Course Syllabus
V186 Syllabus
Course description
The public and non-profit sectors play important roles in society. Together, they provide and produce goods and services that are crucial for a well-functioning society. Fulfilling this role requires answers to the following questions: what goods and services will be produced and provided? Who will benefit from these goods and services? Who will pay for these goods and services? How will spending and revenue be recorded? SPEA-V186 explores these questions.
We first explore the budgetary process that governs spending (which goods and services will be financed and who gets them). Next we discuss the revenue sources that are used to finance the goods and services (who pays). Finally, we study the accounting documents that are used to record financial activities in the public and non-profit sectors. The course uses practical applications including real budgets, tax forms, and accounting documents to convey useful information to students. Comparisons to the for-profit sector are made throughout to emphasize some of the key features of the not-for-profit sectors.
SPEA-V186 sets the stage for your O’Neill degree. As a graduate of O’Neill, we expect every student to have a solid understating of how revenues are sourced and how expenditures are determined in the public and non-profit sectors. This course is the starting point for acquiring this knowledge, and it plays a critical role in your ability to get through upper level courses.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Describe role of public sector
- Describe the budgetary process.
- Identify and describe the main types of spending functions in the public and non- profit sectors.
- Identify and describe the main revenue sources in the public and non- profit sectors.
- Identify and distinguish between debt and deficit and explain when/why both are a reasons for concern.
- Identify and read public and non-profit sector financial documents.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the basic tools of financial analysis.
- Explain the role the federal reserve in the US economy.
- Have a working knowledge of how to use spreadsheets.
- Calculate tax liability and average tax rates.
- Illustrate the concept of progressivity graphically.
- Provide a quantitative illustration of the impact of deductions, credits, and income on tax liability and tax progressivity.
- Calculate simple and compound growth rates.
- Convert nominal dollars to real dollars and explain why the two are different.
- Compare revenue and spending of governments differ in size as measured by population and or GDP.
- Plot budgetary data graphically using spreadsheet and explain trends.
- Calculate present value and future value.
- Calculate the price of bonds.
- Use graphs to illustrate the mathematical relationship between interest rates and value of bonds.
- Calculate the financial ratios used to assess the financial health of an organization.
- Solve systems of equations.
- Derive first and second derivative.
- Demonstrate understanding of exponents.
Course requirements
Required Text and Materials
The following textbook and materials are required for this course:
-
Text: Finkler, Steven, Daniel Smith and Thad Calabrese, Financial Management for Public, Health and not-for-profit Organizations, 6th edition . Thousand Oaks CQ Press/SAGE 2019 (ETEXT provided in canvas)
Technical requirements
You will need the following in order to participate in this course:
- Desktop or laptop computer
- Reliable Internet connection
- Scientific calculator (No cell phones, tablets, laptops or internet allowed)
- Access to Canvas using a supported web browser
Technical support
For additional help with technical issues, consult:
- University Information Technology Services (UITS) (phone and online support)
- IU Knowledge Base (IUKB) (information and how-to articles on all supported UITS software and services)
- Canvas Student Guide (information and step-by-step instructions for all of Canvas's tools and features)
Course assessment & grades
Course assessment:
- Will be discussed during first day of class
Submitting assignments
- Will be discussed during the first day of class
How will I know how I’m doing in this course?
Covered during first day in class
Grading Scale
Your assignment and course grades will be determined using the following scale:
| Grade | Range |
|---|---|
| A+ | 100% to 97% |
| A | < 97% to 93% |
| A- | < 93% to 90% |
| B+ | < 90% to 87% |
| B | < 87% to 83% |
| B- | < 83% to 80% |
| C+ | < 80% to 77% |
| C | < 77% to 73% |
| C- | < 73% to 70% |
| D+ | < 70% to 67% |
| D | < 67% to 63% |
| D- | < 63% to 60% |
| F | < 60% to 0% |
Late work
- Discussed during the first day of class.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|