1. Kaplan University Graduate School of Management
SELF DIRECTED LEARNING PLAN
The Self Directed Learning Plan (SDLP) is a process and document to chronicle your accomplishments and learning steps through the MBA
program and beyond as they relate to your professional goals. The SDLP will help you to identify and target the array of competencies you need to
reach your professional objectives and to help you organize your Kaplan MBA learning experience to suit your career objectives. The SDLP will
be a section of your Program Portfolio, so take some quality introspective time to consider strengths and areas of development relevant to your
career objectives. We encourage you to contact Career Services for feedback on relevant competencies for your career goal, as well as other
insights. By knowing your strengths and areas to develop, you can begin a plan to find out what you need to do to achieve your career goals.
We encourage you to continue to reflect on the identified areas throughout the MBA program. If you feel strength or development area is no longer
relevant, you may add another to take its place. At any time, you may also add additional areas.
Your Name: Amit Mathur Date: 4-20-2013
Course Title: Financial Management: theory and practice
Professional Goal (3-5 years) from now:
To attain a management position in a health-care organization. At the end of the program I should be able to analyze, and administer
support to various pharmacy operations that are needed to run the pharmacy business successfully. I should be able to successfully
implement these programs that would offer customer satisfaction to the clients. In addition to that, I may be able to modify certain tasks
to the best interest of the company I work for.
Some of the computer skills that I need are already integrated in this MBA program. At the end of this course I can easily work on excel,
PowerPoint presentation and Microsoft word. These tools are absolutely essential to work as a benefits manager. I also have acquired
analytical and financial accounting skills by taking a course of Financial Management GB550 in this program. I would like to see myself
climb the corporate ladder up the top position one day.
Strengths to Leverage
Step 1: The most effective and satisfied people align their work with their natural strong points. Identify 3-5 of your key strengths (see Column 1
below); these could be a competency, skill, ability, knowledge area or personal characteristic. Think about how you can leverage those strengths
to be effective in your work, achieve your professional goals, and become a leader in your profession.
Step 2: At the beginning of each course in your MBA program, answer the following question either using this template or a narrative format.
What do you expect to learn in this course that will help you leverage your strengths? (See Column 2 below). Be as specific as you can, e.g.,
assume that strength is your analytical ability. You might expect to understand more about macro economics so that you can analyze how the

2. housing crisis affects other segments of the economy, such as interest rates or unemployment. At the beginning of the course you are not
expected to be an expert in all facets of the course learning; however, you can glean valuable insights from the course description or purpose,
course and unit learning objectives, and from unit themes.
Step 3: At the end of each course (Unit 6) answer the following questions either using this template or a narrative format. Did you learn what
you expected to learn? (See Column 3 below). Was there information or insights that helped you that you didn’t expect to learn at the outset of
the course? For example, not only did you learn about macro economics, but you learned some software tools that help in conducting an
economic analysis. What changes or additions, if any, will you make to your SDLP based on learning in this course?
Step 1: Strengths to
Leverage
Step 2: Course Learning Goals Step 3: Course Outcomes & Assessment
Strength 1
Good Analytical skills
GB 550. Using Strategic Analysis, I should be able to
strategically analyze financial statements for
businesses.
GB 550. At the end of Unit 1& 2 in this course
I can strategically analyze various financial
statements and can identify style, quality and
customer service in a company. I am able to
analyze financial ratios as well.
Strength 2
Ability to identify risks in a
business
GB 550. Recognize the various roles of capital
structure decisions in a company. How to maximize a
firm’s intrinsic value by identifying the appropriate
capital structure issue(s).
GB 550. The project given in Unit3 and 5 has
enabled me to identify potential capital
structure issue(s) that a firm could possibly
have and chapter 15 in the text book has
taught me how to manage these issues.
Strength 3
Ability to implement
rational thinking.
GB 550. Deal with budgeting process in a business.
Analyze various behavioral considerations in an
efficient portfolio.
GB 550. Chapter 24 from the text book has
enabled me to identify key issues involved in
managing investment portfolios through beta
coefficient.
Strength 4
Determination of a
business’s position in
terms of its stocks
GB 550. Study various Pricing models to determine
the value of stocks and their returns.
GB550. Chapter 24 in the text book has taught
me various pricing models used to determine
returns on stocks of a firm. I also studied the
comparisons among CAPM, APT and the
Fama-French Model in this chapter.
Strength 5
Perform evaluation for my
staff
GB 550. Be able to check performance of the tasks
given to my staff against set goals like budget and
plans
GB 550. The chapter on Strategic
Performance from the text book has taught
me how to measure performance of my staff
based on the budget goals given to them.
Areas to Develop

3. Step 1: We all have strengths, but we also have areas on which we need to improve. As related to your career goal, identify 3-5 areas to
develop (see Column 1 below); these could be a competency, skill, ability, knowledge area or personal characteristic. Think about how you can
improve in these areas so that you can achieve your professional goals and become a leader in your profession.
Step 2: At the beginning of each course answer the following question either using this template or a narrative format. What do you expect to
learn in this course that will help you to develop in the identified area? (See Column 2 below).
Step 3: At the end of each course (Unit 6) answer the following questions either using this template or a narrative format. Did you learn what
you expected to learn? (See Column 3 below). Was there information or insights that helped you that you didn’t expect to learn at the outset of
the course? What changes or additions, if any, will you make to your SDLP based on learning in this course?
Step 1: Areas to develop Step 2: Course Learning Goals Step 3: Course Outcomes & Assessment
Area 1
Lack accounting skills
GB 550. Be able to identify and analyze
accounting processes through different
analytical situations
GB 550. I have been able to overcome this weakness
through analyzing and interpreting various
accounting assignments that I took in this course
Area 2
Difficulty in concepts on
capital structure.
GB550. A project on capital structure
analysis should be able to help identify the
key issues and how a business makes
decisions based on them.
GB 550 the project assigned to analyze the capital
structure of a publicly held company has enabled
me to be able to analyze capital structure of a
business and thus make financial decisions
accordingly.
Area 3
Difficulty in determining the
value of a firm.
GB 550. Unit 6 in this course should enable
me how the value of a firm is determined.
GB 550. Chapter 13 form the text book has taught
me how to determine the financial value of a firm by
using corporate governance method as corporate
decisions are made by managers and not
stockholders. This chapter also taught me how to
calculate the present value of a company along with
its non-operating assets.