Mr. Glenn Crafford ’77
Spring, 3 Credits
The goal of this course is to expose students through the case method of instruction to practices and recent developments within several specialized areas of the financial services sector. Key objectives are to develop the student’s problem solving ability and written and oral communication skills through the quantitative and qualitative analysis of actual business situations. Students gain facility at interpreting financial and business information, researching and seeking expert advice, working in groups and synthesizing data into an actionable analysis. Active student participation in case discussion and analysis is required, and a meaningful portion of the student’s evaluation is based on class participation. In addition, students, divided into small groups, analyze and present a group case study toward the end of the semester. The group case study includes both a written case analysis as well as an oral group presentation.
The course utilizes cases from leading graduate business schools as well as original cases written by case sponsors. The case discussion is led by senior executive finance industry practitioners serving as “Case Sponsors” under the direction of Mr. Crafford. Students are exposed to examples of business and financial problems a graduate could encounter while working at a top level consulting or financial firm. Students have the opportunity to interact with business executives who are active in different areas of the financial services industry while receiving practical, real-time feedback about their case analysis. A collateral benefit of the course is to assist students in refining their career interests.
