Course FIN 6350: Advanced Corporate Finance

Professor Nina Baranchuk

Term Fall 2021

Contact Information
Office Phone 972.883.4771
Office Location JSOM 14.324
Email Address nina.baranchuk@utdallas.edu
Office Hours By appointment, preferably on Teams

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions:

FIN 6301 is a prerequisite for this course.

Course Description:
Advanced analysis of topics in financial management. Capital structure, dividend policy, incentives, and
risk management. Topics may vary. This course starts where Finance 6301 typically ends. Additional
topics include financial analysis and planning, business valuation, short and long -term financial
management, mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Value a firm using different methodologies.
2. Evaluate different options for financing the assets of a firm: their costs and benefits.
3. Evaluate different strategies for managing the current and long-term assets of the firm.

Required Textbooks and Materials

Students should choose a corporate finance textbook that covers all the topics listed in the syllabus.
There are many good textbooks available, and it is not important to me which particular book you use to
help you learn. Personally, the book that I refer to the most is “Corporate Finance” by Ross, Westerfield,
Jaffe, and Jordan. If you own a different book and need help identifying if it is going to be appropriate
and matching the chapters to the topics, please contact me. There will be no assignments directly
related to a particular book. For example, homework assignments will not be end-of-chapter problems,
rather I will post the problems and the solutions on eLearning.

Access to MS Excel (or similar) are required. The course involves substantial statistical and financial
calculations. Recommended calculators include the HP-10BII, HP-12C, TI BAII Plus, or the TI BAII Plus
Professional. These calculators can be used on most certification exams (e.g., CFA, FRM, CPA, etc.). If
you use a calculator, then you will be responsible for knowing how to use it. I recommend you bring the
calculator to class since there will be occasions to use it. You will only be allowed to use a financial
calculator on the exams.
Excel: You will find it in your interest to learn how to use spreadsheets to solve financial problems,
particularly if you decide to pursue a career in finance or accounting. Good books to learn such skills for
corporate finance are: (1) Spreadsheet Modeling in Corporate Finance, by Craig Holden, Prentice-Hall, or
(2) Financial Modeling, by S. Benninga, The MIT Press.

The Wall Street Journal is optional but highly recommended since we will discuss current business news.

Lecture Schedule*
Class Topic+
Aug 26 Review and Assessment
Sep 2 Financial Forecasting
Sep 9 Firm Valuation
Sep 16 Options
Sep 23 Options
Sep 30 Review
Oct 7 Exam I
Oct 14 Capital Structure
Oct 21 Cost of Capital
Oct 28 Closer Look at Equity Financing
Nov 4 Compensating Shareholders
Nov 11 Closer Look at Debt Financing
Nov 18 Working Capital Management, Risk Management
Dec 2 Exam II

*
These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

+
The chapters to read are listed in a separate spreadsheet. You would select the chapters that are
appropriate for your textbook.

You are expected to have read the text material prior to class. I will provide additional information
about the lectures on eLearning prior to class. While I will discuss some problems, I recommend that
you work as many as you need to learn the material. I will provide solutions to selected questions and
problems on eLearning to help you.

Grading Policy

Your course grade is a weighted average of your scores on the assigned material. The weights are:

Project: 20%
Homework: 10%
Exam 1: 35%
Exam 2: 35%

Using the weighted average of the point scores for the above three categories, a letter grade of A, B, C
and F will be assigned as follows: A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), F (59 or below). In
addition, +’s and –‘s will be used, per the following example: 80-83 (B-), 84-86 (B) and 87-89 (B+).
Project: you may work on the project individually, but working with a group is recommended. You may
work on the project in groups of up to five students. There will be in-class discussions of the project
topics as well as other class material (textbook material, academic articles, news, etc.). You will be
individually responsible for your participation in these discussions. I expect you to come to class
prepared.

Homework: Assignments will be posted on e-Learning, and you will submit your work through e-
Learning as well. Homework will be awarded full points if it shows sufficient effort and makes
reasonable progress. The main goal of the assignments is to provide practice opportunity.

Exams: Examinations test your knowledge on the theories, practices and analytical methods of financial
management. Exam material comes from class lectures and class discussion. All individual examinations
should be entirely your own work. The exams will be closed book closed notes. Mastery of the material,
not needing to rely on the notes or the internet for solutions will help you greatly.

Course & Instructor Policies

E-learning: You should check E-learning before class. The site will have lecture information, presentation
instructions, any recommended practice problems and any updates to the class material. You are
responsible for the material on-line and in-class.

Make-up exams: No make-up exams will be given. An exam may be rescheduled if the student (1) obtains
advance permission from the instructor, and (2) has a legitimate reason for a request to reschedule.
Supporting documentation may be required.

Late work: All work is due by the due date and time and will not be accepted after that.
Extra credit: There are no extra credit assignments for this class.

Class Recordings: Students are expected to follow appropriate University policies and maintain the
security of passwords used to access recorded lectures. Unless the Office of Student AccessAbility has
approved the student to record the instruction, students are expressly prohibited from recording any
part of this course. Recordings may not be published, reproduced, or shared with those not in the class,
or uploaded to other online environments except to implement an approved Office of Student
AccessAbility accommodation. Failure to comply with these University requirements is a violation of the
Student Code of Conduct.

I will record meetings of this course whenever possible. These recordings will be made available to all
students registered for this class to supplement the classroom experience. For any other uses of the
recordings consent of the students identifiable in the recordings will be required prior to such use unless
an exception is allowed by law.
Communication
This course utilizes online tools for interaction and communication. Some external communication tools
such as regular email and a web conferencing tool may also be used during the semester. For more
details, please visit the Student eLearning Tutorials webpage for video demonstrations on eLearning
tools.

Student emails and discussion board messages will be answered within 3 working days under normal
circumstances.

Distance Learning Student Resources

Online students have access to resources including the McDermott Library, Academic Advising, The
Office of Student AccessAbility, and many others. Please see the eLearning Current Students webpage
for more information.

Server Unavailability or Other Technical Difficulties

The University is committed to providing a reliable learning management system to all users. However, in
the event of any unexpected server outage or any unusual technical difficulty which prevents students
from completing a time sensitive assessment activity, the instructor will provide an appropriate
accommodation based on the situation. Students should immediately report any problems to the instructor
and also contact the online eLearning Help Desk. The instructor and the eLearning Help Desk will work
with the student to resolve any issues at the earliest possible time.

UT Dallas Syllabus Policies and procedures:

The information about the University's policies and procedures segment of course syllabi can be found
by following this link: http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies