I had a coffee chat with Prof Lakshmanan Shivakumar this afternoon, after having been unable to keep up my appointment with him over the past two weeks due to unavoidable circumstances. He was very kind to accommodate me in his schedule for today.
He handled the course 'Security Analysis & Financial Modelling' (SAFM) during Spring 2013. SAFM caters to the needs of those students who want to better their understanding of security analysis and those looking to strengthen their financial modelling skills. Professor Shiva's sessions deal with theory that are paramount to the preparation of the final project for the course. I had one of the best teams and we chose 'Piaggio', an Italian two and three-wheeler manufacturer focused on the markets of EMEA, Americas, Asia Pacific & India. Final project consists of a presentation and a report (of course, the excel model too!). The course has valuable takeaways on the nuances of analyzing a company including understanding its profile, markets, business model, industry and competition. It also makes you delve into the depths required for projecting the financials of the company for the next several years. It lets you glimpse into the practical issues and concerns normally encountered while valuing a company and helps you overcome the same with reasonable assumptions. I have also heard astounding reviews from my peers who had enrolled in his other course 'Financial Statement Analysis'.
Meeting him this afternoon has put me at ease. Based on his advice, I have been able to introduce an element of objectivity in handling my dilemma. I could effectively compartmentalize the issues. Hopefully staring at such a structured break-down of possible scenarios over the next few weeks ends up steering me in the right direction. When the big picture gets a bit hazy, 'one step at a time' is the way to go. I thank him once again for his time and interest!
