Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Analysis Of The Determinants Of Financial Derivative Use By Commercial Banks, Katie Hundman '98

Honors Projects

Section One will provide background infonnation defining financial derivatives and discussing their increasing popularity among commercial banks. A summary of recent regulatory developments surrounding capital requirements and derivative use will also be presented. Section Two will describe previous research that has been done on derivative use in the financial services industry. A theoretical model will be developed in Section Three, and an empirical model will be presented in Section Four. And the results and future implications of the study will be presented in Section Five and Six, respectively.

The Impact Of Youth Characteristics And Experiences On Transitions Out Of Poverty, Michael Seeborg, Mark Israel

Scholarly Publications

Although the causes of intergenerational transitions from poverty have attracted the attention of economists and sociologists in recent years, there have been few attempts to integrate ideas from both disciplines. Using a sample of young adults who were impoverished as youth, this study explores the effects of a number of background characteristics such as early welfare dependency, substance abuse, teen parenthood and parent's educational attainment on the family income levels of young adults. It finds that many of these background variables have significant indirect influences on family income through intervening variables, especially the respondent's own educational attainment, welfare dependency, and …

Japanese U.S. Auto Transplant Production: An Analysis Of The Roles Of Vers And The Exchange Rate, Michael Cornstubble

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

Since their introduction in 1982, Japanese auto transplants in the U.S. have skyrocketed in production, now producing many more cars than are imported. This study incorporates new refinements and revisions to attempt to identify the main factors that are responsible for the introduction of Japanese auto transplants and their massive growth in production over the last 14 years. The author develops two hypotheses for theoretical analysis of the factors contributing to production decisions. The first is that the voluntary export restraints (VERs) imposed on the Japanese from 1981-1985 are responsible for bringing the transplants to the U.S. and for creating …

Firm Size And R&D; Testing The Schumpeterian Hypothesis, Melissa Goodwin

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

This paper aims solely to look at the question of R&D, research and development, expenditure. More specifically, this paper asks the question, "What is the relationship between the size of the firm and R&D? And do larger firms spend more on R&D relative to their size than smaller firms?" The answers to these questions have important implications concerning a firm's incentives for growth and innovation. These answers will also put us a step closer to understanding the functions performed by firms as Coase suggests.

Are Economies Moving In The Direction Of Smaller Firms?, Hong Kian Boon Kelvin

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

This paper assesses the present situation of the SME sector in Singapore, and appraise its role in the future. SMEs are a distinct economic entity that often thrive in small niches. SMEs may be defined in various ways, in terms of the country's stage of development and policy objectives. While the SMEs can play many strategic roles in our transition to the innovation driven stage of development, recent trends over the decade have shown that they still have a long way to go.

Editor's Note: Some figures are missing from this article. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Crowding Out And Government Spending, Marie Carrasco

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

The purpose of this paper is to provide a better understanding of the relationship between budget deficits and private investment and to contribute to the discussion of whether or not such a relationship exists. We test the robustness of Cebula's (1985) model by extending the time period, by testing the model using a proxy for one of the variables, and by de-trending the variables.

A Test Of Additional Effort Expenditure In The "Walk Year" For Major League Baseball Players, Benjamin D. Grad

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

Whether they "overperform" or underperform, it is clear that there is incentive for players to do well in their walk year. This same incentive is not present for players either already tied up in long-term contracts or those without enough major league service time to qualify for free-agent status. This paper seeks to test whether the assertion that players perform better and expend more effort in their "walk year" is empirically observable.

Editor's Note: Figures are missing from this article. We apologize for the inconvenience.

The Minimum Wage In America Will Current Legislation Really Help The Working Poor?, Douglas A. Noe

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

This same incentive is not present for players either already tied up in long-term contracts or those without enough major league service time to qualify for free-agent status. Were Finley's plan adopted, this incentive would be present for all players in all seasons, instead of just the few hoping for lucrative contracts at the end of the year. While the competitive balance (and aggregate statistics) may not be effected, if work effort is indeed endogenous, overall effort (and "hustle") would likely be increased, and a finer product would be put on the field, potentially increasing attendance and thus revenues. Thus, …

Winning The Marathon: A Reconsideration Of The Development Effects Of Neo-Classical Trade Practices, Peter Weylie, Jean-Pierre Guevremont

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

This paper focuses on the trading policies of developed nations, specifically import quotas, and their positive and negative effects on developing countries. We hope to show that the case is not as polar as was once believed and instead focus on how the current literature suggests that the real effects of free-trade are shrouded in nuance and circumstance. Our starting point will be an analysis of the fashionable neo-liberal trade theory and its impact on development, making special reference to the Multi-Fibre Agreement (MFA). We will then turn our attention to the shortcomings of the neo-liberal approach, and provide a …