IND417 Corporate Finance and Economics

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Master's Programme in Industrial Economics and Technology Management
• Master's Programme in Industrial Economics and Technology Management (5 years)

Teaching language

Norwegian.

Course contents

The course provides an introduction to the field of business economics and how businesses prepare and use economic information for decision-making and management. It starts with an understanding of the market and market theory, and how supply and demand form the basis for price formation in the market. It further emphasizes the company's revenues and costs, what influences them, and methods for preparing cost calculations, including ABC costing, and the calculation of decision-relevant costs. The structure and uses of financial accounting, as well as the role of internal management accounting in business management, are also covered. Additionally, the course focuses on how businesses are financed and manage their liquidity, including the calculation of effective interest rates and capital costs. Investment calculations, including considerations such as taxes, inflation, capital structure, and risk (CAPM), are discussed, as well as various sensitivity analyses related to risk in investment projects.

Learning outcomes

After completing the course, the student will:

• Have knowledge of fundamental business economics topics.

• Be able to perform economic calculations and analyses that form the basis for business economic decisions.

• Be able to apply and evaluate various methods of cost allocation and costing, including Activity Based Costing (ABC).

• Be able to identify and apply decision-relevant costs.

• Understand the role of budgeting in financial management and be able to prepare simple budgets.

• Have in-depth knowledge of various methods used to calculate profitability and valuation, including factors that must be considered.

• Be able to handle uncertainty in economic decisions and calculations, including the decision-maker's attitude towards risk.

• Have knowledge of the company's finances from a holistic perspective, including ethical issues and sustainability goals, and the importance of good financial management.

Examination requirements

Mandatory assignment(s) must be approved to be eligible for the exam. See further information in Canvas.

Teaching methods

Lectures, exercises, and assignments. Excel is used in the course. The course has an expected workload of around 200 hours.

Evaluation

The person responsible for the course, in consultation with the student representative, decides the method of evaluation and whether the courses will have a midterm- or end of term evaluation, see also the Quality System, section 4.1. Information about evaluation method for the course will be posted on Canvas.

Offered as Single Standing Module

No

Assessment methods and criteria

Written examination, 4 hours. Graded assessment.