Digital Commons Network^™

The Frailty Of The Strong Executive, Peter D. Ore, Andrew Paul Davis

Fast Capitalism

This essay reflects on the contemporaneous empowerment of the executive branch under the Trump administration with regard to other branches of government, as well as the disempowerment of the nation's bureacracy. We argue that this combination leads to a simultaneously unfettered, yet feeble executive that has little oversight, yet is routinely ineffective. We explore how tensions in organizational and political theory with regard to private and public governance have presaged this administrative move. This essay concludes by discussing why elite actors might support such an unencumbered, yet ineffective executive.

Author Biographies

Peter D. Ore, University of Arizona

Peter Ore is …

Making It Up As He Goes: Trump's Improvisational Rhetoric And The Hyper-Rhetorical Presidency, Richard Holtzman

Fast Capitalism

Trump disregards the norms of presidential communication by regularly speaking or tweeting off-the-cuff with seemingly little forethought or editorial input. As White House administrations institutionalized presidential speechwriting and strategic communications over the past century, meticulously-crafted rhetoric became the norm. Trump's improvisational rhetoric is the antithesis of the highly-professionalized, disciplined approach to political communication we have come to expect from the presidency. This essay takes the position that his reliance on improvisational rhetoric is more than a matter of communication; it is a matter of governance. Trump regularly uses improvised communication to make important policy decisions. In doing so, the president …

The Art Of The Deal, The Arts Of Democracy: Trump, Dewey, And Democracy, Nancy Sue Love

Fast Capitalism

Donald Trump's politics has been variously described as "neoliberal," "nationalist," "authoritarian," "populist," and even "fascist," and all these descriptors are appropriate in some respects. In this article, I explore the linkages between Trump, neoliberalism, and fascism through what may seem an unlikely aspect of his politics, that is, his artistry as a candidate and now the president. In elevating deal-making to an art form, Trump is not unique. Fascist leaders have long fancied themselves as artists and regarded politics as an art form. I argue that Trump's "art of the deal" materializes and normalizes the aesthetics of neoliberal capitalism; it …

Using Fed Funds Futures To Predict A Federal Reserve Rate Hike

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

This paper demonstrates formulas used by market participants to predict the probability of an increase in the Fed Funds rate and suggests how these formulas can be used in the classroom. Utilizing Fed funds futures contracts, instructors can demonstrate how the market anticipates actions by the Federal Open Market Committee and can give assignments to students to have them calculate the probability of a rate change. This activity can enhance students’ understanding of financial markets, interest rates, and futures contracts and supply students with a useful tool to use in the business world.

The Experience Of U.S. Fulbright Scholars From Business Disciplines: 1998 – 2005

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

The Fulbright Scholar program provides a long-standing and externally-funded means for internationalizing college and university curriculum. Over the past decade there has been an increasing emphasis on internationalization among faculty, administration and accrediting agencies. This manuscript is drawn from survey data which examines self-reported experiences of recent Fulbright Scholars from business disciplines in AACSBI accredited business programs. An overview of the perceptions and experiences of program participants and an exploratory model identifying factors impacting these experience are presented. Specific policy and process measures to improve the experiences of future Fulbright Scholars are suggested.

Measuring Finance Majors' Communications Abilities Using Aacsb Best Practices For Aol Processes

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

AACSB accreditation of an undergraduate business degree program requires that the institution enumerate its learning goals and demonstrate the successful student’s attainment thereof. AACSB mandates that learning goals be both consistent with the institution’s mission statement and measurable. This study describes the AOL process for assuring oral and written communications abilities in the finance major curriculum. Among finance majors, the findings reveal an adequate level of oral communications skills but written communications skills below the appropriate level for the finance professional. The results reveal that lack of performance is a function of skill and not writing apprehension for this set …

Ethics Across The Curriculum: Application To Economics

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

We propose that the study of economics can be enhanced by students learning ethical reasoning within their economics courses. Our method for introducing more robust discussions of the relationship between ethics and economics is to incorporate principles and strategies from the “Ethics Across the Curriculum” program. The methods we used to enhance our own course can be adapted to any economics course and the resources we provide can help any economist become more comfortable with teaching ethical reasoning.

Changes In Math Prerequisites And Student Performance In Business Statistics: Do Math Prerequisites Really Matter?

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

We use a binary probit model to assess the impact of several changes in math prerequisites on student performance in an undergraduate business statistics course. While the initial prerequisites did not necessarily provide students with the necessary math skills, our study, the first to examine the effect of math prerequisite changes, shows that these changes were deleterious to student performance. Our results helped convince the College of Business to change the math prerequisite again beginning with the 2008/2009 academic year. Thus, this study is also the first to actually help strengthen math prerequisites and improve student performance in business statistics.

A Pedagogical Comparison Between The Use Of Instructor-Led In-Class Cases And Student-Led Out-Of-Class Cases

Journal of Economics and Finance Education

This study compares the attitudes and learning outcomes of students in sections of introductory corporate finance courses. The study was conducted at two different universities. Three sections of the course were taught using the lecture method supplemented with a student-led out-of-class case study project. Three other sections of the course were taught using lecture combined with an instructor-led in-class case study project. The students were given pre-tests and post-tests in each section to determine changes in attitudes and learning. Students in both types of course achieved similar learning outcomes. Students found the subject of finance more interesting when participating in …

Macau Noir: Criminal Brotherhoods, Casino Capitalism, And The Case Of The Post-Socialist Chinese Consumer, Tim Simpson

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Diseasing The City: Colonial Noir And The Ruins Of Modernity, Robert Peckham

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Saviano, Garrone, Gomorrah: Neorealism And Noir In The Land Of The Camorra, Fabrizio Cilento

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

A Research Agenda For Social Media Surveillance, Daniel Trottier

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

A Notion Of Faces Not Laws: Facebook As Ideological Platform, Matthew Levy

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Researching Slovenian Media In Transition: Situating Knowledge, Jurij Smrke

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Media Spectacle And The "Massacre At Virginia Tech", Douglas Kellner

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Satire, Guns, And Humans: Lessons From The Nacirema, Steve Kroll-Smith, Gwen Hunnicutt

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

All The Rage: Digital Bodies And Deadly Play In The Age Of The Suicide Bomber, Carolyn Guertin

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Mediated Ritual On Academic Ground, Neal King

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Henry David Thoreau: The Beginnings Of Fast Capitalism, Charles Lemert

Fast Capitalism

Author Biography

Charles Lemert, Wesley University Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Wesleyan University

The Plague Of White Supremacy In The Age Of Fascist Politics, Henry Giroux

Fast Capitalism

The toxic thrust of white supremacy runs through American culture like an electric current. Without apology,Jim Crow is back suffocating American society in a wave of voter suppression laws, ongoing attempts by rightwing politicians to implement a form of apartheid pedagogy, and the resurgence of a right-wing cultural politics organized around the legacy of white nationalism and white supremacy. The emergence of white supremacy to the centers of power is also evident in the reign of police violence against Black people that came into full view with the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer and the ensuring …

Make Women Great Again: Women, Misogyny And Anti-Capitalism On The Right, Catherine Tebaldi

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Beyond Prepper Culture As Right-Wing Extremism: Selling Preparedness To Everyday Consumers As How To Survive The End Of The World On A Budget, Timothy W. Luke

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

A Prelude To Insurrection: How A 4chan Refrain Anticipated The Capitol Riot, Marc Tuters

Fast Capitalism

This paper looks at how vernacular practices associated with fringe web communities seem to have found their way into reactionary American politics in recent years. Combining concepts from political communication (Bennett and Segerberg 2013) and from assemblage theory (Samson 2020), the paper looks at how key elements of the Capitol insurrection narrative initially emerged on 4chan as meme about a second civil war (called "the Boogaloo"), then spreading to social media and amplified by President Trump. In an effort to make sense of this relationship between the fringe the mainstream, the paper offers both original empirical analysis as well as …

Homoterrorism: Definition, Application, Subversion, Angelos Bollas

Fast Capitalism

On Friday, September 21, 2018, news reports on Greek corporate media announced the death of a man who had allegedly attempted to rob a jewellery store. The media announcement was accompanied by video footage in which two civilians were shown violently attacking the alleged thief while the latter was attempting to escape the jewellery store. A little later, the alleged thief was announced dead. This is the case of Zak Kostopoulos who was lynched in his attempt to escape a jewellery shop where he had found shelter from a threat that, to this day, remains unknown. Zak was lynched literally …

The Rise Of The Robots: Technocapitalism And The Policing Of Race, Constantine Gidaris

Fast Capitalism

This article critically engages with the emergence of police robots in the United States, arguing that their inevitable foray into everyday policing will fuel existing issues of racial discrimination. Building on Luis Suarez-Villa's (2009) conceptualization of technocapitalism, I situate police robots within a framework of social domination that thrives not only on its connections to corporatism and militarism, but also on technocapitalist conditions that invariably exacerbate the oppressive dynamics of racist and discriminatory policing. Although police robots will make police work safer for officers (Sharkey 2008), I contend that they will be used by the police as weaponized machines of …

Precarious Labor In Covid Times: The Case Of Musicians, David M. Arditi

Fast Capitalism

The coronavirus pandemic changed the way we think about work, the economy, and our everyday lives as governments shutdown all but the most essential public spaces. Workers who earn a living through precarious employment have faced unique barriers to securing wages. The impact of the pandemic shutdown was especially devastating on musicians' lives and many supporting workers in the entertainment industry. The structural insecurity of gig work became amplified as venues were forced to stop performances for a year or more. In this paper, I argue the current phase of capitalism that depends on precarious labor and unending consumption destroys …

The Academic Precariat Post-Covid-19, Aidan Cornelius-Bell, Piper A. Bell

Fast Capitalism

The nature of work has changed, in accelerated late-capitalism and as a result of the COVID-19 global health crisis. For academics, casualised and precarious, the sweeping institutional changes of contemporary neoliberal universities, the sharp rise in managerialism, and the political power plays of universities have created further untenable spaces for work and study. In this article we explore the relationship between doctoral studies, precarious academic employment, the pandemic, and the disproportionate effects of the changes in higher education on women. Through exploration of personal experience, as precarious academic workers, researchers, and doctoral students, we provide parallels to research literature across …

Margaret Fuller: Feminist Theory Years Ahead Of Its Time, Charles Lemert

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.

Modularity, Labor, And Ideology In Edtech Platforms, Mario Khreiche

Fast Capitalism

No abstract provided.