Finance and Financial Management Commons^™

Supporting Global Metals Markets: The Role Of The London Metals Exchange, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Most people would expect automobiles and electronics, comprised of many important metal parts, to be sold at relatively stable prices. Little do consumers appreciate, however, the backend market mechanisms that keep these prices stable. A prospective car buyer does not have to monitor his or her dream car's daily price fluctuations, for example, precisely because the parts that go into its manufacture maintain steady prices. This is, in part, the doing of metal exchanges that regulate the demand and supply of metals. Liz Milan, managing director of the London Metals Exchange Asia, explained this and more at a seminar organised …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Implementing Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Beer Breweries, Jaffer (Jeff) Shah-Ganai

Agribusiness

The purpose of this study was to both see the effects of wastewater on profitability as well as determine an efficient way of dealing with that wastewater. In addition to finding the most efficient way of treating wastewater, the cost of implementing such a technology was also discussed. Two technologies were specifically talked about and those were an anaerobic digester and a two stage anaerobic digester. Between the three breweries that were discussed, two of them use one of those pieces of equipment; Sierra Nevada has an anaerobic digester and Red Hook has a two stage anaerobic digester.

To analyze …

Qu’Est-Ce Que L’Investissement Socialement Responsable?, Diane-Laure Arjaliès

Business Publications

Cet article étudie l’évolution des formes et des objectifs de l’Investissement socialement responsable (ISR) aux États-Unis et en Europe des années 1920 jusqu’à nos jours. En s’intéressant à la fois aux fondements théoriques et aux caractéristiques des fonds ISR au cours du temps, il dresse un panorama des différents types de fonds en fonction de leur appartenance à un référentiel sociétal ou économique. En montrant la complexité et la diversité de l’ISR d’hier et d’aujourd’hui, cet article permet de mieux appréhender les enjeux de définition et de légitimation rencontrés actuellement par les professionnels du secteur de la gestion d’actifs.

This …

The Relationship Between Vmt And Economic Activity, B. Starr Mcmullen, Nathan Eckstein

TREC Final Reports

Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the U.S. have exhibited an upward trend over time similar to that observed for gross domestic product (GDP) and personal income (PI). While conventional wisdom suggests that economic growth leads to more driving and thus higher VMT, it is theoretically possible that the causation could also be the other way around. If causation is from VMT to GDP, then legislation such as the Federal Surface Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2009’s directive to annually reduce national per capita VMT could potentially have an adverse impact on overall economic activity.

This study uses times series …

Deployment Evaluation Of Accounting Information Systems In Libyan Commercial Banks, Omar Sharkasi, Martin George Wynn

The African Journal of Information Systems

This article reports on the recent implementation and current deployment of accounting information systems in Libyan commercial banks. A case study approach is adopted that moves from an initial screening of the 14 main Libyan banks to a final in-depth study of just three banks. Business process modeling and systems profiling are used to assess the status of the banks in terms of systems use, process change and information systems strategy development. Libyan banks are well advanced in their installation of modern packaged software but could be used to greater effect to optimize business processes and improve efficiencies. Training and …

Dating The Timeline Of Financial Bubbles During The Subprime Crisis, Peter C. B. Phillips, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

A new recursive regression methodology is introduced to analyze the bubble characteristics of various financial time series during the subprime crisis. The methods modify a technique proposed in Phillips, Wu, and Yu (2011) and provide a technology for identifying bubble behavior with consistent dating of their origination and collapse. The tests serve as an early warning diagnostic of bubble activity and a new procedure is introduced for testing bubble migration across markets. Three relevant financial series are investigated, including a financial asset price (a house price index), a commodity price (the crude oil price), and one bond price (the spread …

Specification Sensitivity In Right-Tailed Unit Root Testing For Explosive Behavior, Peter C. B. Phillips, Shu-Ping Shi, Jun Yu

Research Collection School Of Economics

Right-tailed unit root tests have proved promising for detecting exuberance in economic and financial activities. Like left-tailed tests, the limit theory and test performance are sensitive to the null hypothesis and the model specification used in parameter estimation. This paper aims to provide some empirical guidelines for the practical implementation of right-tailed unit root tests, focusing on the sup ADF test of Phillips, Wu and Yu (2011), which implements a right-tailed ADF test repeatedly on a sequence of forward sample recursions. We analyze and compare the limit theory of the sup ADF test under deferent hypotheses and model specifications. The …

Errors Spell Checkers Do Not Correct And Style Sheet, Charles J. Higgins

Finance Faculty Works

The article focuses on errors that are not corrected by spell checkers in writing programs and communication devices. It is said that spell checkers may change a written word to an unintended one, as well as may provide autocompletion. A list of words that spell checkers and auto completion programs may confuse is provided. Several words in which writing programs can do little to correct notational styles are also listed.

2011-2012 Revised Operating Budget: Southern University Law Center, Southern University System. Office Of Finance & Administration.

All Southern University System Budgets

The 2011-2012 Revised Operating Budget FY 2012-2013 Budget Request for the Southern University Law Center Campus.

Flagship Funds At Hedge Fund Families, Melvyn Teo

Research Collection BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre

Motivated by the stellar performance of flagship funds such as the Renaissance Medallion fund, we ask whether hedge fund firms (e.g. Renaissance Technologies) have incentives to protect the performance of their flagship funds (e.g. Medallion). We find that the flagship fund tends to outperform other funds within the fund family. The fees and redemption terms of non-flagship funds at launch is correlated with the past performance of the flagship fund. Finally, flagship fund performance has a positive impact on net flows into the other funds within the same family.

Predictions For Protection: A System To Measure And Detect Asset Bubbles, Knowledge@Smu

Knowledge@SMU

Millions of lives can be ruined with the bursting of economic bubbles. Just in the past two decades alone, the world has had the misfortune of witnessing two such incidents; first with the dot-com burst, and then most recently, with the housing and sub-prime crisis that led to a global recession. While there is reportedly no cure for the greed, economists have made strides to identify and predict bubbles – thereby paving the way for institutional stopgaps that could well prevent a financial crisis.

Managing Finances In College [Brochure And Video], Laura Heidel, Caleb M. Parrigan

Counseling Concepts and Applications for Student Affairs Professionals (CNS 577)

Managing finances is a very important instrument that should be demonstrated on a daily basis by all students, and also any individual that is working full-time and has a set of expenses that must be paid. Creating a budget helps college students resist physical, mental, and emotional stress. Knowing how to budget your expenses will teach students how to be responsible, how you view money, and the true value of a dollar. Credit cards are also a potential stressor for students. Nellie Mae, a student loan provider, finds that 83% of undergraduates have at least one credit card and the …

L’Entrepreneuse Et La Réunion Examining Roscas And Women’S Entrepreneurship In Bafoussam, Cameroon, Elizabeth Verity

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Microfinance is the wunderkind of many development experts. Its presence is overwhelming in Cameroon but many Cameroonians choose instead to put their hard earned money in the informal financial sector. Heavily rooted in cultural traditions of the West Region, this informal financial sector is where the poorest Cameroonians gain access to credit – not necessarily the “village money lender” as is assumed by many scholars of microfinance. For women, who have the least access to credit, these institutions of informal credit are particularly important. Relying primarily on a survey administered in the markets of Bafoussam, Cameroon, this study explores the …

Curriculum Vitae, Karen Ahmed

College of Business Faculty and Staff Works

No abstract provided.

Regional Differences In Fan Preferences For Minor League Hockey: The Ahl, Rodney Paul, Robert Chatt

Falk College Research Center

Regional differences in fan preferences for minor league hockey in the United States are explored using simple linear regression models. The top-level minor league for the NHL, the American Hockey League (AHL), was studied for the 2008-09 season. Key attributes with respect to attendance are studied for hockey including population, income per capita, promotions, scoring, and winning percentage. In addition, a key socio-economic variable, fighting is also investigated. Major differences are found for fan preferences across geographic regions in relation to population, income per capita, a variety of promotions, and team success. In addition, fan reaction to fighting tends to …

Performance Measurement And Improvement At Finca Uganda, Aaron Cowans

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This report summarizes a six week internship undertaken by the researcher with FINCA Uganda Limited, an affiliate of FINCA International (Foundation for International Community Assistance). The broad objective of this internship was to assess FINCA Uganda’s operations from a financial standpoint and engineer methods to sustainably reduce operating costs. FINCA was chosen because they are a prominent MDI (Microfinance Deposit-Taking Institution) in Uganda and expressed interest in the proposed project.

Working from the broad internship objective, the Chief Executive Officer of FINCA Uganda and Africa Regional Finance Manager of FINCA International helped refine specific projects to assess performance and improve …

What Is Behind The Asset Growth And Investment Growth Anomalies?, Fangjian Fu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Existing studies show that firm asset and investment growth predict cross-sectional stock returns. Firms that shrink their assets or investments subsequently earn higher returns than firms that expand their assets or investments. I show that the superior returns of the low asset and investment growth portfolios are due to the omission of delisting returns in CRSP monthly stock return file and that the poor returns of the high asset and investment growth portfolios are largely driven by the subsample of firms that have issued large amounts of debt or equity in the previous year. Controlling for the effects of the …

Intangible Investments And The Pricing Of Corporate Sga Expenses, Rongbing Huang, Gim S. Seow, Joe S. Shangguan

Faculty Articles

This study examined whether the market fully prices the reported Selling, General, and Administrative (SGA) expenses when this item includes an intangible investment component. For a sample of intangible investment-intensive firms, we showed that their SGA expenses benefit future operating performances. Evidence suggests some degree of market inefficiency in the pricing of SGA expenses and the intangible investment component. Furthermore, the financial analysts do not appear to appreciate fully the future benefits of the component in their earnings forecasts. Finally, the pertinent disclosures in firms’ annual reports are so inadequate as to attenuate the market mispricing, suggesting a significant room …

To Start A Hospitality Student Investment Club At Schenectady County Community College, Regina A. Mintzer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Statement of objective

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the needs for investment knowledge at an early age, understand the power of financial independence for a successful future, explore the employment opportunities associated with participation in a campus investment club, and implement an investment club on a college campus targeted to hospitality industry students.

Undergraduate Finance Capstone In A Liberal Arts Setting: An Active Learning Approach, Steven Welch

Accounting and Finance Faculty Publications

In a liberal arts setting, there are no “schools” or “colleges” in which to neatly group a capstone experience. We have developed a course meant to address a capstone experience, while being true to a focus within our particular major. In this paper, an effort to create a course designed as a capstone experience specific to the finance discipline using an active learning strategy is reviewed. The primary method of instruction is with case studies. However, only the first part of the course is taught using the traditional case teaching method. Most of the rest of the course is taught …