Advanced Valuation and Strategy - M&A, Private Equity, and Venture Capital

Hi and welcome to this course! Would you like to learn about the latest valuation methods that may help you to make better business decisions? Then ‘Advanced Valuation and Strategy – M&A, Private Equity, and Venture Capital’ by Erasmus University Rotterdam is the right course for you! This course is helpful for executives that need to value complete strategies and for all students interested in corporate finance and strategy. We present the latest tools and show you how to apply them!

We will revolutionize your way of decision making, by extending static techniques from corporate finance with dynamic methods to quantify strategic thinking. Traditionally, we assess the attractiveness of an investment as a mature business, where future cash flows mainly result from past decisions. But, in an ever-changing world, strategic decisions determine the firm’s long-term success and market value. Yet managers often have to consider these long-term implications using intuition and experience alone, with little guidance from structured, quantitative analysis.

Our treatment goes far beyond the use of standard valuation analysis. We introduce the expanded NPV, which brings together DCF, real options, and game theory. Thinking in terms of options, games, and adaptive strategies may help managers address strategic questions such as: How do you value a leveraged buyout? How can you value a high-tech venture with negative cash flows? When should you invest in new ventures in stages? How can you incorporate rival bidders in the analysis?

The tools we provide can improve your decisions in business and in daily life.

• Who is this class for? We hope that our course appeals to (graduate) students in finance, economics, and business, as well as to high-ranking professionals and a general audience. This course is particularly interesting for venture capitalists, private equity investors, investment bankers, CEOs, CFOs, and those who aspire these affiliations. We offer this MOOC at 3 levels:

1.Executive Summary: This 1-week module provides critical insights into the principles of corporate valuation and strategy. This is accessible for time-constrained executives and the general audience without any prior knowledge.

2. Student Level: This level involves an understanding of the technical details. This level requires basic knowledge of concepts in corporate finance, e.g., the time value of money, financial statement analysis, capital structure, and the relation between risk and returns. Learners of this level can skip week 1.

3. Honors Level (honors certificate): This level is challenging, engaging, and compelling to an intellectually rigorous student.

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Syllabus

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Week 1
Executive Summary
Week 2
Discounted Cash Flow Analysis
Week 3
Corporate Strategy
Week 4
Corporate Real Options
Week 5
Option Games

FAQ

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?

Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:

The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.

The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?

When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

What literature can I consult to support my studies?

You can follow the MOOC without studying additional sources. Further reading of the discussed topics, including the Building Blocks) is provided in the textbook that I wrote with Lenos Trigeorgis: Strategic Investment: Real Options and Games, Princeton University Press, E-book ISBN9781400829392

How is this course structured?

In four weeks, we review the four most important foundations in valuation and strategy: corporate valuation, strategic management and growth option value, corporate real options, and game theory. If you don't have four weeks, you can also follow the course at your own pace. The full course content will be available from the start!

Can I also follow the course at my own pace?

Yes you can!

Reviews

Boosts your up-to-date understanding of how strategy and valuation come together. It helped me better understand my PE clients' buy & build strategies from a growth option valuation perspective.

Demanding at times but overall one of the better courses that make you think before you have to answer. I also enjoyed the ability to do some extra work if you are into honorable certificate.

The concept of real option and game theory is really interesting. Could be better if they give more time or reading resource to explain calculation part as well.

Could break videos into PowerPoint slides to explain formulas.methods used. I paused the videos to copy the information a lot.