Course Description

In this introductory core course in financial management, students will learn the fundamentals of budgeting and accounting for public, health, and not-for-profit organizations. Through readings, lectures, real-world case studies, and assignments, students will gain an understanding of how to use  financial  information  in  organizational  planning,  implementation,  control,  reporting,  and analysis. In addition, students will develop their spreadsheet skills by using Microsoft Excel to perform financial calculations and create financial documents.

The first half of the course focuses on managerial accounting, a set of tools used by managers for internal planning, implementation, and control. Topics in this portion of the course include operating budgets, cash budgets, break-even analysis, cost allocation, variance analysis, the time value of money, capital budgeting, and long-term financing.

The second half of the course focuses on financial accounting, a set of tools used by managers and external observers for reporting on and analyzing an organization’s financial position and performance. Topics in this portion of the course include the preparation and analysis of financial statements  (balance  sheet,  activity  statement,  and  cash  flow  statement),  ethics  in  financial management, government accounting, and government financial condition analysis.

Instructors

Note: All TC recitations and tutoring sessions will take place via the Zoom links found below.

Teaching Colleagues (TC)

Tutors

Course Prerequisites

The only prerequisite for this course is a basic familiarity with Excel. If you have limited or no experience using Excel, it is strongly recommended that you register for the Excel computer module  (NONCR-GP  932),  which  meets  in-person  for  three weeks  at  the  beginning  of  the semester.  In  addition, you  may wish to  use  online  resources  such as Microsoft Support or YouTube (Excel Tutorial – Beginners Level 1 and Excel Tutorial – Beginners Level 2).  Please note that it is up to students to determine whether they are familiar with Excel; taking the Excel computer module is not a prerequisite for enrollment in this course. NYU students are eligible to download Excel for free as part ofOffice 365 Education. Students who are proficient in Excel tend to perform better on exams and assignments than those who are not.

Course Objectives

By the conclusion of the semester, students will learn to:

1.   Prepare organizational budgets on the accrual and cash bases of accounting.

2.   Make resource allocation and pricing decisions using break-even analysis, the time value of money, cost allocation, and variance analysis.

3.   Prepare balance sheets, activity statements, and cash flow statements using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for not-for-profit and healthcare organizations and analyze these statements.

4.   Interpret and analyze governmental financial statements that have been prepared on the accrual and modified accrual bases of accounting.

5.   Use Microsoft Excel to prepare financial statements and perform financial analyses.

Learning Assessment Table

Course Materials

The textbook for this course is: Finkler et al., Financial Management for Public, Health, and Not-for-Profit Organizations,  Seventh  Edition  (2022),  CQ  Press/Sage  Publishing,  ISBN: 1071835335. Note that this course is participating in the Follett Access program. This is an NYU Bookstore initiative that delivers required course materials digitally at the lowest possible price. Under this program, the textbook will be delivered to you digitally through the Brytewave platform as a rental for the semester. The cost of the rental is $72 and will be added as a “book charge” to your Bursar bill.

To ACCESS your book:

• An email will be sent to you with a link to your shelf.

• This emailed link will take you to your BryteWave Discover Shelf account where you can log in using your school email address and find your preloaded material on your Shelf.

Should  you  choose  to  remove  yourself  from  the  program  and  find  your  course  materials elsewhere, you must login here to the student portaland opt out of having the course materials provided to you by September 20th. If you do not opt out by this date, you will be charged.

You may contact the NYU Bookstore with questions at[email protected]or 212-998-4656. If you wish to purchase the hard copy instead, it is available at the NYU Bookstore and on Amazon.com. The course materials are also on reserve at Bobst Library. Students who plan to take additional finance courses should retain this book as a reference.

Course Website

The  course website  can  be  found  on  NYU  Learning  Management  System  (“NYU  LMS”  or “ Brightspace”),     accessible     via     the “Academics”     tab     on NYU Global     Home (http://globalhome.nyu.edu).  Throughout  the  semester,  documents  such   as   lecture  slides, homework solutions, and practice exams will be posted to this site. In addition, we will occasionally send emails about course logistics to your NYU email account. Therefore, you should check both the course website and your NYU email account on a regular basis.

Course Rules and Requirements

1. To do well in this course, most students need to devote a minimum of eight hours per class (1 hour of asynchronous lecture, 1.5 hours of synchronous class time, 1 hour of  discussion  session,  and  about  4.5   hours  of  reading,  studying,  and  working  on assignments).  Please  keep  in  mind  that  the  material  presented  in  the  course  builds cumulatively. Do not fall behind. Students who fall behind find it very hard to catch up.

2. If you are enrolled in an online section, you are expected to participate in each class with your Zoom audio and video on (unless circumstances prevent it). Please review Wagner’sZoom in the Classroom series about classroom etiquette, participation, and more. Students may not share the Zoom classroom recordings. The recordings are kept within the NYU LMS (Brightspace) site and are for students enrolled in this course only.

3. There are no extra credit assignments and no make-up exams. Please note the dates of the midterm and final exams on the following page; if you have a conflict do not enroll in the course at this time. NYU’s  Calendar  Policy  on  Religious  Holidays states  that members of any religious group may, without penalty, absent themselves from classes when required in compliance with their religious obligations. Please notify your instructor in advance of religious holidays that might coincide with exams to schedule mutually acceptable alternatives.

4. If you have a logistical question, please check the syllabus and website. You can find the answer to most questions there. For any remaining questions, please contact the head TC.

5. The  Wagner  School has  a strict   policy  regarding   incompletes. The  grade  of "Incomplete Pass" will only be available in extreme circumstances such as serious medical emergencies.  Students  may  withdraw  from  the  course  up  until  the  date  set  by the Registrar. Students who withdraw will receive a grade of “W” and will have to pay for the course again when they retake it.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a vital component of Wagner and NYU. All students enrolled in this class are required to read and abide by Wagner’s Academic Code. All Wagner students have already read and signed theWagner Academic Oath. Every student is expected to maintain academic integrity and is expected to report violations to their instructor.  If you are unsure about what is expected of you, you should ask.

Grading

Your course grade will be determined as follows:

1.   Pre-Class Quizzes – 10%

2.   Homework Assignments - 20%

3.   Midterm Examination - 35%

4.   Final Examination - 35%

Pre-Class Quizzes

There are a total of 12 pre-class quizzes, each worth 0.5% to 1% of your course grade. The pre- class quizzes will consist of 5 multiple choice questions based on the asynchronous lecture content. You are required to watch the asynchronous videos and complete the pre-class quiz by 9 am Tuesdays for all sections. The quizzes can be submitted via the NYU LMS (Brightspace).

Homework Assignments

There are a total of 12 assignments, each worth 1% to 2% of your course grade. Assignments are graded on the basis of completeness rather than accuracy. If you complete the entire assignment, you will receive full credit even if your work contains errors. If you do not complete the entire assignment, you will not receive full credit. Assignments are to be submitted online via the NYU LMS (Brightspace) by 9 am Tuesday for all sections. Assignments and templates (when applicable) can be found on the NYU LMS (Brightspace) and are available at 9 pm Tuesday for all sections. Assignments will not be accepted by email, nor will they be accepted during or after lecture. Late assignments will not receive any credit except in extreme circumstances, such as serious medical emergencies.

You must complete the quantitative parts of your assignments in Excel and the written parts in Excel or Word. Templates will be provided for some assignments (posted on the NYU LMS). Each student must write and submit his or her own assignments. We encourage you to work on the  assignments  in  small  groups,  but  two  or  more  students turning  in  identical homework assignments constitutes cheating and will be reported to the administration.

Exams

The midterm and final exam will each last two hours and thirty minutes. Students will begin the exams at the start of their normal class time and submit them via the NYU LMS (Brightspace). These are open book tests; however, students will find it useful to prepare notes for use during each exam. During each exam, your professor will be available to answer clarifying questions via Google Hangouts or via email. Students who are proficient in Excel tend to perform better on exams than those who are not. More detailed instructions will be discussed closer to each exam.

Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at NYU

Academic accommodations are available for students with disabilities. Please visit the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) websiteand click on the Reasonable Accommodations and How to Register tab or call or email CSD at (212-998-4980 or [email protected]) for information. Students who are requesting academic accommodations should contact both your professor and the Moses Center as early as possible in the semester.

NYU’s Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays

NYU’s Calendar Policy on Religious Holidaysstates that members of any religious group may, without penalty, absent themselves from classes when required in compliance with their religious obligations. Please notify your instructor in advance of religious holidays that might coincide with exams to schedule mutually acceptable alternatives.

Lectures

Lectures will meet on the dates listed below.