This casebook teaches the fundamentals of corporate finance. The book begins with a series of cases (involving small companies) that introduce basic finance issues, including rules relating to distributions, use of debt financing for leverage and tax purposes, valuation, and preemptive rights. Subsequent chapters address accounting and valuation and formal legal rules relating to financing the corporation.

More concise than ever, the 4th edition newly integrates treatment of securities regulation and M&A throughout rather than in standalone chapters. Materials on preferred stock and debt financing have been condensed, and treatment of executive compensation, derivatives, and off-balance sheet financing has been expanded. Statutory materials are included in the main text, thus eliminating the need for a statutory supplement.