Cases for MBA 604 5 week class

The following are the cases that we will be doing in class:

Adelphia--discuss agency costs, role of auditors
Manco-Open Book--A look at the Nexus of Contracts and info asymmetries
Grameen Bank-how the nexus of contracts changes in microfinance.
Barings Bank-the dangerous side of Derivatives

MBA 604-5 week class

Here are some of the links you might want:

Also I am scheduled to land at 4:30. So I SHOULD make it. However, if the plane is delayed, I may be late. Barb Russell will be bringing the test up. IN the event I am NOT there by 6:15, I will try to get in touch with her to allow you to start the test.

Sorry for all the problems. This has been one wacky schedule! I am in NYC right now. As of 4pm today I thought I had to stay an extra night and was trying to get someone to covefr both the test and the exam, but it worked out and I will be back!

Finance 401

CLASS IS CANCELED FOR THURSDAY.

I cannot find anyone to take both classes. We will make it up at a later date.

SOrry for any inconvience.

Flickr: The October 2006 Buffalo Snowstorm Pool

Flickr: The October 2006 Buffalo Snowstorm Pool-
Many pcitures from various photographers on the storm in Buffalo. Once again it shows the need to help out. If you can make it, please come help BonaResponds!! 11-5 iour HQ is in Lancaster Municipal Building. We will be going all over the area. COme on out! (leaving SBU at 9:15 on SUnday).

Director Ties Linked to Options Scandal - - CFO.com

Director Ties Linked to Options Scandal - - CFO.com:

"A company mired in the options backdating scandal is likely to have something in common with other companies caught in the scandal: a director who sits on the board of at least one other implicated company.

That’s the finding of a new study by The Corporate Library, which concludes that “the practice of backdating stock options may have been spread by word of mouth, through the conduit of directors sitting on the boards of more than one company.”"

OE-Study abroad

http://oe-studyabroad.org/

From Today's Notice Board

Sorry that this is cross-listed and has no finance content, but like I said after Katrina, some rules are made to be broken:

BonaResponds to Buffalo

Come help the Buffalo area recover from the worst natural disaster to strike the US mainland since Katrina. BonaResponds will again go to Buffalo this Sunday (10/22) and next Sunday (10/29).

We will be working in several sites. Most work is picking up downed branches, but there will be work at base headquarters (logistical and administrative etc.) Added brownie points to anyone with chain saws and chain saw experience.

Headquarters will be the Town Maintenance Garage in Lancaster (Broadway and Center streets). From there we will spread out across the region until regrouping at 5 p.m. for a short meeting and returning shortly after 7 p.m.

We expect to leave the Murphy and Plassmann parking lots at 9:15 a.m. Please car pool. We hope to have a few vans available as well, but no guarantees.

Dress to work: boots, work gloves, and old clothes. And you will want to bring dry clothes and a change of shoes for after (trust us on that ;))

Like all BonaRespond events, this is open to everyone! Help spread the word. Have your friends from other schools meet us.

Having seen it first hand, we can say it is really bad up there and many people have no way to move the downed trees that are on their properties. Additionally, community groups, parks, and schools are in desperate need of help.

As an additional incentive (if more is still needed), BonaResponds will knock $10 off the price of the spring break trips to anyone who works at least 5 hours in Buffalo (and if any donors want to match or add to that please e-mail us!)

While reservations are not required, they will make our planning much easier. Please e-mail BonaResponds@sbu.edu.
For more information check out BonaResponds.org

ALSO IF YOUR FAMILY WAS AFFECTED BY THE STORM, PLEASE E-MAIL US AND WE WILL TRY TO SEND A TEAM THERE AS WELL.

If you can't go but would like to help, we will accept both money or food donations. (Home-made cookies? Brownies? Or even just a loaf of bread for sandwiches would help!)

MBA 604 5week class IMPORTANT update

We will NOT be having the test this week!! It will be Friday of next week.

Also since so many of you work until 5:00 I think I will go with what some other classes have decided and go 5:30 to 10:00. And then 8:30 to 3:30 and we will not take lunch (or will work through it...maybe we can get pizza or something? (we'll talk). And it goes without saying we can be flexible so if you can not make it until 6:00, well, we will just figure out a way around that problem.

...plus of course there will be some online material to make up for any missed time. AND of course (and this is really an important aspect that is often overlooked, the way I look at class is that it never ends. So no matter when you finish this class or the MBA program itself, you can still obviously ask me questions and get the blog info to stay up to date in finance, so the artificial 5 week period really does not bother me much.

What do you think?

MBA 604 5 WEEK

Well I guess I didn’t miss a class afterall.

First of all, I hope you are all ok. If there is anything I (we) can do please let me know. On Sunday BonaResponds will be coming to Buffalo to do whatever we can. If you have any ties with church groups (any denomination), community centers, high schools, you name it that could use our help, please email BonaResponds@sbu.edu (not me since I am still in Utah and hope to be back late Saturday.

As for class stuff….well I received the following from SBU:

"Class for the remaining three weeks will need to be adjusted in order for us to make up the contact time required for a three credit course. Please plan for a 5:00-9:00pm meeting for each of the next three class meetings, and please extend the Saturday classes until 4:00 pm. Alternately, adjustments to your teaching plan that involve a significant online component may be an option. Either way, we need to provide adequate instructional time to our students."

Which sounds very unappealing. I know we have to do something, BUT…asking you to be there at 5 on Friday and stay until 5 on Saturday seem a but much. I am open for suggestions. Email me.

One suggestion maybe I could put up audio from past classes and then have an online

St. Bonaventure University:

St. Bonaventure University:

: "REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN ON-CAMPUS RECRUITING
All students interested in participating in on-campus interviewing must:

** Register with The Career Center by opening a free, SBU College Central Network account and post a current résumé to it. The site is located at: www.collegecentral.com/sbu. For information on how to navigate College Central Network, click HERE.

** Submit a separate, hard copy résumé in person to The Career Center, room 216 Reilly Center and sign a 'Statement of Intent to Interview' form for each company with which you are interested in interviewing.

** Attend an 'On-Campus Recruiting Orientation' in to be eligible, if selected, to particiapte in an interview. You must attend an orientation before you sign up for an interview.
(Fall '05/Spring '06 recruiting-orientation participants do NOT need to attend again. All"

CareerJournal | Job Interviewing Tips - Job Interview Tips - Job Interview Techniques

Looking for a job? The Wall Street Journal's Career Journal is a definite site you ust check out!

The Job Interviewing Tips are especially good!!

It is full of great advice as to how to answer interview questions, what to expect, and even how to follow-up afterwards. A MUST read!!

MBA 604 questions

Questions from a couple of MBA students (I renumbered them for ease of use)

1). Will we know what the format is like for the test (Ex: Multiple Choice, Short Answer, True False)?

Uh, yes...all of the above...and probably throw in an or two essay too.

2) Will there be some type of review sheet posted because there has been some major confusion on what things might be on there and what will be tested (More specific than “up to this chapter”).

No. A good portion of learning (rather than memorizing) is to determine what is important. Sorry, I realize it is not as easy, but in the long run it will make you learn more and that is the goal.

3) Especially if there are three ways to do the same thing like three formulas or extra formulas you might have used in class but are not in the book. If the extra formulas or information is to be on the test will you let us know ....

Without knowing exactly what examples you are speaking of, I am confident that any "extra" formulae will get the same answer as those in the book. In that light, I do not care how you get the answer (short of cheating ;) ).

As for information that is not in the book, if we covered it, it will be tested. Indeed, if I were to say only things from the book, I would be embarassed by my lack of effort!!!!! A text is one portion of a class. If I were to merely follow the text, my EVA (Economic Value Added) would be close to zero.

4. Also if we get to make cheat sheet for the test can we use both sides and what are the other limitations for it?

Front of page (8 inches by 11 inches). It will be turned in with the test and you will get it back for final.

5. I have been practicing with the quizs that are online for the book but have noticed that they are for the 6^th edition not the latest edition (7^th which we have) but have no quizs online for it. In the 6^th edition they emphasize different things and the chapters aren’t in the same order.

Sorry I missed that! I just changed it, but rest assured there is not much damage. Chapters 1-5 are very similar. In fact if you could do the 6th edition, you are in good shape as it was a tad more difficult.

Overall the coverage is pretty close and the math etc are the same.

As for whether you should be submitting the quizzes...nah. If you want, but by grad school that sounds too much like busy work. I would however so them.

and then a question from another student:

What chapters are on the test?

Chapters 1-8, 12.

BTW as a bonus to those who have read this far:

You can submit multiple choice questions and if it is accepted, then you will get an extra 1% on the test. Of course you SHOULD also get it right, so that is a double bonus :) and yes you have to submit an answer, and knowing me, I would give the added hint that the more challenging of question, the higher the probability of inclusion.