BUU22550 Introduction to Finance

(5 ECTS)

Lecturer:

Dr Supriya Kapoor

E-mail: kapoorsu@tcd.ie 
Office Hours: By appointment (Please email to schedule)

Module Description:

The Finance function is a critical aspect of any organisation.  The success or failure of a firm may be influenced significantly by how it manages its finances.  It is therefore important for both managers and employees to understand the principals of financial management for firms operating in any industry. This course is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of financial management. It focuses on analysing and evaluating financial products using various techniques. It covers several topics related to financial management such as debt policy, dividend policy, maximising corporate value and financial risk.  Throughout this module, students will become familiar with the basic concepts of corporate finance and financial language used within academic literature and the media.

Learning and Teaching Approach:

The lectures and material will serve as a guide for the students to deepen their understanding in finance. In addition to the lecture slides, the students will be provided with supplementary reading material including academic papers and case studies. This will allow them to create a bridge between concepts of finance and how they can be applied in real businesses. Further, in addition to the readings, there will be weekly problem sets that they will be solving with the tutor The tutorials will aim to enhance their knowledge and critical thinking skills on the topics covered.

Learning Outcomes:

Having completed this module, the student should be able to:

• Understand and examine the fundamental functions of the financial system
• Apply financial theories and mathematical techniques to value bonds, stocks and other risky assets
• Appraise the different investments available to a business based on capital budgeting techniques
• Understand the concept of risk and return and the importance of managing the relation between the two in corporate decision-making
• Understand the basic elements of investment, financing, capital structure, management of working capital and dividend decision processes

Recommended Texts/Key Reading:

The recommended textbook for this module is:

Brealey, R. Myers, S. and Marcus, A. (2015):  Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, McGraw-Hill, 8th Edition.

Any recent edition of this textbook will suffice.  Alternatively, the college library contains many other excellent textbooks on Corporate Finance which can be referred to for extra reading.  Additional readings will also be assigned throughout the course and will be posted on Blackboard.

Assessment:

Assessment for this course will be based as follows: 

Continuous Assessment – 30% 

Final Assessment – 70%