1
Introduction To
Corporate Finance
McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Key Concepts and Skills
Know the basic types of financial
management decisions and the role of the
financial manager
Know the financial implications of the
different forms of business organization
Know the goal of financial management
Understand the conflicts of interest that
can arise between owners and managers
Understand the various types of financial
markets
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Chapter Outline
Corporate Finance and the
Financial Manager
Forms of Business Organization
The Goal of Financial Management
The Agency Problem and Control
of the Corporation
Financial Markets and the
Corporation 1-2
Corporate Finance
Some important questions that are
answered using finance
What long-term investments should the
firm take on?
Where will we get the long-term
financing to pay for the investment?
How will we manage the everyday
financial activities of the firm?
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Financial Manager
Financial managers try to answer some or
all of these questions
The top financial manager within a firm is
usually the Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Treasurer – oversees cash management, credit
management, capital expenditures, and
financial planning
Controller – oversees taxes, cost accounting,
financial accounting and data processing
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Financial Management Decisions
Capital budgeting
What long-term investments or projects
should the business take on?
Capital structure
How should we pay for our assets?
Should we use debt or equity?
Working capital management
How do we manage the day-to-day
finances of the firm?
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Forms of Business Organization
Three major forms in the United
States
Sole proprietorship
Partnership
General
Limited
Corporation
S-Corp
Limited liability company
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Sole Proprietorship
Advantages Disadvantages
Easiest to start Limited to life of
Least regulated owner
Single owner keeps Equity capital limited
all the profits to owner’s personal
Taxed once as wealth
personal income Unlimited liability
Difficult to sell
ownership interest
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Partnership
Advantages Disadvantages
Two or more owners Unlimited liability
More capital available General partnership
Relatively easy to Limited partnership
start Partnership dissolves
Income taxed once as when one partner dies
personal income or wishes to sell
Difficult to transfer
ownership
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Corporation
Advantages Disadvantages
Limited liability Separation of
Unlimited life ownership and
Separation of management
ownership and Double taxation
management (income taxed at the
Transfer of ownership corporate rate and
is easy then dividends taxed
at the personal rate)
Easier to raise capital
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Goal Of Financial Management
What should be the goal of a corporation?
Maximize profit?
Minimize costs?
Maximize market share?
Maximize the current value of the company’s
stock?
Does this mean we should do anything
and everything to maximize owner wealth?
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The Agency Problem
Agency relationship
Principal hires an agent to represent his/her
interests
Stockholders (principals) hire managers
(agents) to run the company
Agency problem
Conflict of interest between principal and agent
Management goals and agency costs
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Managing Managers
Managerial compensation
Incentives can be used to align management
and stockholder interests
The incentives need to be structured carefully
to make sure that they achieve their goal
Corporate control
The threat of a takeover may result in better
management
Other stakeholders
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Work the Web Example
The Internet provides a wealth of
information about individual companies
One excellent site is finance.yahoo.com
Click on the web surfer to go to the site,
choose a company and see what
information you can find!
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Financial Markets
Cash flows to the firm
Primary vs. secondary markets
Dealer vs. auction markets
Listed vs. over-the-counter securities
NYSE
NASDAQ
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Quick Quiz
What are the three types of financial management
decisions and what questions are they designed
to answer?
What are the three major forms of business
organization?
What is the goal of financial management?
What are agency problems and why do they exist
within a corporation?
What is the difference between a primary market
and a secondary market?
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End of Chapter
McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2008 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.