Prof. Paolo Pietro Biancone

Course Description:

The focus of this course is in the area of financial management. We will show managers how to interface with accounting and finance departments, help them to understand how firms meet their financial objectives utilizing financial decision-making. This course will also explain financial tools and techniques, which can be used to help firms maximize value by improving decisions relating to capital budgeting, capital structure, and working capital management. This course will deal with a number of related topics, including multinational financial management, risk management, mergers and acquisitions.

Main Topics:

1 The Goals & Functions of Financial Management 

2 Review of Accounting 

3 Financial Analysis 

4 Financial Forecasting 

5 Operating & Financial Leverage 

6 Working Capital and the Financial Decision 

7 Current Asset Management 

8 Sources of Short Term Financing 

9 The Time Value of Money 

10 Valuation and Rates of Return

Objectives for the course:

The main goal of this course is to develop a foundation of financial management concepts. This will enable to the student to understand how corporations make important investment and financing decisions, and how they establish working capital policies. This course in financial management describes the corporation and its operating environment; it will help any future manager to understand how the finances of a company work, and how they will be interfacing with finance.

Textbook

P.P. Biancone, Financial Management, Celid, Torino, 2011;

Cases and class notes will be provided by the instructor.

Cases and Exam

We will cover several case studies during the course. The cases are group projects. You can work in groups of 3-5 students. You are expected to read the case and discuss the case with your team members. Each group must hand in a solution in class which will be graded. Also, each group must prepare an in-class presentation.

In addition to cases preparation, there be a final in class examination. The exam consists of a written test.