Essentials of Corporate Finance Global edition - Stephen Ross,Randolph Westerfield,Bradford Jordan

About the book

Essentials of Corporate Finance, 7th edition by Ross, Westerfield, and Jordan is written to convey the most important concepts and principles of corporate finance at a level that is approachable for a wide audience. The authors retain their modern approach to finance, but have distilled the subject down to the essential topics in 18 chapters. They believe that understanding the 'why' is just as important, if not more so, than understanding the 'how,' especially in an introductory course. Three basic themes emerge as their central focus:

An emphasis on intuition'separate and explain the principles at work on a common sense, intuitive level before launching into specifics. Underlying ideas are discussed first in general terms, then followed by specific examples that illustrate in more concrete terms how a financial manager might proceed in a given situation.

A unified valuation approach'Net Present Value is treated as the basic concept underlying corporate finance. Every subject the authors cover is firmly rooted in valuation, and care is taken to explain how decisions have valuation effects.

A managerial focus'Students learn that financial management concerns management. The role of financial manager as decision maker is emphasized and they stress the need for managerial input and judgment.

Key features

The latest research on dividend policy is reflected in Chapter 14, which has been significantly rewritten to include the life cycle theory and the impact of the 2003 dividend tax cut.

New international material on the stock market risk premium is now included in Chapter 10.

Every chapter has been evaluated and revised to provide the most up to date information and current examples. This provides relevance and interest for both students and instructors. Key content updates and additions include:
Updated corporate ethics box with Bank of America purchase of Merrill Lynch and new material on Microsoft/Yahoo! takeover battle (Chapter 1)
A new example comparing ratios for Lowe¿s and Home Depot and a new example comparing DuPont breakdowns for Yahoo! and Google (Chapter 3)
New opener on GE¿s ¿Ecomagination¿ program (Chapter 8)
New opener on inventory periods in the auto industry (Chapter 16)
New opener on the US dollar/Canadian ¿loonie¿ exchange rate (Chapter 18)

NEW! Algorithmic test bank

Incorporates a concept building approach to learning. Chapter sections are intentionally kept short to promote a step-by-step, building block approach to learning. Each section is followed by a series of short concept questions that highlight the key ideas just presented before moving on to new material. Also, the crucial topic of the time value of money is covered in two chapters, allowing for a patient, building block approach. This is a hallmark of the highly successful Ross, Westerfield, Jordan textbooks.

Learning Objectives, which provide a listing of essential topics at the beginning of each chapter, are identified throughout the chapter and the supplements. End of chapter problems are noted with the appropriate learning objective which correlates the problem to the chapter content.

Numbered Examples are extensively integrated into the chapters. These examples provide detailed applications and illustrations of the material in a step-by-step format. Each example is completely self-contained so that students don¿t have to search for additional information. These are valuable learning aids because they provide both detail and explanation.

Calculator Hints are provided in relevant chapters to help students learn or brush up on their financial calculator skills. There is an appendix (D) with instructions for using the HP-10B and TI BA II Plus Financial Calculators. Spreadsheet Strategies are also included to help students with their Excel spreadsheet skills. This feature appears in self-contained sections and shows students how to set up spreadsheets to analyze common financial problems¿a vital part of every business student¿s education!

Numerous Internet features, including ¿Work the Web¿ boxes that show students how to research financial issues using the web and how to use the information they find to make business decisions. Web Exercises are in the end of chapter materials, and require students to use the Internet to solve the problem. Web annotations, located in the margins within chapters, specifically accompany text material and provide students and instructors with a quick way to check for current and additional information using the Internet.

Chapter-Opening Vignettes with Functional Integration Links¿each chapter begins with a recent real-world event to introduce students to the chapter concepts. Since many non-finance majors use this text, a brief paragraph linking the vignette and chapter concepts to majors in marketing, management, and accounting is included.

Mini-Cases are included at the end of each chapter. These cases focus on company situations that reflect important corporate finance topics. Each case presents a new scenario, data, and a dilemma. Several questions at the end of each case require students to synthesize the material they should have learned from the chapter.

About the authors

Stephen A. Ross Sloan School of Management, Franco Modigliani Professor of Finance and Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Stephen A. Ross is the Franco Modigliani Professor of Finance and Economics at the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Randolph W. Westerfield Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California Randolph W. Westerfield is Dean Emeritus of the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business and is the Charles B. Thornton Professor of Finance.
Bradford D. Jordan Gatton College of Business and Economics, University of Kentucky Bradford D. Jordan is Professor of Finance and holder of the Richard W. and Janis H. Furst Endowed Chair in Finance at the University of Kentucky.

Table of contents

Part I. Overview of Financial Management
Ch. 1 Introduction to Financial Management

Part 2. Understanding Financial Statements and Cash Flow
Ch. 2 Financial Statements, Taxes, and Cash Flow
Ch. 3 Working with Financial Statements

Part 3. Valuation of Future Cash Flows
Ch. 4 Introduction to Valuation: The Time Value of Money
Ch. 5 Discounted Cash Flow Valuation

Part 4. Valuing Stocks and Bonds
Ch. 6 Interest Rates and Bond Valuation
Ch. 7 Equity Markets and Stock Valuation

Part 5. Capital Budgeting
Ch. 8 Net Present Value and Other Investment Criteria
Ch. 9 Making Capital Investment Decisions

Part 6. Risk and Return
Ch. 10 Some Lessons from Capital Market History
Ch. 11 Risk and Return

Part 7. Long-Term Financing
Ch. 12 Cost of Capital
Ch. 13 Leverage and Capital Structure
Ch. 14 Dividends and Dividend Policy
Ch. 15 Raising Capital

Part 8. Short-Term Financial Management
Ch. 16 Short-Term Financial Planning
Ch. 17 Working Capital Management

Part 9. Topics in Business Finance
Ch. 18 International Aspects of Financial Management

Appendix A. Mathematical Tables
Appendix B. Key Equations
Appendix C. Answers to Selected End-of-Chapter Problems
Appendix D. Using the HP-10B and TI BA II Plus Financial Calculators