AB1201 Financial Management

AB1201
Financial Management
_________________________________________________________________________________
Academic Year

: 2014/2015

Pre-requisites

: Nil

No. of AUs

: 3

Semester

: 1

Course Description and Scope

This course aims to provide business and accounting students with a broad understanding of all the
important financial principles, concepts, and analytical tools. This is a first course in finance and is
compulsory for all business and accounting students. It is essential for all business and accounting
undergraduates to have a good understanding of the various financial issues faced by a firm. For the
banking and finance students it is important that they have a good grounding in this course in order to
better prepare themselves for other advanced finance courses. Business students would also need to do
well for this course in order to qualify for the banking and finance major.
Course Learning Objectives
Students should be able to demonstrate understanding of fundamental concepts such as the time value
of money, risk and return, corporate financing choices, and capital budgeting.
Learning & Teaching Methods
The course will be delivered through weekly lectures and tutorials. Each week, the lecture will
introduce students to a major finance topic. The tutorials are held in small groups and are designed to
help you get to grips with the lecture materials. Tutorials review materials covered in the lecture in the
previous week. For example, materials taught in Lecture 1 (week starting 11 Aug 2014) will be
covered in Tutorial 1 (week starting 18 Aug 2014).

Lectures: 1.5 hours per week (Tuesdays 10:30a.m. to 12noon at LT1A)

o Lectures commence in Week 1 (week starting 11 Aug 2014) and end in Week 12 (week
starting 3 Nov 2014)

Tutorials: 1.5 hours per week

o Tutorials commence in Week 2 (week starting 18 Aug 2014) and end in Week 13 (week
starting 10 Nov 2014)

Assessment Plan
Learning Goals
Teamwork &
Interpersonal Skills
Acquisition of
Knowledge
Course Instructors
Instructor
Angie Low*
Kong Yoon Kee
Kim Young Han, Andy
Tan Chong It
* Course coordinator

Course Learning Objective

Assessment Method

Students should demonstrate ability Peer evaluation

to work effectively with others in a (Presentation of
group setting.
question)
Students
should
demonstrate
knowledge and application ability Mid-Term Quiz
of core curriculum.

Office Location
S3-B1A-30
S3-B2B-49
S3-B1A-16
N/A

Phone
67906117
67906139
67904639
N/A

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tutorial

Email
aaclow@ntu.edu.sg
aykkong@ntu.edu.sg
yhkim@ntu.edu.sg
CITAN1@e.ntu.edu.sg

AB1201 Financial Management

Course Materials
1) Basic Text
Brigham, Eugene F., Joel F. Houston, Jun-ming Hsu, Yoon Kee Kong, and A.N. Bany Ariffin,
Essentials of Financial Management, 3rd edition, Cengage Learning Asia. ISBN-13: 9789814441377.

2) CengageNow
CengageNow is an online platform that allows students to study at their own pace. It includes selfstudy tools such as an E-Book, extra problem sums, etc. that students can work on outside of class.
You will need the CengageNow Access Code (included with the textbook) for logging into your
account on CengageNow. Please refer to Powerpoint Slides titled CengageNowRegistration.pptx
for details on how to log in.
Important note: If you buy a used book you need to buy a separate license. The following options are
available from the school bookshop:
Option 1: Textbook with access card BUNDLE (ISBN: 9789000018697)
Brigham: Essentials of Financial Management, 3rd edition + CengageNow, 3rd Edition
(ISBN: 9789814441377 + ISBN: 9789814510486)
Price: S$ $57.80 Nett
Option 2: Access card only (ISBN: 9789814510486 )
CengageNow, 3rd Edition
Price: $26.80 Nett
Option 3: Textbook only (ISBN: 9789814441377)
Brigham: Essentials of Financial Management, 3rd edition
Price: S$ 53.80Nett
For technical difficulties with CengageNow, please contact CengageNow Technical support at:
asia.usersupport@cengage.com.

3) Financial Calculator
The official calculator for the course is Texas Instrument BA II Plus. This is a good calculator, being
one of the approved calculators for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) examination.

4) NTULearn Sites
The course will have a main site where the weekly lecture slides and tutorial questions will be posted
in advance. Course-wide announcements will also be made on the main site. The main site also
contains a course calendar to help you keep track of presentation and assignment datelines. Depending
on individual instructors, each tutorial class may have their own site.

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AB1201 Financial Management

Weekly Lecture Schedule

Date
Lecture
Lecture Topic
(week
No.
starting)
Only lecture, no tutorial
An Overview of Financial Management
11/8
1
Financial Markets and Institutions
Financial Statements, Cash Flow, and Taxes
18/8
2
Time Value of Money I
Time Value of Money II Amortized Loans
25/8
3
Interest Rates
1/9
4
Bonds and Their Valuation
8/9
5
Risk and Rates of Return
Stocks and their Valuation
15/9
6
Stock Market Efficiency
22/9

29/9
6/10

13/10

20/10
27/10

10

3/11

11

10/11

The Cost of Capital

Required Textbook
Readings

C1
C2
C3
C5.1-C5.17
C5.18
C7
C9
C8
C10, Appendix 10A
C2.7

Exclusions

2.7 Stock Market Efficiency (to be

covered later)
3.8 MVA and EVA
7.6 Using the Yield Curve to Estimate
Future Interest Rates
9.4b Yield to Call
10.7 Valuing the Entire Corporation

C11

RECESS WEEK
Common Quiz on 7 Oct
The Basics of Capital Budgeting
C12
Cash Flow Estimation and Risk Analysis
C13
13.7 Unequal Project Lives
Lease or Buy Decision
C20.2
The Optimal Capital Budget
C14.6
No lecture, no tutorial
E-LEARNING WEEK
To be distributed
Topic: SME financing
online at later date
Capital Structure and Leverage
C15
Distributions to Shareholders
C16
16.3a The Residual Dividend Model
Course Wrap Up
No lecture, only tutorial
28 Nov 2014, Friday : FINAL EXAMINATION (2hrs)

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AB1201 Financial Management

Course Assessments
Components

Marks

Individual/Group

Coursework: Tutorial presentation*

Group

Coursework: Group project*

Group

Coursework: Participation*

Individual

Coursework: CengageNow assignments

Individual

Coursework: Mid-term quiz

20

Individual

Final examination

60

Individual

Total
100
* These will be moderated so that the mark distribution will be the same across classes.
1) Tutorial presentation (Group, 5%)
Students are expected to form groups of 2 to 4, depending on class size. Each group will work on and
present one of the tutorials. After the presentation, please make any changes that are being brought up
in the tutorial and post the revised slides on your tutorial class NTULearn site. Instructors will not be
checking through the revised slides as the presenting group has to be conscientious about making the
changes brought up.
Students would also need to complete the peer evaluation form on Eureka through NTULearn.
Instructors will take into account the peer evaluation when awarding individual students final mark
for their tutorial presentation. The deadline for submitting the peer evaluation is 16 November, 2014.

2) Group project (Group, 5%)

Each week students will present on a topic that is closely related to the lecture topic. Specific
questions will be provided to guide students. There is no need to hand in a written report. Presenting
groups are expected to post up their slides on your tutorial class NTULearn site.
To prevent students from presenting both the tutorial and group project during the same week, in
teaching week 3 (second tutorial session), Group 1 will present Tutorial 2 and Group 6 will present
the group project. The sequence will follow such that we end up with Group 10 presenting Tutorial 11
and Group 5 presenting the last group project in the last tutorial session.

3) Participation (Individual, 5%)

Students are expected to attend every class and to speak up in class. Participation marks are awarded
based on both participation in class and outside of class with the instructor.

4) CengageNow assignments (Individual, 5% for 10 assignments)

Each CengageNow assignment, available through the CengageNow platform, is worth 0.5 marks. The
assignments will consist of true/false questions and multiple choice questions and will be marked
based on correct answers. There will be 11 assignments but the first assignment will not be counted
due to add/drop.
CengageNow assignments test students on concepts and simple calculations; therefore, it would be
ideal for students to attempt the CengageNow assignments before working on the tutorial questions
where calculations can be more involved.
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AB1201 Financial Management

The assignment for each lecture would only be available after the lecture for two weeks (From
Tuesday of Week t, 12 noon to Tuesday of Week t+2, 12 noon. Please refer to course calendar for
exact due dates for each assignment. Students who do not complete the assignment during this time
will no longer have access to the assignment.

5) Quiz (Individual, 20%)

There will be 1 mid-term quiz that will be held on 7 Oct 2013 (Tuesday) at 7pm. There will be no
make-up quiz. Unless a valid reason is given, zero marks will be awarded. If valid reasons are given,
the weightage for the quiz will be added to the final exam, i.e., exam will carry 80% weight instead.

6) Final examination (Individual, 60%)

Final examination is close book. Only a list of equations (found in the appendix of the textbook) will
be provided in the exam. Students are required to bring their own financial and scientific calculators
for the final exam.

Importance of Academic Integrity in NTU

The foundation of good academic work is honesty and maintaining academic integrity. These
principles uphold the standards of the University, thus, the responsibility for maintaining integrity in
all the activities of the academic community lies with the students as well as the faculty, and the
University. Everyone in this community must work together to ensure that the University values of
Truth, Trust, and Justice are upheld.
As an NTU student, you should actively seek to equip yourselves with strategies to avoid participating
in any and all forms of academic dishonesty including plagiarism, academic fraud, and facilitating
academic dishonesty. You should seek advice from learning resources staff and from your lecturers.
Faculty should also actively seek to work with students to help them maintain the high standards of
scholarship and academic work. Remember, when you are in doubt, ask your professor!

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AB1201 Financial Management

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I dont read the textbook? Can I rely on the lecture slides and tutorial questions?
No, given the limited time we have during lecture and tutorials, it is impossible to cover all the
materials in the textbook. Students are strongly encouraged to read the textbook as materials not in the
lecture slides and tutorial questions but in the textbook are examinable.
2. Can we use the 2nd edition of the textbook?
There are many mistakes in the 2nd edition and therefore, it is not recommended that you use the 2nd
edition. There are also updates in terminology used. All formula and terminology used in the course
will be based on the 3rd edition of the textbook.
3. Is topic XXX in the textbook excluded since it is not in the lecture slides?
Please refer to the Weekly Lecture Schedule for the list of included/excluded topics. Unless
explicitly mentioned, all content in the textbook is examinable.
4. Is topic XXX included since it appears in the past year exam?
There have been several changes in the syllabus so for the most up to date list of topics, please refer to
the Weekly Lecture Schedule of the current course outline.
5. Should I direct my question to the coordinator or my tutorial instructor?
Other than during the lectures, all questions related to the lecture materials from students should be
addressed to their individual tutorial class instructors. To prevent any mis-communications, the course
coordinator will not answer questions from students from other classes. However, the course
coordinator welcomes any comments about the lecture delivery and content and you can email her
your comments.
Exam and quiz briefings will be conducted during the lecture nearer the dates.
For technical difficulties with CengageNow, please contact CengageNow Technical support at:
asia.usersupport@cengage.com.
6. I changed my tutorial class during the add/drop period but have already presented the tutorial in
my original class, can I apply to transfer the marks to my new class?
Students who do a coursework component during the add-drop will not have his mark transferred to
his/ her new tutorial class if he/ she changes tutorial class.
7. Can I have the answers to past year examinations/ quizzes?
It is the policy of the course that students would only be provided with the answers to the exams and
quizzes in the most recent past three semesters. Note also that the course syllabus may have changed
from semester to semester.
8. I forgot to do my CengageNow assignments. Can you re-open the assignment for me to do?
The due dates are strongly adhered to. Email reminders will be sent to students prior to the assignment
due dates. Students who forgot to do the assignments within the due date can still print out the
assignments for extra practice but will not be awarded any marks.
9. Can I use another model of Financial calculator or Scientific calculator other than the Texas
Instrument BA II Plus?
Yes you can as long as the calculator is within the approved list. Please check
(http://www.nanyangbusinessschool.ntu.edu.sg/undergrad/intranet/Exam/Calculator.asp) on what
calculators are acceptable for use in the examination.

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AB1201 Financial Management

10. How are we graded on the tutorial presentations?

The following rubric is used. Note however that instructors may at their own discretion grade on other
dimensions.
Traits
Ability to analyse and solve
problems

1 Below Expectation
Not able to solve most of the
problems.

2 Met Expectation
Able to solve most of the
problems.

Ability to deliver answers in a

concise and clear manner

Answers are delivered in a

confusing and unstructured
format.
Slides are boring.

Mostly able to deliver

answers in a concise and clear
manner.
Slides are standard.

Unable to answer or more

of questions with correct
information.
Uncertain and hesitant, does
not maintain eye contact
with audience.

Answers or more of
questions, but does not
expand on answers.
Noticeable distracters but
generally professional,
establishes eye contact with
audience most of the time.

Presentation slides
Ability to respond to audience
questions and comments
Non-verbal: Poise and
Confidence

3 Above Expectation
Able to solve all the
problems and discuss
further implications.
Able to deliver answers
in a concise and clear
manner.
Slides are able to engage
audience.
Handles all questions
with relevant and correct
information.
Stands poised and
confident, establishes eye
contact with audience.

11. How are we graded on the group project?

The following rubric is used. Note however that instructors may at their own discretion grade on other
dimensions.
2 Met Expectation
- The summary is adequate.
- Purpose of the presentation
is clear.

Reference list

1 Below Expectation
- The summary is too brief
or is not provided.
- Purpose of the presentation
is unclear.
- Analysis is not logical
and/or not related to the
topic.
Reference list is missing

Ability to engage audience

Audience is bored.

Some audience is engaged.

All the audience is

engaged.

Effort put in

Noticeable lack of effort put

into project.

Some effort put into

presentation.

Extra effort put into

project.

Ability to respond to audience

questions and comments

Unable to answer or more

of questions with correct
information.
Uncertain and hesitant, does
not maintain eye contact
with audience.

Answers or more of
questions, but does not
expand on answers.
Noticeable distracters but
generally professional,
establishes eye contact with
audience most of the time.

Handles all questions

with relevant and correct
information.
Stands poised and
confident, establishes eye
contact with audience.

Traits
Presentation summary

Analysis

Non-verbal: Poise and

Confidence

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- Analysis is logical.

3 Above Expectation
- The summary includes
all main ideas.
-Purpose of the
presentation is clear.
- Analysis is outstanding.

Reference list is complete