total of 7 or 8 online quizzes over the quarter. Quizzes will usually be due on Mondays at 9 am. In the group project, each team of four students will be required to examine, analyze and present on a publicly traded company of your choice. You are allowed to form teams on your own.

General course policies: 1. Please view the Canvas course page frequently for announcements and postings relevant to upcoming classes. 2. Please turn off all cell phones, web browsers & email programs while in the classroom. Please minimize disruption to the class by exiting/entering quietly when in session. 3. Exams will be offered on the dates specified in the schedule, barring unforeseen circumstances. Make-up exams will not be offered (except when written permission has been obtained in advance or for documented medical reasons). 4. If you have to miss a class, it is your responsibility to get details of what you missed (including all announcements) from other students in the class. I do not respond to requests to tell me what you went over in class last Monday (or Wednesday). 5. I will respond to most (but not all) email queries within a day or two. Please make sure they are properly composed and professionally addressed.

Academic Integrity:
Students are expected to read, know and strictly uphold the academic integrity standards specified in the University of Washington student code, available on the web at http://www.uwb.edu/academic/policies/academicconduct/student-guide. The standards published there provide clear examples of academic misconduct, cheating, fabrication, facilitation and plagiarism. Please note that unintentional violations of the Code are subject to the same penalties as intentional violations and that the standards apply to both individuals and groups of students.

University of Washington-Bothell
BUS 350 Investments Spring 2014 - Course Schedule* Tentative schedule of classes and exams

Date 3/31, 4/2 4/7, 4/9 4/14, 4/16 4/21, 4/23 4/28, 4/30 5/05/14 5/07, 5/12 5/14, 5/19 5/21, 5/28 6/2, 6/4 6/9/2014

Topic Corporate Finance & the Finance Manager Introduction to Financial Statements Analysis Time Value of Money & Cash Flow streams Interest rates Bond valuation First Exam Stock valuation Investment Decision Rules Stock valuation & Efficient Markets Risk & Return in capital markets Final Exam

Chapter

1 2 3,4 5 6

7 8 10 11

*This is a tentative schedule and is subject to change as the course proceeds.

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