FINC 572: Topics in International Finance

Spring 2009

Goal of the Module:

This module addresses two important problems facing the management of any firm that operates in a global market. They are:

I. How should a firm manage the risks associated with fluctuations in exchange rates?

II. How should a firm manage greater increased global competition and its consequences?

Module Mechanics:

The module comprises of 7 weekly meetings. Classes will be mixed between a lecture format, case presentations, and case discussions. There are four cases.

Prerequisites:

Finance I, Finance II and International Finance. Only students satisfying these prerequisites will be permitted to take the class.

Grading:

Your Grade for the Module will be apportioned as follows:

· Final Exam (Take Home) 50%

· Cases 40%

· Class Participation 10%

The final exam is cumulative and will cover all material in the module. Class participation will be judged according to your contribution to the class, not the number of comments.

Reaching Me:

I can be reached by phone at x7-1570 or by email at evansm1@georgetown.edu. Office hours will be announced in the first class.

Groups for cases:

For the cases, students will form groups of maximum size four. Each group will submit a write-up for the cases. Every student in the group must retain a copy of the write-up and bring it to the class where the case is discussed. As with actual practice in business, all of the cases are written to focus on issues, not answers, and as such are ambiguous. There are often no “right answers” to cases, only good arguments and bad arguments for taking particular actions or decisions. There is sometimes a limited amount of quantitative information on which to make a decision and thus it is often impossible to compute a precise numerical answer.

Reading:

The textbook for the course is: Michael Melvin, International Money and Finance (7’th ed; Addison-Wesley, 1995) There will be a course packet containing cases and readings, and lecture notes. Electronic copies of slides and other materials are available below to enrolled students. (The necessary username and password will be distributed at the first class.)