FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
FINANCE 634
Fall 2003

E-Mail: dhawley@bus.olemiss.edu

Table of Contents

#Course Objectives
#Required Materials
#Important Web Sites
#General Information
#Grading Policy
#Policy for Make-Up Exams
#Policy for Regrading Tests
#Course Outline

Course Objectives:

This course will provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamental principles and theoretical framework that form the foundation for corporate financial management decisions. The course will focus on the role of the financial manager in setting and supporting corporate goals and objectives. The creation, measurement, and estimation of value is the dominant theme throughout this course. You are expected to achieve a  high level of understanding of all material covered in this course, and to be able to apply your knowledge to make real decisions.

Required Materials:

Corporate Finance by Smart, Megginson, and Gitman
Thompson/Southwestern College Publishing   ISBN 0-03-035076-X

The Wall Street Journal

A Financial (Business) Calculator

Recommended models (all should be available for about $35)

HP 10B-II

Texas Instruments BAII Plus

Sharp EL733A

NOT recommended:  TI BA-35, HP 12C, anything from Radio Shack or Casio, and anything over $50.

Important Web Sites:

faculty.bus.olemiss.edu/dhawley/fin634/ (FIN 634 Class website)

Smart Finance website: smart.swcollege.com

http://www.cfonet.com (CFO Magazine on-line)

General Information

Class Time: Class time will be devoted to highlighting important material, demonstrating problem-solving techniques, and discussing important issues. It is assumed that you have read the assigned material carefully and completed all other assignments BEFORE class. Failure to do so will place you at a severe disadvantage to those who have. In-class discussions are welcome and encouraged.

Attendance: Attendance does not directly affect your grade. If you have an occasional absence, it won't be a problem as long as you keep up with the work. I take a VERY dim view of students who miss class but show up for office hours or phone me expecting me to spend special time with them so they can catch up. Please be ready to start on time.

Current Events: You are expected to be well-informed on current financial conditions and events at all times. In addition to the Wall Street Journal, there are many sources of financial information and news on the web and in other media sources. Test questions will include current events.

Exams: Exams are designed to test your understanding of facts, concepts, and problem-solving methods. They are NOT designed to test your ability to memorize. Your score will depend very little on your ability to memorize and very heavily on your ability to relate a few fundamental concepts and procedures to practical business situations. Your ability to perform well on exams will require a large amount of preparation involving EXTENSIVE individual or group practice on problems and examples in the text, the notes, and the sample tests. It is up to YOU to motivate yourself to devote the appropriate amount of time to such practice.

Sample exams from past classes, with solutions, are included on the class web site. I urge you to spend a good deal of time with these sample exams. They are by far the most useful study tool that you will have.

Grading Policy

The second exam covers the material after the first exam, and is given at the normal final exam time. It counts the same as the first exam. (100 points).

Assignments	200 Pts.
Exam 1	100 Pts.
Exam 2	100 Pts.
Total Points	400 Pts.

If additional graded assignments are given (not likely, but possible), the total possible points will rise above the levels given above.

Final grades will be assigned according to a straight scale:

            90%=A, 80%=B, 70%=C, 60%=D, less than 60%=F

Tests are graded on a curve. Final grades are not curved. I believe in challenging students to reach beyond the minimum and to aim for the highest possible achievement. This means I give hard tests, but grade them fairly.

Famous quote from Dr. Hawley: "You can't learn to jump the high hurdles in life by practicing on toothpicks."

Another famous quote from Dr. Hawley: "D's and F's are available to those who work for them." Addendum after someone argued that he "really worked so I couldn't give him an D" even though he clearly earned it -- "Some people can work hard and still not learn enough to get a decent grade."

Policy for Make-Up Exams

Make-up exams will be given ONLY under one of the following conditions:

1. You have obtained permission from me prior to the scheduled exam.

2. You are suddenly taken ill prior to the exam, in which case you must:

a. notify me of your problem (leave voice mail or email with detailed information) at least TWO HOURS prior to the exam AND
b. obtain proof that you saw a physician or nurse PRIOR to the exam time and present the proof to me prior to sitting for the make-up exam.

3. You must attend to an emergency situation involving someone in your immediate family (spouse, child, parent, or sibling), in which case you must:

a. notify me of your problem (leave voice mail or email with detailed information) at least TWO HOURS prior to the exam AND
b. obtain reasonable documentation to support the existence of your situation and present this documentation to me prior to sitting for the make-up exam.

Policy for Regrading Tests

Tests will be regraded, or scores will be adjusted, ONLY if you deliver your exam and answer sheet to me within 24 hours of the time that the exam is handed back to you, along with a WRITTEN explanation of:

a mistake in the computation of your total score, or

a mistake in the grading of a particular problem or question, or

an argument that you feel justifies an answer that I marked wrong or partially wrong, or

an argument that you feel justifies additional partial credit on a question or problem.

Please note that I may decide to make negative, as well as positive, adjustments to scores.

Policy for Academic Dishonesty

You get an F in the course and I do everything within my power to have you permanently expelled from The University of Mississippi without a degree. Period.

Course Outline

Unless specially noted, all appendices are included. Special readings may be assigned and placed on the web throughout the course.