BA 6420 Finance Problems

 

Students in MBA programs are routinely surveyed about the coursework they are taking. Here are the results for the campus weekend program after completion of three 3-credit courses and one half-credit course. The questions asked of the students were:

Please describe below the single most important learning you took from each of the following classes you have completed (please be specific-e.g., "I learned that _____"):

In terms of the two criteria of relevance and rigor, please rate each of the six fall semester courses. Using the following scales, assign a number between one and five for each course on both dimensions:

  • Relevance
    • 5 = Highly relevant to both the goals of the MBA program and my career goals
    • 1 = Not relevant to either the goals of the MBA program or my career goals
  • Rigor
    • 5 = Very challenging
    • 1 = Very easy

Students' Responses

  • To use a variety of techniques to evaluate and analyze the fiscal health of a company and in that context, make intelligent, informed decisions concerning the management of assets and liabilities. (3,5)
  • Capital asset pricing model, weighted average cost of capital, time value of money. (5,5)
  • How to apply tools learned in corporate finance. (4,2)
  • The WACC. What a valuable way to view potential projects. I have already benefited from this tool. (__,5)
  • I learned how to analyze financial situations and offer potential solutions to the problem. (5,5)
  • I learned how to analyze the financial side of a project and decide whether or not to do it based on ROl, WACC, and NPV. (3,3)
  • Capital structure . . . I learned how business finance is evaluated and how to make educated decisions based upon logic. (5,4)
  • I learned the importance of balancing debt or equity financing. (5,4)
  • Working on the MCI case study as a group. (5,5)
  • The most important thing I learned in this class was how corporations handle money and how they decide how to utilize capital to maximize the value of the firm to the shareholders. (5,5)
  • I learned a lot about companies' financial statements and how to analyze them to determine the overall health of companies. I also enjoyed learning about "puts" and "calls" in the stock market. (5,5)
  • Learned the concept of time-value-money more deeply. (5,4)
  • I learned that a financial officer's primary goals are to shareholder value. I learned that (from case studies) there are many possible solutions to financial problems, and so it is wise to develop and address each option in order to arrive at the best solution to the problem at hand. (5,5)
  • I learned that finance is a tough but interesting field where practioners have to be able to distinguish between optimistic and conservative forecasts. (5,5)
  • I learned that there are numerous ways to analyze the overall financial health of a firm and it is crucial to look in all areas in order to solve the financial problems of the firm. (5,4)
  • Time value of money. Optimal mix of financial resources. (4,4)
  • Being relatively unfamiliar with this field, I learned a lot. Essentially, how to analyze and evaluate the financial situation of a company. In addition to this, I learned how to set financial policies. (5,5)