The CFA© Institute Research Challenge is sponsored by CFA Institute and locally hosted by the New York Society of Security Analysts. The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an educational initiative in which leading industry professionals teach business and finance students how to research and report on a publicly-traded company. NYSSA originated the competition ten years ago (as the “Investment Research Challenge”) as a means to promote best practices in research among the next generation of analysts.
The Challenge spans one academic year, and consists of the following components:
- Training in Research and Report Writing: Students receive training by attending NYSSA-sponsored seminars on Insider Tools for Analysts, Presentation Skills, Report Writing, and Ethics. Seminars are taught by NYSSA members and are held on campus at participating universities or at NYSSA.
- Analysis of a Public Company: Teams research the same public company, selected by NYSSA, including a question-and-answer session with company management.
- Mentoring By a Professional Research Analyst: Each team is mentored by a professional research analyst, who reviews and critiques the team's report.
- Assessment of Written Reports: A group of volunteer graders selected from NYSSA’s membership assess the written research reports.
- First-Round Presentation to High-Profile Wall Street Experts: All 23 teams present their research to Wall Street experts. The experts choose the “final four” who have the strongest research to present their final report.
- Final-Four Presentation to a High-Profile Wall Street Experts: The “final four” present their research to a panel of respected Wall Street experts. The winning team is selected based on the combined scores for the written report and the presentation.
The winning team advances to the CFA Institute Research Challenge to compete against teams from across the world.
2012 Final Four
- Dartmouth College
- Fairfield University
- Montclair State University
- Rutgers University
Panelists
Stephen Balog
Member, NYSSA Board of Directors
Kay Ryan Booth
Managing Director, Golden Seeds Fund LP
Beth Donahue, CFA, FRM
Founder, ACK Advisors LLC
Elizabeth Miller, CFA, CIC, CFP
Founder, Summit Place Financial Advisors, LLC
Christina Rizopoulos Valauri
Managing Director, Equity Research
Natixis Securities Americas LLC
2012 Participating Universities
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Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College
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School of Management, Binghamton University
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School of Business, The College of New Jersey
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The College of Staten Island
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Johnson School of Business, Cornell University
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Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College
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Dolan School of Business, Fairfield University
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School of Business, Fordham University
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Frank G. Zarb School of Business, Hofstra University
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Hagan School of Business, Iona College
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School of Business, Montclair State University
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School of Management, New Jersey Institute of Technology
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Stern School of Business, New York University
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Lubin Business School, Pace University
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Queens College
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Quinnipiac University
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Rutgers Business School, Rutgers University
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Howe School of Technology Management, Stevens Institute of Technology
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Stillman Business School, Seton Hall University
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Tobin College of Business, St. John’s University
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University at Albany, State University of New York
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College of Business, Stony Brook University
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Cotsakos College of Business, William Paterson University
2012 Subject Company
MICROS Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCRS)
2012 Sponsor
2011 New York Regional Winner
Rutgers Business School, Rutgers University
For more information on the NYC-area competition of the CFA Institute Research Challenge, please contact Derly Zapata at dzapata@nyssa.org.