Four UPEI business students win global investment research challenge
The University of PEI is pleased to announce that a team from the School of Business won the Atlantic Canada Global Investment Research Challenge (IRC) sponsored by the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute. The team from UPEI was one of five Atlantic Canada teams that presented a research report on the subject company, Dollarama.
The Global IRC is an educational initiative in which business students from the region spend a semester researching, valuing, and finally, making a recommendation on a pre-selected publicly traded company.
UPEI's team included Ashley Adams, Jeff MacKenzie, Graham McNabb, and Kyle Smith who analyzed all available information about the company, determined its value, and wrote a 10-page financial analysis that was submitted to judges from the industry. A requirement was to include a buy or sell recommendation on the company, and set a target price for investors.
On February 4, the team travelled to Halifax to deliver a presentation to a judging panel of four Halifax-based CFAs. Marks were awarded to each team on the basis of their investment report, the presentation of their analysis, and their ability to answer and respond to detailed questions from the judges.
As the winning team, UPEI now qualifies for the CFA Institute's Americas Regional Final of the Global IRC which takes place in Omaha, Nebraska, April 7-8, 2011. There, they compete against teams from 40 universities across North and South America. If the students win the regional event, they will advance to the Global Finals taking place the following day.
'Competing in the Global IRC was a great way to take the tools that we have learned and apply them to real-life business scenarios,' said Jeff MacKenzie. 'We had a phenomenal team for this competition who all brought different strengths to the table. Having a good team as well as the immense support that we receive from faculty is very motivating. We are looking forward to representing UPEI against the top finance teams around the world at the regional final in April.'
'We are so proud for our students,' said Dr. Roberta MacDonald, dean of the School of Business. 'This win highlights the quality of our students. It is just one more indication that our students can compete successfully against their peers from larger programs. It is always fantastic to see students link what they have learned in the classroom to something that can be utilized after they complete their studies.'
This is only the second time UPEI has participated in the Global IRC and the third time this semester a team from UPEI has won a competition against their peers. The other four student teams were from Saint Mary's, St. Francis Xavier, University of New Brunswick, and Memorial.
'Graham, Kyle, Ashley, and Jeff put in a lot of extra time preparing their analysis for the Global IRC,' said Dr. Sean Hennessey, the team's faculty advisor. 'This competition is a great opportunity for students to meet people in the industry, practice their presenting skills, and learn how to tailor their writing for a specific audience. I also wish to thank Chad King, a CFA who is Vice-President & Portfolio Manager at Seamark Asset Management based in Halifax. Chad was the industry mentor for the team and is a graduate from the School.'
The team is now eagerly awaiting further information about the regional final.
About Atlantic Canada CFA Society
Atlantic Canada CFA Society is an association of local investment professionals. There are members in all four Atlantic Provinces and the membership consists of portfolio managers, security analysts, investment advisors, and other financial professionals.
About CFA Institute
CFA Institute is the global, not-for-profit association of investment professionals that awards the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and CIPM (Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement) designations. There are over 92,000 CFA charter holders, in 134 countries around the world.
