You will be assigned to teams that will work on various in-class assignments including discussion questions, additional problems, and a comprehensive analysis project.

Comprehensive Analysis Project (CAP)

The Comprehensive Analysis Project will be completed in stages as the course progresses. The weekly assignments will be completed primarily during the Live Session. Each weekly stage will relate to the chapter(s) covered in that week. By the end of the term, you will have analyzed and conducted a valuation of a publicly-traded company.

If your schedule does not permit attendance at Live Sessions or team-work, you have the option to work on these assignments individually. However, if you choose this option you must complete the same work as that assigned to a team. Essentially you will be a team of one person.

During the Live Sessions, I will illustrate the assignment using an example company. You may then meet with your team and complete the week’s assignment. If you are working with a team, please make every effort to attend all Live Sessions. If you do not attend the Live Sessions, you may work individually to complete an analysis of a company of your choice. If you are able to attend most Live Sessions, you may complete the sessions that you miss individually using a different company and work with the team on the weeks you are able to attend.

Getting Started on the CAP

Please try to reach out to your team prior to our first Live Session. Read CAP Stage 1 assignment, and see if your team can select a company you would like to analyze this term. Have a representative from your team sign up on the CAP Team-Company List with your preferred selection. Each team must choose a unique company; no two teams can analyze the same company. I will confirm whether your selected company meets the desired characteristics. I would like each team to select a unique company. Note the desired characteristics for your company on the CAP Stage 1 assignment.

Collaborating with Team Members

Each week, you will be given time during our Live Session to work with your team on the CAP Assignment. Teams consist of three to four students. You can find out who is in your group by clicking on the "People" tab on the near left side navigation panel. Then, click on the "Groups" tab and you will see your group members and their contact details.

Ideally, your team will be able to turn in the assignment by the end of the session. However, if your team needs more time, you may arrange to meet outside of class. Each team will need to submit the assignment before the following Sunday at 11:59 pm.

If you choose to meet outside of class, there are several collaborative tools available for your team to use. I suggest discussing with your team how and when you are going to work together. There are three main things to consider:

How and when are you going to communicate as a team?
What role and/or responsibilities will each team member have?
How are you going to collaborate on the presentation - what tool(s) will you use?

There are several collaborative tools available for your group to use.

Communication

Asynchronous

Click on "People" in the near left navigation tab. Then click on the "Groups" tab. Learn more about Groups: Group Creation and Interaction for Students (Video).

Within groups, you can:

View the group list
Start a discussion
Send a message
Create group collaborations
- Canvas features a "Collaborations" section on the left-side navigation tab where you can access Google Docs related to this course. This option requires that all of your group members have a Gmail account.
- As an OU student, you should have access to Microsoft OneDrive, which allows you to co-author documents in real-time. Go to onedrive.com and sign in using your OU email address and OU password. For more information, visit Collaborate on Word Documents with Real-time Co-authoring.

Synchronous

You may be familiar with Zoom or Google Hangouts or Skype. Feel free to use one of these options, or any others that your group may be more familiar with, in order to communicate in real-time.

Peer Evaluation

You are provided with a peer evaluation form for assessing individual contributions to teamwork. These peer evaluations will be used to adjust each individual’s overall grade on team assignments as explained below.

Please evaluate your team members using the following process. You are to allocate 100 points among your team members including yourself. Each team member will then have a new teamwork score computed based on these peer assessments.