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Value and Business Decision Making
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 30 hours
  • Course by Yunus Social Business Fund Bengaluru
  • Offered by

About

This course is part of a Specialization titled “Strategy and Finance for a Lifecycle of a Social Business”. It is an introduction to time value of money and will help the learner understand the basics of finance with the ultimate goal of valuing a company from a societal lens. The beauty of the modern decision-making framework is that it can be used to understand value creation at any level – the individual, the corporate or nonprofit entity level and from the point of view of society. The applications however become increasingly complex as your lens expands from the individual to the corporate/nonprofit to the global society. In this Specialization we will therefore focus on understanding the frameworks and tools that an individual and an entity (a startup or an established corporation, private or public) can use to understand value enhancing decision-making. There are two building blocks of decision making – time value of money and risk. In this second course, we will use the same framework developed in the first course to evaluate decision-making by entities – businesses – to create value. We will realize how the evaluating value from the lens of multiple stakeholders is inherently more complex. You are also encouraged to think from a societal standpoint because that, ultimately, is the difference between a social and a private business. The societal perspective is the most complex and market prices are typically not available for both the benefits and costs. As indicated at the outset, the beauty of modern frameworks and tools of analysis is that they are logical and do not change depending on the purpose of business. However, to demonstrate social impact is very complex because prices for both the public good, and any harm created by our actions, are not available. It is also very challenging to determine the incremental effect of a business on society at large. The combination of these issues makes all social impact and value specific to a business, making it even more important to use the same frameworks and tools developed in this Specialization to value any business.

Modules

A Business Take on Social Business

    • 2 Readings
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2 Readings

  • The Business Take on Social Business
  • Purpose of Business - Business Roundtable

Specialization - Strategy and Finance for the Lifecycle of a Social Business

    • 5 Videos
    • 1 Readings
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5 Videos

  • 2.1 Specialization: An Overview
  • 2.2 Specialization: Process
  • 2.3 Specialization: Philosophy
  • 2.4 Specialization: Prerequisites
  • 2.5 Specialization: Assumptions

1 Readings

  • Specialization - Syllabus

Value and Business Decision Making

    • 1 Readings
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1 Readings

  • Course 2 - Syllabus

Decision Criteria

    • 5 Videos
    • 2 Readings
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5 Videos

  • 3.1 Decision Criteria: NPV
  • 3.2 NPV: Intuition & Beauty
  • 3.3 NPV: Properties & Formula
  • 3.4 Decision Criteria: Payback
  • 3.5 Decision Criteria: IRR

2 Readings

  • Note-Formulae
  • Note-Spreadsheets

Decision Criteria - A Deeper Analysis

    • 5 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 2 Assignment
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2 Assignment

  • Practice Assignment 1
  • Graded Assignment 1

5 Videos

  • 4.1 IRR: Graphical Representation
  • 4.2 IRR: A Practical Issue
  • 4.3 IRR: Bias I
  • 4.4 IRR: Bias II
  • 4.5 Recap: Properties of IRR

1 Readings

  • Notice for Auditing Learners: Assignment Submission

Principles of Cash Flows

    • 5 Videos
    • 2 Readings
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5 Videos

  • 5.1 Cash Flows: Basics
  • 5.2 Cash Flows: A Template
  • 5.3 Cash Flows: Capital Items
  • 5.4 Cash Flows: Important Principles I
  • 5.5 Cash Flows: Important Principles II

2 Readings

  • Note-Spreadsheets
  • An Accounting Course

Cash Flows - Applications

    • 1 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 2 Assignment
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2 Assignment

  • Practice Assignment 2
  • Graded Assignment 2

1 Videos

  • 6.1 Recap: Cash flows

3 Readings

  • Note-Sample Cash Flow Template
  • Note-Spreadsheets
  • Reflection on Social Business

Auto Summary

"Value and Business Decision Making" is an insightful course designed for those interested in the realm of Business & Management. Offered as part of the "Strategy and Finance for a Lifecycle of a Social Business" Specialization on Coursera, this course introduces the fundamental concept of the time value of money and explores the basics of finance with a unique focus on valuing companies from a societal perspective. The course delves into the modern decision-making framework, which is versatile enough to assess value creation at various levels - individual, corporate, nonprofit, or societal. As learners progress, they will find that while the framework remains logically consistent, the complexity increases with the broader societal lens. The curriculum emphasizes the dual building blocks of decision-making: time value of money and risk, and applies these principles to evaluate business decisions aimed at value creation. A significant aspect of this course is its encouragement to view business decisions from a societal standpoint, highlighting the complexities of measuring social impact due to the lack of market prices for public goods and harms. Learners will understand the challenges in determining the incremental effect of businesses on society, underscoring the importance of consistent analytical frameworks. Led by Coursera, this foundational course spans approximately 30 hours and is available under the Starter subscription plan. It is ideal for beginners looking to grasp the essentials of finance and decision-making in both private and social business contexts. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a corporate professional, or someone interested in the intersection of business and societal impact, this course offers valuable tools and insights to enhance your decision-making skills.

Suresh K. Krishna
Instructors

Suresh K. Krishna

Gautam Kaul
Instructors

Gautam Kaul