Welcome to the study of corporate finance: a field with unmatched career opportunities that are as intellectually challenging as they are financially rewarding. In this book, we explain how financial managers apply a few key principles to make important business decisions. Our goals in introducing you to these principles are not only to impart useful knowledge, but also to convey our enthusiasm for our chosen field, as well as help you explore whether a career in corporate finance is right for you. Chapter 1 describes the roles that corporate finance experts play in a variety of businesses and industries. Most of what corporate finance professionals do on a day-to-day basis falls within one of the five basic functions described in the chapter. We recommend that readers revisit the list of five key functions as they work through this book. Most of the chapters place a heavy emphasis on just one or two of these functions, and it is a useful exercise to map the key concepts from...