FIN 3010

Syllabus Overview

Dr. Sean P. Salter

Spring 2009

Syllabus Availability

Syllabus was emailed via RaiderNet Syllabus also available on S: Drive

S:\SSALTER\FIN 3010\Spring 2009\Principles_Syllabus

Contact Information

Office: BAS N311 Office Telephone: 615.898.5117 Email: salter@mtsu.edu Office Hours

Tuesday and Thursday 9:30am – 11:00am 2:00pm – 4:00pm Or by appointment****

Prerequisites

ACTG 2120 ACTG 3000 QM 2610 Junior Standing

Textbook

Fundamentals of Financial Management, 11th Edition, by Brigham and Houston, ISBN# 9780324319804.

Reading responsibility: YOURS.

Calculator Policy

You may use any nonprogrammable financial calculator.

The instructor supports the TI BA-II Plus and the TI BA-II Plus Professional.

You may not use graphing calculators, etc., on exams.

Grade Determination

Four Exams, each worth 25%. First three exams are not

cumulative/comprehensive, per se. Final Exam is comprehensive and

departmental. Grades are determined using the standard

system; no plus/minus.

Other Items of Interest

Drop/Add Dates January 14, 2009, is the last day to drop with

100% fee adjustment. January 28, 2009, is the last day to drop without

grade determination. March 4, 2009, is the last day to drop with grade

of W. March 27, 2009, is the last day to withdraw from

the University. Other dates of interest are located at

www.mtsu.edu

Other Items of Interest

Reasonable Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability that may require assistance or

accommodations, or if you have any questions related to any accommodation for testing, note taking, reading, etc., please speak with me as soon as possible. You may also contact the Office of Disabled Student Services (898-2783) with any questions about such services.

No accommodation will be given without proper documentation from the Office of Disabled Student Services.

Other Items of Interest

Academic Dishonesty: any act that attempts to present another individual’s work

as your own without attribution or that represents an attempt to circumvent implied or stated policies and procedures.

Including: plagiarism in written assignments copying computer files from another student or students using crib sheets or cheat sheets on exam copying another student or students’ work on an assignment

or exams. Aside from the full exercise of his academic professional

judgment, the instructor reserves the right to pursue all academic dishonesty to the fullest extent allowed under University policy.

Other Items of Interest

TELS To retain Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship eligibility, you must earn

a cumulative TELS GPA of 2.75 after 24 and 48 attempted hours and a cumulative TELS GPA of 3.0 thereafter.  You may qualify with a 2.75 cumulative GPA after 72 attempted hours (and subsequent semesters), if you are enrolled full-time and maintain a semester GPA of at least 3.0.  A grade of C, D, F, or I in this class may negatively impact TELS eligibility.  Dropping a class after 14 days may also impact eligibility; if you withdraw from this class and it results in an enrollment status of less than full time, you may lose eligibility for your lottery scholarship. Lottery recipients are eligible to receive the scholarship for a maximum of five years from the date of initial enrollment, or until a bachelor degree is earned.  For additional Lottery rules, please refer to your Lottery Statement of Understanding form, review lottery requirements on the web at http://scholarships.web.mtsu.edu/telsconteligibility.htm, or contact the Financial Aid Office at 898-2830.

Other Items of Interest

Recording Lectures: Recording of lectures is prohibited without prior,

written permission from the instructor. Unauthorized recording will be considered an act of academic dishonesty.

Other Items of Interest

Mobile Telephone Policy: In 2009, almost everyone owns a cell phone, mobile phone,

Blackberry, iPhone, or other wireless communication device. However, these devices have a tendency to become distractive in the classroom environment. You should place your device’s volume control on “Silent” (not “Vibrate”) while in the classroom, and all devices should be stowed in a pocket, purse, holster, backpack, briefcase, or other storage unit. Text messaging, placing or receiving calls, surfing the Internet, and gaming while in class are unacceptable behaviors. Repeat violators are subject to increasingly harsh academic penalties (i.e., grade reduction).

Other Items of Interest

Exam Policies:

The instructor will disseminate exam policies prior to Exam 1. Use of programmable calculators, communication devices, and the like is

prohibited. Hats, caps, Bluetooth earpieces, sunglasses, etc., are not allowed. Anything

that obstructs my view of your eyes or ears is disallowed. The instructor does not answer questions on exam days. There are no

exceptions to this rule. The Final Exam will be administered on May 1, 2009. The instructor must

submit Course Grades to the Records Office not later than May 11, 2009. Each time a student contacts the instructor regarding either Final Exam Grades or Course Grades (whether in person, via telephone, via email, or via another method) between the completion of the Final Exam and due date for Course Grades, that student will receive a one point deduction from his or her COURSE AVERAGE.

Alterations to policies, procedures, or other course syllabus content will be announced and/or posted if and

when the instructor deems necessary.

Tentative Schedule

Items of Note Exam Dates Spring Break April 2, 2009 May 1, 2009

Exam dates are firm. Other parts of the schedule are flexible. Instructor may alter syllabus as he deems

necessary to affect the learning process.

How have others performed in the past?

G rade Dis tributionF all 2008

10.00% 8.57%

18.57%

28.57%

21.43%

12.86%

W F D C B A

Will the Final Exam help your grade?

E ffec t of F inal E xam on C ours e G rade: F all 2008

90%

0%10%

DOWN S AME UP

Some Frequent End-of-Semester Email Comments: “I need an A [or a B, or a C, etc.] to graduate.” “I need an A [or a B, or a C, etc.] to stay in

school.” “I need an A [or a B, or a C, etc.] to keep my

scholarship.” “I’ve never made a B [or a C, or a D, or an F]

before in my life.”

Why are you here?

FIN 3010 is only required for business majors and business minors. You are here by choice!

“I want to do this.” This course is designed to introduce you to the

types of skills you will need as a manager.

How can you be successful?

Successful students in the past have. Purchased the textbook and the recommended calculator Attended every available class meeting Attended every available exam review session Devoted significant study time each week to this course Formed study groups with other serious students Read assigned readings ahead of class discussions Learned to work all of the practice problems and to

replicate the thought process for each Viewed the course as a challenge rather than as a burden

Final Thoughts

This is a professional school and a professional course.

If you do not have time to take the course seriously, then you should withdraw now.

Respect = Respect

About the Instructor

Education Ph.D. in Finance

University of Alabama, 2001 M.A. in Banking and Finance B.S. in Commerce and Business Administration

Major: Financial Management Academic Experience

University of Alabama 1996-2002 University of Southern Mississippi 2002-2007 Middle Tennessee State University 2007-present

Related Practical Experience Patient Care Services at DCH Regional Medical Center Consultant: Corporate Valuation, Real Estate Investment and Development

Research Financial Valuation Information and Real Estate Markets Residential Real Estate Brokerage Real Estate Microstructure Housing Tenure Choice