Faculty Profile
Mengnan Zhu
(he/him/his)Assistant Professor of International Business & Management (2022)
Contact Information
Althouse Hall Room 218
717-245-1261
Bio
Mengnan Zhu received his Ph.D. in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University in 2022 and has been a certified Project Management Professional (PMP)® since 2011. He specializes in utilizing machine learning techniques to investigate empirical corporate finance issues, such as capital structure, initial public offering (IPO), and the impact of financial regulations on both firms and investors. In recent research, "Does the Confidential IPO Registration Process Create Value?" he conducts textual analysis on corporate disclosures and documents that valuable information is produced during the confidential revise-and-resubmit process between the going-public firm and the SEC. Before coming to the U.S., Mengnan worked in a private equity firm in Beijing, where he was a Senior Financial Analyst focusing on large-scale natural gas infrastructure projects.
Education
- B.S., Shandong Technology and Business University, 2008
- M.B.A., The State University of New York at New Paltz, 2010
- M.S., Brandeis University, 2017
- Ph.D., 2022
2025-2026 Academic Year
Fall 2025
INBM 110 Fundamentals of Accounting
This is a core course designed to provide students with a fundamental knowledge of the "language of business" and its applications for decision-making purposes. The course is organized into three sections. In the first section students learn about the accounting cycle- essentially the analysis and recording of financial transactions and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The second section of the course focuses on the analysis and interpretation of financial statements. This section emphasizes the use of financial information by external stakeholders for decision making. The third section of the course concentrates on the fundamentals of management accounting. This section centers on the use of accounting information for operational performance evaluation as well as operational and capital decision making. By the end of the course, students will understand the basic principles and concepts of accounting, the business and economic activities that generate accounting information, how accounting information is used by internal and external stakeholders for economic decision making, and how accounting affects society and individuals.
INBM 350 Investments
This course aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of key investment theories and concepts from a practical perspective. The course first explores the fundamental principles of investment in financial markets, providing a solid groundwork for subsequent in-depth discussions. Participants will then delve into an array of topics vital to their success in the investment field, such as the evolving role of investment in the market dynamics, investors’ decision-making process, determinants of the risk-return portfolio, asset valuation and allocation, and understanding of current issues and debates in financial markets. Prerequisites: 250.