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January 28, 2025
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This course is part of Financial Management Specialization
Instructors: Heitor Almeida
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Evaluate the benefits and costs of different types of debt such as bonds and bank debt.
Manage risks that cannot be hedged with derivatives using liquidity and other tools.
Use the NPV concept to identify situations of unfairness and injustice.
Identify potential conflicts between equity holders and debtholders in firms that are close to bankruptcy.
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In this course you will learn how companies decide on how much debt to take, and whether to raise capital from markets or from banks. You will also learn how to measure and manage credit risk and how to deal with financial distress. You will discuss the mechanics of dividends and share repurchases, and how to choose the best way to return cash to investors. You will also learn how to use derivatives and liquidity management to offset specific sources of financial risk, including currency risks. Finally, You will learn how companies finance merger and acquisition decisions, including leveraged buyouts, and how to incorporate large changes in leverage in standard valuation models.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to: • Understand how companies make financing, payout and risk management decisions that create value • Measure the effects of leverage on profitability, risk, and valuation • Manage credit risk and financial distress using appropriate financial tools • Understand the links between payout policies and company performance • Use derivatives and liquidity management to offset financial risks • Pick an appropriate financing package for an M&A or leveraged buyout deal This course is part of the iMBA offered by the University of Illinois, a flexible, fully-accredited online MBA at an incredibly competitive price. For more information, please see the Resource page in this course and onlinemba.illinois.edu.
You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.
4 videos5 readings1 assignment
In Module 1, we will discuss the differences between debt and equity financing for corporations. We will then learn how to avoid usual mistakes that people make when analyzing the choice between debt and equity. We will work with financial statements to understand the impact of higher debt on corporate profits, and we will learn how debt and risk are fundamentally related. Finally, we will use our knowledge to understand how companies choose how much debt to have.
11 videos2 readings3 assignments
In Module 2 we will dig deeper into the mechanics and the institutional details that are important to understand debt financing. We will learn models that allow us to link default probabilities to yields on a company’s debt. We will discuss the roles of credit ratings for debt markets and for companies. We will learn the importance of non-price contractual terms such as debt covenants, collateral, and seniority. We will use this knowledge to understand how companies choose between bank debt and bond financing. Finally, we will discuss how payout decisions (dividends and share repurchases) affect firm value and how companies choose their optimal payout policy.
10 videos2 readings4 assignments1 peer review
In Module 3 we will identify good and bad reasons why companies engage in risk management, or hedging. We will learn the mechanics of how to use derivatives such as forwards and futures to eliminate specific risks. We will also discuss how to manage risks that cannot be hedged with derivatives. In particular, we will learn that appropriate liquidity management can work as a substitute for hedging strategies. We will also discuss how and why to hedge currency risk, and how to think about a company’s cost of capital when making cross-border investments.
11 videos2 readings3 assignments
In Module 4, we will apply our knowledge on how to discount future cash flows to challenging situations. First, we learn how the presence of debt can result in acceptance of negative NPV projects (overinvestment, excessive risk taking). Then, we learn how debt can result in the rejection of positive NPV projects (underinvestment). Next, we will learn that NPV of the firm can differ from NPV for society, and how this may explain firms’ decisions to make bribe payments even though corruption is detrimental to welfare. Last, we examine situations where the NPV equation does not hold and what this means for society.
9 videos2 readings3 assignments1 peer review
You will find out where to go next after completing this course and be able to share any thoughts you have on this course experience.
1 video2 readings
We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.
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This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
This course is part of the following degree program(s) offered by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. If you are admitted and enroll, your completed coursework may count toward your degree learning and your progress can transfer with you.¹
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree · 4 - 12 months
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree · 2 – 3 years
¹Successful application and enrollment are required. Eligibility requirements apply. Each institution determines the number of credits recognized by completing this content that may count towards degree requirements, considering any existing credits you may have. Click on a specific course for more information.
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Reviewed on Aug 12, 2020
I have learned a lot in this course. Many topic which i knew very little about were explained in detail with real world examples. Good course to brush up on your skills.
Reviewed on Jun 26, 2019
I didn't realise how much I'd learn in this course. So many concepts I've touched on before and thought I knew a bit about, but in hindsight I really didn't understand, until I completed this course.
Reviewed on Mar 4, 2020
Interesting information, but the prof goes really fast through examples and doesn't show the actual math...this isn't really helpful for folks that are new to finance.
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