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There are 8 modules in this course
This Corporate Finance Essentials course provides a foundational understanding of key financial concepts relevant to companies, investors, and capital markets. You'll learn to interpret financial news, master essential financial vocabulary, and understand core accounting principles. No prior knowledge required. By the end of this course, you will be able to analyze company financial statements, understand basic investment strategies, and apply financial principles to business decision-making. This knowledge will be invaluable for your career in finance or accounting. Limited free materials available.
What's included
2 readings
Show info about module content
2 readings•Total 15 minutes
Syllabus•10 minutes
Get help and meet other learners in this course. Join your discussion forums!•5 minutes
Finance: Understanding Risk and Return
Module 2•2 hours to complete
Module details
Welcome to Session 1 In this session we will discuss some basic but essential financial concepts such as mean return, volatility, and beta. We will also learn how to apply them in order to assess the performance of selected equity markets over the last decade.
What's included
7 videos3 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 66 minutes
1. What is this course all about?•6 minutes
2. Periodic Returns•9 minutes
3. Arithmetic and Geometric Mean Returns•10 minutes
4. Evidence•10 minutes
5. Volatility•12 minutes
6. Beta•11 minutes
7. A brief recap•9 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
About this session•10 minutes
Readings•10 minutes
Intro to Quiz 1•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz 1•30 minutes
Finance: Correlation and Portfolio Diversification
Module 3•2 hours to complete
Module details
To understand diversification, an issue at the very heart of most investment decisions, and the role that correlation plays in determining the gains from diversification.
What's included
7 videos3 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 63 minutes
1. Recap on the Previous Session•5 minutes
2. Portfolio Risk•11 minutes
3. The Correlation Coefficient•14 minutes
4. The Importance of Correlation•4 minutes
5. Diversification and Correlation Part 1•8 minutes
6. Diversification and Correlation Part 2•13 minutes
7. Diversification, Correlation and Portfolios•9 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
About this session•10 minutes
Readings•10 minutes
Intro to Quiz 2•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz 2•30 minutes
Finance: CAPM (Capital Asset Pricing Model) and the Cost of Capital
Module 4•2 hours to complete
Module details
In this session we will discuss how companies assess their cost of debt, their cost of equity, and ultimately their cost of capital. We will also discuss why this last concept is at the heart of many of the most important corporate decisions.
What's included
7 videos3 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
7 videos•Total 78 minutes
1. What is the cost of capital?•11 minutes
2. Three ways to think about the cost of capital•8 minutes
3. Components and notation•8 minutes
4. The debt tax shield•7 minutes
5. The cost of debt•16 minutes
6. The cost of equity•11 minutes
7. The CAPM•17 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
About this session•10 minutes
Readings•10 minutes
Intro to Quiz 3•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz 3•30 minutes
Finance Application: Estimating the Cost of Capital
Module 5•2 hours to complete
Module details
In this session we will put to work all the concepts discussed in the previous session by estimating the cost of capital of a company. As usual, when putting theory into practice, a few complications arise and we will discuss how to deal with them.
What's included
3 videos3 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
3 videos•Total 47 minutes
1. Recap on the previous session•17 minutes
2. Estimating the cost of capital: Starbucks•16 minutes
3. Estimating the cost of capital: Starbucks; A Few Rounding Comments•14 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
About this session•10 minutes
Readings•10 minutes
Intro to Quiz 4•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz 4•30 minutes
Project Management: Project Evaluation Techniques
Module 6•2 hours to complete
Module details
In this session we will discuss how companies routinely decide whether or not to invest in projects. We will discuss the two tools most widely used for this purpose, NPV and IRR, and apply them to the evaluation of an investment opportunity.
What's included
8 videos3 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
8 videos•Total 76 minutes
1. What is this all about?•8 minutes
2. Introduction to the Net Present Value (NPV)•8 minutes
3. The Net Present Value (NPV)•8 minutes
4. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR)•15 minutes
5. Shortcomings of the IRR•9 minutes
6. Evaluating an investment opportunity•10 minutes
7. Discount rates across countries or divisions•7 minutes
8. Discount rates over time•12 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
About this session•10 minutes
Readings•10 minutes
Intro to Quiz 5•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz 5•30 minutes
Finance: Corporate Value Creation Strategies
Module 7•2 hours to complete
Module details
In this session we will discuss EVA, a tool widely used to assess whether a company is creating or destroying value. We will also put this tool into practice by estimating the EVA of two companies.
What's included
6 videos3 readings1 assignment
Show info about module content
6 videos•Total 67 minutes
1. Corporate value creation•12 minutes
2. Growth and return on growth•12 minutes
3. Economic value added (EVA)•13 minutes
4. EVA: Two examples•14 minutes
5. EVA levels versus EVA changes•12 minutes
6. Brief wrap up•4 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
About this session•10 minutes
Readings•10 minutes
Intro to Quiz 6•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Quiz 6•30 minutes
Final Quiz: Finance Fundamentals
Module 8•1 hour to complete
Module details
What's included
1 assignment
Show info about module content
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
Final Quiz Corporate Finance Essentials •30 minutes
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IESE Business School has been developing leaders since 1958 through management programs designed for every stage of your career. With a commitment to making a deep, positive, and lasting impact on people, businesses, and society, IESE offers top-ranked MBA and Executive Education programs that empower professionals to lead with purpose and excellence.
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Learner reviews
4.8
2,562 reviews
5 stars
84.19%
4 stars
14.08%
3 stars
1.17%
2 stars
0.19%
1 star
0.35%
Showing 3 of 2562
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OB
5·
Reviewed on Sep 25, 2020
I like the structure and the tests and ease of learning and note taking. supporting documents also were very helpful. the instructor was very well explaining the materials and examples. Thank you.
V
VM
5·
Reviewed on Jul 12, 2019
Being a non-finance background, this course has cleared so many basics and fundamental. Videos are very useful, instructor has tried to make all the concept very simple and easy to understood. Thanks.
S
SP
5·
Reviewed on Oct 6, 2018
Way better than expected. The best thing about this course is the supplementary notes that comes along with each session, dwells deeps into the topic and gives a tight grasp on each session
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What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
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. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Is financial aid available?
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.