Ocean County College

 

Professor’s Course Information Sheet

 

Professor’s Name:                    Dr. V. A. Reilly

 

Course Title and Number:        Principles of Finance – BUSN 275/DL

 

Catalog Description:

The field of Finance integrates concepts from economics, accounting, and a number of other areas. Finance links economic theory with the numbers of accounting, and all corporate managers -- whether in production, sales, research, marketing, management, or long-run strategic planning -- must know what it means to assess the financial performance of the firm.

 

Office Location:                       Instruction Building, Room A-320

 

Phone Number:                         732-255-0400 ext. 2430

 

E-Mail Address:                       vreilly@ocean.edu

 

Office Hours:                           8:30 - 9:30 AM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday

 

Required Text and other Materials:

Foundations of Financial Management
Block, Hirt & Danielsen, 13th edition, 2009, McGraw-Hill

 

Course Pre-Requisites: Introduction to Business (BUSN 131) and Principles of Accounting I (ACCT 161) or Consent of Instructor.

 

General Education Goals:

1.       To develop the ability to become an independent thinker, through mathematical, scientific, and philosophical reasoning.

2.     To develop the ability to solve problems by collecting, organizing, and evaluating information.

3.     To develop both the ability and moral sensitivity needed to make informed judgments concerning ethical issues.

4.     To develop to develop a historical consciousness, including the ability to reflect thoughtfully and accurately about historical and contemporary issues of local, national, and global importance.

5.     To develop a global perspective on problems and issues that humankind faces, and to explore solutions which are morally, socially, economically, politically, and ecologically sound.

6.     To develop and demonstrate civic and social responsibility.

 

Course Learning Outcomes/Objectives:

At the end of the course, students will have a basic understanding of the following financial concepts:

1.       The objectives of financial management and the importance of the financial manager; the role of the financial markets in allocating capital; the pressures of institutional investors on financial managers.

2.     Basic understanding of accounting, pro forma statements, and the thirteen ratios as tools to evaluate any firm.

3.     Break-even analysis and working capital management with emphasis on the build-up of current assets and how they can best be financed.

4.     Short-term financing:  the advantages and drawbacks of trade credit, bank credit, commercial paper, foreign borrowing, and collateralized borrowing arrangements.

5.     Basic understanding of the cost of capital as the overall cost of financing to the firm.

6.     Characteristics of capital budgeting decisions and the concept of accounting flows versus cash flows.

7.     Measurement of risk through the computation of the mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation; portfolio effect of an investment.

8.    Capital markets as being basic to the understanding of the flow of funds through the economy and the relationship of capital markets to corporate bonds, stocks, and preferred stock.

 

Course Standards:

·        Students are expected to be prepared. This preparation includes: reading of the textbook chapters, reviewing PowerPoint Presentations, participating in class discussions, completing all exams and Internet Assignments. 

·        Student grades will be calculated by:

  • Four (4) Online Exams @20%                        80%
  • Five (5) Web-Based (Internet) Exercises       20%

 

Online Exams

·        These are timed and each will consist of multiple choice and true/false questions.

·        Online exams must be completed within the allowed time frames (see course site Calendar for dates and times).

Web-Based (Internet) Exercises

·        There is one web-based exercise for each chapter. Students will select 5 of the 13 chapter exercises covered in this course.

·        Each will be worth 20 points and will constitute the fifth exam, worth 100 points total.

·        Due dates for each assignment will be found on the Course Calendar. Assignments may be submitted earlier, but there is a penalty for late submissions.

·        Five (5) points will be deducted for each day the assignment is late. Each assignment will then be graded for content and completeness.

·        Each assignment must be pasted or written into an e-mail, and sent to the Instructor via the site Mail.  No attachments will be opened by the Instructor.

·        Each submission must have WE #1, WE #2, etc. in the subject area.

·        After the Calendar date has past, assignment grades will be posted to the student’s individual grade file.

 

Additional Information: Students must remember to check the Calendar, Private E-Mail and Discussion Board on a regular basis.

 

Withdrawal Policy – NEW POLICY:

·        Any student who has not logged into the course by the census date for the semester will be automatically dropped from the course with no grade.

·        Until Monday, November 10, 2009, any student wishing to withdraw (Grade = W) may do so for any reason by e‑mailing a request to the professor. The student must obtain a drop/add form from Admissions (you can request that Admissions mail it to you if you do not come to campus). Once completed and signed by the student, it should be mailed to the professor (at Business Dept., Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ 08754). It is the student's responsibility to insure that the proper form is submitted to the professor in a timely manner so that it can be processed by November 10th.

·        After Tuesday, November 10, 2009, if a student stops attending or is administratively withdrawn, a grade of “F” will be assigned.

 

Grade Scale:

          A                 Excellent                                  90 +

          B+                Very Good                                 86 – 89

          B                 Good                                         80 – 85

          C+                Above Average                          76 - 79       

          C                 Average                                    70 – 75

          D                 Passing – Below Average             60 – 69

          F                 Failure                                      below 59

 

Academic and Student Support Services:

Students will find a number of useful and informative services under Web Links, located on the left side menu of the course.

 

Navigational Assistance:

On the homepage and under Web Links, students will find a link to the WebCT Student Tutorial. This should provide basic information to guide you through the course site. Additional information on technical items can be found by contacting the free 24/7 hotline at 1-866-861-1122.

 

Minimum Technical Requirements:

To be successful in this course, students need basic computer skills especially in using Word Processing software and the Internet. It is the student’s responsibility to have reliable access to a computer, either at home, work, or on campus.  No previous knowledge of finance is required for this course as it covers introductory material.

 

Internet Etiquette:

Students will find information on the proper Internet etiquette under Web Links - Academic Resources – Core Rules of Netiquette.

 

Statement of Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as taking the words or ideas of another person without documenting them. A form of academic theft, the college holds that any instance of plagiarism may result in a failing grade. Students should refer to the student handbook (Policy #5180).

 

Statement about Civility:

Students are expected to behave in an appropriate academic manner while on the OCC campus or utilizing any OCC course sites.

 

Campus Resources & Services:  Tutoring is available in the Writing Lab and in the Mathematics Tutoring Center. In addition, Student Success Seminars are scheduled each week and are posted on the college website under "Campus Resources and Services".

 

Disabilities Statement:  If there is any student in this class who has special needs due to learning disabilities or other kinds of disabilities, please feel free to discuss this with me or else someone at the Disability Resource Center.

 

Disclaimer:  Reasonable changes to this course outline may be made exclusive of course requirements, course calendar, and grading procedures.

 

Prepared: August 2009 {var}