QuestionWeek 1DQ 1

Week 1

DQ 1

The Role of Financial Management in a Firm. Examine the role of management as it relates to finance in a corporation. In your post, discuss the role of management by addressing the following prompts:

Explain the various aspects of finance that management must understand.

Describe why a manager needs to understand the characteristics and importance of financial markets including their liquidity, competitiveness, and efficiency.

Interpret the function of the Financial Balance Sheet in assisting in management’s decision making process.

Discuss what could happen if management does not fulfill responsibilities related to finance. Share a real world example from your own professional experience or from an external source.

Your post should be 200-250 words in length.

DQ 2

Short Term View or Long Term View?After reading the first two chapters of your textbook, evaluate the following statement:

Managers should not focus on the current stock value because doing so will lead to overemphasis on short-term profits at the expense of long-term profits.

In your post, explain what is meant by this statement. Describe how management might decide whether to focus on short term or long term goals and how that decision impacts the organization. Next, using the financial balance sheet as displayed in the text, compute an example of how focusing on short term profits can be detrimental to long term profits. Share your opinion regarding whether you feel it’s a better option to focus on short term or long term goals. Use evidence from the text or external sources to support your position. Your post should be 200-250 words in length.

Week 1

Financial Management Challenges. The following video discusses the four types of markets: perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly.

Video 2.1: Market Structures

Given the market structures as described in the video, find at least two articles from the ProQuest database that highlight and discuss two of the biggest challenges facing financial managers today in these varied market structures. Summarize your findings from the articles in a three to five page paper excluding title page and references page(s). Include how market liquidity, competitiveness, and efficiency impact financial managers.

The paper should be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Be sure to properly cite your resources using APA style.

Week 2

DQ 1

Initial Investment. After reading Chapters 3 and 4 of your textbook, address each of the following questions:

a) Think of something you want or need for which you currently do not have the funds. It could be a vehicle, boat, horse, jewelry, property, vacation, college fund, retirement money, etc. Select something which costs somewhere between $2,000 and $50,000. Use the “Present Value Formula”, which computes how much money you need to start with now to achieve the desired monetary goal. Assume you will find an investment that promises somewhere between 5% and 10% interest on your money (you choose the rate) and pretend you want to purchase your desired item in 12 years. (Remember that the higher the return, usually the riskier the investment, so think carefully before deciding on the interest rate.) How much do you need to invest today to reach that desired amount 12 years from now?

b) You wish to leave an endowment for your heirs that goes into effect 50 years from today. You don’t want to be forgotten after you pass so you wish to leave an endowment that will pay for a grand soirée yearly and forever. What amount would you like spent yearly to fund this grand party? How much money do you have to leave to your heirs 50 years from now assuming that will compound at 6% interest? Assuming that you have not invested anything today, how much would you have to invest yearly to fully fund the annuity in 50 years, again assuming a 6% monthly compounding rate?

DQ 2

Managing Earnings. Companies often try to keep accounting earnings growing at a relatively steady pace in an effort to avoid large swings in earnings from period to period. They also try to manage earnings targets. Reflect on these practices and discuss the following in your discussion post.

Are these practices ethical?

What are two tactics that a financial manager can use to manage earnings?

What are the implications for cash flow and shareholder wealth?

Using the financial balance sheet as displayed in the text, provide an example of how purchasing an asset or issuing stocks or bonds could potentially impact earnings targets.

Week 2 Assignment

Return on Investment – Education Funding. Develop a three to five page analysis on the projected return on investment for your college education and projected future employment. This analysis will consist of two parts.

Part 1: Describe how and why you made the decision to pursue a MBA. Include in that explanation calculations of expenses and opportunity costs related to that decision.

Part 2: Conduct research on your desired occupation and how much compensation (return) you expect to earn. How long will it take to pay back the return on this investment? Be sure to use the financial formulas (Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Payback) provided in Chapters 3 and 4 of your text.

The analysis should be comprehensive and reference specific examples from scholarly sources. The paper should be formatted according to APA.

Week 3

DQ 1

GAAP vs. IFRS. The United States uses Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) as the basis of financial reporting. The International Financial Accounting Standards (IFRS) is an alternative way to report financials. This article from Ernst and Young compares the two methods of financial reporting.

Ernst & Young’s US GAAP vs. IFRS: The Basics http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/US_GAAP_v_IFRS:_The_Basics/$FILE/US%20GAAP%20v%20IFRS%20Dec%202011.pdf

After reading the article from Ernst and Young, answer the following questions:

How does the GAAP reporting method cause cash flows to differ from net income?

How are the features of the Income Statement, Balance Sheet, and Statement of Cash Flow utilized in both the GAAP and the IFRS reporting methods?

Does it make sense to adapt a worldwide standard for financial reporting? Should this be mandated or voluntary?

Calculate some of the potential costs and benefits of switching from GAAP to IFRS.

DQ 2

Capital Rationing. Compare and contrast the Internal Rate of Return (IRR), the Net Present Value (NPV) and Payback approaches to capital rationing. Which do you think is better? Why? Provide examples and evidence from two articles from ProQuest to support your position. Your post should be 200-250 words in length.

Guided Response: Review several of your classmates’ postings. Respond to at least two classmates by explaining why you either agree or disagree with their position. Provide evidence to support your position.

Week 3 Journal

Capital Budgeting. Review the following video:

http://searchcenter.intelecomonline.net/playClipDirect.aspx?id=4870EEC7664070BB9D6744FDA7325EE48937A8D6C2046957D894C3572333E0B94E4E0FADFA493E372EF9C0293DDF74D7

Critically reflect on the importance of capital budgeting. Why is this such a heated subject in many boardrooms? How does capital budgeting promote the financial health of an organization? How will you use the financial techniques you have learned this week to promote the financial health of your organization?

Week 3 Assignment

Management of Working Capital Case Study: “George’s Trains”. View the following video:

http://searchcenter.intelecomonline.net/playClipDirect.aspx?id=4870EEC7664070BB9D6744FDA7325EE44F45E0E47862343D60FAA8E3325D1A83C46D5C6FAB3D01A758FA30144214BB3D

It appears that George is running a profitable business. George is aware you are in an MBA Managerial Finance class and comes to you for advice on his working capital practices. More specifically George asks:

1. How you would describe my working capital practices, including my methods of capital budgeting analysis techniques?

2. What are potential pitfalls in my Capital Budgeting practices that I should be aware of?

3. Develop a simple Statement of Cash Flows for George’s Trains using any information gleaned from the video. What areas of improvement do you recommend? Provide at least three references from the Ashford Library or other scholarly sources to support your recommendations.

In a three to five page paper respond to George’s request for advice and answer each question in detail. The Written Paper should be properly formatted in alignment with APA 6th edition formatting.

Week 4

DQ 1

Applying the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). Analyze the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). Using the course text and an article from ProQuest as references, address the following:

Explain how the CAPM assists in measuring both risk and return.

Explain how the CAPM assists in calculating the weighted average costs of capital (WACC) and its components.

Illustrate why some managers have difficulty applying the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) in financial decision making.

Identify the benefits and drawbacks of using the CAPM.

Develop a 200 – 300 word answer supporting your position.

DQ 2

Risk Identification and Mitigation. Using the annual report from the company that you have selected for your Final Project, discuss the risks the company faces and the actions they take to mitigate those risks. Refer to the Management Discussion and Analysis section of the annual report for this information.

As part of your response consider whether you think the risk mitigation techniques are reasonable. Discuss what others concerns or advice you would offer if you had the opportunity.

Include in your post a calculation for the probability of one of the risks identified by your company. This information may not be available in the annual report, therefore you will likely need to conduct research and critical thinking to complete this calculation.

Tip: For help with reading an annual report access this handy guide from Money Chimp (http://www.moneychimp.com/articles/financials/fundamentals.htm).

Week 4 Assignmnet

Types of Risk. View the following Video:

http://searchcenter.intelecomonline.net/playClipDirect.aspx?id=4870EEC7664070BB9D6744FDA7325EE409273F0294E05CB605BD2644A49FA1711B997988CEF21D86EF438737AEFFE09D

This video introduces the concept of business risk and risk management. It notes that business risks can generally be classified into four categories: property, market, employee, and customer.

Using each of the above four categories of risk, develop an analysis on how financial management techniques or policies can be used to mitigate each of these risks. To supplement your risk analysis, research the ProQuest database and find at least one articlefor each of your risk mitigation techniques or policies.

Summarize your findings in a three to five page paper excluding title page and references page(s), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Be sure to properly cite your scholarly resources using APA style.

Week 5

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