Changes
to syllabus after
BUS 331 Essentials of Finance
Course Syllabus--FALL
2008
Stephen Huffman, Ph.D, CFA, FRM
Common Finance Course Assessment
Objectives for BUS 331
Students will be able to:
The
goal of this course is to develop a working knowledge of the concepts, tools and
applications of corporate financial decision making within the framework of
maximizing shareholder wealth. The course provides a fundamental
understanding of the allocation of resources and the raising of funds by a
business enterprise. This is a problem oriented course which provides
students the opportunity to learn and apply basic financial tools and concepts.
Required Materials:
(1) Text:
Brigham, Eugene and Joel Houston. Concise 5th Edition, Fundamentals
of Financial Management Concise (
(2) Handout Materials and Materials found on web site: supplemental articles and readings will be
distributed in class, via e-mail or from the D2L web site during the
semester. Students are required to check their e-mail prior to coming to
class.
(3) Financial Calculator: I recommend that you obtain a
Students are expected to have
a fundamental background in business and economic concepts. A basic
understanding in accounting, mathematics, and statistics is also expected.
Course work will include activities which will require the use of a financial
calculator and some may require the use of spreadsheets. Students who are
not deficient in the areas mentioned above can expect to spend at least 4
hours per week preparing for the course. Students who are
deficient in one or more area mentioned above will need more time to prepare for class.
Business finance is not a remedial
course. I do not issue extra credit to individuals. I
do not curve grades on individual quizzes or exams. I will
be fair and consistent when administering the policies found in this
syllabus. Students are expected to have read the syllabus and to adhere
to the policies found in it. As part of each student's course grade, the
I will also subjectively evaluate each student's contribution to the class and
evaluate their understanding of the course material based on communication
between student and instructor. Please see contribution
section of syllabus.
Grading
Criteria and Tentative Chapters Covered and Dates:
Other Important dates: Link to Course
Outline
Optional review class on Monday, Sept.
22nd (exam in
No class on Monday, Oct. 13th
(exam in testing center--see above)
No class on Wednesday, Nov. 19th (exam in testing center--see above)
TESTING
SERVICES SPRING 2006 SEMESTER HOURS OF OPERATION
http://www.uwosh.edu/testing/ Check
with the Testing Center--sometimes they change the hours.
|
A |
scores of 93 % or higher |
|
C |
scores from 73% to 78% |
|
AB |
scores from 89% to 92% |
|
CD |
scores from 69% to 72% |
|
B |
scores from 83% to 88% |
|
D |
scores from 65% to 68% |
|
BC |
scores from 79% to 82% |
|
F |
scores less than 65% |
Note the small
“D” range. This is a
required course in the B.B.A. program.
Each student should perform at a basic minimal level and that basic
level is represented by a grade of “C.”
Grading Policies
If you do not agree with a grade that you
receive, you have three weeks from the posting of the grade to contest it. For
the final course grade, you have three weeks from the end of the
semester to contest the grade. After three weeks, I will not be willing to
spend time with you discussing your grade (unless you have a documented reason
for not having a conference within the allotted period). I will post your
grades on web page or e-mail your course grades. Students are responsible
for verifying that the grades are correctly recorded.
1. Examinations: four exams are given during this course.
2.
Quizzes: students can expect three types of quizzes during the semester
including:
(1) In-class quizzes, (2) Take-home quizzes/assignments and (3) Four question
attendance quizzes
(1) In-class quizzes: These may be a problem from
the text or a set of multiple choice questions that include both conceptual questions
and quantitative questions. Come prepared (always have textbook,
calculator and pencil). Quizzes may
or may not be announced in classes prior to the quizzes. The
likelihood of a quiz increases if any of the following occurs during
class: cell phone rings, students arrive
late or leaves during the class, unexplained discussion among students, or the
reading something other than 331 course materials.
(2)
Take-home quizzes/assignments:
Students may be required to turn in an assigned homework problem or hand
out to count as a quiz grade. For take-home quizzes and assignments
you are allowed to work in groups; however, each person must turn in their own
quiz. Sometimes I will ask additional questions prior to turning in the
take-home quiz. These additional
questions are answered individually.
(3) Four Question Attendance Quizzes: Most class lecture periods will begin (or
sometimes end) with a short attendance quiz.
These quizzes will usually consist of four short answer (usually one
word) questions worth 10 points each.
Each student will receive 60 points for being in class at the time of
the quiz plus the 40 points from the 4 questions. Students receive zero points if they leave
before the quiz or arrive in class after the quiz has been collected.
4. End of Chapter
questions/problems/homework/assignments:
The purpose of these exercises is to familiarize students course material and
practice doing problems prior to the exam. Most of the exercises are not
collected or graded. The suggested end of the chapter exercises review
material covered in the chapter. The suggested questions and
problems can be found by clicking on the words: End
of chapter questions and problems to review. The answers to most
of the suggested questions and problems are available in the content section of
D2L.
5. Contribution to the course and Instructor's
Professional Evaluation: More than just attending class is required
for this portion of your grade. Students are required to be prepared and
alert during all class meetings. A lack of effort on the pretest or any
other course requirement will be reflected in the contribution grade. During
the semester students may be required to turn-in a self evaluation and/or a
peer evaluation. The contribution grade is the professor's subjective
evaluation of how well a student knows course material and how the student
used that knowledge to improve the learning environment of all students.
That is, did student's participation in the course contribute to the overall
learning of all students.
Students can make a contribution to the
course in a number of different ways including:
6. Review of quizzes and exams: Some of the
testing instruments will not be reviewed in class or returned. However, your
exam or quizzes will be available for review in my office. I assume that I have
your permission to post your grades by a code of your choosing.
7.
Contact with me: As we proceed
through the course, you may have difficulty and/or questions with some of the
assigned course material. If you do not understand the material after it has
been covered in class I encourage you to contact me during my office hours (or
by appointment). E-mail will assure that I receive the message. Just send your
message to my university account; i.e., huffman@uwosh.edu
(please include 331 in the subject line).
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is committed to a standard of academic
integrity for all students. The system guidelines state: "Students are
responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the
appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others’ academic
endeavors." (s. UWS 14.01, Wisconsin Administrative Code). Students are
subject to disciplinary action for academic misconduct, which is defined in s.
UWS 14.03, Wisconsin Administrative Code.
Examples of acts of misconduct and penalties are provided at the
link: Examples of Acts of Misconduct and Penalties
9. Announcements
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES
I also encourage you to consider enrolling in the International Business Study
Tour (28-494) or other international program. Additional information can
be found at the UW Oshkosh Office of International Education. Please
visit their new web site at http://www.uwosh.edu/oie/oie.html
or call Jenna Graff at 424-0185.
FINANCE CLUB. Students who are Juniors should be active in clubs related to their future careers. Clubs provide opportunities to meet and interact with business professionals. You have all heard of networking.
Careers and Professional designations--I have prepared
a listing of careers and professional designations that can be found on the
Finance Major’s web site or linking to UW
Oshkosh College of Business | finance
STUDENT-ENDOWMENT FUND
MANAGER COURSE: BUS 438
This is a 3 credit Finance Seminar where
students manage a portfolio with a current value of over $200,000.The course is
offered each fall, spring and summer semester.
Students must apply and be accepted into the program by the finance
faculty. More information and
applications are available at the web site: Student-Managed
Endowment Fund Manager Course or http://www.business.uwosh.edu/currentstudents/undergraduate/majors/finance_438.php