FIN 3720 - Business Finance
Fall 2026 Syllabus, Section 01, CRN 43170,
Credit hours: 3
Course Meeting Times
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Instructor
Rongyao Zhang
Email: rzhang02@ysu.edu
Course Description
Business Finance introduces students to the fundamental principles and analytical tools used in financial decision-making within the firm. Topics include financial statement analysis, time value of money, valuation of stocks and bonds, risk and return, capital budgeting, cost of capital, capital structure, and working capital management. Emphasis is placed on the application of financial concepts to real business decisions faced by managers and other stakeholders.
Course Readings
| Group | Title | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required | Fundamentals of Corporate Finance | Richard Brealey, Stewart Myers, Alan Marcus and Nicholas Racculia | 9781266491771 |
Eleventh Edition; Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education
The course readings are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, research developments, current events, and/or to ensure better learning.
Assignments/Assessments
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Tentative Course Schedule (Subject to Change)
| Week of | Reading(s) | Proposed Topic | Due/To Prepare for Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/19 | Chapter 1-2 An Overview of Financial Management | • Investment and financial decision • Forms of business organization • The goal of financial management • The agency problem and control of the corporation • Financial markets and the corporation | 10/25 |
| 10/26 | Chapter 3 Accounting and Finance Chapter 4 Measuring Corporate Performance |
• The income statement • The balance sheet • The statement of cash flows • Analysis of financial statements • Ratio analysis • The DuPont Identity • Interpreting financial ratios • Using financial statement information |
11/1 |
| 11/2 | Chapter 5 Introduction to Valuation: The Time Value of Money | • Future value and compounding • Valuing level cash flows: annuities and perpetuities • Effective annual interest rates • Loan types • Loan amortization Mid-Term Exam (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4,5) |
11/8 11/8 |
| 11/9 | Chapter 6 Bond Valuation | • Bonds and bond valuation • Yield to maturity • Bond rates of return • The yield curve • Corporate bonds and the risk of default | 11/15 |
| 11/16 | Chapter 7 Stock Valuation | • Common stock valuation • Some features of common and preferred stocks • The stock markets • Simplifying the dividend discount model • Valuing a business by discounted cash flow Mid-Term Exam (Chapters 6, 7) |
11/22 11/22 |
| 11/23 | Chapter 8 Net Present Value and Other Investment Criteria | • Net present value • The Internal rate of return rule • The profitability index • The payback rule • More mutually exclusive projects | 11/29 |
| 11/30 | Chapter 13 The Weighted-Average Cost of Capital | • Calculate the cost of debt • Calculate the cost of equity • Calculate the weighted-average cost of capital Comprehensive final exam |
12/6 12/7 |
The course schedule, policies, procedures, and assignments in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, by mutual agreement, and/or to ensure better learning.