Oregon State University

Oregon State University Home Page

Corporate Finance (BA 540)

Winter 2006

Instructor: Jimmy Yang

Office: Bexell 418C

Phone: 541-737-6005

E-mail: jimmy.yang@bus.oregonstate.edu

Office hours:  Monday 9:00-10:00, Tuesday 9:30-10:30 and Thursday 10:00-11:00

                        And by appointment

 

Blackboard: Please login with your ONID username and password to your Blackboard account through the following website. https://my.oregonstate.edu/webapps/login My announcements and class materials will be posted on the Blackboard.  You are all encouraged to utilize this system to post your questions, discuss class-related issues, or communicate with your group, the whole class or me.  

 

Required Text and Tool:

  1. Ross, Westerfield, and Jaffe, Corporate Finance (7th edition), McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2005.
  2. Financial Calculator (Texas Instruments BA II Plus or an equivalent)

 

Course Objectives: Given the increasing complexities in the real world of finance, this course is designed to stimulate discussion and develop analytical skills by allowing students to test the current financial theory against actual world financial problems and to observe possible conflicts between theory and practice.  Upon completion of this course, you should be familiar with many of the most pressing issues in the corporate community, such as capital budgeting, performance measurement, capital structure, dividend policy, and working capital.

 

Assignments: Textbook practice problems and some other assignments, perhaps covering materials not covered in the text, will be given in class or posted on the Blackboard.  Assignments will NOT be collected.  Answers will be available on the Blackboard one week after assignments are posted.  You are encouraged to collaborate when doing the assignments.

 

Group Projects: Two group projects will be given.  Each will have a due date to which you must conform.  Detailed description of each project will be posted when the related topic is covered.      

 

Exams: Two exams, one midterm and one final, will be given.  If you miss any exam without prior permission, a grade of zero will be given for that exam.  It is your responsibility to schedule a make-up exam within one week after the scheduled exam.  There is no make-up exam for final. 


 

Grade Determination:

First group project                                            15%

Second group project                                       15%

Midterm exam                                                  35%

Final exam                                                        35%                     

 

Important Notes: All students are expected to abide by the university rules on academic honesty.  Failure to do so will result in failing the class.  Students with special needs that will need to be addressed please contact me during the first week of the term.

 

Tentative Schedule:

 

Date

Topic

Chapter(s)

Jan     9

Introduction and Financial Planning

1 and 3

Jan   16

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

 

Jan   23

Valuation

5 and 22

Jan   30

Risk and Return

9, 10, and 12

Feb    6

Capital Budgeting

6, 7, and 8

Feb  13

Midterm Exam

 

Feb  20

Capital Structure

15, 16, and 17

Feb  27

Raising Capital

Guest speaker: John Hull (OVP)

19 and 20

 

Mar   6

Dividend Policy

18

Mar 13

Working Capital Management

26 and 27

Mar 20

Final Exam