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An Applied Credit Scoring Model And Christian Mutual Funds Performance, Esther E. Castro

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation comprises two different financial essays. Essay 1, “An Applied Credit Score Model,” uses data from local credit union to predict the probability of default. Due to recent financial crisis regulation has been enacted that makes it essential to develop a probability of default model that will mitigate charge-off losses. Using discriminant analysis and logistic regression this paper will attempt to see how well credit score can predict probability of default. While credit score does an adequate job at classifying loans, misclassification of loans can be costly. Thus while credit score is a predictor, there is danger in relying …

Retirement Planning Decisions Using The 2013 Survey Of Consumer Finances, Yun Doo Lee

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This dissertation consists of two essays. The first essay analyzes financial preparation for retirement of American men and women, using the 2013 Survey of Finances. Specifically, for retirement plan, income is an important factor for men and women aged 35-45 because of their insufficient income, health (excellent) for men and women aged 46-59 because of continuing work, number of weeks worked per year for men and women aged 60-67 because they have already retired or will retire and many of them are participating in a part time job. Also, health has significantly positive effects on the share of the …

Predictability Of International Stock Returns With Sum Of The Parts And Equity Premiums Under Regime Shifts, Mahtab Athari

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research consists of two essays. The first essay entitled” Stock Return Forecasting with Sum-of-the-Parts Methodology: Evidence from Around the World”, examines forecasting ability of stock returns by employing the sum-of-the-parts (SOP) modeling technique introduced by Ferreira and Santa-Clara (2011).This approach decomposes return into three components of growth in price-earnings ratio, earnings growth, and dividend-price ratio. Each component is forecasted separately and fitted values are used in forecast model to predict stock return. We conduct a series of one-step ahead recursive forecasts for a wide range of developed and emerging markets over the period February 1995 through November 2014. Decomposed …

Two Essays In Finance And Economics: “Investment Opportunities In Commodity And Stock Markets For G7 Countries” And “Global And Local Factors Affecting Sovereign Yield Spreads”, Selma Izadi

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In chapter 1, I investigate the return links and dynamic conditional correlations between the equity and commodity returns for G7 countries from 2000:01 to 2014:10. The commodity futures include BCOM Index which contains the futures and spot price of 22 commodities, Brent and Crude oil futures, gold and silver futures, Wheat, Corn and Soybean futures and CRB index. The finding indicates that during the full sample period GOLD, WHEAT and CORN have the smallest dynamic conditional correlations with all the Equity indexes. In addition, the correlations between the GOLD/Equity pairs are negative during the financial crisis. This fact indicates the …

New Orleans Opera Association: An Internship Report, Sarah Mccall

Arts Administration Master's Reports

As one of the requirements to complete a Master of Arts in Arts Administration, this internship report presents a thorough discussion and analysis of my experience as an intern with the New Orleans Opera Association between May 2015 and August 2015. The focus of the internship was production, and the report reflects this emphasis. In addition, the report presents an overview of the organization, a SWOT analysis, and a discussion of best practices with recommendations for the organization’s improvement.

Bowery Presents: South (Internship Report), Olivia Rose Alman

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This internship report documents the for--‐profit concert promoter, Bowery Presents: South (Bowery South) and its New Orleans office. An overview of Bowery South and the duties and responsibilities of the internship, performed from January 2015 to June 2015, are detailed within this report. The report also provides an analysis of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (S.W.O.T.), an examination of best practices in the concert promoting industry, and recommendations for the company based on the intern’s observations.

An Internship Report On The Ogden Museum Of Southern Art, Grace Rennie

Arts Administration Master's Reports

The following internship report is a reflection of my time spent working at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art from February 2 to June 2, 2015. Since gaining a new Executive Director in 2012, the Museum has gone through a period of rapid change, which resulted in a complete overhaul of staff structure during my tenure. This report will outline the structure of the Museum, discuss the factors that led to it changing, and evaluate its sustainability for the Museum moving forward. It will also discuss the marketing and communications mechanisms in place, with a specific focus on social media, …

The National World War Ii Museum - Entertainment Department, Katherine A. Bandy

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This report contains the details of internship completed at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. It will discuss the structure and practices of the Museum’s Entertainment Department through a 480 hour internship. Alongside Victoria Reed, the Director of Entertainment, I assumed the role of Entertainment Production Assistant in June of 2015. I completed this internship with the purpose of earning an Arts Administration degree at the University of New Orleans. The Entertainment Department at the National WWII Museum is but a fraction of what makes this organization a successful attraction in the city of New Orleans and the …

Analysis Of The Prospect.3 Conference “Thirty Years Of Meaning And Influence - Flash Of The Spirit: African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy By Robert Farris Thompson”: An Internship Report, Sarah Elizabeth Story

Arts Administration Master's Reports

In 2008, Prospect New Orleans (Prospect) launched the first internationally contemporary art biennial in the United States with a goal to articulate new discoveries in the world of art with historical and culturally significant surroundings. In its fourth iteration in 2014 and with a new staff borne of past successes and failures, which included near-dissolution from financial difficulty, Prospect.3: Notes for Now (Prospect.3) ambitiously expanded with additional artists, venues, and programs. “Thirty Years of Meaning and Influence - Flash of the Spirit: African & Afro-American Art & Philosophy by Robert Farris Thompson” was an international conference that was one of …

Pelican Bomb: Planning For Growth (An Internship Academic Report), Nobuhle Clemens

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This report documents my experience as a graduate arts administration intern at Pelican Bomb, a New Orleans contemporary visual art nonprofit. The internship was completed over the course of seven (7) months from January to July 2015. Starting with an overview of the organizational structure, mission, and programming, this report analyzes the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The report concludes with best practices and recommendations with a focus on board development, strategic planning, staff retention, and membership. The insights provided in this report are designed to enhance Pelican Bomb’s operations as it prepares for organizational growth.

The Senator Nat G. Kiefer University Of New Orleans Lakefront Arena: An Internship Academic Report, Nicholas Cassara

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This report discusses my internship with the Lakefront Arena at the University of New Orleans. Included in this report is a breakdown of the Arena’s management and facilities, internship overview, organization analysis based upon my observations, best practices comparing similar venues, and recommendations to the Lakefront Arena. The internship concluded with a job offer as the interim Campus Booking Coordinator, to which I accepted.

New Orleans Auction Galleries: An Internship Academic Report, Grace Elizabeth Connors

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This internship academic report is the result of a 480--‐hour internship at New Orleans Auction Galleries completed from February--‐September 2015. New Orleans Auction Galleries is a for--‐profit arts organization located in the Arts District of New Orleans, Louisiana. During my internship, I worked closely with the Art Department and Office Administration, as well as preview receptions andauctions. This experience provided me with a valuable education of the inner workings of New Orleans Auction Galleries from its day--‐to--‐day operations to its vision as an organization. His report begins with the history and goals of New Orleans Auction Galleries and moves forward …

French Quarter Festivals, Inc.: An Analysis Of Festival Operations (Internship Academic Report), Emily Osterholt

Arts Administration Master's Reports

French Quarter Festivals, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that annually produces three festivals in the New Orleans area with the intention of promoting the Vieux Carré and the culture of the city. My internship began near the beginning of preparations for the 2015French Quarter Festival and concluded just after the event had passed. While the organization is very successful and French Quarter Festival has grown to be the largest free music festival in the United States, there remains room for improvement and growth within the organization. The following report serves as a case study of the organization and addresses issues …

An Organizational Review Of The Nocca Institute, Sharyn Booker

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This review is an academic report used to provide recommendation and an in-depth look into The NOCCA Institute. The report includes an analysis of the organization’s structure, programs, finances, and my internship activities; Spring - Summer 2015. Additionally the report includes a SWOT Analysis and my recommendations based on the analysis and best practices of similar organizations.

The Ogden Museum Of Southern Art: An Internship Report, Sara A. Beale

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This internship report documents and outlines my time with the Ogden Museum of Art in New Orleans, Louisiana, from January to May of 2015. It closely outlines the history and structure of the organization, as well as its strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. This report also includes a detailed description of all tasks and responsibilities assigned to me as an intern, an analysis of its current state, research of best practices in the field, and an educated analysis of its probable trajectory.

Theatre Baton Rouge, Caty Steward

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This report details an internship with Theatre Baton Rouge, where I served as Marketing and Development Coordinator. In this paper I will provide an overview of the organization’s history, programming, and outreach along with a description of my 480 hour internship. This report outlines the workings of the theatre’s operations through investigation of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and industry best practices. This analysis will lay the groundwork for recommendations to Theatre Baton Rouge that will address leveraging the strengths, as well as use opportunities to combat the issues currently hindering the company from continued growth.

An Academic Report On New Orleans Airlift: An Internship Academic Report, Bridget Nolan

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This academic report was composed at the conclusion of a 480-hour internship with New Orleans Airlift. This report includes Airlift’s mission, history, and organizational structure, a SWOT analysis, duties and projects completed and a summary of best practices. Listed are also a series of suggestions and recommendations as to how New Orleans Airlift can improve and strengthen current practices to maximize its potential as a small arts organization.

National Performance Network/Visual Artists Network: An Internship Academic Report, Monica Tyran

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This comprehensive report was written upon the culmination of an internship with the National Performance Network/Visual Artist Network (NPN/VAN) at which the author worked 20 hours for 38 weeks (September 2014-May 2015). This report describes NPN/VAN, including its mission, structure, and operations. It also includes a SWOT analysis, review of best practices, and recommendations on how NPN/VAN can improve its current operations and programs in order to grow and prepare for the future.

Studio Theatre: An Internship Report, Eugenia Siero

Arts Administration Master's Reports

The following internship report is a documentation of my work with Studio Theatre in Washington DC during the summer and fall of 2015. This report is based on my experience as an intern with the Marketing Department, where I had the opportunity to develop several large projects for the theater’s 2015--‐2016 season. Studio Theatre is a strong organization that produces excellent modern plays and strives to present the best work to its audience with every single show. This paper will discuss the different duties of the internship, as well as the organization’s history and structure, organizational strengths and weaknesses, and …

Two Essays In Finance: “Selection Biases And Long-Run Abnormal Returns” And “The Impact Of Financialization On The Benefits Of Incorporating Commodity Futures In Actively Managed Portfolios”, Ramesh Adhikari

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays. First essay investigates the implications of researcher data requirement on the risk-adjusted returns of firms. Using the monthly CRSP data from 1925 to 2013, we present evidence that firms which survive longer have higher average returns and lower standard deviation of annualized returns than the firms which do not. I further demonstrate that there is a positive relation between firms’ survival and average performance. In order to account for the positive correlation between survival and average performance, I model the relation of survival and pricing errors using a Farlie-Gumbel-Morgenstern joint distribution function and fit …

The La Pointe – Krebs House And Property: An Internship Report, Marks Sokolosky-Wixon

Arts Administration Master's Reports

The following report documents the internship performed by Marks Sokolosky-Wixon at The La Pointe – Krebs House and Property (LPK) in Pascagoula, Mississippi from August 18, 2014 to December 12, 2014. Work on this project included working closely with every aspect of the property including: museum development, colonial structure restoration, fund development, marketing, and other facets of a burgeoning non-profit organization. The internship also included working closely with the five-member board of The La Pointe – Krebs Foundation and each of its committee chairmen and members. This report includes an analysis of the methods used by the LPK Foundation of …

Two Essays In Financial Economics, Kyle J. Putnam

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation contains two distinct empirical essays which contribute to the overall field of Financial Economics. Chapter 1, entitled “The Determinants of Dynamic Dependence: An Analysis of Commodity Futures and Equity Markets,” examines the determinants of the dynamic equity-commodity return correlations between five commodity futures sub-sectors (energy, foods and fibers, grains and oilseeds, livestock, and precious metals) and a value-weighted equity market index (S&P 500). The study utilizes the traditional DCC model, as well as three time-varying copulas: (i) the normal copula, (ii) the student’s t copula, and (iii) the rotated-gumbel copula as dependence measures. Subsequently, the determinants of …

Essays On The Impact Of Institutional Investors On Firms' Liquidity And Payout Policy, Munira Ismail

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of 2 essays in the area of corporate finance. The title of my first essay is “Impact of Institutional Investors on Firms’ Financial Constraint and Liquidity”. We can find ample evidences in existing literature which show that institutional investors play a vital role in the corporate world. Many researchers have linked institutional investors to activism, monitoring benefits, mitigating the cost of debt using government bond, spin off activities and improving information asymmetry problem. In the first essay, I would like to add another dimension to institutional investors’ literature by examining institutional investors’ role in mitigating financial constraint …

Southern Rep Theatre - An Internship Report, Peter Brooks Lazar

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This report describes the duties and responsibilities involved in a 480-hour marketing and development internship from June to December of 2014 with Southern Rep Theatre. This first-hand research, supplemented by an earlier, shorter period as a box office associate from February to April of 2014, is used to examine the marketing, development, and managerial practices of the company. This examination includes a SWOT analysis, second-hand research into best practices, and recommendations for the company’s future. Southern Rep is a three decade old 501(c)3 not-for-profit professional theatre company based in New Orleans, which places a special emphasis on producing new works …

Omega Production Resource: An Internship Report, Lydia Anne Burgess

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This report documents the internship of Lydia Anne Burgess with Omega Production Resource from August 2014 to March 2015. Omega is one of several event lighting companies operating in Greater New Orleans. Omega’s administrative offices are located in the Alario Center situated just inside of Bayou Segnette Park in Westwego, Louisiana. During her internship, Ms. Burgess worked under the direction of the Operations Director and the company founder and CEO. Among her various responsibilities, Ms. Burgess primarily assisted the CEO and Operations Director with administrative duties such as form creation/modernization, file organization, and scheduling. She also undertook marketing analysis for …

Tipitina's Foundation - An Internship Report, Jacqueline M. Sandor

Arts Administration Master's Reports

The following report contains a detailed analysis of the Tipitina’s Foundation. The Foundation serves musicians of all ages in various capacities through its four programs. This report is a culmination of an internship served under the Managing Director, Kim Katner, from January 3rd to May 20th, 2011. This paper includes the Foundation’s history, current operations and management, intern contributions and SWOT analysis. This report also contains my recommendations based on the SWOT analysis, and an analysis of best practices supported by research on similar companies and other organizations in the non-profit sector.

The Nola Project: An Internship Report, Monique Tourres

Arts Administration Master's Reports

Since its origin in 2005, The NOLA Project has sought to bring innovative and high caliber works of theater to New Orleans audiences. Accustomed to performing in various venues due to lack of a permanent theatre, this nonprofit theater company has taken steps to plant roots in the community in other ways, including educational outreach for youth and the development of a new membership program.

The purpose of this report is to document my internship with The NOLA Project from April 2014 through April 2015 and to analyze the effectiveness of the company’s operations. My analysis is based on experiences …

An Academic Assessment Of The National Performance Network And Visual Artists Network: An Internship Academic Report, Rachel Swan

Arts Administration Master's Reports

This academic report was composed at the conclusion of a 480 hour internship with the National Performance Network/Visual Artists Network (NPN/VAN), summarized in Chapter Two. This report includes NPN/VAN’s mission, history, and organizational structure within Chapter One. Chapter Three is a SWOT analysis, and Chapter Four includes a summary of best practices, highlighting NPN/VAN’s intermediary and network structure. In conclusion, a series of suggestions are offered for further consideration.

Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival: An Internship Report, Brooke Elaine Creek

Arts Administration Master's Reports

The purpose of this internship report is to examine the daily activities, organizational structure, and festival planning of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (TW/NOLF). The report includes my assigned duties and tasks, the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, best business practices, and detailed recommendations for improvement. The internship consisted of 480 hours, working closely with the Director of Literary Programs and Development, J.R. Ramakrishnan. The organization’s main focus during the year is to construct and produce their annual festival. iv