Allen Said:

Management Of Business Report, plz help!!!!!?

We Answered:

Here's my guess ... best to ask your teacher.

Analysis: There's a thing called a SWOT analysis where you look at the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats of your business. Consider the economic conditions, the local conditions, and your competition.

Evalution: Evaluate the findings of your SWOT analysis. For example, what is the demographic of prospective customers? Can they afford day care now? How does your competition positoin themselves in the markeplace? Where are the gaps? For example, if they require pick-up by 5:00, can you offer 5:30 and still make a profit? Etc.

Kent Said:

Can anyone give me some pointers on investment banking?

We Answered:

It sounds like you have an opportunity with an investment bank but not on the investment banking side but on the equity research side.

Investment banks traditionally on one hand offer companies (a) capital raising services (debt or equity or hybrid) and (b) merger and acquisitions advisory and related services ... that's the investment banking side where they earn fees on the transactional work they do.

On the other side most investment banks also carry an equity analyst side where to the general market, but more importantly to their institutional investor relationships, they offer equity research. It sounds like that is the side of the house you'd be working on.

Typically it involves meeting in the morning to get briefings in the markets, spending the day tracking down information on the equity or sectors you've been assigned to and then preparing information for your higher ups. The equity analysts that you see on the financial channels are the senior guys who have some little guys (that would be you) doing lots of leg work for them.

These are good jobs -- my sense is that pay at the lower levels is good but not great ... far better than an NGO. You can get large bonuses. If its a good bank or the analyst you might be working for is well known it good be a good stepping stone to being a known analyst yourself. If not, you could develop enough sector expertise to try and jump to the other side of the house and advise in a sector (for instance, you learn semi-conductor public equity and then go to their technology M&A advisory group) or jump from the big bank sell side stuff to the private equity fund buy side advisory. Buy side is always better!

Audrey Said:

What are the skills needed for a CAREER in financing?

We Answered:

I suggest that you take an aptitude test. An aptitude test assesses your skills and your interests and matches you to the careers that are right for you. A high school or college adviser can recommend a good one. Failing that, go to the workforce development agency (unemployment) and request one. JobFit is excellent.