Weineng Xu, Ph.D.

This is an advanced study of the requirements for and sources of funds in business organizations. The course deals with both long and short-term aspects of finance with emphasis placed on analysis and decision-making.

In this course, students will be trained to:

• Review and extend their knowledge of financial theories.

• Build analytical reasoning and decision-making skills.

• Apply financial theory to specific applications including financial problem solving and case analysis.

• Have basic financial model-building skills.

• Work in groups to solve problems, make decisions, and prepare professional reports/presentations.

The focus of the course will be to gain a significant understanding of the financial industry of securities and investments, with an emphasis on trading, market, and the operational side (“behind the scenes”) of the industry.  The ultimate goal will be for students to be trained and educated on the materials tested in the Securities Industry Exam (SIE).  This exam is a testing mechanism through FINRA by which individuals gain the approval to work with investments in various functions.  FINRA is the Financial Institution Regulatory Authority that governs much of the financial markets and investment practices, sales and operations.  Such roles (“jobs”) where this would be necessary to complete would include, but not be limited to, financial advisor/planner; investment analyst; compliance/regulatory officer; mutual fund or investment company product wholesaler; trader of stocks, bonds, and/or options; wealth manager/advisor; and variable insurance/annuity product representative.

Business Finance is the introductory finance course in the BBA curriculum. In this course, we review the fundamental principles of business finance and consider finance functions as they relate to other organizational roles. More specifically, we start with financial statement analysis, introduce the key concept of “Time Value of Money” and apply it in stock and bond valuation techniques. In addition, we cover capital budgeting, capital market theory, and risk and return. Students are expected to develop skills to become sound decision makers through this course. In addition to analytical skills, I will provide opportunities for students to practice critical thinking skills, which are highly valuable for students’ future career.

This course serves as an introduction to the occupational area of Financial Planning and surveys the following topics:  determining financial objectives, formulating investment objectives, tax planning, insurance planning, and retirement and estate planning.

An advanced course of international financial principles covering major macroeconomic factors affecting international corporate decisions, foreign exchange transactions, hedging strategies, international capital structure decisions, capital budgeting, international financial markets, and taxation.