3 semester credits

The focus of this course is on the utilization of financial information for internal decision-making purposes. The course is designed for the executive who will be using, rather than producing, financial information. Students will cover a range of contemporary topics and techniques relevant to sound and ethical financial decision making using a stakeholder-analysis framework. This framework requires decision makers to develop an array of possible financial decisions and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each. The tradeoffs and consequences of each alternative are considered in terms of satisfying stakeholders’ interests while maximizing firm value. Students in this course will rely on critical-thinking skills to apply and, at times, challenge traditional financial theory, while balancing various stakeholder interests in the financial decision-making process.