Information Flows in the Capital Market and Academic Research

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course has three main objectives: (1) provide a broad overview of the roles of corporate disclosure, disclosure channels (e.g., conference calls, social media, private discussions), and investor relations in shaping how information flows through the capital markets as well as the rules governing these communications, (2) discuss the roles and incentives of key capital market actors (e.g., board of directors, auditors, buy-side and sell-side analysts, the business press, activist investors) as they relate to communications between firms and the market; discussions will center on contentious and timely issues faced by firms and market actors, and (3) expose students to academic research related to these topics with a focus on the capital market impacts. Students will learn how to read and critically assess academic research, allowing them to process the material in a more structured, rigorous, and comprehensive way.