GRA 6541 Topics in Corporate Finance

GRA 6541 Topics in Corporate Finance

Course code: 
GRA 6541
Department: 
Finance
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Charlotte Østergaard
Course name in Norwegian: 
Topics in Corporate Finance
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Finance
Semester: 
2021 Spring
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

This course deals with contemporary issues in corporate finance. It explores how corporate finance decisions are affected when the classic Modigliani-Miller capital structure irrelevance-assumptions are relaxed, focusing on the consequences of information asymmetries, agency conflicts, and bankruptcy among others. The course introduces students to modern corporate financial theories as well as empirical patterns and studies.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

1. Develop an understanding of different economic mechanisms that drive firms' capital strutcure and financing choices.

2. Understand how firm value may be impacted by financing choices.

Learning outcomes - Skills

1. Ability to identify pros and cons (trade-offs) associates with different financing choices.  

2. Ability to identify conflicts of interest between different corporate stakeholders. 

3. Ability to interpret empirical evidence in light of theory. 

4. Ability to analyse and discuss  in a structured and "precise" manner.

General Competence

1. Critical reflection and ethical awareness in connection with topics in corporate finance. 

2. Structuring and articulating economic arguments in writing and orally

3. Case analysis

Course content

The exact course content may vary from year to year, but will include topics such as the following:

  • Theoretical Corporate Finance
  • Capital Structure Decisions
  • Bankruptcy and Corporate Restructuring
  • Merger and acquisitions
  • Dividend policy and share repurchases
  • Initial Public Offerings
  • Private Equity and Venture Capital
  • Behavioral Corporate Finance
Teaching and learning activities

Lectures and class discussions. Students are expected to prepare for the lecture by reading assigned papers and participate actively in the discussions. There will be group assignments and possibly group presentations. Most learning will take place through student discussions of articles, cases and group assignments.

Software tools
EViews
R
SAS - JMP
SPSS
Stata
Additional information

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course starts.

At resit, all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.

Qualifications

All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Covid-19

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there may be deviations in teaching and learning activities as well as exams, compared with what is described in this course description.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
20
Grouping: 
Group (4 - 6)
Duration: 
2 Week(s)
Comment: 
Assignment
Group size 4-6 individuals unless otherwise (exceptionally) agreed by instructor.
Exam code: 
GRA65411
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
20
Grouping: 
Group (4 - 6)
Duration: 
2 Week(s)
Comment: 
Assignment
Group size 4-6 individuals unless otherwise (exceptionally) agreed by instructor.
Exam code: 
GRA65411
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Invigilation
Weight: 
60
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • BI-approved exam calculator
  • Simple calculator
  • Bilingual dictionary
Duration: 
2 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Final written examination under supervision
Exam code: 
GRA65411
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Continuous assessment
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.