FIN 486 Complete Course

Week 1

Individual Assignment Business Ethics

Write a paper of no more than 1,000 words, describing the demise of Enron Corporation and WorldCom.

Identify major factors that led to the dissolution of Enron Corporation and WorldCom.

Explain specific ethical violations in accounting practices at Enron Corporation and WorldCom.

Describe the role of business ethics in strategic financial planning.

Cite readings and at least one other source, including the Internet.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Discussion Questions

What are a chief financial officers (CFO) two roles? Use real-world examples to explain why these roles are important to a companys success.

Explain business ethics in your own words. Why are business ethics important in strategic planning? How do business ethics affect the workplace?

Week 2

Learning Team Assignment Department Budgets

Your Learning Team is the financial management team for Huffman Trucking, responsible for creating the financial portion of a strategic plan. You must obtain information from the marketing, sales, operations, and human resources departments to complete it.

Resource: Virtual Organizations web link

Review Huffman Trucking's financial information within the Virtual Organizations web link located on the course materials page.

Create a spreadsheet for each department manager to complete his or her budget. Refer to the finance and accounting information for budget examples.

Include an area in each spreadsheet for managers to list major assumptions.

Draft a memo directed to department managers, containing the following information:

A summary of team players and their role in creating a strategic plan

Instructions explaining how managers should complete their budgets in the spreadsheets, including information needed to prepare a cash flow budget, and to time cash coming in and going out

Create a sales forecast predicting sales over the next 2 years. Use financial information available on the Huffman Trucking Web site to create the forecast.

Format the memo consistent with APA guidelines.

Discussion Questions

A firms senior managers delay a planned maintenance to make profits look better. Is this ethical? Why or why not? What is another example of questionable ethical behavior?

What is the role of the accounting manager in completing the financial portion of a strategic plan? How does this role differ from the CFOs role? Why are these roles important? How may each role affect the success of a strategic plan?

Week 3

Individual Assignment Long-Term Financial Needs

Examine financial information for Huffman Trucking, within the Virtual Organization web link located on the course materials page. Read the New Strategic Directions Memo. Calculate external funds needed (EFN) to create the pro forma balance sheet. Calculate the following year-end ratios for the pro forma statements:

Profit as a percentage of sales

Current ratio

Asset ratio

Prepare a 500-word financial report for the CEO containing the EFN calculation, the ratio calculations, and an explanation of how you reached the calculations. Explain which income statement and balance sheet items you assumed were variable instead of fixed.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Discussion Questions

Why are financial ratios used to assess a companys financial performance? Why are sales reports, profits, debts, or current liability reports insufficient? How have financial ratios been used in your company? Do you think they are an effective assessment of financial performance? If so, why? If not, why?

If you had to pick three commonly calculated ratios to analyze the financial health of a company, which would you analyze? Why would you choose those ratios?

Week 4

Individual Assignment Capital Budgeting Scenarios

Choose a scenario from the Capital Budgeting Worksheet to review and analyze. Using net present value, determine the proposals appropriateness and economic viability.

Prepare a 500-word report explaining your calculations and conclusions. Answer the following in your report:

Explain the effect of a higher or lower cost of capital on a firms long-term financial decisions.

Analyze the use of capital budgeting techniques in strategic financial management.

Format your report consistent with APA guidelines.

Discussion Questions

How might different stakeholders view the importance of different ratios? Discuss from the perspectives of a stockholder, a vendor, and an employee.

What is EFN? Why is calculating EFN an important role for a CFO? Is it better for a company if it does not need EFN? Why or why not?

Week 5

FIN 486 Week 5 Learning Team Assignment Strategic Financial Plan

Create the financial portion of the strategic plan. The plan must include 3 years of income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.

Write a memo of no more than 1,050 words that explains the plans major assumptions and identifies areas of risk. The memo must include the following:

A review of cash flow statements and a recommendation of implementing new short-term working capital strategies on long-term cash flow

An explanation of corporate risk mitigation techniques used in capital budgeting

An analysis of the effect of a companys capital structure on strategic financial planning and how it affects risk

Refer to the Mergent Online database available in the University Library for financial plan examples.

Format your memo consistent with APA guidelines.

Discussion Questions

In your own words, explain capital budgeting. Why is it important to a companys long-term success? Provide an example of poorly performed capital budgeting. How does this affect a companys long-term success?

Why is capital budgeting part of a companys long-term strategic planning process? What are the pros and cons of these methods:

o NPV

o Simple payback

o IRR