Finance 340
Financial Management I
Tu-Th 11:00-12:15
126 Clinton Hall
Spring 2008

Site last updated: 11/19/09 (Press "Refresh" to get the latest updates.)

Current grades -  Excel spreadsheet (updated 05/19/08)

Special Announcements

May 20, 2008 - FYI, you may pick up your exams from the FREDS office (325 CH) this week.  I have also posted the solutions to the final. 

May 19, 2008 - The finals are scored and the grade spreadsheet is updated.  Have a wonderful summer.

May 12, 2008 - I've finished preparing the final and I thought you would like to know more about what to expect. The final will be 40 multiple-choice/true-false questions. Approximately 1/2 of the questions will revolve around WACC and Capital Budgeting Decision Rules. The rest will cover the other chapters from the semester, with a strong emphasis on Time Value of Money Calculations.

Remember, the final is scheduled for Thursday at 1:00 in our regular classroom. If for some reason you cannot take the final at that time, you need to contact me in advance to make other arrangements.

May 6, 2008 - One more point to remember:  You may bring one page of notes to the final exam.  A single 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, front and back, with anything on it you want. 

May 5, 2008 - I have posted a lot of materials to help you prepare for the final exam.  I addition, I have posted the final homework assignment (due Thursday).  Finally, someone asked if they could turn in IC12 for extra credit, even though we won't be covering the chapter.  Yes, you may.  It will be due in class on Thursday.   

April 24, 2008 - As mentioned in class this morning, the final exam is scheduled for Thursday, May 15 from 1:00-2:50 p.m.  Accordingly, I have scheduled a review session on Friday, May 9 during our regular class time (11:00-12:15). 

April 22, 2008 - The solutions to the second midterm are now posted.  I have also posted homework problems for Chapter 10 (due next Tuesday). 

April 19, 2008 - The second midterm has been graded.  The multiple choice section was 80% of the grade, while the problem was 20%.  I curved the multiple-choice section by giving you the square root of the percentage correct in this section. 

For example. if you scored 15/21 (71.4%) on the multiple choice section, then your curved score on the multiple choice section would be SQRT(0.714) = 0.845 or 84.5%.  If you also scored 18/20 (90%) on the problem, then your total score on the exam would be 0.8 * 84.5% + 0.2 * 90% = 85.6%.

I will pass back the exams on Tuesday in class. 

April 16, 2008 - I received a request to post solutions to the homework assignments.  These are now posted on the Homeworks page with each assignment. 

April 15, 2008 - I posted the formula sheet that I will make available for the second midterm exam.  It is available both on the Downloads page and on the Homeworks page under Current Semester Exams.   

April 10, 2008 - As announced in class today, the second midterm has been pushed back to next Thursday (the 17th).  Also, you may use the practice problems from Chapter 9 as a homework "extra credit," replacing a 0 from a late or missing homework assignment. 

April 7, 2008 - We will be covering Chapter 9 (Stocks and Their Valuation) this week.  Instead of a homework assignment for this chapter, I have posted sample problems that you should work through; we will go through as many of them as we can in class in Thursday. 

Also, remember the review session during our normal class time on Friday.  It is optional; I will simply ask questions and solve problems as requested by those present. 

March 30, 2008 - I have updated the course schedule and posted a homework on Chapter 8 that will be due on Thursday.  Also note that we will have a quiz on Chapter 7 tomorrow in class. 

March 24, 2008 - I hope you all had a great break.  I've updated the website based on our current progress through the semester.  First notice that we won't start Chapter 8 until Thursday, so the integrated case won't be due until then.  Second, I have posted a homework for Chapter 7 and scheduled a quiz on this material. 

March 14, 2008 - Grades are all up-to-date on the spreadsheet.  Have a great spring break. 

March 4, 2008 - I posted Homework 5.  I also updated the schedule and set Quiz 3 for March 13.  Finally, please note that on Thursday we will be meeting in room 203 RSC for the Business Week session on debt management. 

March 3, 2008 - Short request.  When you send me e-mails, please include either Fin340 in the subject line.  That will help me sort through my e-mail and answer your questions more quickly.  Thanks. 

March 2, 2008 - The midterm exam has been scored and the grade spreadsheet updated to reflect this information.  In addition, I have posted on BlackBoard the article mentioned in class on Thursday "Wall Street Smarts."  You will find it among the course documents.  Please download it and read it, as we will discuss it on Tuesday in class. 

February 27, 2008  - I posted lecture notes for tomorrow morning.  Don't count on this on a regular basis, but there are here for Chapter 5. 

February 25, 2008 - Bring a pencil to the exam tomorrow.  We will be using bubble sheets and the reader does not work correctly when you use ink pens. 

February 21, 2008 - I have posted the solutions to the quiz today as well at the past two homework assignments.  Remember the review session tomorrow at 11:00 in our normal classroom.  I will also be in my office in the afternoon on both Friday and Monday. 

Regarding the exam on Tuesday.  I will provide a formula sheet that includes the financial ratios from Chapter 4 and the modified financial measures outlined in Chapter 3 (specifically the measures defined in sections 3-9 and 3-10).  You can see a the version with the Chapter 3 formulas here (PDF format). Note that you will need to know the basic layout of financial statements and how to pull the correct information from these statements. 

February 18, 2008 - I have updated the course schedule.  Notice that we will NOT be covering the material on financial institutions and markets until AFTER the midterm.  Also, there is a homework assignment due on Thursday (in addition to the one due tomorrow).  Finally, there will be quiz on Thursday. 

February 13, 2008 - As mentioned in class yesterday, I have pushed back the due date for the Chapter 4 Integrated Case to Tuesday (the 19th).  I have also posted a (short) homework assignment for Chapter 3 that will be due that day. 

February 8, 2008 - The solutions to the first quiz are now posted. 

February 7, 2008 - Note the changes to the schedule (including the changed exam date).  In addition, I have posted my first grades spreadsheet. 

February 1, 2008 - I have clarified two items related to grading on the syllabus.  First, you can replace up to two quiz scores with attendance at Business Week events; this is in addition to dropping two quiz scores.  Second, I am allowing you to drop your lowest four homework scores. These changes are marked in dark brown with a revision date on the syllabus page.  

I know I was a bit harsh yesterday by being firm in not accepting late assignments.  But for the person involved, there is little difference between a snowstorm making you late and a flat tire.  It doesn't seem fair to me that an unfortunate event affecting many people (the snowstorm) should receive special consideration while individual events do not.  Events like yesterday are exactly why I allow you to drop your lowest quiz and homework scores. 

Let me also state that if you come late to class you can still turn in your homework assignment to be scored; you will still receive a zero on the assignment, but at least you can receive feedback about whether you got the right answers. 

Finally

January 29, 2008 - As discussed in class this morning, I have revised the first two homework assignments.  Make sure you refresh the homework page to get the correct assignments. 

January 23, 2008 - I have put together two homework assignments for Chapter 2.  They are listed in the Homework section of the site. 

January 21, 2008 - I think everything is up-to-date and ready for the Spring semester.  Please let me know if you find anything that is confusing or incorrect. 

January 10, 2008 - Welcome to Finance 340.  I will use this website to post homework assignments, study guides, and general class information. 

Right now the website is under construction, so don't rely on any of the information here until classes begin.  I'll also make an announcement on this page when the website is up to date for this semester. 

For those who don't already know, the text for this course is Brigham and Houston, Fundamentals of Financial Management, 11th Edition, Thomson-Southwestern, 2007. 

You will also need a good financial calculator for this course.  I recommend the TI BA II Plus, the HP 10B II, or the TI-83.  I am familiar with each of these calculators and can help you use them solve problems in class.  Furthermore, each of these calculators is able to do anything you’ll need for any of your other business courses.  But any good financial calculator that can calculate NPVs and IRRs with irregular cash flows will be fine.  Learn how to use your calculator!!!  During the exams, I cannot show you how to use it or adjust its settings. 

Finally, I will often communicate with the class via e-mail using your official WSU addresses (youraddress@wichita.edu).  You can configure this system to forward e-mail to your preferred e-mail system on MyWSU.  I suggest that you do this as soon as possible.  While there, you might also make sure the University has your current phone number.  Every semester there are a few students we need to reach but cannot because the phone number we have is incorrect. 

I would value your ongoing feedback on the course.  This form is completely anonymous, and your comments will help me make this course more interesting and valuable for you.  
 

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