Engineering Economy & Corporate Finance
Uni ePrep Course
Also Available at SF@NS LXP
Are you an NSF, NSMan, or anyone looking to better prepare themselves for university studies in Singapore or abroad? Look no further than the of ePrep courses by NTU, including “Engineering Economy and Corporate Finance.” Developed by NTU and taught by a retired professor with real-world corporate experience, this course combines two demanding topics to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of financial management from both engineering and production perspectives. With the added bonus of a free hardcopy of the textbook “Introduction to Corporate Finance” and additional materials on economics, this course is perfect for serious students who are prepared to put in the extra effort to reap great rewards.
This is an exceptional opportunity for NSFs, NSMen, and others to prepare themselves for their university studies, both locally and abroad. The ePrep courses offered at SF@NS LXP are specially designed by NTU to provide a comprehensive learning experience for those who are willing to put in the effort. Led by a retired NTU professor who was a former general manager of a corporation, this course combines two demanding courses – Engineering Economy and Corporate Finance – to ensure that students receive a holistic education.
The course is not for the faint-hearted, as it requires dedicated effort and a serious commitment to learning. However, the rewards of completing the course are invaluable. The Corporate Finance portion of the course is developed in collaboration with the publishers of the popular textbook “Introduction to Corporate Finance”, by John Graham et al., and the course comes with this textbook at no additional cost.
The Engineering Economy (or Economics) portion of the course is equally important, as it provides valuable knowledge for both engineers and those responsible for the financial management of corporations. In addition, complementary learning materials on economics are made available to further enhance the student’s understanding.
Whether you’re an NSF, NSMan, or simply someone looking to better prepare for university, this ePrep course is an excellent choice. With a comprehensive learning experience and the support of a retired NTU professor, you can be sure that you are well-equipped for success. Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your knowledge and skills in preparation for your university studies.
Please note that this course, as well as the other courses provided by NTU, will soon also available at SF@NS LXP, the SkillsFuture@National Service Learning eXperience Platform. There is no limit to the number of university preparation courses by NTU you can sign up for under the SF@NS Scheme.
Engineering Economy and Corporate Finance ePrep Course Contents
I. Engineering Economy
1 Introduction
2 The Principles of Engineering Economy
3. Engineering Economy and the Design Process
4 Using Spreadsheets in Engineering Economic Analysis
2 Cost Concepts and Design Economics1 Cost Terminology
2 The General Economic Environment
3 Cost-Driven Design Optimization
4 Present Economy Studies
5 Case Study—The Economics of Daytime Running Lights
3 Cost-Estimation Techniques1 Introduction
2 An Integrated Approach
3 Selected Estimating Techniques (Models)
4 Parametric Cost Estimating
5 Case Study—Demanufacturing of Computers
6 Electronic Spreadsheet Modeling: Learning Curve
4 The Time Value of Money1 Introduction
2 Simple Interest
3 Compound Interest
4 The Concept of Equivalence
5 Notation and Cash-Flow Diagrams and Tables
6 Relating Present and Future Equivalent Values of Single Cash Flows
7 Relating a Uniform Series (Annuity) to Its Present and Future Equivalent Values
8 Summary of Interest Formulas and Relationships for Discrete Compounding,
9 Deferred Annuities (Uniform Series)
10 Equivalence Calculations Involving Multiple Interest Formulas
11 Uniform (Arithmetic) Gradient of Cash Flows
12 Geometric Sequences of Cash Flows
13 Interest Rates that Vary with Time
14 Nominal and Effective Interest Rates
15 Compounding More Often than Once per Year
16 Interest Formulas for Continuous Compounding and Discrete Cash Flows
17 Case Study—Understanding Economic “Equivalence”
5 Evaluating a Single Project1 Introduction
2 Determining the Minimum Attractive Rate of Retum (MARR)
3. The Present Worth Method
4 The Future Worth Method
5 The Annual Worth Method
6 The Internal Rate of Return Method
7 The External Rate of Return Method
8 The Payback (Payout) Period Method
9 Case Study—A Proposed Capital Investment to Improve Process Yield
10 Electronic Spreadsheet Modeling: Payback Period Method
The complete topic details for Engineering Economy are given here
II. Corporate Finance
1 appreciate how finance interacts with other functional areas of any business and see the diverse career opportunities available to finance majors
2 describe how companies obtain funding from financial intermediaries and markets and discuss the five basic functions that financial managers perform
3 assess the costs and benefits of the principal forms of business organization and explain why limited liability companies, with publicly traded shares, dominate economic life in most countries
4 define agency costs and explain how shareholders monitor and encourage corporate managers to maximize shareholder wealth.
2 Financial Statement and Cash Flow Analysis1 understand the key financial statements that companies are required to provide to their shareholders
2 evaluate the company’s cash flows using its financial statements, including the statement of cash flows
3 calculate and interpret liquidity, activity and debt ratios
4 review the popular profitability ratios and the role of the DuPont system in analyzing the company’s returns
5 compute and interpret the price/earnings and market/book ratios
3 The Time Value of Money1 understand how to find the future value of a lump sum invested today
2 calculate the present value of a lump sum to be received in the future
3 find the future value of cash flow streams, both mixed streams, and annuities
4 determine the present value of future cash flow streams, including mixed streams, annuities and perpetuities
5 apply time-value techniques that account for compounding more frequently than annually, stated versus effective annual interest rates, and deposits needed to accumulate a future sum
4 Valuing Bonds1 understand how to find the future value of a lump sum invested today
2 calculate the present value of a lump sum to be received in the future
3 find the future value of cash flow streams, both mixed streams, and annuities
4 determine the present value of future cash flow streams, including mixed streams, annuities, and perpetuities
5 apply time-value techniques that account for compounding more frequently than annually, stated versus effective annual interest rates, and deposits needed to accumulate a future sum
6 use time-value techniques to find implied interest or growth rates for lump sums, annuities, and mixed streams, and an unknown number of periods for both lump sums and annuities.
5 Valuing Shares1 describe the differences between preferred and ordinary shares
2 calculate the estimated value of preferred and ordinary shares using zero, constant and variable growth models
3 value an entire company using the free cash flow approach
4 apply alternative approaches for pricing shares that do not rely on discounted cash flow analysis
5 understand how investment bankers help companies issue equity securities in the primary market
6 be aware of the Australian secondary securities exchange markets in which investors trade shares.
III. Corporate Finance – Optional Chapters
To conserve space, the complete learning objectives for Corporate Finance are given on a separate page
- The Trade-Off Between Risk and Return
- Risk, Return and The Capital Asset Pricing Model
- Options
- Capital Budgeting Process and Decision Criteria
- Cash Flow and Capital Budgeting
- Risk and Capital Budgeting
- Raising Long-Term Financing
- Capital Structure
- Long-Term Debt and Leasing
- Payout Policy
- Financial Planning
- International Investment Decisions
- Cash Conversion, Inventory and Receivables Management
- Cash, Payables and Liquidity Management
- Entrepreneurial Finance and Venture Capital
- Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate Control
- Insolvency and Financial Distress
- Introduction to Financial Risk Management
Engineering Economy and Corporate Finance
What You Get in this ePrep Course
I. Free Textbook
“Introduction to Corporate Finance” is a very popular introductory corporate finance textbook, authored by JR Graham, SB Smart, C Adam, and B Gunasingham, 2nd Asia-Pacific Ed. It is based on the very popular American version of the textbook.
II. Free Consultation
A retired NTU professor is acting as the tutor. You can consult him via email or WhatsApp.
III. Materials Online
1 Notes, video lessons and PowerPoint files.
2 Answers/solutions to all questions/problems in the textbook.
3 Online exercises.
4 Problems and solutions in files.
(All the above materials are on both corporate finance and engineering economy or economics)
5 Bonus learning materials on economics.
IV. Digital Certificate
A digital certificate will be issued if you have completed the course and passing all the tests at the end of each of the ten compulsory chapters.
Engineering Economy & Corporate Finance
Sample Course Materials
1. Video Lesson (Pricing Assets)
This video lesson teaches the fundamental concept in finance that the price of an asset is the sum of the present values of future cash flows, which in turn is affected by the discount rates.
2. Question and Answer (Opportunity Costs)
Question
Suppose your father has given you a 21st Birthday gift of S$100,000. You have come up with three options.
- Buy a new car which you can do without.
- Invest in a high-tech company that is expected to increase its value by 25% per year, but this option is relatively risky.
- Invest in a strong and friendly local bank and earns 6.5% return per year with little risk.
(a) If you decide to buy the new car, what is your opportunity cost?
(b) If you invest in the high-tech company, what is your opportunity cost?
Answer
(a) If you are a risk taker, your opportunity cost is 25% (i.e. S$25,000) per year because you forgo that opportunity.
If you are risk averse, your opportunity cost is 6.5% (i.e. S$6,500) per year because you forgo that opportunity.
(b) Your opportunity cost is 6.5% (i.e. S$6,500) per year because your next best return is 6.5%.
3. Problem and Solution (Cost Estimation)
Problem:
A foreman supervises A, B, and eight other employees. The foreman states that he spends twice as much time supervising A and half as much time supervising B, compared with the average time spent supervising his other subordinates. All employees have the same production rate. Based on equal cost per unit production, what monthly salary is justified for B if the foreman gets $3,800 per month and A gets $3,000 per month?
Solution:
Let x = average time spent supervising the average employee.
Then the time spent supervising employee A = 2x and the time spent supervising employee B = 0.5x.
The total time units spent by the supervisor is then 2x + 0.5x + (8)x = 10.5x.
The monthly cost of the supervisor is $3,800 and can be allocated among the employees in the following manner: $3,800/10.5x = $361.90 / x time units.
Employee A (when compared to employee B) costs (2x – 0.5x)($361.90/x) = $542.85 more for the same units of production.
If employee B is compensated accordingly, the monthly salary for employee B should be $3,000 + $542.85 = $3,542.85.
Engineering Economy and Corporate Finance
Sample Bonus Materials
Economics (Cost Curves and Their Shapes)
1. Rising Marginal Cost
- This occurs because of diminishing marginal product.
- At a low level of output, there are few workers and there is a lot of idle equipment. But as output increases, the lemonade stand (or factory) gets crowded and the cost of producing another unit of output becomes high.
2. U-Shaped Average Total Cost
- Average total cost is the sum of average fixed cost and average variable cost
ATC = AFC + AVC |
- AFC declines as output expands and AVC typically increases as output expands. AFC is high when output levels are low. As output expands, AFC declines pulling ATC down. As fixed costs get spread over a larger number of units, the effect of AFC on ATC falls and ATC begins to rise because of diminishing marginal product and rising AVC.
- Definition of efficient scale: the quantity of output that minimizes average total cost.
3. The Relationship between Marginal Cost and Average Total Cost
- Whenever marginal cost is less than average total cost, average total cost is falling. Whenever marginal cost is greater than average total cost, average total cost is rising.
- The marginal cost curve crosses the average total cost curve at minimum average total cost (the efficient scale).
Remarks
Provided above are bonus course materials on economics.
Remember not to short-change yourself – do not go for any of those low-grade courses prepared by any “Tom-Dick-And-Harry” who self-claims to be an industry expert, especially if you are preparing for further academic studies or career advancement! You do not need thousands of such courses. As you can see, with this single Engineering Economy and Corporate Finance course, you also get learning materials on economics which will greatly complement your knowledge on engineering economy and corporate finance. You will also get a hard copy Introduction to Corporate Finance textbook.
Go only for a high-quality specially-designed academic course such as this Engineering Economy and Corporate Finance electronic prep course for getting you a head start in university, or your career.
Engineering Economy and Corporate Finance ePrep Course
Who should take this NS ePrep Course
The course on Engineering Economy and Corporate Finance is crucial for students pursuing engineering, business, or accounting programs. These two courses are complementary and cover similar topics, but with different approaches and emphasis. For instance, Engineering Economy uses more mathematics in solving problems related to Time Value of Money, while Corporate Finance deals with business transactions and uses financial calculators and less mathematics. Moreover, Engineering Economy delves into cost accounting, a critical aspect of management accounting that is not typically highlighted in accounting programs.
Typically Corporate Finance is a second-level finance course, requiring prior knowledge in Business Finance. Therefore, the course is more challenging and appeals to students who seek an in-depth understanding of finance. Nonetheless, the course materials are designed to accommodate students without any prior knowledge of finance, facilitating a seamless learning experience for everyone.
For those not planning to attend a university, this course presents an opportunity to prove their capability of completing a university-level course, coupled with knowledge of finance for engineers and professionals in the financial sector. This course has no pre-requisite, making it accessible to anyone interested.
NS ePrep Course Duration
The official course duration is three months which may be extended upon request. You have to complete the course requirement within the course duration to qualify for the certificate. However, support by the tutor is available beyond the official course duration. Also, most of the course materials can be downloaded for later study. Please note that the materials may be proprietary and meant for your own use only. While you may show them to others, please refrain from making and giving copies to others.
How to Sign Up for Uni ePrep Course
1 If You Are an NSF or NSman – SkillsFuture@NS Scheme
You will soon be able to sign up for NTU ePrep courses at SF@NS LXP. There is no limit to the number of NTU ePrep courses you can sign up for.