General comments about the course

1. A large amount of material is covered in this course over a brief period of time. In addition to new terminology and concepts, much of the material is numerical and analytical in nature and normally requires a period of time to absorb; a large portion of the course material does not lend itself to last minute cramming. Therefore, it is essential for you to come to class prepared; students should read the material and work through the homework problems as much as possible prior to class.

2. While each chapter in the text focuses on a particular topic, the chapters are to some extent cumulative; if you fall behind, or have difficulty understanding the earlier chapters, you will most likely encounter difficulty in later chapters. Do the work on a daily basis; it's the only way. Bring your calculator to every class and test. Proficiency with a hand-held calculator will aid the student in the exams.

3. Library Usage/Supplementary Readings: Supplementary Readings, in addition to those kept on the Web (e.g. Cases in Investments or Wall Street Journal Articles), will be announced in the class. Every chapter of the book includes current treatments of the chapter principles and international perspectives. Students are expected to focus on these. Reading of The Wall Street Journal throughout the semester is STRONGLY recommended. Several Journal articles may be placed in the reserve room of Dupre Library from time to time. You are required to read these. The topics include Investments, Asset Allocation, Portfolio Management, International finance, and ethics. Students should learn to read the Wall Street Journal's Financial pages with a special emphasis on the following: FrontPage & Review and Outlook (Section A), Abreast of the Market, Heard on the Street, Your Money Matters, Credit Markets- Section C (Money & Investing).

4. The Project involves the usage of Micro Computer Lab, Statistical SoftWare like SAS, SPSS-X, Excel for spreadsheet, database applications, utilizing linear programs, Simulation and Quadratic Programs. Internet/Compustat Database may be used for building, evaluating, and testing different strategies for portfolios, etc. The Compustat database contains financial and market information on over 7000 public industrial corporations, banks, utilities, and telecommunication companies. The software includes a data screening method that allows you to select companies for analysis based on your own criteria. Mathematical and logical functions enable you to perform cross-sectional and time series analysis. You may also design reports for the data and time periods of your choice, extract database information, and manipulate the data in Excel or another spreadsheet program quickly and easily. All students are encouraged to use Electronic Mail by making use of their University accounts. Get to know your classmates both academically and socially. The skills and training notwithstanding, the business school experience is meeting, getting to know, and establishing lifelong friendships with your classmates. Social contact and interaction are at the heart of the business school program. It is often said, and justifiably so, that you learn as much both in and outside class from your classmates as you do from the professors. Your classmates form the basis for study groups, group projects, and early afternoon, late-night, and weekend discussions. These classmates also make the rigors of business school tolerable by sharing the ups and downs of the program. Finally, these fellow students become valuable lifelong friends and contacts. Many of them will become heads of major corporations. Others are useful for jobs, information, and advice. Actively pursue friendships and contacts with your classmates. Informal socializing is as important as more formalized interaction or study groups. Take the time and make the effort to get to know other students. Short of having dinner with the American President, you will probably never meet a brighter, more interesting group of people in any one place at any one time.

5. Form Study groups. Study groups are great. They help the student understand difficult concepts and material. They make it easier to cope with an overwhelming amount of work. They provide emotional support for the pressure-filled anxiety-ridden aspects of the program. They provide a social group with whom you can share and enjoy the business school experience. Study group members become compatriots and close friends whom you can call at midnight when you are having problems figuring out tomorrow's 9 A.M. assignment. It is best to form study groups early in the semester. Pick class members with whom you feel you will be personally compatible. Select individuals with a variety of skills and experience (e.g., finance, computer, economics, etc.), so that each can contribute something different. Don't hesitate to use the study group for help with nightly assignments. Most of the top schools expect and encourage it because most business organizations, by definition, are cooperative efforts and the experience of working in informal groups is invaluable.

6. Think Conceptually. Never lose sight of your goal. Business school problems, like real business problems, are confusing and full of numbers and contradictory data. In analyzing these problems, students, like business people, often find safety in numbers. Numbers beget numbers. As a result, the original problem and goals you were seeking become obscured. If you were a major company and had a couple of thousand dollars to spend each day, you would call in a consultant. If you are a student and can't afford high-priced help, stand back, think, and try to view the "big picture". Try to identify the real problem and the concept or theory being examined. Conceptual thinking and big picture planning are done primarily by top management in corporations. However, a big advantage of an MBA over a non-MBA is the ability to think in larger terms, i.e., to transcend the numbers and to think about the overall problem. The more you can develop this skill in business school, the more successful your career will be both in business school and in business later on.