Overview

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This first course in the finance specialization discusses costs and business practices to establish the cost of a product. Stocks and bonds are introduced to show how companies finance activities such as product development. The concept of time value of money (TVM) is developed to determine the present and future values of a series of cash flows. TVM principles are then applied to investment forecasting, showing how to estimate the future value of investments under several scenarios. This is a practical course that uses spreadsheets to prepare students in engineering and science for a career in industry. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no traditional application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.

Syllabus

Introduction to Financial Principles

Welcome to Product Cost and Investment Cash Flow Analysis. In this first module, you'll receive an overview the course and lay the foundation for why finance is important to technical managers.

Costs and Cost Estimation Methods

In this module, you'll be introduced to types of costs and the break-even analysis. You'll then discover approaches to cost modeling and important cost estimation techniques.

Product Cost Analysis

In this module, you'll be introduced to the types of inventory and how product cost is determined using the Job Cost and Activity-Based Cost methods.

Time Value of Money (TVM)

This module introduces the concept of time value of money (TVM) as it applies to investment decisions; developing and demonstrating the expressions for the future value of an investment based on initial investments, compounding interest rates, and periods of time. Then, you'll use analytical and spreadsheet models to solve for a variety of investment situations.

Application to Financial Forecasting and Planning

In this final module, you'll apply the principles of finance and time value of money (TVM) to financial forecasting and evaluating one's investment opportunities. Investments such as stocks, bonds, and different types of funds are introduced, along with the concept of price volatility and its relationship to risk. Diversification is discussed from a statistical perspective, highlighting the relationship between portfolio diversification and investment risk. These principles are then put into practice through constructing three financial model-based spreadsheets that forecast investments under different approaches to investing.

Product Cost and Investment Cash Flow Analysis: End of Course Project

Much about what you’ve learned in this course relates to determining the financial viability of an engineering project. In this end of course project, you will explore and assess the financial viability of installing a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) system on a residential home.