15 Common Management Interview Questions and How to Prepare
March 17, 2025
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Become a Strategic Financial Manager. Develop an integrated financial management framework.
Instructors: Oktay Urcan
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Evaluating financial statements and the financial information they provide.
Describing the evaluation and management of portfolios along with firm valuation techniques.
Incorporating risk and uncertainty into investment decisions and understanding how companies make financing and investment decisions.
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February 2025
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This Specialization covers the fundamentals of strategic financial management, including financial accounting, investments, and corporate finance. You will learn to evaluate major strategic corporate and investment decisions and to understand capital markets and institutions from a financial perspective, and you will develop an integrated framework for value-based financial management and individual financial decision-making.
The Financial Management Specialization is part of the University of Illinois iMBA Program. Each course in this Specialization also fulfills a portion of the requirements for a University of Illinois course that can earn you college credit.
Applied Learning Project
Courses in this specialization include a mix of practice quizzes to self-assess understanding, graded quizzes to validate knowledge of the lecture materials, and peer review assignment to apply course concepts into real-word scenarios. These learning experiences build towards a cumulative learning outcome of developing the skills to utilize an integrated framework for value-based financial management and individual financial decision-making.
Accounting information and how it is used by different capital market participants
Record financial information and produce the main financial statements
Fundamental accounting concepts and revenue recognition criteria in preparing financial statements,
Conduct the accounting for short-term assets, with a particular focus on accounts receivables and inventories.
To account for fixed assets
Understand accounting for liabilities
Evaluate shareholders’ equity section of a balance sheet, and
Understand preparation and information provided by cash flows statement.
Explain the tradeoffs between risk and return.
Form a portfolio of securities and calculate the expected return and standard deviation of that portfolio.
Describe what is meant by market efficiency and what it implies for patterns in stock returns and for the asset-management industry.
Conduct specific examples of a market multiples valuation.
Interpret and use the CAPM and the 3-Factor Model to evaluate the performance of investments.
Compare returns in the form of dividends and capital gains and their tax consequences.
Describe evidence regarding the performance of individuals’ stock investments and the performance of actively-managed mutual funds.
Evaluate strategies designed to “earn alpha”.
Forecast and manage a company's short- and long-term liquidity needs
Measure the contribution of a new project or acquisition to shareholder value
Incorporate risk into investment decisions using the appropriate discount rates
Evaluate the performance of a company or divisions of a company
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.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a world leader in research, teaching and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty and alumni. Illinois serves the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and finding solutions to critical societal needs.
This Specialization 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 · 2 – 3 years
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree · 4 - 12 months
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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Time to completion can vary widely based on your schedule, most learners are able to complete the Specialization in 3-6 months.
Background and knowledge in statistical concepts is recommended.
Each course in the Specialization offers regular and open enrollment. You can begin and complete the course on your own schedule.
· You will have a solid foundation in developing an integrated framework for strategic financial decision making.
· You will have a thorough understanding of financial statements and the financial information they provide and develop the ability to critically evaluate and analyze cash flows statement.
· You will learn about the management and evaluation of portfolios and firm valuation techniques.
· Finally, you will learn how to incorporate risk and uncertainty into investment decisions and understand how companies make financing and investment decisions.
Courses on Coursera do not carry University of Illinois credit on their own. Each iDegree course has an enhanced for-credit component. You can earn academic credit if you combine an open online course with the enhanced for-credit component offered on the University of Illinois platform. To learn more visit https://giesbusiness.illinois.edu/graduate-hub/online. Some universities may choose to accept Specialization Certificates for credit. Check with your institution to learn more.
It is recommended that the courses in the Specialization be taken in the order outlined. Some courses do list other courses as prerequisites. In the Capstone Project, you will have the opportunity to synthesize your learning in all six courses and apply your combined skills in a final project.
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free. If you cannot afford the fee, you can apply for financial aid.
This course is completely online, so there’s no need to show up to a classroom in person. You can access your lectures, readings and assignments anytime and anywhere via the web or your mobile device.
Please find more information at https://giesbusiness.illinois.edu/graduate-hub/online or email your questions to giesonline@illinois.edu
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Yes! To get started, click the course card that interests you and enroll. You can enroll and complete the course to earn a shareable certificate, or you can audit it to view the course materials for free. When you subscribe to a course that is part of a Specialization, you’re automatically subscribed to the full Specialization. Visit your learner dashboard to track your progress.
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Financial aid available,