BA in Management Program

Spring 2021
FIN301
Financial Management
Instructor: Bünyamin Önal
Office: SBS 1176
Phone: (216) 483-9660
Fax: (216) 483-9699
E-mail: bunyamin.onal@sabanciuniv.edu
Web: SuCourse+
Office Hours: Wednesdays 16:00-17:00. Also, by appointment.

Time Day Delivery

Section A 17:40 – 18:30 R Live
Lectures 14:40 – 16:30 F Recording
Rec. A1&A2 16:40 – 17:30 F Recording

Section B 11:40 – 12:30 R Live

Lectures 09:40 – 11:30 F Live
Rec. B1&B2 12:40 – 13:30 R Recording

***Students must attend their registered/official sections***

Course Objectives:
This course develops an understanding of the theoretical and practical issues relating to
financial management. The main objectives of the course are to introduce the students to
the financial markets and financial instruments, to expose the students to the quantitative
tools and methods of modern finance, and to help students gain competence in using
these tools to make sound financial decisions. Topics covered in the course include: the
link between accounting and finance, the time value of money, bond and stock valuation,
investment decision criteria and capital budgeting, project analysis, risk-return
relationship and cost of capital.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Understand different types of financial markets and institutions.
2. Describe the linkages between accounting and finance.
3. Understand the concept of time value of money.
4. Value different types of securities such as stocks and bonds.
5. Evaluate projects using various decision criteria.
6. Explain the concepts of risk, return and cost of capital.

Page 1 of 7
Course Textbook:
Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, by Brealey, Myers and Marcus, McGraw-Hill, 10 th
Edition (2019).

Weekly assignments will be handled through McGraw-Hill’s Connect website. Students

are required to access Connect using the codes that come with the textbook (or purchased
separately). The bookstore on the university campus has the Connect codes for sale at the
following link:

https://www.homerbooks.com/urun/connect-code-of-fundamentals-of-corporate-finance

Please note that other online vendors may sell invalid, used or expired codes which may
not work for this course.

The registration process to the Connect website, as well as other critical information
related to completing course assignments and quizzes are located at this link. Please note
that you must register to the section you are officially enrolled in and use your Sabancı
email during registration. The course registration pages at Connect are as follows:

Section A: https://connect.mheducation.com/class/b-onal-spring-2021-section-a
Section B: https://connect.mheducation.com/class/b-onal-spring-2021-section-b

If you still have questions that are not addressed in this video, you may email Hakan
Haktanir at McGraw-Hill for support (hakan.haktanir@mheducation.com).

Students must also download the Top Hat app on their phones or tablets (search for “Top
Hat” on the Appstore or Google Play) and sign up to the class roster using their Sabanci
email addresses. The steps for signing up on the Top Hat app is provided in a separate
document.

Optional Reading Material:

The Wall Street Journal (available @IC through ProQuest), The New York Times
Business Section, Financial Times, BusinessWeek, Dealbook @NYT.

Course Web:
SuCourse+ will be actively used throughout the semester. Students should check their
accounts frequently to ensure that they have the most recent course materials. Course
slides and announcements will be posted on SuCourse+. We will use McGraw-Hill’s
Connect portal for solving weekly assignments and Top Hat for handling in-class quizzes.

Grading:
In-class quizzes : 15%
Weekly assignments : 15%
Case Study & Project : 20% + 10%
Final Exam : 40%

FIN 301: Financial Management 2/7

Teaching Assistant (TA):
Our TA for this course, Khaoula Agrebi (khaoula.agrebi@sabanciuniv.edu) will hold
recitations for both sections throughout the semester. She will share her recorded videos
on a weekly basis on SuCourse+ and hold virtual office hours on Tuesdays at 16:00-
17:00 (or by appointment) to answer questions.

Course Requirements:

In-class quizzes:
In-class quizzes consist of brief questions related to the course material. Students are
therefore required to make sure that they can use the Top Hat app on their electronic
devices without technical problems. No make-up quiz will be offered. But the lowest of
the quiz grades will not be considered in the course grade.

Weekly assignments:
The due dates of the weekly assignments are shown in the course schedule. No make-up
assignments will be offered. But the lowest assignment grade will not be considered in
the course grade.

Case study:
The case study will be done in groups of 3-4 students. Students will be divided into
groups by the instructor based on their major/faculty. Once the relevant material for the
case is covered in the lectures, groups will be asked to write three-page reports answering
specific questions from the case. Case questions and specific instructions will be posted
on SUCourse+ in due time.
The case material can be downloaded from https://hbsp.harvard.edu/import/807610.
Please register with your Sabancı University email address.

Individual project:
After completing their case reports, students will be asked to open an individual demo
account from a brokerage firm and explore the assets available in the financial markets,
their return and risk features, historical patterns, and recent trading technologies. The
account will enable the students to individually create and manage a hypothetical
portfolio of assets in domestic or foreign markets based on their risk preferences.
Students may help each other on the use of the platform and the relevant financial
concepts. However, every student must create his/her own portfolio. The stock selections
in particular will be expected to follow the investment strategy known as growth at a
reasonable price (GARP) described in the case study. By the end of the semester, each
student will be expected to deliver a one-page report explaining their journey in financial
markets, ultimate portfolio allocation, and the subsequent performance. Further
instructions on the project requirements will be posted on SUCourse+ in due time.

Final exam:
The final exam will be closed-book and cover the entire course material. If physical
attendance is still not possible at the time of the exam, it will be conducted on zoom and
students will be required to keep their camera open (and microphone ready to be opened)

FIN 301: Financial Management 3/7

throughout the exam. Further instructions will be provided one week prior to the exam
date.

Important note: The assessment methods listed above may be subject to verification by
the instructor through oral exams. Oral exam results can supersede the respective
assessment results.

Academic Honesty:
Learning is enhanced through cooperation and as such you are encouraged to work in
groups, ask for and give help freely in all appropriate settings. At the same time, as a
matter of personal integrity, you should only represent your own work as yours. Any
work that is submitted to be evaluated in this class should be an original piece of writing,
presenting your ideas in your own words. Everything you borrow from books, articles, or
web sites (including those in the syllabus) should be properly cited. Although you are
encouraged to discuss your ideas with others (including your friends in the class), it is
important that you do not share your writing (slides, MS Excel files, reports, etc.) with
anyone. Using ideas, text and other intellectual property developed by someone else
while claiming it is your original work is plagiarism. Copying from others or providing
answers or information, written or oral, to others is cheating. Unauthorized help from
another person or having someone else write one’s paper or assignment is collusion.
Cheating, plagiarism and collusion are serious offenses that could result in an F grade and
disciplinary action. Please pay utmost attention to avoid such accusations.

Remote teaching policies and conduct

Sabancı BA in Management Program values participatory learning. Establishing the
necessary social order for a participatory learning environment requires that students
should:
 Keep their cameras open.
 Mute themselves while listening to the person who has the floor.
 Use the “Raise hand” function before talking.
 Not use the “Chat” feature for correspondence not related to the course.

Lectures & attendance

Students are expected to attend the live lectures on Thursdays and participate in
discussions. The morning session (for Section B) on Fridays will also be live and
recorded. These recordings will be made available on SuCourse+ soon after the
respective sessions. Missed lectures are at students’ own responsibility.

Make-up exam
There is no make-up exam unless a situation arises which was not foreseeable or under
the control of the student. Requests for make-up must be made directly to the instructor
as soon as possible and be accompanied by relevant documentation (e.g., official doctor’s
report from the campus health center in case of health problems, a letter from your
advisor in case of a family emergency).
Contingent on legitimate justifications, you will be required to take a make-up exam
within three days after the final exam date.

FIN 301: Financial Management 4/7

Grade objections
Students should write up their objections and submit them to the instructor no later than a
week after receiving their graded work. This document should clearly explain the basis of
the objection. Except for minor grading errors, no verbal objection will be accepted.

Special needs students

Any student who, because of a disability, requires special arrangements in order to meet
course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make the
necessary accommodations.

Updates
Changes or additions to any of the policies above or course schedule will be announced
on the course website.

FIN 301: Financial Management 5/7

Course Schedule (Tentative)
Week 1 Date: February 25 – 26
Topic: Goals and governance of the corporation
Readings: Chapter 1
Week 2 Date: March 4 – 5
Topic: Financial markets and institutions
Readings: Chapter 2
Week 3 Date: March 11 – 12
Topic: Accounting and finance
Readings: Chapter 3
Assignments: Weekly Assignments 1&2 due by 11:30 on March 11.
Week 4 Date: March 18 – 19
Topic: Measuring corporate performance
Readings: Chapter 4
Assignments: Weekly Assignment 3 due by 11:30 on March 18.
Week 5 Date: March 25 – 26
Topic: The time value of money
Readings: Chapter 5
Assignments: Weekly Assignment 4 due by 11:30 on March 25.
Week 6 Date: April 1 – 2
Topic: Valuing bonds
Readings: Chapter 6
Assignments: Weekly Assignment 5 due by 11:30 on April 1.
Week 7 Date: April 8 – 9
Topic: Valuing stocks
Readings: Chapter 7
Assignments: Weekly Assignment 6 due by 11:30 on April 8.
Week 8 Date: April 15 – 16
Topic: Net present value and other investment criteria
Readings: Chapter 8
Assignments: Weekly Assignment 7 due by 11:30 on April 15.
Week 9 Date: April 22
Topic: Case discussion
Readings: The Walt Disney Company’s Stock: Buy, Hold, or Sell?
Case Deadline: Three-page group report due by 11:30 on April 22.
Week 10 Date: April 29 – 30
Topic: Topics in capital budgeting
Readings: Chapters 9 &10
Assignments: Weekly Assignment 8 due by 11:30 on April 29.
Week 11 Date: May 6 – 7
Topic: Introduction to risk, return and the opportunity cost of capital
Readings: Chapter 11
Assignments: Weekly Assignment 9 due by 11:30 on May 6.
Week 12 Date: May 13 – 14
Topic: Risk, return and capital budgeting
Readings: Chapter 12
Assignments: Weekly Assignment 10 due by 11:30 on May 13.

FIN 301: Financial Management 6/7

Week 13 Date: May 20 – 21
Topic: The weighted-average cost of capital
Readings: Chapter 13
Assignments: Weekly Assignment 11 due by 11:30 on May 20.
Week 14 Date: TBD
Topic: TBD
Guest Speaker: TBD
Project Deadline: One-page individual report due by TBD.

FIN 301: Financial Management 7/7