LFU:online

The central objective of this course is to understand the role the finance function plays in multinational companies (MNCs) and startup companies with an international profile. In essence, students will learn the tools they need to work in a finance role, as well as in overarching strategic roles in MNCs. To achieve this goal, the course will introduce students to the main topics in international finance, including valuation, raising capital, capital structure, entrepreneurial finance, sustainable and impact finance, tax-consequences of financing decisions, corporate acquisitions, and currency exchange rate management.

This course introduces students to the challenges and opportunities firms face in international financial markets. The course investigates how firms can manage exposure to different forms of risk resulting from international operations. We will cover the following topics.

• What is on the desk of the CFO in an international company?

• How can companies manage exposure to multinational country risk?

• What is international capital budgeting and how can firms assess the value of their international operations?

• How do currency markets work and how can firms deal with exchange rate risk?

• What are sustainable finance and impact finance, and how do they shape international capital markets?

• How do companies account for global operations and how can companies navigate complex global taxation?

• How can multinational companies design capital structure to correspond to their international presence?

• How can small companies raise funds for growth via venture capital?

• What is the value of a growth opportunity and how does this influence international expansion?

• What is international project finance and what is its role in global infrastructure development?

This part of the international finance module provides the foundations of international finance in a lecture format. The lecture part is highly integrated with the seminar course “International Finance”, where we will deepen our understanding using academic literature and case studies. This course is part of a cooperation project between UIBK and the Copenhagen Business School (CBS) in the context of the AURORA network of universities, and is offered simultaneously to an equivalent course at CBS. Students will have a chance to interact with peers at CBS in a guest lecture. This course is part of a pilot project and integration with its CBS equivalent will increase in future semesters.

Final exam: 100%

According to curriculum:

Positive assessment of the compulsory module International Management I