This course will provide an overview of corporate finance in both a domestic and an international setting. It will explain the valuation of real investments and their financing as well as the dividend decision. By developing an understanding of international capital markets, the course will identify the main trends in mergers and acquisition activity. Participants will be able to apply the main principles of financial theory to contemporary commercial problems and understand the problems of investment appraisal and the relative merits of different approaches. This will enable them also to evaluate the consequences of a proposed takeover or merger, and to analyse the current state of financial markets.