Student guide Faculty of Economics A.Y. 2008/09

1. To provide a general overview of the finance function and its links with other corporate functions, identifying the factors which determine the financial dynamics of the firm.

2. To analyse the interrelations between the economic and financial aspects of operations, with particular regard to investment and financing policies.

3. To identify the decisional criteria for optimising the financial structure of the company.

4. To gain an understanding of the valuation of companies and the principal mechanisms for transferring their ownership.

5. To gain a basic knowledge of the different methods for meeting the financial needs of firms.

2. To identify the main channels of corporate financing, with particular reference to the credit market and the banking system.

1.      Corporate financial analysis.

1.1    introduction to finance: role, functions and objectives.

1.2   Financial planning.

1.3   Financial dynamics of the company and management of circulating capital.

1.4   Financial flows, statement of sources and uses, the financial statement, the cash budget.

 

2.     Investment decisions.

2.1   Present value and time value of money.

2.2   Economic-financial valuation of investments.

2.3  Analysis in the presence of uncertainty.

 

3.     Enterprise risk and the financial structure.

3.1   The risk/yield ratio.

3.2   Financial structure of the company and cost of capital.

3.3   Financial leverage.

 

4.     Financial aspects of growth and extraordinary transactions.

4.1   External growth and the main extraordinary finance transactions.

4.2   General principles of valuation and business appraisal methods.

 

5.     Financial choices of the firm and reference markets.

5.1   Principal means of procuring financial resources.

 

6.     Use of debt capital: some short and medium/long term instruments.

6.1  The main bank contracts.

6.2  Leasing and factoring.

For non attending students, there will be an oral examination at the end of the course.

Attending students will be able to sit a written test, integrated with an oral exam.

Gervasoni A. (editor), La gestione finanziaria dell’impresa, Guerini e Associati, Milano, 2003.

Course-specific materials produced by the lecturers.