FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 1 Discussion
DQ1 What does it mean to say that managers should maximize shareholders' wealth "subject to ethical constraints"? What ethical considerations might factor into decisions that result in lower cash flow and stock price effects than they might have otherwise been valued?
DQ2 What role do primary financial markets play in the current economy? What role do secondary markets fill? Describe the relationship between financial institutions and financial markets and suggest a method by which this relationship could run smoother. Support your rationale with at least one citation from the literature.
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 2 Discussion
DQ1 Research a company currently in the business news. Explain why it has been receiving media attention and describe the company's current financial condition compared to the rest of the industry. Support your answer with financial ratios and cite any references used.
DQ2 Describe three elements that can cause uncertainty within an enterprise's cash budget and provide your rationale for including each element. If you were the CFO of a company, what techniques would you use to cope with this uncertainty? How might your coping strategies differ when managing a large company (1,000+ employees) versus a significantly smaller company (100+ employees)?
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 3 Discussion
DQ1 What effect does compounding interest more frequently than annually have on its future value and the effective annual rate (EAR)? Explain. How would you explain the difference between the annual percentage rate (APR) and effective annual rate (EAR) to a friend with no background in finance?
DQ2 Provide an example, with rationale, of an area in your personal life where you would like to apply time value of money concepts. What can you do to create a more financially sound future for yourself?
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 4 Discussion
DQ1 Describe the impact of the coupon rate and yield to maturity (YTM) on bond par value and market value. If you were the CFO of a company and the Federal Reserve Bank decided to increase the interest rate by 1% beginning next quarter, what steps would you take to raise capital from the financial markets?
DQ2 Explain why an individual might not be convinced to make a buy/sell decision based on the Gordon growth model (also known as the dividend discount model). Support your rationale with at least one citation from the literature.
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 5 Discussion
DQ1 If you were a finance leader in a business organization, how would you apply the concept of risk and return in your daily decision-making processes? How might you explain the concept of risk vs. return trade-off during a shareholders' meeting? How would a proposed initiative to diversify current holdings factor into the discussion about total risk for the organization? Explain.
DQ2 Describe the logic underlying the use of target weights to calculate the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) and compare this approach with the use of historical weights. Which is the preferred weighting scheme and why? Support your rationale with at least one citation from the literature.
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 6 Discussion
DQ1 Explain how a net present value (NPV) profile is used to compare capital projects. How does this profile compare to that of internal rate of return (IRR)? How does reinvestment affect both NPV and IRR? Support your rationale with at least one citation from the literature.
DQ2 Capital budgeting can be affected by factors such as exchange rate risk, political risk, transfer pricing, and strategic risk. Select a mid- or large-sized business organization and explain how each of these factors can affect its capital budgeting. Which factor poses the greatest threat to your selected organization and why? What measures can stakeholders take to reduce adverse impacts of these factors? Support your rationale with at least one citation from the literature.
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 7 Discussion
DQ1 Research publicly traded companies and select two companies in different sectors. Compare the capital structure for each and explain your conclusions on the similarities and differences. What support can you provide for why each company adheres to their chosen structuring mechanisms?
DQ2 Why is understanding the relationship between the cash conversion cycle (CCC) and net working capital important to the contemporary business executive? Explain ways in which executive decisions regarding the CCC and net working capital can affect a company both adversely and beneficially. Support your response with a specific example from the business world.
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 8 Discussion
DQ1 Reflect on your experience developing a comprehensive financial analysis over the span of this course. Which components were the easiest to develop? Which components were the hardest? What other challenges did you encounter and how did you resolve them? Did anything surprise you as you worked through this project? What are key takeaways you learned in this course that you can apply in the future?
DQ2 Provide a brief summary of the company you chose to assess for the financial analysis project and your reasons for selecting it. Explain the process your group used to analyze the company's future financial health and share your results. What do you anticipate about the stability of the company's financial future? What processes and systems did your group recommend for your chosen company to avoid bankruptcy, maintain balance, and ensure a continual flow of funds in the coming 3 to 5 years?
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 1 Assignment
CLC - Case Study Component 1
This is a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) assignment.
The purpose of this assignment is to analyze the goals, strategy, and revenue outlook of the group's chosen publicly traded company.
Case Study Instructions: Overall
Throughout this course, your group will prepare a comprehensive 2,500-word financial analysis (excluding tables, figures, and addenda) of a chosen company following the nine-step assessment process detailed in Assessing a Company's Future Financial Health. This analysis will be composed of four separate component assignments introduced in Topics 1, 3, 5, and 7.
Select a publicly traded company that receives extensive analyst coverage (e.g., Apple, GE, Southwest Airlines, Walgreen's, Exxon Mobil). Ensure that there exists sufficient accessible and financially oriented material about your company to complete this project. The more information available, the easier it will be to perform the financial analysis. Submit the name of the company to your instructor for approval. Note: This step will need to be finalized prior to completing the assignment detailed below, so it is in the best interest of your group to select and obtain approval as soon as possible.
Review the material Assessing a Company's Future Financial Health for an overview of the nine steps of a corporate financial analysis. As your group moves through these nine steps in conducting an analysis, you will research the market at each step for relevant data on your chosen company, including analyst reports, market information, and comparisons to competitors within the industry. Disclose all assumptions you are making in the case study (e.g., revenue growth projections, expense controls) and provide supporting reasons and evidence behind those assumptions. As your case study analysis develops over the span of the course, you will synthesize the research data and outcomes of the nine-step assessment process to assess the long-term financial health of the chosen company.
It may also be helpful to review Case Study Components 2, 3, and 4 (in Topics 3, 5, and 7, respectively) to set expectations for what the subsequent project components will entail.
Component 1 - Part 1
For this part of the assignment, your group will write a 500-word analysis of your chosen company based on the first two steps of the nine-step assessment process.
Step 1: Analysis of Fundamentals: Goals and Strategy
Step 2: Analysis of Fundamentals: Revenue Outlook
Prepare this part of the assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
You are required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.
Component 1 - Part 2
For this part of the assignment, your group will create a PowerPoint presentation of 5-10 slides summarizing the results from Component 1 - Part 1.
While APA style is not required for the body of this part of the assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
You are not required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite.
General Requirements
You will be required to resubmit this assignment, revised to incorporate all instructor feedback, along with the other three component assignments as one comprehensive submission in Topic 8. To save time later in the course, consider addressing any feedback soon after this assignment has been graded and returned to you.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 3 Assignment
CLC - Case Study Component 2
This is a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) assignment.
The purpose of this assignment is to analyze a company's business strategies and performance.
This assignment is the second component in your group's comprehensive financial analysis project. The steps referenced here follow the nine-step assessment process detailed in Assessing a Company's Future Financial Health.
Component 2 - Part 1
For this part of the assignment, your group will write a 500-word analysis of your chosen company based on the following two steps of the nine-step assessment process.
Step 3: Investments to Support the Business Unit Strategy or Strategies
Step 4: Future Profitability and Competitive Performance
Prepare this part of the assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
You are required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.
Component 2 - Part 2
For this part of the assignment, your group will create a 5-10 slide PowerPoint presentation summarizing the results from Component 2 - Part 1.
While APA style is not required for the body of this part of the assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
You are not required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite.
General Requirements
You will be required to resubmit this assignment, revised to incorporate all instructor feedback, along with the other three component assignments as one comprehensive submission in Topic 8. To save time later in the course, consider addressing any feedback soon after this assignment has been graded and returned to you.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 5 Assignment
CLC - Case Study Component 3
This is a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) assignment.
The purpose of this assignment is to assess the financial future of a chosen company.
This assignment is the third component in your group's comprehensive financial analysis project. The steps referenced here follow the nine-step assessment process detailed in Assessing a Company's Future Financial Health.
Component 3 - Part 1
For this part of the assignment, your group will write a 500-word analysis of your chosen company based on the following two steps of the nine-step assessment process.
Step 5: Future External Financing Needs
Step 6: Access to Target Sources of External Finance
Prepare this part of the assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
You are required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.
Component 3 - Part 2
For this part of the assignment, your group will create a 5-10 slide PowerPoint presentation summarizing the results from Component 3 - Part 1.
While APA style is not required for the body of this part of the assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
You are not required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite.
General Requirements
You will be required to resubmit this assignment, revised to incorporate all instructor feedback, along with the other three component assignments as one comprehensive submission in Topic 8. To save time later in the course, consider addressing any feedback soon after this assignment has been graded and returned to you.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 7 Assignment
CLC - Case Study Component 4
This is a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) assignment.
The purpose of this assignment is to analyze a company's future financial health.
This assignment is the fourth component in your group's comprehensive financial analysis project. The steps referenced here follow the nine-step assessment process detailed in Assessing a Company's Future Financial Health.
Component 4 - Part 1
For this part of the assignment, your group will write a 750-word analysis of your chosen company based on the final three steps of the nine-step assessment process.
Step 7: Viability of the 3-5-Year Plan
Step 8: Stress Test Under Scenarios of Adversity
Step 9: Current Financing Plan
Prepare this part of the assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
You are required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.
Component 4 - Part 2
For this part of the assignment, your group will create a 5-10 slide PowerPoint presentation summarizing the results from Component 4 - Part 1.
While APA style is not required for the body of this part of the assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
You are not required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite.
General Requirements
You will be required to resubmit this assignment, revised to incorporate all instructor feedback, along with the other three component assignments as one comprehensive submission in Topic 8. To save time later in the course, consider addressing any feedback soon after this assignment has been graded and returned to you. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
FIN504 Finance Principle
Week 8 Assignment
CLC - Case Study Final Submission
This is a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) assignment.
The purpose of this assignment is to compile a comprehensive financial analysis for a company.
This assignment is the final installment in your group's comprehensive financial analysis project.
Final Submission - Part 1
Access the four previously submitted component assignments and ensure that they have been revised to incorporate all instructor feedback.
For this part of the assignment, your group will integrate all four written component assignments into one 2,250-word comprehensive analysis that details the nine-step assessment process from start to finish.
Additionally, include an explanation of how ethical implications factored into your assessment of the company's financial future. How does the company uphold its responsibility to carry out work for the common good and to meet society's needs by making sound financial decisions?
Prepare this part of the assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
You are required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.
Final Submission - Part 2
For this part of the assignment, create a 10-12 slide PowerPoint presentation summarizing the overall results from all four components of your group's financial analysis. The content of your presentation should demonstrate evidence of revision to incorporate instructor feedback from the previously submitted component assignments.
While APA style is not required for the body of this part of the assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
You are not required to submit this part of the assignment to LopesWrite.
General Requirements
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
