Spring, 2013

You will find below descriptions of all courses taught by IBS in the current semester, organized by category. Please follow the links in the table to go to the category and semester you are interested in.

• International Business

• International Economics

• International Finance

International Business: Spring, 2013

BUS 211f (2) - Information Management
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Surveys quantitative techniques and computer tools in management information systems including database manipulation. Objective of the course is to help students acquire advanced computer skills through cases and hands-on applications. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Carver, Robert H.
Times:	T 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
BUS 220a - Organizational Behavior
Open only to IBS MBA students. Covers the fundamentals of organizational behavior, including the topics of leadership, work motivation, organizational culture, organizational structure, group dynamics, perception, decision-making, and cross-cultural interaction. Assignments include group project analysis of a real organizational dilemma using concepts covered in class. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Molinsky, Andrew
Times:	T,Th 11:00 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 223a - Global Business Leadership
Provides students with a practical but intellectually challenging roadmap to their development as leaders. Multi-disciplinary readings supplement students' own experience. Insights provided by leaders from industry and government enable students to explore leadership as a concept and as a vocation. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Thomas, Robert
Times:	F 09:30 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 224f (1) - Launching Your Global Career
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. The goal of this course is to equip students with the career management skills essential to surviving and excelling in today's global labor market. Provides graduate students with a foundation and necessary tools for identifying target positions; conducting an effective and efficient job search; building career-planning and job-search skills that will be useful throughout their careers. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Katz, Marcia
Times:	Th 03:30 - 06:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
BUS 226f (2) - Managing Global Human Capital
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. An introduction to the strategic role international human resource management plays in creating competitive advantages for firms. Topics include global strategies for Employment, Compensation, Leadership Development, and Policies and Procedures. Students will learn the nuances of managing human capital in multinational firms. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Suderow, Detlev
Times:	M,W 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 228f (1) - Management Communication
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. This course helps students improve their business communication skills. It focuses on how to present ideas, facts, and analyses more clearly and concisely, so as to have impact on management decisions. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Ellet, William
Times:	M,W 05:00 - 06:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
BUS 228f (2) - Management Communication
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. This course helps students improve their business communication skills. It focuses on how to present ideas, facts, and analyses more clearly and concisely, so as to have impact on management decisions. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Oseas, Andrea
Times:	M,W 05:00 - 06:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
BUS 231a - Entrepreneurial Finance and Business Plans
Open only to IBS students. Introduces techniques for preparing business plans and explores the process of using a business plan to acquire funding. Requires students to prepare a business plan for a new venture and to present this plan in front of a critical audience. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Reed, Charles
Times:	T 03:30 - 06:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
BUS 233f (1) - The Family Enterprise
Prerequisite: BUS 220a is strongly recommended. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Explores the managerial, strategic, financial and behavioral complexities in small and mid-size family owned companies around the globe. Examines the evolutionary stages in the life of a family business and the challenges and opportunities that must be managed at each stage. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Donnellan, Gerard
Times:	M,W 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 235f (1) - Fundamentals of Real Estate
Prerequisite: FIN 212a (can be taken concurrently). Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Introduction to the analysis, financing, and management of income-producing real property. Explores how investors and developers identify projects, determine value, design marketing strategies, and obtain financing in the debt and equity markets. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Chazen, Edward
Times:	M,W 11:00 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
BUS 237f (2) - International Real Estate: The Mature Markets
Prerequisite: BUS 235f. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Building on BUS 235f, this course looks at the analysis, financing, and management of income-producing real property in mature markets abroad. Using case discussion, it explores how developers and investors identify projects, determine value, design marketing strategies, and obtain financing in their debt and equity markets. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Bayone, Edward J.
Times:	T,Th 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 238f (2) - Real Estate Development
Prerequisite: BUS 235f. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. May not be repeated for credit by students who took BUS 238a in pervious semesters. Focuses on how developers create value from real estate assets. Examines development process: market analysis, site selection, acquisition, planning, construction, leasing and permitting. Working in teams, students plan and present actual original development projects to a visiting panel of professionals. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Katzen, Joshua
Times:	Th 09:30 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
BUS 249f (1) - Immersion Experience: Business in Cuba
Signature of Mr. Christopher Johnson, dept. rep., required. This is a Module I class. Students meet for one half semester then go to Cuba during winter break. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Meets in a country with a dynamic business and economic environment. Consult the program administrator for details regarding special costs and meeting times. Provides analysis of the host country's business, economy, markets, and institutions, in the broader context of its history, politics, culture, and society. Explores their relationship with broader global trends in business. In-country program consists of academic lectures, field trips to companies and other institutions, and group discussion. Preparatory lectures at Brandeis in advance of visit. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Canella, Alfonso
Times:	Th 12:30 - 03:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
BUS 250a - Global Marketing
Prerequisite: Bus 252a or permission of the instructor. Starting with a brief overview of marketing disciplines, the course will develop strategies for entering and operating in diverse international markets at varying levels of investment. The case study method will be used to examine the process that leads to a successful marketing strategy, including financial analysis, economic and geographic evaluation, cultural and political assessment, and infrastructure evaluation. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Wang, Xin
Times:	T,Th 09:30 - 11:00 AM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 253a - Marketing Research: Design & Analysis
This course may not be repeated for credit by students who have taken BUS 256f in previous years. A practical exploration of a broad sampling of market research techniques to compile, analyze, and apply consumer, product, and market intelligence to strategic and marketing decisions concerning market segmentation, targeting, positioning, product design, and demand forecast. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Wang, Xin
Times:	T,Th 02:00 - 03:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
BUS 254a - Branding Strategy
Prerequisite: BUS 252a Examines the value of building, sustaining, and communicating a company's brand and its value proposition through promotional activities and channels of distribution. A competitive, online simulation is used to enhance case studies. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Zimmerman, Grace
Times:	M,W 11:00 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
BUS 260a - Competition and Strategy
Registration limited to IBS MBA students only. Introduces frameworks for analyzing industries and firm competitive advantage and reviews key concepts in business strategy. Uses case method to practice strategic thinking and team projects to practice business research. Core for MBA students and recommended for other business students. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Gomes-Casseres, Benjamin
Times:	F 09:30 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
BUS 262f (1) - Alliance Strategy
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. In many industries, collaboration between firms now goes hand in hand with competition. Inter-firm alliances of various sorts (e.g., joint ventures, joint research, and long-term supply contracts) have become critical to success in high-technology industries, as well as in certain geographic markets. Surveys the strategic and organizational issues involved in using such alliances. Discusses ideas from the theoretical, empirical, and normative research on the topic, and applies these ideas to managerial decisions using case studies. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Gomes-Casseres, Benjamin
Times:	T,Th 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 263f (1) - Knowledge Flows in Global Competition
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Deals with managing the flow of knowledge within and across organizational boundaries. Using the case method, explores how firms respond to the challenges of technology transfer in a global context. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Banerjee, Preeta M.
Times:	M,W 09:30 - 11:00 AM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 265f (2) - Business Strategy in Emerging Markets
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Studies how the environment for doing business in emerging markets is different from that in developed countries, such as Europe and the United States. We will study how these differences affect business strategy for a range of large and small organizations - from well-established multinationals to entrepreneurial start-ups. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Banerjee, Preeta M.
Times:	M,W 09:30 - 11:00 AM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 269f (1) - Building Sustainable Businesses
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Examines the influence of corporate sustainability on internal operations, supply chain management, employee engagement, product development, market communications, strategic planning, corporate compliance, and investor relations. Considers ways in which corporate sustainability is both a set of business practices and a set of corporate values and culture. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Tyson, Mitch
Times:	W 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 272a - Operations Management
Explores how different business strategies require different business processes, and, conversely, how different operational capabilities support different strategies to gain competitive advantage. Topics may include inventory management, cycle time management, supply chain management, quality management, and process management and improvement, as well as recent developments such as lean or world-class manufacturing, just-in-time operations, time-based competition, and business reengineering. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Morrison, J. Bradley
Times:	M,W 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
BUS 275f (2) - Transnational Negotiations
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Explores the dynamics of international business negotiations in the context of evolving global industries. Students will develop an understanding of negotiation strategy, positioning, and process, as well as the skills necessary to effectively design, negotiate, and manage transnational deals. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Cohen, Steven
Times:	M 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 55
BUS 279f (2) - Corporate Fraud: Detection and Prevention
Prerequisite: FIN 212a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Exposes students to the problem of fraudulent financial reporting, including its causes, impact, and practical, cost-effective responses. Using actual and simulated case material, students will acquire skills needed to identify, investigate, and report findings on corporate fraud. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Schumann, Erich
Times:	M 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
BUS 286a - Applications of System Dynamics
Prerequisite: BUS 276a. Gives students the opportunity to apply the standard method of system dynamics to assist a real company or organization. The core activity in the course is to work with a client organization, using the tools of system dynamics, to develop insights into a problem the client has identified. Students experience conceptualizing and building a system dynamics model "from scratch," learn a set of standard pieces of model structure called "molecules," and gain an appreciation for the challenges and rewards of consulting for clients in a helping relationship. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Morrison, J. Bradley
Times:	M,W 11:00 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
BUS 295a S1 - Consulting Field Project
Students will deliver high-impact projects for Boston-area operating companies by working in a team of four to help a senior client executive respond to a real business challenge. Students will: Learn and demonstrate the capabilities required to conduct a successful internal or external consulting project: managing the project, building client relationship and developing a high-impact presentation; Improve analytical skills: data analysis, survey management, Internet research and financial analysis; Work effectively as consulting team; Address a significant client problem from framing the issue through final presentation. This course is challenging both in the skills it demands students to learn and also in the time commitment for independent research, readings, team meetings, client meetings and meetings with the professor. In return, students will be able to showcase for potential recruiters a project that produced significant measurable results for an operating company. In addition, students will have built skill and confidence in working as a team and with a client. Prerequisites: previous work experience as an intern or employee; and at least 2 graduate-level Business courses in any two of the following: Marketing or Sales, Accounting, Org Behavior/HR/Leadership, Operations, Strategy, Finance. Class meets as a whole on Tuesdays, 2-3:20. Students will also meet in teams with the instructor and client. Students will need to submit a resume to Echo Bergquist (ebb@brandeis.edu) to be considered for enrollment. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Oliver, Will
Times:	T 02:00 - 03:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
BUS 295a S2 - Consulting Field Project: Real Estate
May be repeated for a total of 8 credits in BUS 295a and BUS 295f with permission of Program Director. Prerequisites: Bus 235 or Bus 35 for a limited number of students. The projects will expose students to a wide array of topics essential to real estate, such as: cost analysis, market research, fundamental investment analysis, capital markets / finance. Sponsoring organizations will include real estate developers and property owners, real estate investment companies and real estate service providers. Sponsoring organizations will range in size from small, locally-based companies to larger multi-region companies. Student’s work will primarily involve independent research including both on-site work at client organizations and external research. The amount of on-site involvement in a client organization will depend on the nature of the project. Projects involving the evaluation of new business opportunities, for example, might require much more external analysis and less internal time than one focused on internal financial analysis, which would include more time spent reviewing and analyzing client data. Most projects will require conducting interviews with internal and external parties, sometimes with minimal or no introductions. Accordingly, English language skills and the willingness to contact and interview strangers via telephone or in person are important for the success of the projects. Students must submit a resume to Echo Bergquist (ebb@brandeis.edu). Prof. Chazen will then schedule interviews with students to determine enrollment. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Chazen, Edward
Times:	TBA
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
BUS 295f (2) - Consulting Field Project: Sustainable Business
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. May be repeated for a total of 8 credits in BUS 295a and BUS 295f with permission of Program Director. This course will give students experience interacting with a specific business on issues related to addressing sustainability in a business setting. Not only will the students see how the business tries to translate the concept of sustainability into practice but they will apply their skills and knowledge to help the business solve an actual problem. The students will be divided into groups of three to five. Each group will be assigned a different company and will be given a specific project by that business. Prospective students should submit a resume and list of IBS courses taken to Echo Bergquist: ebb@brandeis.edu for consideration.
Instructor(s):	Leon, Warren
Times:	W 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54

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International Economics: Spring, 2013

ECON 135a - Industrial Organization
Prerequisites: ECON 80a and ECON 83a or permission of the instructor. Microeconomic analysis of firm behavior under alternative market structures and implications for market outcomes. Topics include strategic interaction, entry and exit, collusion, predation, price discrimination, product differentiation, vertical relations, imperfect information, advertising, and patents and innovation. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Shiller, Ben
Times:	M,W 05:00 - 06:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
ECON 141a - Economics of Innovation
Prerequisites: ECON 80a and ECON 83a or permission of the instructor. Studies the innovation and technological change as the central focus of modern economies. Topics include the sources of growth, economics of research and development, innovation, diffusion and technology transfer, appropriability, patents, information markets, productivity, institutional innovation, and global competitiveness. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Jefferson, Gary H.
Times:	T,F 09:30 - 11:00 AM
Location:	Lemberg, 55
ECON 173a - Central Banking: Theory and Policy
Prerequisite: ECON 82b. Studies the purposes and functions of central banks over time and the challenges they confront. Examines central banks' roles in the recent financial crisis and explores current debates over the policies that central banks are following in its aftermath. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Browne, Lynn
Times:	M,W 02:00 - 03:30 PM
Location:	Inter Cultural Ctr,
ECON 184b S1 - Econometrics
Prerequisites: ECON 83a. Corequisite: ECON 80a or permission of instructor. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have previously taken or are currently enrolled in ECON 185a or ECON 311a. An introduction to the theory of econometric regression and forecasting models, with applications to the analysis of business and economic data. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Pettenuzzo, Davide
Times:	T,Th 03:30 - 05:00 PM
Location:	Pollack,
ECON 184b S2 - Econometrics
Prerequisites: ECON 83a. Corequisite: ECON 80a or permission of instructor. This course may not be taken for credit by students who have previously taken or are currently enrolled in ECON 185a or ECON 311a. An introduction to the theory of econometric regression and forecasting models, with applications to the analysis of business and economic data. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Pettenuzzo, Davide
Times:	T,Th 05:00 - 06:30 PM
Location:	Pollack,
ECON 202a S1 - Applied International Macroeconomics
Prerequisite: ECON 201a or the equivalent. Reviews basic domestic and international macroeconomics, including the goals and functioning of monetary authorities, national income and balance of payments accounting, PPP, interest parity, and the relative merits of different exchange-rate regimes. Advanced topics include exchange-rate crises, hyperinflation, inflation stabilization, and "global imbalances." Lectures, assignments, and tests stress applications to countries throughout the world. Also covers the basic skills required to understand and manipulate macroeconomic data. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Osler, Carol
Times:	T,Th 09:30 - 11:00 AM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
ECON 202a S2 - Applied International Macroeconomics
Prerequisite: ECON 201a or the equivalent. Reviews basic domestic and international macroeconomics, including the goals and functioning of monetary authorities, national income and balance of payments accounting, PPP, interest parity, and the relative merits of different exchange-rate regimes. Advanced topics include exchange-rate crises, hyperinflation, inflation stabilization, and "global imbalances." Lectures, assignments, and tests stress applications to countries throughout the world. Also covers the basic skills required to understand and manipulate macroeconomic data. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Osler, Carol
Times:	T,Th 11:00 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
ECON 203f (1) - Advanced International Macroeconomics: Theory, Evidence, and Policy
Prerequisites: ECON 201a, 202a (may be taken concurrently), and one course in econometrics (graduate module or undergraduate course). Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Builds on and extends the economic frameworks developed in ECON 201a and 202a to focus on economic models that are fundamental to international macroeconomic analysis, policy making, and business strategy. Students apply data to the models, and discuss journal articles that apply the frameworks to macroeconomic questions. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Mann, Catherine
Times:	M,W 09:30 - 11:00 AM
Location:	Lemberg, 55
ECON 208f (1) - Applied Microeconomics II
Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Covers pricing, product choice, and employee compensation strategies for firms with market power. Strategies include limit pricing to prevent entry, two-tier pricing, bundling, price discrimination, transfer pricing. Students learn to apply game theory to situations with symmetric and asymmetric information. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Ghosh, Shanto
Times:	M 05:00 - 08:00 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
ECON 210f (1) - Foundations of Statistics and Econometrics I
Module Session 1 Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Intended for students with little or no prior coursework in statistics. Introduction to statistical thinking and analytic methods, emphasizing business decision-making. Considerable use of statistical software (Stata), readings, cases, and projects permits focus on concepts, models, and interpretation of results. Topics include descriptive statistics, financial models, estimation, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Carver, Robert H.
Times:	T 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
ECON 211f (1) - Foundations of Statistics and Econometrics II
Module Session 1 Prerequisite: Statistics or ECON 210f. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Survey of quantitative techniques and computer tools in data analysis and forecasting, including econometric estimation. The course will include case studies and the use of computer applications. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Fournier, Stephen
Times:	M,W 08:00 - 09:30 AM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
ECON 212f (2) - Survey of Advanced Econometric Techniques
Module Session 2 Prerequisite: ECON 211f or equivalent. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Applies econometric models using data measured as counts, including the poisson and the negative binomial, and extensions that incorporate inflated or truncated counts. They then consider tobit and heckit models which adjust for truncation and censoring in the general linear model. Finally, they learn how to correct for simultaneity bias and heteroskedasticity using Instrumental Variables approaches. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Fournier, Stephen
Times:	M,W 08:00 - 09:30 AM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
ECON 236a - Managing Government Debt and Deficits
Prerequisites: ECON 202a and ECON 207f. Examines how across the industrialized world, countries realize they need to reduce their government deficits, and possibly their government debt, to avoid a crisis down the road. Should they raise taxes? If so, which? Should they reduce spending? Should they default? We consider the pros and cons of these alternatives and more. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Balder, John
Times:	T,Th 03:30 - 05:00 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
ECON 260a S1 - International Trade Policy and Institutions
Prerequisite: ECON 201a. Develops the fundamental economic theories behind the various policies that regulate and interfere with international trade. Examines the predominant national and international institutions that are charged with administering these policies as well as the scope and process for potential reform. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Lopez, Ricardo
Times:	M,W 09:30 - 11:00 AM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
ECON 260a S2 - International Trade Policy and Institutions
Prerequisite: ECON 201a. Develops the fundamental economic theories behind the various policies that regulate and interfere with international trade. Examines the predominant national and international institutions that are charged with administering these policies as well as the scope and process for potential reform. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Lopez, Ricardo
Times:	M,W 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 55
ECON 261a - Empirical Analysis of Trade Policy
Prerequisite: One semester (or module) of econometrics, at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Explores contemporary trade policy issues, with a focus on emerging markets, while helping students learn advanced econometric techniques. Students read professional empirical studies to learn what we know and carry out their own original research on a policy issue, from data collection to econometric testing and evaluation. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Dean, Judith
Times:	W 02:00 - 05:00 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
ECON 270a - Economic Development Strategies
Prerequisite: ECON 201. Discusses the current situation of developing countries and the main theories of development and underdevelopment. Introduces the field and tools of development economics, explores the theoretical and policy debates around developing economies, and looks at alternative development strategies. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Dean, Judith
Times:	M 02:00 - 05:00 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
ECON 277f (2) - Public Policy, Business Leadership & World Affairs
Prerequisite: ECON 201a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Explores the approach of the World Economic Forum, focusing on three global challenges. Students meet with guest lecturers who know the facts and the players; review background material; and debate the issues by assuming the roles of the main players.
Instructor(s):	Steinberg, Kevin
Times:	M 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
ECON 302a - Advanced Microeconomics II
Prerequisites: Econ 301a This course will focus on game theory with specific emphasis on its application to firm behavior, information economics, and the study of market organization including auctions. Important contributions of behavioral economics will also be address in this course. A strong emphasis will be placed on acquiring the tools that are required for economic research. Usually offered every second year.
Instructor(s):	Graddy, Kathryn
Times:	T,Th 09:30 - 11:00 AM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
ECON 304a - Advanced Macroeconomics II
Prerequisite: ECON 303a. Current research issues in macroeconomics, such as the impact of supply shocks, real demand shocks, and monetary shocks on output, interest rates, and exchange rates. Empirical studies and testing of competing macroeconomic theories. Usually offered every second year.
Instructor(s):	LeBaron, Blake
Times:	M,W 11:00 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
ECON 311a - Advanced Econometrics I
Prerequisites: Statistics and math. May not be repeated for credit by students who took ECON 215a in previous years. Econometric theory and applications. Discusses the statistical theory of regression modeling and associated hypothesis testing, with emphasis on the construction, interpretation, and use of econometric models. Usually offered every second year.
Instructor(s):	Rife, Mike
Times:	Th 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
ECON 399a - Dissertation Workshop
Prerequisites: ECON 302a and ECON 304a. Involves invited lectures by Brandeis faculty and other researchers. Presentation and discussion of dissertation topics and work in progress. For PhD students only. Course is 1 1/2 hour of workshop time in conjunction with research. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	LeBaron, Blake
Times:	T 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
ECON/FIN 209f - Behavioral Economics
Prerequisites: ECON 207f or 208f, FIN 201a and FIN 202a. How do economics agents make decisions? Though economists historically assumed that decisions are made "rationally," the evidence suggests otherwise. Examines evidence on human decision-making processes culled from many disciplines. Students investigate how those processes can explain observed patterns in economic and financial behavior. They also analyze how such behavior can explain observed market phenomena that would not emerge if agents were "personally rational."
Instructor(s):	Heimer, Rawley
Times:	Th 12:30 - 03:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, 115
ECON/FIN 250a - Forecasting in Finance & Economics
This course covers the basics of forecasting and time series analysis as used in finance, economics, and business. Time series topics will include trend modeling, seasonal adjustments, ARMA models, linear regression, and volatility modeling. We will also cover more advanced topics used in forecasting. Students will leave the course with a good understanding and hands-on practice (using Matlab) of many of the tools used in modern time series forecasting. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Tewolde, Henok
Times:	T,Th 05:00 - 06:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite

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International Finance: Spring, 2013

ECON/FIN 209f - Behavioral Economics
Prerequisites: ECON 207f or 208f, FIN 201a and FIN 202a. How do economics agents make decisions? Though economists historically assumed that decisions are made "rationally," the evidence suggests otherwise. Examines evidence on human decision-making processes culled from many disciplines. Students investigate how those processes can explain observed patterns in economic and financial behavior. They also analyze how such behavior can explain observed market phenomena that would not emerge if agents were "personally rational."
Instructor(s):	Heimer, Rawley
Times:	Th 12:30 - 03:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, 115
ECON/FIN 250a - Forecasting in Finance & Economics
This course covers the basics of forecasting and time series analysis as used in finance, economics, and business. Time series topics will include trend modeling, seasonal adjustments, ARMA models, linear regression, and volatility modeling. We will also cover more advanced topics used in forecasting. Students will leave the course with a good understanding and hands-on practice (using Matlab) of many of the tools used in modern time series forecasting. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Tewolde, Henok
Times:	T,Th 05:00 - 06:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
FIN 200f - Principles of Finance
Corequisite: FIN 201a and FIN 202a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Develops fundamental financial skills necessary to make and implement business decisions. After completing this course, students will understand the main concepts underlying most financial calculations. For students without prior finance background. Usually offered every year. Signature of Ms. Karen Muise, dept. rep., required.
Instructor(s):	Makolo, Jean-Claude
Times:	M,W 09:30 - 11:00 AM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
FIN 201a - Investments
Prerequisite: ECON 210f or statistics (may be taken concurrently). May not be taken by students who have taken FIN 205a. Covers topics related to financial economics, including investors' attitudes toward risk, capital allocation, portfolio selection, asset pricing models (Capital Asset Pricing Model and the Arbitrage Pricing Theory), the efficient market hypothesis, fixed income markets, equity valuation, and options and futures markets. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Roman, Luis
Times:	W 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, Chancellor's Suite
FIN 202a S1 - International Corporate Finance
Prerequisite: FIN 212a (may be taken concurrently) Focuses on how companies make their investment, financing, and dividend decisions in a global environment. Examines the theory and practices of firms through a combination of current articles, problems in the text, and case analysis. Students will have a firm understanding of how companies create value through their decisions. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Sisli Ciamarra, Elif
Times:	M,W 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
FIN 202a S2 - International Corporate Finance
Prerequisite: FIN 212a (may be taken concurrently) Focuses on how companies make their investment, financing, and dividend decisions in a global environment. Examines the theory and practices of firms through a combination of current articles, problems in the text, and case analysis. Students will have a firm understanding of how companies create value through their decisions. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Sisli Ciamarra, Elif
Times:	M,W 02:00 - 03:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
FIN 202a S3 - International Corporate Finance
Prerequisite: FIN 212a (may be taken concurrently) Focuses on how companies make their investment, financing, and dividend decisions in a global environment. Examines the theory and practices of firms through a combination of current articles, problems in the text, and case analysis. Students will have a firm understanding of how companies create value through their decisions. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Nandy, Debarshi
Times:	W 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 55
FIN 203f (2) - International Financial Management
Prerequisites: FIN 201a, FIN 202a, FIN 212a, and ECON 201a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Explores the characteristics of international financial markets and evaluates associated risks and benefits. Addresses the distinct risks multinationals face, the financial tools they use to manage these risks, their tax and working capital management, and their financing and investment decisions. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Sisli Ciamarra, Elif
Times:	Th 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
FIN 212a - Accounting & Financial Analysis
Develops a fundamental understanding of financial accounting and corporate reporting issues. Students will be exposed to a variety of real world applications involving for profit financial statements. More specifically, students will acquire skills allowing them to read, interpret and analyze the income statement, balance sheet and the statement of cash flows. This course will primarily address accounting standards employed in the US (GAAP) but will acquaint students with international standards (IFRS) used by other countries in numerous accounting areas. Further, issues related to the project on the convergence of standards currently being conducted by the FASB and IASB will be discussed. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on interpreting financial statements to understand how accounting information, in a variety of decision settings, can be utilized by managers. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Weihs, Hagit
Times:	Th 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 55
FIN 214a - Managerial Accounting
Prerequisite: Fin 212a or Fin 213a. Provides a general introduction to the concepts, problems and issues related to managerial accounting. Managerial accounting predominantly addresses the internal use of economic information regarding the resources used in the process of producing goods and providing services. Internal users of accounting information are all of those individuals that are involved in the business decision-making process of the economic entity. In the course, you will become acquainted with some of the conventional methods of internal reporting used in planning, control and decision-making. Fundamental aspects of cost behavior and cost accounting will also be discussed, but always from the perspective of the manager who must make decisions rather than the accountant who prepares the information. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Anderson, Brenda
Times:	Th 09:30 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 55
FIN 216f (1) - Financial Statement Analysis
Prerequisite: FIN 212a or FIN 213a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Presents techniques of financial statement analysis that deepen the understanding of financial statements and the economic and strategic information they provide. Exposes students to the financial reporting environment and practices of U.S. companies. The course does not cover equity valuation. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Keith, Richard
Times:	M 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
FIN 217f (2) - Financial Modeling I
Prerequisite: FIN 202a and FIN 212a. May take FIN 217f during second module concurrently with FIN 202a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Introduces quantitative modeling techniques for analyzing the financial performance of projects and companies and valuing earning streams. A key objective is to help students develop sophisticated skills in using spreadsheets and related software through cases and hands-on applications. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Canella, Alfonso
Times:	Th 12:30 - 03:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
FIN 217f (1) - Financial Modeling I
Prerequisite: FIN 202a and FIN 212a. May take FIN 217f during second module concurrently with FIN 202a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Introduces quantitative modeling techniques for analyzing the financial performance of projects and companies and valuing earning streams. A key objective is to help students develop sophisticated skills in using spreadsheets and related software through cases and hands-on applications. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Canella, Alfonso
Times:	W 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
FIN 218f (2) - Financial Modeling II
Prerequisite: FIN 217f. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Continues Financial Modeling I (Fin 217f) in the analysis of quantitative financial performance of projects and companies and valuing earning streams. It supplements Fin 217f in its use of real options for valuations, new industries with their own peculiarities (insurance, pharmaceuticals), and the privatization of a telecommunications firm. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Canella, Alfonso
Times:	W 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
FIN 226f (2) - Real Estate Capital Markets
Prerequisite: BUS 235f. FIN 202a is recommended. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Considers real estate as an asset class for investment from the perspective of a professional portfolio manager and a corporate financial officer. Analyzes the public markets for real estate debt (CMBS) and equity (REITs) and the interplay of private and public investing in a professionally managed real estate investment portfolio. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Chazen, Edward
Times:	M,W 11:00 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
FIN 231f (1) - Private Equity
Prerequisites: FIN 202a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Explores the history, structure, players and adjacent industries of Private Equity; the kinds of companies that make attractive candidates for investment; how PE firms add value; what they do when things go wrong; and how they create successful exits. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	McKay, Michael
Times:	T 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
FIN 232a - Mergers & Acquisitions Analysis
Prerequisites: FIN 201a and FIN 202a (may be taken concurrently). Reviews the core concepts involved in mergers and acquisitions; value, negotiation, deal structuring, corporate strategy and valued added, financing, and tax consequences. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Ballantine, Jr., John
Times:	Th 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
FIN 233f (1) - Relative Values of Securities
Prerequisites: FIN 212a or FIN 216f strongly recommended. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Introduces students to the issues and analysis necessary for making the decision to purchase securities. The principal focus is on publicly traded securities. Debt and equity security values will be addressed. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Aikens, III, Alexander E.
Times:	Th 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
FIN 235a - Investing in Energy: Fossil Fuels to Cleaner Energy
May not be taken for credit by students who took FIN 235f in spring 2008. How do energy companies and investors make investment decisions in our current economic/political environment? How do investors assess the risks and the long term opportunities, and what are the potential returns? And how do companies manage energy projects and implement new technologies across many markets and countries? To evaluate energy investments students need to acquire the background knowledge, the technical skills, and an appreciation of the politics of energy policy. This course will establish a broad framework of analysis and it will also let students analyze the economic viability of a specific energy project. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Ballantine, Jr., John
Times:	T 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 54
FIN 236f (2) - Technical Analysis
Prerequisite: FIN 201a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. From FX to equity indexes to real estate futures markets, traders rely on technically-derived signals to enter speculative positions, set protective orders, and time their exits. Provides an introduction to technical analysis and familiarizes students with strategies in common use. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Keller, David
Times:	T 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
FIN 240a - Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Finance
Prerequisites: FIN 201a and FIN 202a. Emphasizes financial decision making skills for entrepreneurs. The structure will follow the firm's life cycle, with modules on contracting, valuation, and financial planning in the entrepreneurial context, raising capital, security choice, and the structure and valuation of exit decisions in the presence of information uncertainty. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Nandy, Debarshi Bergstresser, Dan
Times:	W 02:00 - 05:00 PM W 02:00 - 05:00 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall Lemberg, Lee Hall
FIN 241f (1) - Financial Planning & Control
Prerequisite: FIN 202a (may be taken concurrently). Examines financial planning methodologies and tools as well as financial control mechanisms. Includes case studies using real-life examples, accounting, and financial objectives. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Canella, Alfonso
Times:	M 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 55
FIN 242f (1) - Credit Risk Analysis I
Prerequisite: FIN 212a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Examines credit risk (i.e., the possibility that an obligor will fail to perform as agreed) from the perspective of the commercial banker. Focuses on a sound understanding of the firm and its business plan and how the banker constructs the appropriate structure for the senior loan. Topics include asset-based, real estate, and cash flow lending. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Bayone, Edward J.
Times:	Th 09:30 - 12:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
FIN 248f (1) - Advanced Corporate Finance
Prerequisites: FIN 201a and FIN 202a. Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. Develops the "art and science" of optimal strategic decision-making by applying corporate financial theory to cases of financial policy, financial instruments and valuation. The topic areas are: corporate restructuring with an international flavor; raising capital using hybrid securities; and IPO's and the market for corporate control. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Nandy, Debarshi
Times:	Th 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
FIN 261a - Fixed Income Securities
Prerequisites: FIN 201a or FIN 205a, or permission of the instructor. Studies fixed income securities; cash flow structures, pricing risk measures; features of major fixed income sectors; valuation of fixed income securities with embedded options; portfolio management and performance measurement; interest rate derivatives and applications to asset/liability management. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Bergstresser, Dan
Times:	T,Th 12:30 - 02:00 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
FIN 263a - International Portfolio Management
Prerequisite: FIN 201a or FIN 205a. A blend of advanced theory and state-of-the-art practice with a two fold aim: to ground students in the theory of international portfolio investments and to immerse them in the application of global portfolio management in the real world. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Alt, Christopher
Times:	M 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, Lee Hall
FIN 270a - Options and Derivatives
Prerequisites: FIN 201a, or FIN 205a, or permission of the instructor. Introduces students, using a reasonably formal mathematical approach, to a broad range of topics related to the traded securities, markets, pricing, and applications of financial derivatives. Special focus is placed on how replication is used to price financial derivatives. Derivatives studied include those defined on commodities, currencies, equities and equity indexes, with an introduction to fixed income derivatives. Usually offered every semester.
Instructor(s):	Nierenberg, Eric
Times:	W 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall
FIN 279a - Applied Risk Management
Prerequisites: FIN 201a or FIN 205a and FIN 212a. Studies risk management in a variety of contexts as well as the applications of financial derivatives. Focuses on case studies from many industries which address risks related to commodities, weather, foreign exchange rates, interest rate, and credit, and also corporate governance matters and integrated risk management. Students will be expected to be able to analyze a corporate risk situation, work through examples and develop hedging strategies. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Podorefsky, Robert
Times:	T 06:30 - 09:30 PM
Location:	Lemberg, 55
FIN 288a - Corporate Financial Engineering
Prerequisite: FIN 201a. Corequisite: FIN 202a. Focuses on how financial engineering is used in firms to reduce their costs of financing, to alter their fundamental risk exposures and, in a handful of cases, to provide them with new ways to compete. Primarily intended for students who plan to serve in corporate roles that will involve significant interaction with financial markets and institutions. Usually offered every year.
Instructor(s):	Bergstresser, Dan
Times:	T,Th 03:30 - 05:00 PM
Location:	Sachar, International Hall

All courses with a suffix “f” are module courses. These courses meet for half a semester and receive 2 credits per class, rather than the usual 4 credits.

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