The basic thrust of this ninth edition of Multinational Financial Management (MFM) is to provide a conceptual framework within which the key financial decisions of the multinational firm can be analyzed. The approach is to treat international financial management as a natural and logical extension of the principles learned in the foundations course in financial management. Thus, it builds on and extends the valuation framework provided by domestic corporate finance to account for dimensions unique to international finance.
MFM focuses on decision making in an international context. Analytical techniques help translate the often vague rules of thumb used by international financial executives into specific decision criteria. The book offers a variety of real-life examples, both numerical and institutional, that demonstrate the use of financial analysis and reasoning in solving international financial problems. These examples allow students to see the value of examining decision problems with the aid of a solid theoretical foundation. Seemingly disparate facts and events can then be interpreted as specific manifestations of more general financial principles.
All the traditional areas of corporate finance are explored, including working capital management, capital budgeting, cost of capital, and financial structure. However, this is done from the perspective of a multinational corporation, concentrating on those decision elements that are rarely, if ever, encountered by purely domestic firms. These elements include multiple currencies with frequent exchange rate changes and varying rates of inflation, differing tax systems, multiple money markets, exchange controls, segmented capital markets, and political risks such as nationalization or expropriation. Throughout the book, I have tried to demystify and simplify multinational financial management by showing that its basic principles rest on the same foundation as does corporate finance.
