Individual scores on the worksheets will vary based on the extent to which you follow these instructions and
develop thorough, thoughtful, well-written responses to each of the worksheet prompts.Connecting with the
course learning materials: I want to point out one other important consideration with respect to doing well (and
scoring well) on the worksheets. Be sure to CONNECT WITH (and informally reference) applicable content
from the module’s learning materials. Written communication skills: Finally, I expect your worksheet responses
to be well-written and thoughtfully composed, free of spelling and grammar errors.
This is perhaps the most writing-intensive worksheet in the course.
For this particular worksheet, all of the questions are open-ended questions, each deserving of a well thought
out response. Generally, that means two to three well-constructed paragraphs (about 150 words on average)
per prompt, following the guidelines set forth above.
1) Think of a time when someone presented his or her mental model as if it were a fact. What kinds of
responses did this elicit? Can you think of a time when you have done this? Clearly and succinctly describe
this, connecting to the idea of mental models.
2) The next time you are personally offended or frustrated by someone’s comments, what questions could you
ask to better understand the other person’s mental models? How could you help him or her do the same for
you? Explain your answers.
3) Consider the “different towers with different views” metaphor as it applies to your own life. What “towers” do
you inhabit? To get your mind flowing, it may help you to think in terms of your beliefs about, for example, how
organizations should be run, or beliefs about leadership and motivation, political ideology, theology, parenting
style, etc.
4) Think through at least a few beliefs you hold. How has your tower view affected your life? Have you changed
a view? Also, comment on how your beliefs have led to disagreements or impasses with others who inhabit
“different towers with different views.”
5) Now we are going to work through the “ladder of inference” to get a sense of how self-reinforcing dynamics
are at play in our own lives. Review the material on the Ladder of Inference (page 72 of the Neanderthal
story/debrief), and describe a conflict that took place in your life (personal or professional) in which someone
hastily climbed up the ladder and “jumped” to conclusions about something (or someone).
TRACE THE STEPS OF THE LADDER, working through all seven steps of the ladder briefly describing what
was happening at each step.
6) Finally, review the guidelines for making your thinking explicit (the bullet points on pages 75-77 of the
Neanderthal story/debrief). With the conflict you identified in the previous question, which of these guidelines
seem most relevant? How might the application of these guidelines have helped to shed light on the problem or
helped to facilitate its resolution? Be specific.

Sample Solution

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Final Project
Your written assignment is as follows:

1.    Locate a publicly traded company in an industry that interests you.  Find a publicly traded competitor which is suitable for a merger or acquisition with this firm.

2.      Write a ten page double spaced paper (not including exhibits) on why the company should be acquired and what purchase price should be paid.  In addition to a hard copy, a copy of your paper on disk is required.  The disk label should include your topic and all members of your group.  Your analysis should include the real reasons behind the merger and not the standard answers.  Major topics should include:  A brief background of the industry which the company operates, a background on the company and the management team, the acquisition purchase price (you may want to include a base purchase price and the maximum purchase price your firm would be willing to pay), what makes this merger a good fit, a brief strategy on how the company will operate after the merger, and how the deal would be financed.

3.    You have an enormous amount of material to use for this project.  Annual Reports and 10Ks can be obtained by contacting the companys Investor Services Department. 

4.    Prepare your presentation as though it was before the Board of Directors of the company.  The class will be asking specific questions about your analysis, so be prepared.

5.    Group participation by each member is critical to the success of the group.  Therefore, each group member will evaluate each of the other members.  I will provide each member with an evaluation form.

Two of the major evaluation criteria for the paper are:
1)    How well do you apply the financial concepts and analysis for your proposed acquisition.
2)    The quality and originality of the recommendations (and how well they tie to your analysis) of the company.
3)    The quality of your twenty minute presentation with two analytical questions from the class.

The paper must follow APA Format. The maximum length of the paper is 15 double spaced pages, excluding references and abstract. You may attach as many pages as appendixes of data, tables, etc. as you need. A financial model with a discounted cash flow valuation is required and should be included in the paper to support your analysis.