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Course SyllabusCourse
objectives Course ObjectivesFinance 340 is designed to provide you with a basic understanding of the tools of modern financial decision making. In particular, we will focus on three primary objectives:
Along the way, we will also review how to read a firm's financial statements (with a particular emphasis on how these statements are used in finance) and learn about the institutional structure of financial markets. Required Text and MaterialsBrigham and Houston, Fundamentals of Financial Management, 12th edition, Thomson-Southwestern, 2009. In addition to this text, I encourage you to regularly read your favorite financial news publications (The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The Economist, Forbes, etc.). On occasion, I will post articles from such publications on Blackboard so that we can discuss them in class. To make most effective use of our time together, it is essential that you read all assigned materials prior to our class meeting. I will use the Integrated Cases at the end of each chapter as my lecture outline. To encourage you to work these in advance, you will receive a 1/3 percentage point extra credit for each Integrated Case you turn in prior to our start of the chapter. In addition, I will often assign homework assignments that will be due before we have finished discussing a topic. All of this is to help you work ahead and explore the topic on your own so that class time can be used to clarify and expand on the ideas and techniques presented in the text. You will also need a good financial calculator for this course. I recommend the TI BA II Plus, TI-83, or HP 10B II. 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. PrerequisitesAcct 210, junior standing, and advanced standing in the Barton School. Finance is a highly computational in nature, and you should expect to exercise your basic math muscles (including your calculator finger) daily in this class. GradingGrades for this course will be calculated using the following weights:
Pre-exam on background concepts On Tuesday, August 30 there will be a "pre-exam" on background concepts including basic algebra and time value of money calculations. You must earn a B or better on this exam or you will automatically fail the course. If your score on the pre-exam is not high enough, you may retake the exam at the Testing Center as often as you like until Thursday, September 22. Please do not put off retaking the pre-exam; if you wait until the 22nd and still do not pass it, you will fail the course. To help you review these background concepts, I have provided a review sheet and sample exam. Midterm and final exams The format for the exams will be multiple-choice/true-false questions, with perhaps a few open-ended problems. Your best guides to the kind of questions I will ask on the exams are the homework assignments. Feel free to work more problems than I assign, however. Finance is a full-contact sport; you cannot expect to learn very much or perform well in the class if you do not come to class prepared and spend substantial out-of-class time studying on your own. Quizzes and homework assignments and quizzes You should expect several quizzes throughout the semester. Most, but not all, will be announced in advance. I expect all homework assignments to be turned in at or before the beginning of class on the day they are due. There will be no make-ups for quizzes and late homework assignments will not be accepted. Because I recognize that there will be events outside your control that will cause you to miss quizzes, I will drop your lowest four quiz/homework scores in calculating your final grade. If you will not be in class or are concerned you may be late, you may submit the assignments using the Digital Dropbox in Blackboard. I encourage you to work on problem sets in groups; however, each student must turn in his or her own written answers. Homework assignments are graded based on effort, not correct answers; if you make a legitimate attempt at the problem and show your work, you will receive full credit. The real reward from diligently working the homework problems, however, will be a higher score on the exams. The purpose of the homework assignments and quizzes is to help you practice the material and keep current in the class. You should expect to spend 6-12 hours each week outside of class studying and working practice problems. If you do, your performance on the exams should earn you the grade you desire. If you don't keep current with the assignments and do extra problems on your own, it is unlikely you will do well on the exams. Extra credit integrated case assignments Finally, my lectures will follow the Integrated Cases at the end of each chapter. To encourage you to work these in advance, you will receive a 1/3 percentage point extra credit for each Integrated Case you turn in prior to our start of the chapter. This will be pure extra credit, added to your final grade as calculated according to the percentages above. Contacting Me I encourage you to contact me at any time if you have questions or concerns about any aspect of this course. I am also happy to answer questions about homework assignments as well, although you should first attempt to resolve any questions through discussions with your classmates. I do not hold regular “office hours,” as such. Instead, you may feel free to stop by my office any time. Although I do not promise that I will be able to speak with you immediately, I am generally able to do so. In any event, your best bet is to call first and make an appointment; that way, you can be certain I’ll be available and able to devote my full attention to you. The best way to reach me, however, is via e-mail (stan.longhofer@wichita.edu). In addition, I will often conduct class correspondence using your official WSU e-mail addresses. Thus, each of you should configure your WSU account so that you can access your e-mail several times a week, preferably daily. You can do this on MyWSU, where I also encourage you to update your official phone listing so that I can reach by phone if necessary. I will usually respond to my e-mail immediately when I am in the office, and within a day in any event (unless I am out of town). Finally, you may always send me anonymous comments using the course feedback form on the class web site. You are responsible for any material I distribute to the class via e-mail or on the class web site. I will post grades on the website on an ongoing basis. On the first assignment of the semester, please provide me with a nickname known only to you; I will use this in place of your name on the public version of my grade sheet that I will post on the website. Plagiarism and Academic HonestyIt should not come as a surprise to you that I expect each of you to do your own work. I will prosecute violations of academic honesty vigorously. Anyone caught cheating or turning in work (including homework assignments and Integrated Cases) that is not his or her own will be subject to punishment ranging from a zero on the exam/assignment to failing the course to expulsion from the University. Expect a severe punishment if I catch you cheating in this class. If you believe you have been wrongly accused of academic dishonesty, there is an established appeal process. You can get information from the Dean's Office, room 100 Clinton Hall. NOTE WELL: You may NOT use cell phones or personal digital assistants during quizzes and exams. I understand that these devices often have good financial calculator emulators. Nevertheless their potential for misuse is great. Any student caught using a cell phone, personal digital assistant or similar device during an exam or quiz will automatically receive a zero on that exam/quiz and may be subject to additional disciplinary actions. Required University ADA StatementIf you have a physical, psychiatric/emotional, or learning disability that may impact on your ability to carry out assigned course work, I encourage you to contact the Office of Disability Services (DS). The office is located in the Grace Wilkie Annex, 978-3309 (voice/tty). DS will review your concerns and determine, with you, what academic accommodations are necessary and appropriate for you. All information and documentation of your disability is confidential and will not be released by DS without your written permission. ScheduleSee the schedule section of the web site.
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