Business Commons^™

College Majors And Unemployment Rates, Anna M. Gellerman, Harshita Ahuja

Publications and Research

College undergraduates often face the question of whether their major and related job force have high unemployment rates. The perceived high unemployment rates of certain majors due to circulating misinformation presents a need for comprehensive research on college majors and their associated unemployment rate. This paper dives into a ten year trend of unemployment rates by college major, and state to state variabilities of majors and their rates.

Effects Of Commodity Prices On Stock Returns In The Firearm Industry, Lance Siler

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

A modified version of the CAPM (Capital Asset Pricing Model) is used to evaluate the potential relationship between commodity inputs and the stock returns of public firearm companies. The data analysis involved using the model to develop expected returns for each of the companies’ stock and then a regression was run between the returns provided by the model and historical returns. The p-values for each regression are statistically significant. This indicates that there is some sort of connection between metal commodity returns and stock returns.

Theater And Covid-19: Examining How The Pandemic Financially Affected Production Crew Members In The Theater Industry, Abigail Jasak

Honors College Theses

Since the beginning of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted many aspects of almost every industry worldwide. This paper will cover the financial effect that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on production crew members working within the theater industry. Research will be conducted through literature review, evaluating similar historical events and current discussions throughout the industry, and one-on-one structured interviews with production crew members who were financially impacted by the pandemic. The main goal of this thesis is to examine the different financial situations of production crew members and determine if management and production companies within the industry were …

Using Modern Portfolio Theory To Create Efficient Portfolios From The S&P500, Dylan Rhoads

Honors College Theses

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (S&P 500) serves as a proxy for the U.S. equity market and is among the most widely cited financial instruments in the world. Its risk and return can be accepted as the market’s, leading it to be the benchmark for performance in many investment settings. Modern portfolio theory helps to quantify performance by explaining the relationship between risk and return. Every portfolio has its own return and risk level, with the optimal allocations falling on the “Efficient Frontier”, that is the line on a graph that connects the portfolios that have the maximum return …

Accounting And Finance Lessons In The Time Of Covid-19: Views From The Pacific Basin: Part 2, Kuan Yong David Ding, Julie Harrison, Martien Lubberink, Chris Van Staden

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The global COVID-19 pandemic is now in its second year, and we are fast approaching the third. The year 2021 has brought some hope that vaccination will lead to the end of the pandemic. But it has also brought a more infectious variant of COVID-19 and multiple waves of surging cases that show no immediate sign of disappearing. As the pandemic continues to impact global societies and economies, it is imperative that we study its impact to try and understand how it will affect us in both the short-term and long-term. While the longer-term impacts are still unknown, there is …

Questions For Discussion Board (Finance Course), Loren Cohen

Open Educational Resources

This assignment is designed to get students to think about the meaning behind the numbers. All too often, students calculate given scenarios without understanding why they are doing so. This will hopefully encourage deeper thinking.

The Unknown Benefits Of Black Markets, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Research on the license plate market in China’s capital finds that black markets can potentially serve as an auction mechanism to redistribute limited resources to those in need

Accounting And Finance Lessons In The Time Of Covid-19 – Views From The Pacific Basin, Kuan Yong David Ding, Julie Harrison, Martien Lubberink, Chris Van Staden

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to create the worst economic recession in our lifetime and generate “enormous damage to our health, jobs, and well-being” (OECD, 2020). This special issue focuses on the lessons for accounting and finance policy-makers, practitioners, and academics as a result of the social and economic turmoil that arose in the immediate period following the World Health Organization’s declaration of a pandemic (WHO, 2020). Governments responded to support businesses and economies using various policy tools to support markets, businesses and individuals impacted by the pandemic. It is timely to consider the extent to which policymakers and standard-setters …

2+2=Cake: A Book Of Conversations About Possibilities In Business And Art, Elizabeth Ann Alspach

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

2+2=CAKE is a toolkit for people interested in creating their own economic container to support their livelihood. Calling upon the entrepreneurial experience of artists and creatives who founded or run organizations, the book and accompanying workbook and motivational posters serve as an incubator, buoy, and affirming resource for those looking to build the economic container in which they make their livelihood.

Bibliographic Measures Of Top-Tier Finance, Information Systems, And Management Science Journals, Thomas M. Krueger, Jack D. Shorter, Randy G. Colvin

Economic and Business Review

Purpose: Faculty research is frequently the basis of pay, tenure, and promotion decisions in the university arena. Meanwhile, perceptions regarding the quantity and quality of the research produced by a faculty is often the basis of departmental, college, and university reputation. The journal in which research findings are published is often used to assess the overall research quality. In order to better benchmark journal quality, this report provides findings of a meticulous investigation of leading journals in the finance, information systems and management science disciplines. It examines four different citation-based measures of quality and four journal characteristics that are exogenous …

Canadian Banks And Imperialism In The English-Speaking Caribbean, Tamanisha J. John

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Canadian banks have been important components of an imperialist system since at least the 19^th century. However, their long and rich history of operating as purely exploitative entities in the English-speaking Caribbean region is often overlooked— leading to many incomplete and conflicting narratives about Canada’s role within the global system. I argue that Canada is an imperial actor that exerts agency in supporting a Canadian banking oligopoly both within Canada and in the English-speaking Caribbean. Insufficient attention is given to these Canadian banks, especially considering the power they have wielded in the Caribbean over the centuries. By analyzing the …

To What Extent Do Start-Ups See Themselves As Strategic Actors When Approaching Communications And Financing Within Their Companies?, Shanice Swaby

Student Theses and Dissertations

This capstone study explores entrepreneurial narratives centered around the role of communication within a start-up environment and to what extent strategic communication plays a role. I am addressing the following question: To what extent do start-ups see themselves as strategic actors when approaching communications and financing within their companies? To answer this question, I conducted seven oral histories with entrepreneurs within the Public relations, online sales, and real estate fields. The start-up companies varied in the amount individuals that are currently working for them. This study builds upon previous research about start-up companies and strategic communications. Past research was more …

Law School News: Staff Person Of The Year 2021: Ann Marie Thompson 05/18/2021, Michael M. Bowden

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

The Financial Implications Of The Chinese Healthcare System, Lilly Schneider, Chi Hung Kenneth Leung

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

In 1949 one of the world’s most powerful and influential countries was born: The People’s Republic of China. Perhaps the greatest challenge the country has consistently faced since its inception has been ensuring a fiscally sound healthcare system. Today, China has the world’s largest population and a rapidly aging society with 330 million citizens over the age of 65 projected by 2050- nearly the same size as the total U.S. population. Living standards across China have been drastically increasing in recent decades and the Chinese people are desiring better, higher quality healthcare to complement their new lifestyles. With this desire …

Bitcoin As A Viable Alternative To Legacy Reserve Assets: Reasons, Risks, And Adoption, Jeffry Blake Dunson Ii

Senior Honors Theses

Reserve assets include commodities, currencies, or other capital held by institutions as a hedge against the fluctuations of external factors. While the United States’ rise to power helped establish the US dollar as the most predominant reserve asset of the past fifty years, current events & the fast pace of technological advancement has exposed some limitations in the system. Blockchain technology has allowed for assets with cryptographically verifiable integrity that fundamentally depart from the US dollar standard and has potential to overhaul reserve assets as we know it. The course of this research details the downsides of legacy reserve assets, …

How Technology Impacts The Financial Planning Profession, Allison Conway

Senior Honors Theses

Technology impacts the financial planning field in a distinct way and will continue to change the nature of the industry in the future. Financial planners commonly use various types of technology to improve their service and product quality. This paper will discuss several of these current technologies used by most financial planners, as well as technology that is available today that could be applied to the profession, threats to the field that technology presents such as data security, and future technologies that might have significant implications for planners. It is in the best interest of both client and planner to …

Bitcoin: The Pioneer Of Cryptocurrency With A Limited Dream, Anna M. Gellerman, Benjamin Zheng

Publications and Research

BitCoin is the most well known and adaptable cryptocurrency today. Due to the evolvement of the cryptocurrency market, many are thinking what this could mean for society; is the world ready for a new mainstream medium of exchange? This poster argues that although BitCoin is functional for small scale payments, it is inadaptable to become a payment tool comparable to cash and card.

Is It Risky To Make The World A Better Place: A Study On The Association Between Environmental, Social, And Governance (Esg) Operational Risk Management And Market Derived Volatilities, Kelly L. Johnson

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Investors and firms are increasingly concerned with their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risk exposures. Awareness of firms’ ESG policies by investors has grown substantially over the past five years. This growth led to the creation of company ratings for ESG operational risk exposure from third parties. We will analyze six years of ESG rankings, accounting and return data for S&P 500 firms and test whether ESG risk management ratings are associated with market derived measures of risk.

Risk_Dash, A Python Framework To Model Portfolio Risk, Alexander Van Oene

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

While there are many Python packages that provide ways to do data analysis, in fact the package utilizes pandas, numpy, and scipy heavily, there are few that apply and handle common tasks that analysts face in quantifying market risk. pyfolio is one of those packages, however it forces you to utilize their infrastructure package Zipline where as risk_dash aims to provide a framework to formalize the data flow while being totally customizable for the analyst. risk_dash is comprised of classes and methods to handle the data flow and calculation of market risk metrics at the asset and portfolio level. In …

How Has Covid-19 Affected Financial Gains Of Big-Tech Companies?, Erin Flanigen

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial returns received by Big-Tech companies in order to predict future financial returns and related business activities. The main objectives of this paper are to delineate business models and financial statements of Big-Tech companies prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, present ample, relevant economic information regarding COVID-19, and encompass the effects of COVID-19 on global economies. This study then predicts the future economic effects of COVID-19 on Big-Tech companies. The selected Big-Tech companies included in this study are Facebook, Alphabet (Google), Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon; each company saw …

The Evolution Of Investing, Bradyn Papke

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

A Literature Review on how investing has changed, the companies that have have pioneered this change, and the shift in investment personality to companies that spearhead Environmental Sustainability through Impact Investing.

Insider Trading As A Precursor To Modern Business Ethics, Robyn Coleman

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

There has been a recent change in business that there is more focus on the “stakeholder approach” than shareholder primacy. This can be attributed to the early actions and illegality of insider trading that expected a step beyond a solely economic approach. This attitude was then replicated to become what we see as the modern business approach. Business now includes ethical investing, environmental focus, corporate citizenship, and emphasis on multiple stakeholders that was not always there. Companies have embraced this position while others have been criticized for not doing so. As this approach develops and changes, it will be enlightening …

The Strategic Approach To Internationalisation, Gordon Perchthold

Asian Management Insights

Asia is the global sweet spot for multinationals (MNCs) looking to generate revenue and, over the mid-term, sustained profits.

The Microfinance Experiment: An Evaluation Of Programs And Effectiveness In St. Louis, Maxwell Miller

Honors Scholar Theses

Widespread poverty remains a reality for many in both developed and developing countries. Policymakers, charitable organizations, and entrepreneurs have introduced diverse strategies to provide individuals and communities opportunities to rise from poverty. One such method is microfinance, a system developed by Muhammad Yunus in the early 1970s to provide small loans and financial services to borrowers too impoverished or otherwise lacking in credibility or collateral to be considered by traditional means of credit.

Since its inception, microfinance has spread among other countries to mixed success. While many researchers claim microfinance has proven to be an effective tool to combat poverty, …

Analyzing The Correlation Of The University Of Mississippi Football Program's Success And Financials With That Of The University And Local Businesses In Oxford, Mississippi, Courtney C. Schaeffer

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to look at Ole Miss athletic events, specifically football games, and the success and profit of local businesses in Oxford, Mississippi and the University of Mississippi. There are several existing studies analyzed in this paper that indicate a correlation between college football programs and the University and city revenues at several other colleges and universities across the country. A historical analysis of the University of Mississippi Athletic Department’s revenues and expenses, football attendance numbers, and University enrollment trends throughout the years 2015 to 2019 indicates how important football is to the University and its …

The Impact Of Crises On The Shift In Capital Flows From Active To Passive Investment Strategies, Jordan Wang

Honors Scholar Theses

The study investigates the plausibility of an active to passive transition, the impact of crises on the potential transition, and the performance-flow relationship of both active and passive investment products, which includes US equity, open-end and ETF, funds. The analysis compares active and passive funds through the lens of fund flows, absolute returns, and risk-adjusted returns. The study shows that there seemed to be an active to passive transition from 2007 – 2019 and that 2020 – 2021 exhibits measures that could describe changes in the active to passive narrative. A performance-flow relationship exists across both active and passive funds. …

Assessing Leadership In Business – Finance: A Critical Investigation Of Jamie Dimon, Kelly Finn

Honors Scholar Theses

Jamie Dimon became the CEO of J.P. Morgan Chase over a decade ago at age 49. Since, Jamie has earned his place as the world’s top, longest-reigning Wall Street leader. That said, Jamie Dimon was not always as successful as his title and reputation might suggest. In 1998, he was fired from his position as CEO of Citigroup by his own decade-long mentor, Sandy Weill (Dealbook, 2014). It is precisely Jamie’s ability to overcome this major career obstacle that threatened his reputation and career success. The way he handled his own firing with professionalism, strategy, and resiliency enabled his rebound …

Exploring An Alternative To Ipos: Special-Purpose Acquisition Companies (Spacs), Vaishali Kanamalla

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this research paper is to provide an overview of Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) which has gained popularity relatively recently. First, an introduction to SPACs will be provided including its historical roots, structure, and investment process. Thereafter, the paper will walk through the current landscape of SPACs, criticisms, and comparisons with traditional IPOs. The paper will conclude with discussions on the future outlook of the investment vehicle along with a study on SPAC returns vs. those of traditional IPOs.

A Study On The Federal Reserve’S Influence On The Stock Market, Patrick Mcfarland

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

With the growing age of the tech economy, post housing crash financial market, and unprecedented challenges like a global pandemic with a death toll in the millions, major financial institutions in the United States have been forced to reconsider many aspects of the old ways of doing things. The most influential institution in the U.S., the Federal Reserve (the Fed), has become more involved with the financial markets over the past several decades. Using a sample of 134 publicly-traded companies, I analyzed variables to assess the effects of the Fed’s new influence on market expectations from the past ten years. …

Modeling The Stock Market Through Game Theory, Kylie Hannafey

Honors College Theses

Game Theory is used on many occasions to help us understand interactions between decision-makers. The famous Nash equilibrium is a steady state in a model that shows the interaction of different players, in which no player can do better by choosing a different action if the actions of the other players do not change. These two concepts can be applied to numerous situations that vary in types of players, but for our research, we are focusing on businesses in the stock market. The main objective is to use Game Theory to analyze data collected from the stock market, model our …