Business Commons^™

Challenges Of The Cooperative Movement In Addressing Issues Of Human Security In The Context Of A Neoliberal World: The Case Of Argentina, Stefan Ivanovski

Honors Theses

The response of some Argentine workers to the 2001 crisis of neoliberalism gave rise to a movement of worker-recovered enterprises (empresas recuperadas por sus trabajadores or ERTs). The ERTs have emerged as former employees took over the control of generally fraudulently bankrupt factories and enterprises. The analysis of the ERT movement within the neoliberal global capitalist order will draw from William Robinson’s (2004) neo-Gramscian concept of hegemony. The theoretical framework of neo-Gramscian hegemony will be used in exposing the contradictions of capitalism on the global, national, organizational and individual scales and the effects they have on the ERT movement.

The …

Government Influence And The Failure Of Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac, Aravind Mohan

Honors Theses

In 2008 two government-sponsored enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, were placed into conservatorship due to insolvency. The financial bailout of the two publically traded corporations came at the expense of the American tax payer. This study investigates the relationship between direct and indirect government influence and the increasing risk taking of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from the late 1990’s through their conservatorship in 2008. As government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have many special advantages that other publically traded companies did not possess. These advantages allowed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to increase their profitability. Theoretical literature …

Bailing Out America: An Honors Thesis Addressing The Bailout And Financial Crisis Of 2008, Reuben Cash

Honors Theses

This paper analyzes the financial crisis of 2008 and the resulting government intervention of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or more generally called "the bailout." Beginning with historical context of past interventions, it sets forth an understanding of the economic environment of 2008. After explaining the mechanics of the financial crisis, it proposes that the reinsurance products underlying the financial markets in 2008 were based on unsound accounting and risk management principles. Based on this proposition, the representational faithfulness and fairness of mark-to-market accounting principles are examined. The paper concludes that a short-term financial focus is largely to blame for …

Following The Herd: An Economic Analysis Of The Effects Of Herd Mentality On The U.S. Housing Bubble, Michael P. Spicer

Honors Theses

One focus of economics in the recent years has been the integration of human behavior, including that of herd behavior, into economic thought. Herd behavior can be defined as the way that individuals, who have private information, end up acting together as a group inadvertently, without planned action. It is thought to be caused by incomplete information and subsequently information cascades. Does this behavior exist, and if it does, did it have any effect on the recent housing market? The last twelve years provide a good opportunity to test whether or not herd behavior exists in the housing market, and …

The Family And Medical Leave Act: Effects On Women's Wages And Employment, Andrea E. Miller

Honors Theses

For many years, women's labor force participation and issues of parental leave have been of great importance not only to families and individuals, but also to policy makers, researchers, and employers alike. The Family and Medical Leave Act was the first federal policy enacted in an effort to accommodate medical leave for employees. The Family and Medical Leave Act allowed both men and women to take extended, unpaid leaves due to personal or family medical and health issues. The FMLA establishes a federal, minimum leave threshold in order for employees to take such an extended leave to include the following …

Stock Markets And Household Wealth: Can A Stock Market Crash Cause A Recession In The U.S. Economy?, Ishan Singh

Honors Theses

Stock market wealth effects on the level of consumption in the United States economy have been constantly debated; there is evidence for arguments for and against its prominence and its symmetry. This paper seeks to investigate the strength of its negative effect by creating models to analyze unexpected shocks to the Standard and Poor's 500 index. First, a transmission mechanism between the stock market and GDP is established through the use of second-order vector autoregressive models. Following which, theory from the life cycle model and adaptations of previous researchers' models are used to create a structural model. This paper finds …

Textbook Bundling : Is It Really Worth The Sum Of Its Parts, Kati Simmons

Honors Theses

Studies have been conducted examining the impact of commodity bundling on company profits and the premium prices charged for these bundles. With recent news of the skyrocketing costs of higher education, it is critical to highlight the specific effects of commodity bundling on the prices of textbooks. A study performed by the Government Accountability Office in 2005 cited that a main cause of increasing textbook prices is the recent inclusion of textbook supplements such as software and workbooks. This paper investigates the impact that different types of supplements have on the overall price paid for the bundle. Aggregate sales data …

Michigan State Government Employment Sector: Are We In Line With The National Trends?, Thomas Walter Cronkright Ii

Honors Theses

Examines the national trends of employment to make a comparison for Michigan State government employment. Results show that Michigan's public employment trends do not follow national employment trends in a comparable way. Michigan is distinct from the nation for several reasons: a hiring freeze placed on Michigan State Departments, higher levels of union participation and employee pay, and benefits packages that cost more than the Executive Branch of the U.S. government. Thus, either Michigan provides superior benefits or it pays a premium for those benefits. Suggests further research is needed.

A Study Of The Utility And Validity Of Earnings Forecasts, Michael P. Howell

Honors Theses

According to William J. Casey, the past Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and recently appointed Under Secretary of State and Economic Affairs, forecasting should be the first and most important priority of all areas of management and public accounting. Only large institutional investment corporations have had access to such "useful" information when needed. Consequently, large investors are able to make more objective and intelligent investment decisions. A recent study determined that few investment corporations veritably have access to pertinent internal forecasting models. In fact, when interviewed, many executives claimed that even if they could procure such information, they …

The National Retail Credit Association: An Experiment In Cooperation For Retail Credit Control, Barbara Tharpe

Honors Theses

With the use of consumer credit becoming more and more widespread, there has been a growing feeling that its use should be controlled. This is an examination of the fundamental developments in the history of the National Retail Credit Association, the leading association of retail credit men, giving special consideration to the idea of credit control. The credit abuses before any form of cooperation or control evolved are presented in the first chapter. Then, the part that the NRCA played in bringing about the cooperation of retail credit men is treated . The NRCA was the first to suggest voluntary …

History Of The National Retail Credit Association, Elizabeth Redford

Honors Theses

With the ever increasing use of credit in our present day economy, it is only fitting that our attention be directed to an organization which, although established less than thirty years ago, has come to be one of the most important institutions in our modern credit economy. This institution is the National Retail Credit Association which was established for the expressed purpose of bettering credit conditions in the field of retall trade. As far as we are able to determine, no complete history of this organization has been published, and it is for this reason that I have endeavored in …