Introduction to Business and Enterprise This course provides students who have little to no background in business with a broad overview of business and enterprise in the economy. Students will learn about types of enterprises and a functional framework for understanding a business, including strategy, finance, production, and marketing.  This framework will be used to analyze various businesses and non-profits, exploring the advantages and disadvantages of various structures. The course will give overviews of accounting and entrepreneurship, and explore policy and philosophical debates about the morality of for-profit business and the need for corporate responsibility.

Introduction to Finance In this introductory survey course we will cover the role of finance in society, the basic workings of the financial system, how funds are allocated within the economy, and how institutions raise money. We will cover a range of topics, including: interest rates and the time value of money; uncertainty and the trade-off between risk and return; security market efficiency; stocks, bonds and optimal capital structure; financing decisions and capital budgeting; sovereign risk; foreign currencies; derivatives markets; and concerns about the role of finance in society.  The course will include discussions of current news events in global markets.

Investment Management In this course we will build on knowledge of accounting and finance and apply that knowledge to investment analysis, asset allocation, portfolio management, and capital markets and risk analysis. Designed to provide the basic concepts and principles of investing, the course examines investment theory and practice for investing a portfolio and evaluating its performance. We will discuss both traditional and alternative investments. Topics include securities markets, risk and return, capital asset pricing model (CAPM) and diversification, portfolio theory, private equity, valuation of equity, valuation of fixed-income securities, options and futures markets. Recommended prior courses would be: Math 0116, INTD 0116 or INTD 0217. Students who have not taken INTD 0116 or INTD 0217 are invited to contact the professor to discuss and review their basic proficiency in Accounting and Finance.

Capital Markets This course surveys and analyzes the instruments traded in modern asset markets, the mechanisms that facilitate their trading and issuance, as well as, the motivations of issuers and investors across different asset classes. The course will balance functional and institutional perspectives by highlighting the problems market participants are seeking to solve, as well as the existing asset markets that have arisen to accomplish these goals. We will consider the nature of structure of asset markets, and the design, issuance, and pricing of financial instruments, focusing on how arbitrage strategies keep their prices in-line with one another.

Big Data and Finance In this course we will explore the analysis and use of financial and economic datasets using a statistical framework such as R or SPSS.  Large volumes of data – either time series or from surveys – are increasingly found in many aspects of a business enterprise.  Effectively acquiring, cleaning, analyzing and interpreting such data is essential for the success of an enterprise and the stakeholders involved in its management.

Matthew Considine

Reviews and ratings for Matthew Considine at Middlebury College.Matthew Considine teaches Intro Business & Enterprise, Introduction to Finance, Investment Management and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Matthew Considine good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Like in all classes by Prof Considine, you learn the most when you come with a certain level of background knowledge and specific questions in mind. Former professionals don't teach the same way academics do, but it is still a valuable experience. Highly recommend the course to anyone with a strong finance background and interest in M&A, LBO, and Restructuring. Lastly, the course can be valuable for Banking recruiting if you've done the prep.

Class was very relaxed. Not a lot of homework to do. Only a couple problem sets and some other easy assignments. Can be a valuable class if you are engaged and want to learn but the information isn't force-fed to you. 

Prof. Considine was super chill, and this class was super chill too. He definitely knows plenty about what he is talking about, and his lectures aren't always the most engaging, but he cares a lot about students and is more than willing to accommodate and be kind.