Syllabus

Master of Business Administration

BUFI 510: Financial Management (Fall A 2025)

Credits - 3

Description

This course focuses on financial management and making financial decisions. You will learn about key topics such as the time value of money, how to value bonds and stocks, ratio analysis, financing choices, capital budgeting, cost of capital, capital structure, risk and return, dividend policy, operating and financial leverage, and working capital management. You will explore essential ideas about how to create an optimal capital budget and manage short- and long-term financing choices.

Materials

Required:

McGraw-Hill Connect course platform

Requires purchase through Brightspace course

  • Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R., Jaffe, J. F., Jordan, B. D., & Shue, K. (2025b). Corporate Finance. McGraw-Hill.

Harvard Business Review Coursepack

To purchase this coursepack: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/import/1289967

  • Finsimco Simulation: Financial Statement Analysis
  • Case Study: Garmin – Finding an Optimal Capital Structure
  • Case Study: Dell’s Working Capital

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

  • Analyze the time value of money to calculate present and future values for bonds, stocks, and cash flows.
  • Compute and interpret key financial ratios to evaluate a firm’s liquidity, profitability, leverage, and efficiency.
  • Compare financing options—debt, equity, and hybrid—using cost of capital and risk–return measures to recommend optimal capital structures.
  • Evaluate working capital by analyzing the cash cycle and inventory strategies to optimize liquidity and operational efficiency.

Assignments

For all assessments and learning activities, see Brightspace for the full assignment descriptions and instructions. Read the prompts carefully and use the rubrics to confirm how assignments and discussions will be graded.

McGraw-Hill Connect Homework

Weekly problem sets using McGraw-Hill Connect will reinforce key calculations and decision-making tools, including ratio analysis, valuation techniques, capital structure planning, and cash flow forecasting. These assignments align with textbook chapters and provide immediate feedback to support mastery of the material.

Weekly Discussions

Discussions are designed to build your critical thinking and communication skills. Prompts connect course content to real-world events and ethical considerations. You’ll share your insights, apply course concepts to practical scenarios, and engage with your peers’ perspectives. Be sure to follow guidelines for professionalism and proper sourcing.

Case Studies and Simulations

You will complete several real-world case analyses and one simulation that mimics the experience of a financial analyst. These activities challenge you to apply concepts such as capital budgeting, working capital management, and cost of capital decisions. Case deliverables often include both a written report and an accompanying spreadsheet analysis.

Exams

Three timed, online exams assess your ability to apply financial models and interpret financial outcomes. Each exam covers multiple chapters and may include problem-solving, conceptual questions, and data interpretation. Use the practice problems in Connect and module activities to prepare.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

CategoryWeight
Academic Integrity Agreement1%
Discussions 14%
Homework: McGraw Hill Connect10%
Simulation & Case Studies15%
Exam 1 (Ch. 3, 5 and 13)20%
Exam 2 (Ch. 16, 17 and 18)20%
Exam 3 (Ch 26, 27 and 28)20%
Total100%

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

Schedule

Course Dates: 8/27/2025 – 10/17/2025

Week 1: Wednesday – Sunday
Week 2: Monday – Sunday
Week 3: Monday – Sunday
Week 4: Monday – Sunday
Week 5: Monday – Sunday
Week 6: Monday – Sunday
Week 7: Monday – Sunday
Week 8: Monday – Friday

 

WEEK TOPICS ASSESSMENTS DUE
1 Financial Statement Analysis & Financial Models
  • Introductory Discussion
  • Week 1 Discussion: Analyzing Financial Statements
  • Ch. 3 Homework (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Finsimco Financial Advisor Simulation introduced (due in Week 4)
  • Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Homework due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
2 Net Present Value & Other Investment Rules
  • Week 2 Discussion: Which Investment Method Would You Use, and Why?
  • Ch. 5 Homework (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Work on Finsimco Financial Advisor Simulation (due in Week 4)
  • Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Homework due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
3 Risk, Cost of Capital, and Valuation
  • Ch. 13 Homework (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Exam 1 (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Work on Finsimco Financial Advisor Simulation (due in Week 4)
  • Homework due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Exam due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
4 Capital Structure – Basic Concepts
  • Week 4 Discussion: Why Do Companies Change Their Mix of Debt and Equity?
  • Ch. 16 Homework (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Finsimco Financial Advisor Simulation and Summary Reflection due
  • Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Homework due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Simulation due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
5 Capital Structure – Limits to the Use of Debt
  • Week 5 Discussion: High Leverage – Where’s the Line Between Strategy and Risk?
  • Ch. 17 Homework (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Week 5 Case Study Assignment: McKenzie Corporation’s Capital Budgeting
  • Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Homework due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Case Study due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
6 Valuation & Capital Budgeting for the Levered Firm
  • Ch. 18 Homework (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Exam 2 (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Homework due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Exam due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
7 Short-Term Finance & Planning
  • Week 7 Discussion: Liquidity vs. Profitability – Finding the Right Balance
  • Ch. 26 Homework (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Week 7 Case Study Assignment: Garmin – Finding Optimal Capital Structure
  • Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Homework due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
  • Case Study due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET
8 Cash Management, Credit & Inventory Management
  • Ch. 27 Homework (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Ch. 28 Homework (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Exam 3 (McGraw-Hill Connect)
  • Homework due FRIDAY at 11:59 PM ET
  • Exam due FRIDAY at 11:59 PM ET

 

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page

UNE Libraries:

UNE Student Academic Success Center

UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

  • ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Policies

Passing Grade Statement

A grade of 80% or higher is required to pass the course. A grade lower than 80% will result in you having to repeat the course. Obtaining two "Fs" in the program will result in dismissal from the program.

AMA Writing Style Statement

The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.

Online resources: AMA Style Guide

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Statement

Learning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) responsibly and ethically is an important skill in today’s society. AI is not a substitute for developing and enhancing skills in creativity, logic, critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, theorization, and writing essential to a public health professional. If you choose to use AI tools, such as ChatGPT and DALL-E2, they must be used wisely and intelligently to deepen your understanding of a subject matter and support learning. You are not allowed to use AI tools to generate your work. Content produced using AI tools cannot be used as a substitute for your original work.

Students in the Graduate Programs in Public Health (GPPH) must take ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of AI-generated content used in any work. You are expected to think critically about the results and alignment with the questions or tasks in the assignment and never substitute AI-generated results for professional human judgment and logic. GPPH students are also expected to understand that the information generated is not always accurate and, in some cases, propagates discrimination and bias. You must stay abreast of AI best practices, and the changing risks and benefits, and monitor AI for biases and risks for vulnerable populations and underrepresented groups.

Within GPPH, using AI-generated content in academic work falls under our academic integrity policies. All instructors will continue to use our AI detection software for each assignment submitted so it will be flagged.

Using any AI tool in your work must be acknowledged in-text every time it is used, not in your list of references. You will include a summary of what the AI tool was used to do, followed by the AI tool brand name, version/extension #, manufacturer/owner, and date used in parentheses.

For example, 

Themes from participant responses were identified using a chatbot session (ChatGPT, model GPT-4, OpenAI, May 17, 2024).

Failure to acknowledge the inclusion of AI-generated content in any work submitted violates our academic integrity policies and will be considered an infraction with the associated penalties for plagiarism as outlined in the Student Handbook.

The Student Orientation has a module "Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Students", please refer to this module for more information about navigating the use of AI.

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Late Policy

Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.

Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.

Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your Enrollment and Retention Counselor if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. Tuition charges may still apply. Students are strongly urged to consult with Student Financial Services, as course withdrawals may affect financial aid or Veterans benefits.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.