• Instructor: James Slater

  Office: ELI 303

  Tel. 1.302.831.3612

  Email: [email protected]

Objectives

• To improve reading comprehension and manage large business-specific texts.
• To develop the ability to understand and use the business press and other tools.
• To make effective 5-10 minute informal business presentations.
• To better understand your MBA options.
• To improve GMAT AWA abilities.
• To improve quality of MBA admissions essay.
• To write up a case study analysis.

Syllabus

Week 1 Introductions. Investments and Investment Tools Participant and instructor introductions, Introduction to investments, Bonds and equities, Financial statements, Stock selection techniques, Introduction to online portfolio tracking and information system, use of financial information service to select prospective companies for investment. Set up online portfolio. ER Ch. 1

Week 2 Stock picking. Set up online portfolio. ER Ch 2-3

Week 3 Portfolio assignment (PSRP) by email Mon/WK3. Weekly portfolio discussion ER Ch 4

Week 4 Portfolio assignment by email Mon/WK4. Weekly portfolio discussion. ER Ch 5

Week 5 Portfolio assignment by email Mon/WK5. Weekly portfolio discussion. ER Ch 6

Week 6 Portfolio assignment by email Mon/WK6. Weekly portfolio discussion. ER Ch 7

Week 7 Portfolio assignment by email Mon/WK7. Weekly portfolio discussion. ER Ch 8-9

Week 8 Portfolio assignment by email Mon/WK8. Weekly portfolio discussion. Case Study. Wrap Up Buffett and the program. Reading Final and AWA (final)

Distance Learning PreMBA Advanced Business Concepts

Duration: 8 weeks, 32 hours

This course is an advanced level MBA preparatory course. The emphasis will be the acquisition and utilization of business vocabulary and concepts across the major business disciplines. Specifically, the course will cover business-oriented functions such as describing processes, making predictions and inferences, comparing and contrasting, analyzing problems, classifying data, interpreting data from graphs, reporting and explaining data, forming hypotheses and presenting and defending opinions.

The program will address team building by emphasizing small team participation as the business functions are covered. This format may assist participants in making a successful transition from a more individually-oriented academic and professional work style to the team environment that is widespread in business and in MBA programs. Exposure to business information technology including computers, relevant software, e-mail, the internet and online business tools will be used primarily related to the portfolio simulation.

Work Teams

Specifically, participants will work as a small dispersed team. You can exchange ideas with individuals and/or small groups of participants and the instructor in any format, including face to face. The main assignments, ER AGENDAS and PSPR, must be submitted through EMAIL to me at [email protected] . Please paste directly into your email instead of sending attachments. At the same time PRINT out a copy for yourself. Key points are discussed in class and it is necessary to have a copy to follow in class. You will also find it useful to make notes on your copy of the class discussion. Increasingly, this is the environment you find in MBA programs, large and small, but growing, international firms. This environment will be partially simulated in this class.

Regular Assignments

Portfolio Simulation Progress Reports (PSPR) must be emailed every Monday. Short answers from the AGENDAS and ER are due by email on the day assigned. For most questions you should paraphrase your answer and not just copy large sections of text. AWAs will be done in class.

Texts: The Warren Buffet Portfolio (Robert Hagstrom) Instructor-developed materials

Required Activities/Evaluation

• The Reading grade is based on 8 reading assignments(80%) and the Reading Final (20%)
• The Writing grade is based 80% on AWAs (quantity to be decided by the class), 20% on PSPRs. A final AWA essay will be given and result presented as a Level grade.
• For both of these types of assignments you will receive both listening and speaking grades utilizing the following scale.

• 100-98=A+
• 97-93= A
• 92-90=A-
• 89-88=B+
• 87-83=B
• 82-80=B-
• 79-78=C+
• 77-73=C
• 72-70=C-
• 69-68=D+
• 67-63=D
• 62-60=D-
• 59-0=F

Week One Special Assignments

• Intro to Stocks
• Financial Statements
• Sample Portfolio

Reading

Participants will read Chapter One and answer the questions. Questions have been developed to teach reading strategies as you go. Some test simple re-call and identification of information. Other require analysis and yet others require the participant to make inferences. Answers to all questions should be brief and to the point. Click on the "email us" link to anwer all the questions by email. Please indicate the question number.

Week One




Preface



• 1. Why should you read this book?
  
• 2. What is the relationship between this book and Hagstrom's earlier
  one?
• 3. What is the key?
  
• 4. What is the goal?
  
• 5. What does WB believe in?
  
• 6. What was compared in the research?



Chapter 1 Focus Investing



• 7. What's wrong with Hollywood's picture of the professional investor?
  
• 8. What is the essence of focus investing (hereafter referred to as FI)?
  
• 9. Why bother to attempt to outperform the market?
  
• 10. What does an active portfolio manager do?
  
• 11. What does a passive investor do?
  
• 12. Who's winning?
  
• 13. What is another problem with active investing?
  
• 14. What do these two approaches have in common?
  
• 15. What are the results of diversifying?
  
• 16. What does WB say about the two?
  
• 17. Describe FI.
  
• 18. What does WB do?
  
• 19. What is his criteria?
  
• 20. How many companies do you need?
  
• 21. What reduces the effectivensss of FI?
  
• 22. What did Keynes say?
  
• 23. What does "less is more " mean?
  
• 24. Compare this with a good black jack player.
  
• 25. What is the Kelly model?
  
• 26. How much of American Express did WB buy in '63?
  
• 27. What happens over time?
  
• 28. What about price?
  
• 29 What's behavioral finance?



Discussion




Your broker tells you you need to add some financials to balance your portfolio which is too heavy in pharmaceuticals. What would you say?




Writing




Introduction to the GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA)




Participants should be familiar with the official materials related to this test. The strategies presented here supplement those materials.



• GMAT
  

  Strategies

  
  
• AWA Argument
  
  

• Email us
• Tel. 1.302.831.3612
• Fax 1.302.831.6765