Financial Markets & Corporate Strategy

Book Description

The authors began writing the First Edition of this textbook in early 1988. It took almost 10 years to complete this effort, because they did not want to write an ordinary textbook. Their goal was to write a book that would break new ground in both the understanding and explanation of finance and its practice. They wanted to write a book that would influence the way people think about, teach, and practice finance. A book that would elevate the level of discussion and analysis in the classroom, in the corporate boardroom, and in the conference rooms of Wall Street firms. They wanted a book that would sit on the shelves of financial executives as a useful reference manual, long after the executives had studied and received a degree. They were successful in their endeavor. The success of the first edition of Financial Markets and Corporate Strategy was very heartening. The market for this text has expanded every year, and it is well-known as the cutting edge textbook in corporate finance around the world. The book is used in a variety of courses, both for introductory courses and advanced electives. Some schools have even changed their curriculum to design it around this text. The authors have developed this Second Edition based on the comments of many reviewers and colleagues; producing what is a more reader-friendly book. The most consistent comment from users of the first edition was a request for a chapter on the key ingredients of valuation: accounting, cash flows, and basic discounting. This ultimately led to a new chapter in the text, Chapter 9, which is currently available in the "Sample Chapter" section of the book's website. In almost every chapter, examples are updated, vignettes changed, numbers modified, statements checked for currency and historical accuracy, and exercises and examples are either modified or added to. The goal of the Second Edition is to make the book ever more practical, pedagogically effective, and current.

Customer Reviews:

Unnecessarily Complex.......2006-08-28

Author devotes 2 pages to mathematically prove & philosophically justify that a manager should chose the highest NPV project before chosing the next highest NPV project. Such logic continues ad infinitum throughout the 800+ page text. Time for 3rd Ed.

A finance textbook full of errors and holes.......2005-05-07

I am a postgraduate student in finance and this book is on my reading list for corporate finance. I must say that I am not very pleased with this book. First, it seems to skip around from chapter to chapter with no real logical organizational structure. Second, it is full of typos and mistakes -- some that are quite dangerous for a proper understanding of the material. Third, it does not develop fully the statistically techniques in Chapter 4 that it builds on in later chapters. This is a major problem in my opinion. What saves this book from the lowest rating is that it does discuss empirical studies and journal articles, and it does not do an entirely awful job about the more qualitative subjects like adverse selection and capitalization policy.

For what it's worth, I received my undergraduate degree at Wharton and am now at the London School of Economics. Instead of this book, I recommend Brealey and Myer's Principles of Corporate Finance. This is what I used as an undergraduate and is what seems to be the de facto textbook in the top undergraduate and MBA programs.

N.

A Wonderful Approach to Corporate Finance.......2005-04-12

I will admit this book does not take the standard approach to learning corporate finance. The authors discuss a wide variety of common topics, ranging from market models, option valuation, capital structure concepts and decisions, to more specialized topics such as corporate governance and financial risk management.

What is unique about this book, though, is that the authors encourage students to think about problems more broadly than one often sees in introductory texts and courses. For example, the authors encourage the use of decision trees (i.e. binomial models) to value a wide range of assets, not just stocks. If one can value a stock option using a binomial tree, why not use the same framework to value a plot of undeveloped real estate, an untapped mine, or any other "real option" owned by a company?

Another reason this text is excellent is because the authors include a vast survey of recent financial and economic literature relevant for the financial decision-maker. Highly developed markets depend on the signaling of information between investors and management, creditors and debtors, customers and suppliers, and so forth; understanding the implications of these interactions and their subsequent effects is of primary importance to decision-makers.

For example, the "pecking order" theory of capital structure is one of the most well-known concepts in finance, but nonetheless often misunderstood (if you want proof of this, why did investors respond so enthusiastically to every IPO in the late 1990's?). Instead of glossing over an explanation of the theory, the book thorougly explains it and provides problems where the reader can actually work through a simplified model that really reinforces the concept.

While this book served as a good introduction to a wide scope of problems in finance, it was most useful because it helped me to apply economic tools not just to solve but to understand financial problems. The use of decision trees in the simplified, binomial model setting helped me to understand option/project valuation and risk-netural valuation, the linchpin of no-arbitrage pricing. It also has perhaps the most thorough, lucid explanation of Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT) I've seen anywhere- for a practitioner trying to understand factor models, this chapter alone makes the book worth it.

I understand that this is a very difficult book and that the problems are beyond what one may expect in a MBA-level course. Nonetheless, finance is an increasingly competitive field whose employers are starting to demand more analytical skills and intiution from recent graduates. In response to the reviewer who said this text is not suitable for CFA preparation, I do agree with that sentiment. First, the CFA program is designed for self-study that any motivated and capable professional can handle, while Grinblatt/Titman is clearly appropriate for a rigorous MBA-level sequence in corporate finance. Second, the CFA exam emphasizes asset valuation and portfolio management, while this book stresses financial decision-making from a manager's standpoint.

While I normally don't like reviews that justify their opinions by offering credentials, I also work on Wall Street and I find the concepts taught in this book to be quite relevant in handling real-world problems.

Good basic overview of finance intersecting corp strategy.......2005-02-25

I bought this book as a recommended supplemental text for a course in Corporate Finance in the MBA program at the U of Michigan Business School. I am very glad to have this book on my shelf of financial books and have benefited from it more than once.

I can recommend it to you strongly by praising it for these reasons:

1) It puts practical flesh on the financial model bones you learned in your first course on finance. There are very good discussions of the basic and well-known fundamental theories and models, but the authors also share with us what tends to happen in the real world. And isn't that what each of us need to add to our theoretical thinking?

2) Each chapter has effective summarizing Key Concepts and Key Terms with plenty of problems to work through and a list of References and Additional Readings that enable the reader to dive deeper into the topic of the chapter just read.

3) The book is helpfully organized into six Parts that provide the framework for the discussion. Parts 1-3 are a review of "Financial Markets and Instruments", "Valuing Financial Assets", and "Valuing Real Assets". This foundation gives the student a good grounding in order to see how these principles are used in the work of managing the capital structure of a corporation. Parts 4-6 discuss the "Corporate Financial Structure", "Incentives, Information and Corporate Control", and "Risk Management". These last three sections are the real meat of the book and where a great deal of its value to the business student lies.

4) Each of the Parts has an effective and brief introduction that sets the tone for what is to be studied. Even better, at the end of each the six Parts there are two very helpful summary sections: "Practical Insights" and "Executive Perspective".

This is a specialized topic. But it is an important topic. This is a very good book that can help a serious student get grounded in some very important principals necessary to managing the financial issues facing every corporation. I recommend it.

Missed the mark! Poor coverage of contemporary issues..........2004-12-22

This text is just below par for MBA / CFA or professional use. The quality of research is very poor. I almost bought this book recently but changed my mind instead for Brigham's "Intermediate Financial Management".

Compared to other finance texts I've used before such Reilly's "Investment Analysis & Portfolio Mgt." or Chew's "New Corporate Finance", Grinblatt's text is way way behind and offers nothing new and of value to my research & professional everyday use....

DON'T BUY this lousy book!

Mastering Value at Risk: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Applying VAR (Market Editions)

Average customer rating:

Failed Potential
Very helpful for beginners
Until something better comes along. . .
very disappointing
A practical book on VaR

Mastering Value at Risk: A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding and Applying VAR (Market Editions)
Cormac Butler
Manufacturer: Financial Times/Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0273637525

Book Description

Value at Risk (VAR) is rapidly emerging as the dominant methodology for estimating precisely how much money is at risk each day in the financial markets. Traders and managers use it to monitor the financial risk of a portfolio. This book provides an objective view of VAR, analyzing its pitfalls as well as its benefits.

Customer Reviews:

Failed Potential.......2007-03-12

This book would have been 5 stars if it had been edited and proofed properly. There are *FAR* too many errors. I would still recommend that one purchase and read this book, which is a good introduction to VaR for the uninitiated, but the error count is just ridiculous. There are significant errors nearly every other page.

There are:

* currency sign errors, which render examples meaningless;
* repeated formula errors, which require the reader to guess the correct formula;
* text errors, which change the meaning of the sentences to their exact opposite;
* errors in punctuation;
* errors in grammar;
* numerical errors in the text next to examples that show the correct numbers.

If there were going to have been a second edition, it would already be out by now, so I'm not hopeful that a new edition will appear to correct the many errors.

I am QUITE surprised that the author doesn't have an errata page at the website he put up for questions on this book at [...]

File this book under "Failed Potential".

Very helpful for beginners.......2006-03-20

I'm chemical Engineer and I'm working on my thesis on to get the Master in Sc. I had no clue in VaR, this book help not only to understand it but to apply it further pure finances.

Until something better comes along. . ........2005-07-19

The other reviewers are correct about the errors. The results of Mr. Butler's formulas sometimes don't match the formulas themselves which in turn don't match his results in the spreadsheets. Also, the grammar, particularly the punctuation, leaves much to be desired. This book had either a poor editor or no editor.

However, Mr. Butler is the only author to write a book that shows actual real-world VaR calculations. The other books give plenty of theory, but never enough detail to enable you to do your own VaR calculations. So until something similar and better comes along, this book will have to do. And really, the errors in the spreadsheets are not that hard to spot if you just follow the text and if you are aware that the errors are there.

very disappointing.......2004-06-25

There are a number of errors in the book, thus making it very hard to get through. Additionally, I spoke to the publisher and there is NOT a second edition of this book available yet - so don't bother with the book. I was also surprised there is nowhere to get copies of the spreadsheets from on the web!!

A note to Mr. Butler - please take a note from Scott Meyers or Bruce Eckel who publish errata web pages.

A practical book on VaR.......2002-09-29

Mastering Value at Risk is 80% practical and 20% theoretical. However, there are a lot of mistakes, specially printing and calculation mistakes. For example, page 24, 25, etc. ambiguous exercises. I require professional solved cases and applications of the real world. Back testing and stress testing themes present a poor development.

There is a great practical case on EWMA, but it can not be compared to GARCH model, because there is not a practical case on GARCH. There is no useful application. This model is only mentioned and explained theoretically. On the other hand Montecarlo Simulation presents a certain confusion. It's unclear and imprecise.

Finally, at the end of the book an address and e-mail are written in order to make contact with the author, but such an e-mail doesn't exist. It was impossible for me to contact Cormac Butler by means of that e-mail. Besides, there is a website in order to send your questions and queries named answerback.org. It was not possible for me to access this website.

Book Description

Last year's headline-grabbing stories of the notorious bailout of Long-Term Capital Management and the 1.4 billion credit loss for BankAmerica opened the eyes of the investment world. These turbulent times have meant increased awareness of risk management and have lead to late breaking developments in new research, techniques, and theories in the field. Given the high stakes in today's business world with financial dealings in the billions (e.g., derivatives), it's easy to see why risk management has become the key buzzword on Wall Street. While Jorion focuses strictly on market risk, today's financial professionals are also evaluating credit risk and operational risk. Managing Risk provides a comprehensive description and analysis of modern risk management, including the regulatory aspects, organizational issues, potential problem areas, and tools to control and manage the many different kinds of risks: market risk, credit risk, and operational risk. It also discusses: structuring and managing the risk management function in a firm; practical measurement issues in the field; risk management in both financial and non-financial institutions.

Download Description

Risk Management introduces and explores the latest financial and hedging techniques in use around the world, and provides the foundation for creating an integrated, consistent, and effective risk management strategy.

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive and excellent.......2003-01-11

This book is the most comprehensive treatment I've seen of financial risk management, particularly from a banking perspective. It covers both the regulatory and practitioner perspectives of modern risk management -- it's a veritable encyclopedia.

It's drawn from the wealth of experience of the authors, who are well known in both the academic world and on Wall St.

I guess what I like most about the book is the inside look it provides at the various aspects of financial risks -- no other book does it better, and I found the discussion enthralling.

While mainly geared toward banks, the book also includes a fascinating chapter on risk management in regular corporations. I think the book would serve equally well as a textbook for a risk management course or a handbook for the risk management practitioner.

Important stuff but hard slogging.......2002-07-16

This is an encyclopedia, and reading such things is not what most people, even when deeply interested in the subject are likely to do. It does provide a fair reference for specific topics, but this is not a subject one can really pick and choose.

VAR is the ususal starting point, and its famous authors (one of whom I hired for his skill in these matters) cover most of the bases in an interesting way.

Good book on risk management, February 4, 2002.......2002-02-05

I bought this book because some readers highly recommended it. I'm a financial derivatives strategist and risk management consultant. When a reviewed the book I disappointed in five main particular points: 1) The chapter on VaR is unsatisfactory and insufficient. The authors discuss this subject in a general approach. From my view point I have a preference for Jorion's Value At Risk. 2) There is no discussion about GARCH models, which decrease the importance of this book. I recognise "Risk Management" is a great book. It's a vast encyclopaedia of risk. 3) There's a great discussion of all types of risk, but without any practical solved case. This particular point demerit the seriousness and greatness of the book. 4) The level of mathematics in the book is a little advanced and without any support en practical cases, these poor numerical exercises and calculus tools are useless. 5) Montecarlo simulation approach is bad. There is a great discussion on this subject in Hull's Options, Futures and other derivatives, where the theme is practical, objective and concise. Finally and taking into account these five particular disadvantages, I'll give my rating to this book: 3 stars.

Don't miss it.......2001-08-24

I think it the best book about Risk management I read so far. I was impressed even by the way they treat market risk although it does not seem their main interest. The chapter on VaR is much better than a whole book on it. Great!!! Everyone should have a copy...

The best risk management book.......2001-06-14

This is by far the most comprehensive and well-written book on risk management. If you were to read only on book on the subject, there is no doubt you should choose Crouhy, Galai, Mark. The book reflects not only the authors' serious academic background - all of them have been professors at top universities - but also their detailed hands-on experience.

Average customer rating:

A new perspective for assessing firm performance

Competing for Customers and Capital
Victor J. Cook Jr.
Manufacturer: South-Western Educational Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0324405979

Book Description

Not only do the goals of marketing departments often fail to match those of finance, they sometimes outright conflict. The two departments speak different languages, they have no clear link, and - bottom line - the markets for customers and investors are separate. But one innovative book can change everything. CREATING MARKET VALUE illustrates a cause-and-effect model of relationships between marketing and finance based on a common language, economic theory, and financial accounting data. This model links intangible assets to the market value of firms. Breaking with the tradition of valuing companies based on unrelated ratios and metrics, Dr. Victor Cook identifies three metrics that bind marketing and finance: the Value Sales Principle, the Rule of Maximum Earnings, and the Competitive Valuation Paradigm. These groundbreaking principles point to a model that unites important metrics from marketing and sales and adds to the understanding of exactly what drives the value of an organization.

Customer Reviews:

A new perspective for assessing firm performance.......2006-08-22

Competing for Customers and Capital is a must read for those in the finance and marketing areas, and especially for those who are, or aspire to be, upper-level managers. Whether you agree with his approach or not, the concepts Cook presents will encourage you to think about the marketing-finance interface in a new and collaborative way. As the first set of chapters is devoted to developing the theoretical constructs used in the book, I would suggest that you begin with chapter 5, read thought to the end and then come back and read chapter 1. Chapters 2 through 4 are not for the quantitatively challenged. For me the book's most evocative idea is illustrated in Chart 1-5, which suggests a much broader and longer term view of the customer as captured by the enterprise marketing concept. Enjoy!

Sarbanes-Oxley: Building Working Strategies for Compliance (Finance and Capital Markets)

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Sarbanes-Oxley: Building Working Strategies for Compliance (Finance and Capital Markets)
Ross McGill , and Terence Sheppey
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0230006787
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Book Description

This book examines how compliance with the Sarbanes Oxley Act is achieved and maintained.

How to Finance a Growing Business: An Insider's Guide to Negotiating the Capital Markets

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A captivating how-to guide for the expansionist.

How to Finance a Growing Business: An Insider's Guide to Negotiating the Capital Markets
Royce Diener
Manufacturer: Silver Lake Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

This user-friendly guide on the mechanics of raising capital shows entrepreneurs and business owners how to find willing investors and lenders. It shares time-tested tips for presenting a small business in the best light to bakers, venture capitalists, and other sources of money.

Customer Reviews:

A captivating how-to guide for the expansionist........1999-07-10

As a financier I found this book to be instructive, informative and specific. The Author sticks to what matters to a business owner, rather than what a bean counter would find interesting.

Book Description

Although the financial futures and options markets have only existed since 1972, many current participants have little understanding of their genesis. This unique work offers a much needed historical perspective that provides important insights into the basic functioning of the markets. Petzel explains how these relatively new investment products originated, how they are used, and how the markets in which they are traded work. Petzel begins with an overview of the first fifteen years of financial futures, examining both successes and failures and developing a basic hypothesis of what components are necessary for success. The next two chapters present the fundamentals of futures and options for those who need a thorough grounding in basic concepts such as the standard elements of futures contracts, margins, types of trading, and the structure of the exchanges. Subsequent chapters address equities market strategies, interest rate strategies, and foreign currency futures and options. In the final chapter, Petzel discusses accounting, tax, and regulatory issues that affect the development and trading of financial futures and options. Written for professionals in corporate finance and in the financial services industry who have had little exposure to financial futures and options, the guide includes general examples as well as detailed explanatory tables and figures. The author focuses throughout on the use and construction of contracts, rather than providing particular trading advice or touting any one system of trading.

The Strategy Quest: Releasing the Energy of Manufacturing Within a Market Driven Strategy : 'a Dynamic Business Story' (Financial Times/Pitman Publishing Series)

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The Strategy Quest: Releasing the Energy of Manufacturing Within a Market Driven Strategy : 'a Dynamic Business Story' (Financial Times/Pitman Publishing Series)
Terry Hill
Manufacturer: Pitman Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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