Finance

Kenneth Boudreaux

Different investment projects generate different cash flows and different levels of risk. The problem is that choices have to be made among competing uses for funds because businesses typically face constraints on the availability of capital. Financial tools make it possible to reduce a bewildering array of cash flows spread over a variety of time periods to more easily comparable net present values. These tools enable the efficiency principles of economics to be applied in a rigorous manner. Financial concepts also provide the link between company operations and capital markets. It is impossible to understand the behaviour of the stock market without a grasp of the principles of financial analysis.

Topics covered

Basic ideas, scope and tools of finance.
Fundamentals of company investment decisions.
Earnings, profit and cash flow.
Investment decisions using weighted average cost of capital.
Estimating cash flows for investment projects.
Applications of company investment analysis.
Risk and company investment decisions.
Company dividend policy.
Company capital structure.
Working capital management.
International financial management.
Options, agency, derivatives and financial engineering.

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Safwat Kabany
Syria

For Safwat Kabany, from Syria, doing his MBA with Edinburgh Business School was the most logical choice. "I'm in the petrochemical industry and Heriot-Watt University is one of the world-leading academic institutions in this field of industry. I therefore knew a lot about the high standards at Heriot-Watt and these are certainly evident in EBS's MBA programme."

Safwat decided to do the programme as a full-time on-campus student, which was not without its challenges, particularly for a foreign student. "I had to cope with both language and cultural differences, which at first were quite daunting. EBS, however, is very skilled at dealing with people from different backgrounds and cultures and it wasn't long before I felt very comfortable in this environment. The faculty are extremely helpful and take a keen interest in every individual. The facilities at Heriot-Watt for resident on-campus students are excellent and not having to worry about where I would live or how I would feed myself ensured that I could devote all my attention to my studies."...more