The finance discipline is focused on two primary issues: determining value and making the best decisions with respect to value. The Department of Finance at the School of Business Administration studies these issues in a variety of contexts and industries. The three primary areas of finance are financial management, investments, and financial markets and intermediaries.
Financial management focuses on how an organization can accomplish its mission. For example, a corporation seeks to create and maintain wealth, and a non-profit organization seeks to improve the world in some way. All organizations want to achieve their mission to the greatest extent possible, and that requires making the best decisions with respect to value.