This is an advanced finance course which can cover advanced topics in finance

from the following areas: corporate and investment theory, valuation of

financial assets, capital markets, risk management, and entrepreneurial

finance, and finance ethics.This course provides the student the theories,

tools, techniques, and applications of Modern Portfolio Theory and Portfolio

Risk Management. Building upon the contents of Finance 352, the course presents

the Markowitz portfolio optimization concept as the basis for designing,

developing, and managing portfolios of securities. Asset allocation models and

techniques are emphasized. The course also extends the student's knowledge of

derivative contracts, such as options and future contracts, to their uses in

assessing and managing portfolio risk, and presents methods for evaluating the

return and risk performance of portfolios of securities.An examination of the

nature and functions of money, financial institutions within the larger

economic system, and central banks. Course emphasizes the role of financial

instruments, financial markets and financial institutions as well as the

function of the Federal Reserve System by examining monetary policy and its

roots in macroeconomics and monetary theory. Special focus is on structure and

evolution of the banking industry, depository institutions, and regulation of

financial intermediaries within the context of the global financial system and

international monetary system.Strategic Cost Analysis is the process of

analyzing and managing costs in orderto improve the strategic position of the

business. This goal can be accomplished by having a thorough understanding of

which activities and costs support an organization's strategic position and

which activities and costs either weaken it or have no impact. Subsequent cost

management efforts can then focus on reducing or limiting expenditures on

activities that add little or no strategic value, while increasing expenditures

on activities that support the strategic position of the organization.

Performance can then be evaluated to ensure that the chosen actions are taken,

and that these actions are yielding improved strategic performance. Throughout

the course, a strategic cost analysis and management framework will be applied

across functions and organizations to highlight the cost analysis and

performance evaluation methods available to forecast financial performance and

improve strategic position.In the course, students learn how to analyze firms'

financial statements and disclosures to determine how a firm's particular

accounting choices reflect the underlying economics of the firm. As a result,

the course strengthens students' ability to use financial statements as part of

an overall assessment of the firm's strategy and valuation. The course is

especially useful for anyone interested in working on the buy or sell side. The

course provides both a framework for and the tools necessary to analyze

financial statements. At the conceptual level, it emphasizes that preparers and

users of financial statements have different objectives and incentives. At the

same time, the course is applied and stresses the use of actual financial

statements. For example, students learn how to detect when firms are managing

earnings and/or balance sheets. It draws heavily on real business problems and

uses cases to illustrate the application of the techniques and tools.