Miss Essays - Financial Markets, Corporate Finance, Investment

Lots of people are going through private equity recruiting this time of year, so let?s take a look at what to expect and how to tackle the case study ? a critical part of most buy-side interviews. Note that these ?case studies? are completely different from the ?case interviews? you get in management consulting (not that I would even waste space on consultants here, but just to clarify?). Why? Although I labeled these ?private equity case studies? above, you?ll encounter them in almost every buy-side interview, from mega-funds to tiny 4-person firms to everything in between. Not all hedge funds do them, but any fund that does some long-term investing (as opposed to effectively day-trading) will usually make you complete some type of case study as part of the interview process. Sometimes they?re formal and sometimes they?re informal, but they?re always important ? if you screw yours up, you probably won?t be moving onto the next round or getting an offer. Who? No matter your profile or previous background, you?ll encounter case studies if you?re trying to move into private equity. So even if you?re a consultant or you?re moving in from a different field altogether, you will still have to complete case studies. No one ever says, ?Oh, well you you didn?t do much modeling so we can just skip that part of the interview.? Instead, they assume that you know how to do it and then weed out people who don?t. Even if you are applying to PE firms straight out of undergrad, or you?re applying as an intern, you?re still likely to get case studies ? multiple friends who did this had case studies pretty much everywhere. The only exception here is senior-level hires ? but then, if you?re reading this right now you?re probably not interviewing for Partner-level positions? What? The case study is designed to answer 1 simple question: ?Should we invest in this company The firm could ask you to complete the case study in a couple different ways: Most Common: You get materials on the company they want you to analyze (financial statements, 5-10 page document describing it, maybe some outside research) and you have anywhere from a few days to a week to complete a short presentation. Part of the Interview: Some places will make the case study a part of the interview itself ? they might give you basic information on the company and then give you 2-3 hours to do your work and present to them immediately afterward. More common at mega-funds. Just the LBO Model: This is less common, but they could also give you 30 minutes to create a ?simple? LBO model of a company just to verify that you actually know how to do this. This article will focus mostly on #1 and #2, since #3 is just a sub-set of those. Hedge funds are less ?formal? than PE firms if they ask you to do a case study at all, and in other fields like corporate development and venture capital you?ll either have more of an informal case study, or you won?t do one at all. Case Study Ingredients At the bare minimum, you?ll usually get some type of Word document describing the company in question (called an ?Information Memorandum? (IM) or ?Offering Memorandum? (OM) or ?Executive Summary? in banker terminology). It might be short (10 pages or less) or it might be quite long ? dozens or even 100+ pages. If you?re analyzing a public company, they might just point you to the 10-K or 10-Q (annual report and quarterly report, respectively) instead. It?s rare to get extremely detailed operating models because you don?t have time to go into pages of detail. Outside research is similarly rare. The firm usually won?t give you guidance on how to value the company or how to build your models, but that?s for an entirely different reason: they want you to figure it out. Structure: Simple FTW! Simplicity is the most important word for your case study. If they don?t give you a structure to adhere to, I would recommend the following: 1 Summary slide in the beginning. 2-3 Qualitative slides discussing the market, management, and anything unique to the deal. 3-4 Quantitative slides that go into the appropriate valuation, and what kind of returns the firm can expect. 1 Conclusion slide summing up everything and

1B Intro and Syllabus Professor Ramos Blog

1B Intro and Syllabus Intro to Course Intro to Course Welcome to English 102, Intermediate Composition and Critical Thinking. From the name, we can tell that this course focuses on two things. One, more advanced writing techniques, building on what you have learned in English 101. Two, Critical Thinking. This is just an introduction to Critical Thinking, since this is a lifelong pursuit. We split the course up into to Units, Critical Media Engagement and Critical Monster Theory. The first half of the course will be an introduction to critical thinking and practicing those concepts by applying them to media. The second half of the semester will be learning theory, Monster Theory, and using it to analyze and understand our culture. We will learn critical thinking, reading, and writing and then we will apply theory to the world around us. Writing Approach The way I like to approach the teaching of writing is through  Genre. You may know genres from music and movies. Just like those, there are many different writing genres that we can use. We will be focusing on four genres for this course. In the intro to critical thinking unit we will write: Proposal Rhetorical Analysis For the monster theory we will write: Evaluation of a monster Causal Analysis of a monster We will learn more about each genre as we are working on them. All four of these genres are research based argumentative papers. They each ask you to do specific work. You will be graded on how well you write the genre, and the five criteria we come up with together. Every essay will require the same two categories: Critical Thinking Clarity of Writing The third, fourth, and fifth categories for grading we will come up with together. Ice Breaker Quick Write What is critical thinking? Write for two minutes. Syllabus Any questions on the syllabus? Ice Breaker Name Major Interesting Fact Do you like to read or write? What is Critical Thinking? Quality of Thinking, Quality of Life 30 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living Through Critical Thinking Critical thinking, in a rich sense of the term, is self-guided disciplined thought that attempts to reason at the highest level of quality in a fairminded way. From our textbook. Critical comes from the Greek word  krinein, meaning â€Å"to separate, to choose†; above all, it implies  conscious  inquiry (4). Conscious also means to be awake or aware. This suggests that by examining our reasoning, we can understand the basis of our judgments and decisions – ultimately, so that we can make better ones. According to Google: Critical Thinking – the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment. Four Defining Traits of a Game Goal. The outcome that the players will work to achieve. It focuses attention and gives you a sense of purpose. Rules. Limitations on how to achieve the goal. It will unleash creativity and foster strategic thinking. Feedback System. Tells players how close they are to achieving their goal. Provides motivation to keep playing. Voluntary Participation. Requires that you knowingly accept the goal, rules, and the feedback. You have the freedom to enter and leave the game at will. With these four ideas in mind, how can we apply this to college? Ignorance According to our textbook, to think critically, you must question not only the beliefs and assumptions of others, but also one’s own beliefs and assumptions (5). â€Å"Most of us assume whatever we believe to be â€Å"right.† Though we were taught much of what we believe before we could critically analyze our beliefs, we nevertheless defend out beliefs as  the truth† (Elder and Paul). Vocabulary Ignorance  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  lack of knowledge or information. Intellectual Arrogance  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the tendency to confidently assert as true what you do not in fact know to be true. Intellectual Humility  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  awareness of the extent of your ignorance. People with a high degree of intellectual humility understand that there is far more that they will  never  know that they will  ever  know (Elder and Paul). Acknowledge that you may be wrong, until you find sufficient evidence to prove your belief. Notice when you argue if you are justifying your beliefs. Do you have evidence? Question your beliefs, especially religious, cultural, or political. Research from multiple perspectives. Explore new beliefs.

The 7 Types of Possessive Case

The 7 Types of Possessive Case The 7 Types of Possessive Case The 7 Types of Possessive Case By Mark Nichol The possessive case is used to indicate relationships between one person, place, or thing and another. However, it’s more accurate to call it by its alternate name, the genitive case (genitive means, essentially, â€Å"generation†), because in many uses, one person, place, or thing doesn’t actually belong to the other. The genitive is indicated one of two ways: A singular noun is followed by an apostrophe and the letter s (as with book’s), and an apostrophe alone follows a plural noun that ends in s or es (as with teams’ or arches’). The genitive form of an irregular plural noun, one in which a change in spelling, rather than s or es, marks the word as having a plural form (such as men), is treated as if the word were a singular noun (men’s). Here are examples of the seven categories of genitive use. 1. One type of genitive case is that denoting occupation, or ownership or possession, as in â€Å"She walked into Jane’s office† or â€Å"John’s car is being repaired.† (In all genitive forms, the noun to which the apostrophe or the apostrophe and the s are attached is called the dependent, or modifier, noun; the word with which it is associated is the head, or modified, noun.) 2. Another is relationship, as in â€Å"The school’s principal is retiring this year.† (This idea can also be represented by omitting the apostrophe and the s â€Å"The school principal is retiring this year† but the meaning is slightly different; in the latter sentence, the reference is to a person identified as the school principal, whereas the genitive form treats the school and the principal as separate entities.) In this category, the idea can be expressed in a phrase beginning with the head noun: â€Å"The principal of the school is retiring this year.† The previous type is not so flexible; â€Å"She walked into the office of Jane† is awkward, and constructions such as â€Å"She walked into the office belonging to [or occupied by] Jane† are usually unnecessarily verbose. 3. The genitive can also be used to express agency, or representation, as in â€Å"The board’s secretary consulted the minutes from the last meeting.† (The secretary is a member of the board but technically doesn’t belong to it.) â€Å"The secretary of the board consulted the minutes from the last meeting† is also correct, but as in the previous example, the emphasis is slightly different, and the first version is more concise. 4. Description is another function of the genitive, as in â€Å"She admired the fabric’s glossy sheen.† (Loosely speaking, the glossy sheen â€Å"belongs† to the fabric, but the phrase is, strictly, speaking, a description.) 5. Another category is that relating to the role of the person, place, or thing that serves as the subject of a sentence, as in â€Å"The officer’s report was conclusive.† (â€Å"The report of the officer was conclusive† has the same slight distinction of meaning as similar constructions in previous examples.) 6. Then there is the role of the person, place, or thing identified as the object of a sentence, as in â€Å"The baby’s delivery was uneventful† (which can be rendered â€Å"The delivery of the baby was uneventful† with a slight difference in the meaning). 7. The most troublesome genitive form is that in which a phrase including of is truncated, as in â€Å"He gave two weeks’ notice† in place of â€Å"He gave notice of two weeks†: Many writers mistakenly treat â€Å"two weeks† as simply a modifier of notice (â€Å"He gave two weeks notice†) rather than correctly including the apostrophe to indicate the genitive case. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouTaser or Tazer? Tazing or Tasering?The 7 Types of Possessive Case

Anthrax Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Anthrax - Essay Example tistics indicating that the number of affected decreased from 130 estimated cases in 1990s to less than two cases in the 21sts century (Cdc.gov, 2014). Treatment and preventive measures are available to those affected by the bacteria with earlier detection techniques available at the medical centers. The need to threaten or weaken a particular nation has led to the use of biological weapons, attack hard to prevent to its nature. Bioterrorism refers to the use biological weapons to induce harm over a person or group of people. The similarity between a bioterrorism and biologic warfare is the agent used whereas the major difference being the intention of using a particular biological agent (Ivanova et al., 2003). The agents considered in carrying out a bioterrorist attack are classified according to their pathogenicity. Anthrax, a disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis, is mostly used, and several hoaxes of this bacterium have been reported in the United States (Saffer, 2004). When selecting an effective bioterrorism agent, perpetrators consider several factors that will make it easier for the desired goal to be achieved effectively. The agent selected should possess the ability to cause morbidity, mortality, or illness with difficult diagnosis and treatment. Accessibility, stability, and reproducibility are other factors that are carefully analyzed for consideration of an agent. The agent should be easy to find which was simpler before the federal regulations illegalized the sale of specific pathogenic organisms by biological supply companies. Reproducibility aids in ensuring that enough quantity to carry out an attack on a certain number of people is attainable (Saffer, 2004). Stability maintenance at different environmental conditions that it may be subjected to during the attack is vital especially in moving from one place to another and during dispersal. Dispersion aids in ensuring that the targeted group of people is exposed to the agent. Several

Writing a program to see if a child is 18 years of age Coursework

Writing a program to see if a child is 18 years of age - Coursework Example The implementation is through the PHP inbuilt methods of POST[] and GET[]. The age format that has been input is verified using an age PHP function: The age difference of the user is calculated by comparing the age that has been input by the user and the current day and time that the process is taking place. It is possible by virtue of a PHP inbuilt function: If else function determine if the user will proceed. If the user is above 18 years, he will be allowed to proceed by displaying â€Å"you are Welcome, Click on the link bellow to proceed† and upon clicking the link will be taking to a page that he can shop. Else if the age difference is bellow 18 years a - verifying the age of the user through the registration process that will only allow registration of users with age of 18 years and above. It reduces the redundancy of verifying the age of the user every time they are making a

Use of Porosity in Public Spaces

Use of Porosity in Public Spaces Introduction The connection between the built and the unbuilt / between the â€Å"indoor† and the â€Å"outdoor†/ between the mass and the void is a very sensitive and debatable topic. The experience of a space can be severely affected by the ways its edges are treated, i.e. by controlling how a person enters/exits the space. Transitional experience plays a vital role in overall feel and experience of spaces. Different types of spaces require different types of treatments on their edge conditions. Porosity is one of the many guiding factors in designing a space, specially public places, which are the key strategic spaces in providing the area/city its character. Not only does careful design of such spaces increase the aesthetic quality of the place, but also plays a major role in increasing the standards of functionality, safety, quality and many such factors under which a city can be categorised. Porosity, is one spatial quality that can definitely benefit the public spaces, specially in places like Delhi, where the individual is getting isolated from the community in his efforts to cope up with the pace of life that the city has to offer. Also, with the increasing gap between the two extreme income groups of the city, the spaces, which are meant to be ‘public’, cater only to a certain section of the society, neglecting those which fail to fulfil the ‘entrant requirements’ . Apart from giving spaces back to all the sections of the society, increasing porosity in community spaces can also act as a measure against increasing crime rates in the city, as it opens up the space to a larger section of the society. Topic: Porosity in public spaces Research Question: How can porosity in public spaces be increased to enhance their utility for the society in general ? Public Spaces Public spaces are an inevitable component of human settlements. Parks, plazas, roads, beaches, etc are typically considered public spaces. They are the common ground for people to interact with others, share knowledge or goods, or carry out their daily rituals, be it daily routine or occasional festivities. By definition, they are spaces that should be accessible to all the members of the society, irrespective of their economic strength. It was stated that:   Ã‚   Regarding the criterion of access, public space is a place which is open to all. This means its resources, the activities that take place in it, and information about it are available to everybody. Concerning the criterion of agency, public space is a place controlled by public actors (i.e., agents or agencies that act on behalf of a community, city, commonwealth or state) and used by the public (i.e., the people in general). As for interest, public space is a place which serves the public interest (i.e., its benefits are controlled and received by all members of the society) (Akkar, Z 2005). Of course, these definitions refer to an ideal public space, while the urban atmosphere is not entirely composed of rigidly public and private spaces; instead, it is an amalgamation of public and private spaces with different degrees of publicness. Accepting that the relation between public and private space is a continuum, it is possible to define public spaces as having various degrees of publicness. Regarding the dimensions of access, actor and interest, the extent of publicness will depend on three categories: the degree to which the public space and its resources, as well as the activities occurring in it and information about it, are available to all; the degree to which it is managed and controlled by public actors and used by the public; and the degree to which it serves the public interest. Life in public spaces, not only has a function in the society as a whole, but it is also a rich source of individual amusement, pleasure and play. One criticism of the prevailing socio-functional approach towards urban public space can be that the individuals perspective is often disregarded. To what extent do city dwellers like to meet other urbanites in public places? Hardly any planner, architect or urban administrator seems to be interested in that question. Planners and city councils are eager to speak about public spaces as meeting places. They find it an attractive idea to conceive of public spaces as a unifying element where all sectors of the urban population meet. With the help of that image they can present their cities as communities, despite all the contrasts and differences. Most social scientists dealing with urban public space also tend to regard processes that take place in the public realm as a contribution to the social organization, as a fulfilment of societal nee ds. This top-down-view, however, neglects the daily users perspective. Do city dwellers wish to get together with all their co-urbanites? Everybody who has ever been in a city knows the answer: no, certainly not with everyone. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that at least some individuals derive great pleasure from being in public. Whether a space will function well depends on a range of aspects that include scale, use, safety and comfort, density and links. In many cases it is the individuals experience of walking or dancing down a street, and the quality of environment, that is the most important element. Design then becomes about maximizing choice and trying to provide for different individuals goals. Problems with public spaces Despite the resurgence of interest in public spaces, urban design and planning litera- ture has frequently hinted at the diminishing publicness of public spaces in modern cities. Some researchers have pointed out the threat of recent privatization policies, and claimed that public spaces, traditionally open to all segments of the population, are increasingly being developed and managed by private agencies to produce profit for the private sector and serve the interests of particular sections of the population (Punter, J 1990). Others have commented on the high degree of control now maintained over access and use of public spaces through surveillance cameras and other measures intended to improve their security (Reeve, A 1996). Still others have argued that contemporary public spaces increasingly serve a homogenous public and promote social filtering. These open-access public spaces are precious because they enable city residents to move about and engage in recreation and face-to-face communication. But, because an open-access space is one everyone can enter, public spaces are classic sites for tragedy, to invoke Garrett Hardins famous metaphor for a commons (H, Garrrett 1968, cited Ellickson, R 1996) A space that all can enter, however, is a space that each is tempted to abuse. Societies therefore impose rules-of-the-road for public spaces. While these rules are increasingly articulated in legal codes, most begin as informal norms of public etiquette (Taylor, R 1984, cited Ellickson, R 1996). Rules of proper street behaviour are not an impediment to freedom, but a foundation of it (Ellickson, R 1996)

Affects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, and Muscular Distrophy Essay

Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis are both diseases of the bone. Osteoporosis actually means â€Å"porous bones† and is a problem with bones where there isn’t enough calcium in them to give them strength. This is because the bone cells aren’t being reproduced as fast as the bone is aging or deteriorating which causes the bones to become fragile. This can happen because of loss of calcium in the bone, or a problem with the calcium being absorbed correctly, which it needs in order to build new bone tissue and complete the remodeling cycle. Even if the bone has enough, other parts of your body may not and will start taking calcium away from your bones. Osteoarthritis occurs when smooth cartilage around a bone gets worn down and no longer allows smooth gliding between the bones which cause bone to bone contact. The cartilage is meant to be there to reduce friction so when it is worn away it can also cause pain. It is caused by an inflammation of the joints and is the most common type of arthritis. It is most likely due to aging or rather, a lot of continuous use. Muscular atrophy happens when the blood supply and amount of muscle fibers decreases which can cause the muscle to deteriorate. It can be cause by either disorders, lack of use, or injury. If there is an injury to the nerves that make the muscles move, then they will eventually deteriorate just as they would if a person stopped using their muscles as much. Lack of exercise, poor nutrition, nervous system problems, and disabilities can all cause muscular atrophy. For an 84-year-old small boned, white female, this can cause challenges of everyday life. With osteoporosis, she will have weak and fragile bones. For example, if she bumped into something or fell down, her bones could easily break so she would need to be extra careful when getting around. With osteoarthritis, she may be experiencing a lot of pain since most of or all of her cartilage has worn away causing her to feel the friction of the bone on bone contact. This would make it harder for her to walk and exercise. Lastly, the muscular atrophy would make her very weak since her muscles can’t function the way they are supposed to because of lack of strength. Lifting, pulling, walking, and any normal chore for her would be a very big challenge.