COURSE SYLLABUS
FINA 449
PRACTICUM IN PORTFOLIO
MANAGEMENT
Spring 2014
INSTRUCTOR:
OFFICE:
E-MAIL:
WEB SITE:
Course Resources:
CFA Ethics Module:
Dr. Herman Manakyan
224 Perdue Hall
hxmanakyan@salisbury.edu
http://facultyfp.salisbury.edu/hxmanakyan
k:\user\school\perdue\Fina\Fina449-Manakyan
OFFICE HOURS:
TuTh 3:30-5:00 pm, W 2:00-3:30pm
Available other times by appointment
The Wall Street Journal, various Business periodicals.
Additional readings to be assigned during the semester.
RECOMMENDED
READING:
http://www.cfainstitute.org/learning/products/onlinelearning/Pages/62901.aspx
ENROLLMENT POLICY:
Completion of FINA 441, and approved application.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is made possible by funding from the Judkins Family, the Perdue School and SU
Foundation. As a result of this funding, the students in this course have been awarded the
management of an approximately $500,000 equity portfolio. The purpose of this course is to
provide practical hands-on experience in security analysis and selection, portfolio construction,
management, and maintenance. The course is designed to assist students in implementing
investments and portfolio management theory in practice. Students will make all material
decisions regarding the management of the portfolio.
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance at all scheduled class functions is mandatory. On a number of occasions, the class
may be required to meet outside of the regularly scheduled time. Also, team meetings and other
activities may be conducted outside of scheduled class meetings. A major component of the
course is the group dynamics and discussion involved in managing a portfolio in a team setting.
Any absences detract from this experience, and will negatively impact your course participation
grade.
PARTICIPATION:
Each student is expected to participate in all team activities, class activities, and to regularly
contribute to all class discussions and decisions. In addition, positive contribution to team efforts
in preparation and presentation of reports is required. The professor will be making a daily
assessment of each student’s contributions to class discussion and activities.
Important announcements and communication will regularly be distributed by e-mail.
CFA ETHICS MODULE:
The Investments Track of the Finance major at the Perdue School of Business is the first in the
State of Maryland to be recognized by the CFA Institute. As a requirement for the CFA
Institute’s University Recognition Program, students enrolled in this course are required to
complete a 7-part online course that covers the Ethics and Professional Standards Module.
TEAM ASSIGNMENTS:
Throughout the semester, students will be assigned to teams to conduct various types of analysis,
prepare various reports, and make presentations to the class and other constituents, to facilitate
sound decision making in the management of the portfolio. ALL reports require written AND
oral presentation. All team members are expected to be active participants. Each student will be
given an opportunity to evaluate the contributions of each team member at the end of the
semester. This evaluation will be considered as part of the participation grade for both the
evaluator and the evaluatee.
PROFESSIONAL INTERACTION:
An important component of the course is professional interaction. Students will be expected to
participate in opportunities to interact with business and investment professionals during the
semester, both individually and as a group. These opportunities may include site visits, tours or
team assignments requiring interaction with professionals. In addition, all teams will be
expected to participate in a presentation to the Economics and Finance Department Advisory
Council.
INTEGRATED TOPICS:
Writing across the curriculum will be met by the course project and examinations.
Discussions on ethics will be conducted throughout the semester as appropriate.
International concepts will be introduced throughout the semester as appropriate.
The course project requires extensive use of computer resources.
COURSE STRUCTURE:
Week1
Assignment of teams
Assignment of Economic Sector Responsibilities
Week 2 & 3
Reports on Economic and Industry Analysis
Week 4
Strategic Asset Allocation recommendations/decisions
Week 5 -14
(Review of existing holdings, and hold/sell recommendations)
Security Analysis reports and buy recommendations
Ongoing review, re-evaluation, and recommendations for modification.
Week 4, 8, 12
Preparation of monthly status reports
Week 14-15
End-of semester performance analysis reports
Week 15
Presentation to Economics and Finance Advisory Council
Week 15
Preparation of portfolio for the unmanaged periods
GRADING:
The course grade will be determined according to the following formula:
Weight
Written and Oral Reports:
70%
Completion of the Ethics Module
10%
Participation
20%
POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Be warned: cheating is at the top of my list of unacceptable behavior on the part of my students.
Students should take particular care to avoid plagiarism (presenting someone else’s thoughts,
ideas, or analysis as your own without proper citation). While the Internet is a valuable resource
for your research, careless “cutting and pasting” is plagiarism and is not acceptable. When
paraphrasing someone else’s work, those ideas should not be presented as your own and the
source of those ideas must be properly referenced. Refer to the MLA Handbook (available in the
library) for proper citation techniques. Please refer to the Salisbury University Student
Handbook for more information on university policies relating to Academic Integrity.
UNIVERSITY WRITING CENTER:
At the University Writing Center (directly above the Fireside Lounge in the Guerrieri University
Center, Room 213), trained consultants are ready to help you at any stage of the writing process.
It is often helpful for writers to share their work with an attentive reader, and consultations allow
writers to test and refine their ideas before having to hand papers in or to release documents to
the public. In addition to the important writing instruction that occurs in the classroom and
during teachers’ office hours, the center offers another site for learning about writing. All
students are encouraged to make use of this important service. For more information about
the writing center’s hours and policies, visit the writing center or its website at
www.salisbury.edu/uwc. (410-677-3154)
DISABILITY NOTICE:
Any student who requires an accommodation in this course based on a disability and needs
assistance must contact the Office of Disability Support Services (OSDSS) (Guerrieri University
Center: Room 256; 410-548-4503) as soon as possible. Upon contact, this office will arrange for
a meeting to coordinate any and all accommodations, including review your request, contacting
the professors or other personnel to make arrangements for appropriate modification and/or
assistance.