|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
||
| Note: The FORTUNE Preview Guide is created in HTML. If you are unable to properly view the cover image, Course Connector, or hyperlinks, please view the online version at http://www.fortuneeducation.com/preview_guides/index.html. |
| COURSE CONNECTOR |
| ARTICLE SUMMARIES AND QUESTIONS |
| "I'm
Tom Barrack and I'm Getting Out," pp. 88-104: Tom Barrack,
the world's leading real estate investor, has made billions in
the booming U.S. market. So why is he cashing out now? According
to him, "there's too much money chasing too few good deals, with
too much debt and too few brains." Other investors ought to take
heed: Barrack has amassed a personal fortune of more than $1 billion,
and through his private-equity firm, Colony Capital, he runs a
$25 billion portfolio of trophy assets that includes Asia's Raffles
hotel chain, Aga Khan's former resort in Sardinia, and Resorts
International, the largest private gaming company in the U.S. He's
done it all by focusing on distressed properties with low pricetags.
He refurbishes and resells, usually within five years, to make
double-digit returns. So what's next for Barrack? He sees opportunities
in Asia, where growth is booming, and Europe, where the best deals
are either politically sensitive or reserved for an exclusive club
of investors that Colony is expert at courting. No matter which
continent he ends up on, he figures he'll be safe when the U.S.
real estate market bubble finally pops — something he expects
to happen very soon.
Students will read about a highly successful real estate investor whose uncanny ability for finding the best deals is now leading him away from the U.S. market. Discussion Questions:
"Will Success Spoil Rick Warren?" pp. 108-120: He holds court with presidents, entertainers, and leaders of industry. He is the author of one of the best-selling books of the decade. He draws 22,000 worshippers each weekend to the massive church in Southern California that he founded 25 years ago. Who is he? He's Rick Warren, the apparent successor to Billy Graham as America's favorite pastor. Unlike some other evangelical leaders, Warren, a self-described "spiritual entrepreneur," is affable, business-savvy, and comfortable in the mainstream culture. One of his many grand ambitions is to use his popularity and clout to inspire American Christians to save Africa — specifically, Rwanda — from poverty, disease, and illiteracy. To do that he needs to unite a nation that is sharply divided along religious lines by issues like abortion, gay marriage, stem-cell research, human cloning, and euthanasia. If he succeeds at uniting in the cause of social justice his core constituency of socially conservative evangelical Christians with secularists and people of various religious faiths and political affiliations, he will not only silence critics of his vast ministry, but also solidify the notion that he is a true management genius. This article will prompt students to question whether business and religion can mix — and be lucrative in the process. Discussion Questions:
"The Coming Storm Over a Cancer Vaccine," pp. 123-130: A vaccine with the potential to eradicate the second-biggest cancer killer of women worldwide — sounds like medical science fiction, right? Wrong. It's Gardasil, the first cancer vaccine ever. Developed over a ten-year period by Merck, Gardasil is shown in clinical trials to have 100% efficacy in fighting the dominant strains of the virus that causes cervical cancer. Creators of the Merck vaccine, which is expected to hit the market in 2006, and a rival vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline say it will save lives as well as billions of dollars in healthcare costs every year. It may have the added benefit of rejuvenating Merck, which is still hurting since the downfall of Vioxx. Not everyone sees Gardasil in a positive light, however. Because the cancer-causing virus that the vaccine attacks is typically spread by sexual intercourse, The Family Research Council, a Christian organization based in Washington, D.C., feels the vaccine will undermine efforts to promote abstinence among young people. It remains to be seen whether the powerful Christian right will take a hard line and actively work to block mass inoculations. If it does, Gardasil might never get the chance to fulfill its promise. In this article, students will see how the politics of morality can impact the applications of medical science. Discussion Questions:
"India's Bumpy Ride," pp. 134-147: Today's India is a true study in paradox. It turns out hundreds of thousands of brilliant engineers each year, yet nearly a third of its population — and more than half of all women — cannot read or write. Its software houses manage complex data across thousands of miles of undersea cable for the world's most sophisticated clients, while its national highway network consists of a meager 124,000 miles of poorly maintained, mostly two-lane roads. It has world-class business leaders and solvent banks, but its national power grid is so deficient that as much as 40% of the electricity it generates is simply lost in transmission. There is no doubt that many Indians are living better than ever before, and the Indian economy is jumping, but if India is to experience the same economic development as its neighbor to the north, China, it has to get the basics right. In addition to investing more money in its infrastructure and educating its female population, India would do well to follow China's lead by loosening labor restrictions and opening the economy to competition and foreign trade-policies the current government seems hesitant to put in place. Students will analyze India's flawed development model and examine opportunities for change. Discussion Questions:
|
|
|
The FORTUNE Preview Guide
is a biweekly publication of the FORTUNE Education Program, and
is designed to provide professors with the necessary
resources to use FORTUNE Magazine in the classroom. The FORTUNE Education
Program also invites professors and students to subscribe to FORTUNE
Magazine at more than 85% off the cover price. Visit our Website
at http://www.fortuneeducation.com.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE GUIDE
CHANGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
OPTIONS WHAT DO YOU THINK?
CONTACT US
|
|
© 2005, FORTUNE Education Program Read our Privacy Policy www.fortuneeducation.com |
