SYLLABUS

Business Finance Xin Zhou

BA 3341 Section 003 Spring 2006

Lecture: Tuesday and Thursday: 11:00-12:15am, SM2.106

My Office: SOM, Room 3.607 My Office Hours: Tuesday 2:00-5:00pm

My E-mail: xxz014500@utdallas.edu My Telephone: 972-883-4733

Required Textbooks:

Ross, Westerfield, and Jordan, Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, Seventh Edition

You can purchase either the Standard Edition or the Alternate Edition, it does not matter. It is available
at the campus bookstore and Off Campus Books which is located at 581 W Campbell Rd, Richardson.
Their telephone number is 972-907-8398.

Optional Reading: Though not required, students are strongly encouraged to regularly read a business
periodical, I recommend The Wall Street Journal.

Calculator: You will need a calculator which has financial functions. When I do examples in class I
will use a TI-BA II Plus.

Evaluation: Quiz 20%

Midterm 35%
Final Exam 45%

Homework and Quizzes: To help develop your understanding of the material, I will recommend some
end-of-chapter problems after each session. No homework submission is required. Rather, I will
occasionally give a quiz based upon these assignments. The lowest grade of your quizzes will be
dropped in computing your final score.

Exams:
o All exams will be multiple-choice, closed book and closed notes. However each student may use
one letter size sheet of paper with notes on it.
o Students are responsible to bring a calculator, scantron (Form No: 882-E) and pencil to each exam.
o There are no make-ups and all scores will count towards your overall evaluation. If you miss a
midterm you must have written documentation of a serious illness from a physician. Since there
are no make-ups additional weight will be put on the final.
o Since many of the ideas we are going to cover build on one another the final will be cumulative,
and you must attend it to receive a passing grade in this class.
o I am very willing to entertain questions you may have regarding grading but will not take these
questions during class. Please submit in writing, within one week, any disputes you have with
specific grades in a well thought-out argument.
Other Things You Should Know

• You are expected to read the selected chapters before class.

• If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability please contact
Disability Services, Student Union 1.610, 972-883-2098 (V/TDD). If you have a letter from
Disability Services indicating you have a documented disability that requires academic
accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations you
might need for class.

Notice of Policy on Cheating:

Students are expected to be above reproach in all scholastic activities. Students who engage in scholastic
dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and
dismissal from the University. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism,
collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to
another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a
student or the attempt to commit such acts." Regents' Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI,
Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22.
 Course Schedule

Wk Date Topic Chapters

1 01/10-01/12 Overview
Introduction to Corporate Finance Chapter 1

2 01/17-01/19 Financial Statements, Taxes, and Cash Flow Chapter 2

3 01/24-01/26 Introduction to Valuation: The Time Value of Money Chapter 5

4 01/31-02/02 Discounted Cash Flow Valuation Chapter 6

Quiz 1

5 02/07-02/09 Interest Rate and Bond Valuation Chapter 7

6 02/14-02/16 Stock Valuation Chapter 8

Quiz 2

7 02/21-02/23 Net Present Value and Other Investment Criteria Chapter 9

8 02/28 Making Capital Investment Decisions Chapter 10

Quiz 3

9 03/02 Midterm

10 Spring break (No class)

11 03/14-03/16 Capital Investment Decisions Chapter 10

Some Lessons from Capital Market History Chapter 12

12 03/21-03/23 Some Lessons from Capital Market History Chapter 12

13 03/28-03/30 Return, Risk, and the Security Market Line Chapter 13

Quiz 4

14 04/04-04/06 Cost of Capital Chapter 15

15 04/11-04/13 Financial Leverage and Capital Structure Policy Chapter 17

Quiz 5

16 04/18-04/20 Dividends and Dividend Policy Chapter 18

Review Session

16 04/25 Final