Small Business Finance and Quantitative Methods

CRN: 30396
Note: This 8-credit program will meet from 5:30-9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. First class meets in in LIB 1412.

This program assumes no prior background in finance or quantitative methods. It will cover the analysis of financial statements and the use of ratio analysis to interpret how well a company has performed, operational levers that affect company performance, and the cost of raising money (cost of capital) in the debt markets and in the equity (stock) markets. The program endeavors to engender financial intelligence, and quantitative reasoning using everyday business situations (case studies) as a way to uncover what is real, to "look through" nicely ordered numbers for clues to potential problems, and to interpret and convey financial data clearly, concisely, and accurately. Excel will be used for assignments to keep the complexities of calculation from being an impediment to learning and to allow students to concentrate on analytical thinking. The course will provide tools to guide understanding of "what the numbers really mean"—the essentials of finance for small business and entrepre­neurial managers.