Business Commons^™

The Effects Of Covid-19 On The Mobile Payment Banking System, Sydney Mason

Senior Honors Theses

This study includes an examination of the effect of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on electronic payment apps. Ever since the pandemic caused a global shutdown, the banking industry was forced to adjust their usual operations and adopt new technological advancements that would allow for contactless payment. Consumers, worried about contracting the virus through the physical exchange of currency, resorted to utilizing payment apps. This contributed to the increase in electronic payment usage. This research addresses the effect of COVID-19 on three different electronic payment apps, Venmo, PayPal, and Zelle. A comparative longitudinal analysis shows the increase in total transactions from …

Net Farm Income Impacts Net Worth Growth, Glennis Mcclure

Center for Agricultural Profitability

The beginning of the year is busy for businesses in finalizing records and filing annual income taxes. Farm and ranch operations are no exception. Beyond the net income or loss showing on the farm’s Schedule F, analyzing the true picture of the operation’s net farm income, and earned net worth change for the year is important.

Preparing an income statement using accrual adjustments will tell us more about the operation’s profitability and performance beyond what income tax statements provide. The income statement tells the story of revenue, expenses, and depreciation between the beginning of year balance sheet and the end …

Payments As A Tool For Policy, Aaron Klein

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

What are the implications of using payment systems to enforce foreign policy (against Russia, Iran, Cuba, etc...) and domestic policy (on-line poker, cannabis, etc..)? What are the long-term ramifications for the United States, with its dominant status as a global financial system and home to the world reserve currency, using payment systems to achieve its political objectives? In this lecture, Brookings Institution scholar and former deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the Department of Treasury, Aaron Klein discusses the pros, cons, and intended and unintended consequences of our current system. He proposes a path forward to maximize economic growth …

Do Online Consumers Value Corporate Social Responsibility More In Times Of Uncertainty?: Evidence From Online Auctions Conducted During The Onset Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Andrew S. Manikas, James R. Kroes, E. Shaunn Mattingly, Garrett A. Mcbrayer

IT and Supply Chain Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The relationships between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and consumer behaviors have been widely explored in the literature. From the consumer standpoint, it has been shown that individuals largely want to be socially responsible actors and that, more than ever, they consider the CSR aspects of products or services when contemplating purchasing decisions. We utilize data from 23,247 online auctions conducted before and during the COVID-19 pandemic to analyze in what way consumer preferences might be influenced by how the CSR characteristics of products are touted in their descriptions. We find that a greater CSR emphasis is positively associated with an …

Ursinus College Women's Investment Fund, Fall 2023, Sarah Dilello, Emily Carkhuff, Katie Ciuffreda, Laura Bradley, Samantha Mallen, Carly Troilo, Camila Knipe, Isabella Scarpetti, Mayleigh Rickey, Carlie Shiller

Business and Economics Presentations

The Ursinus College Investment Management Company (UCIMCO) consists of groups of student analysts who manage endowment-style and stock selection funds on behalf of the college endowment. In 2020, a group of women students began to manage their own fund. This presentation reviews activities of the Fall 2023 semester and analyzes the stock performance of various companies including: Salesforce, InterDigital Inc., SPX Technologies, NextEra Energy and RenaissanceRe Holdings.

The Philippine Economy During The Japanese Occupation, Jasper Lem

Asian Studies: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The economy of the Philippines was derailed by the Japanese occupation during World War II. As an American colony before World War II, the Philippines had close amicable ties with the United States highlighted by promises of independence on July 4th, 1946. The Philippines also maintained a beneficial economic relationship with the States at this time through extensive foreign trade. However, because of the Japanese invasion, the Philippine economy was robbed of this profitable foreign trade and the promise of independence, severely crippling the island nation and her morale. The first policies implemented by Japan were designed to control the …

Nebraska Approves Pass-Through Entity Tax Bill, Tina N. Barrett

Center for Agricultural Profitability

In 2023, the Nebraska Legislature passed a bill that allows a partnership or S-Corp to elect to pay its state income taxes. Previously, because the income from the partnership or S-Corp is passed through to the owner, the owners of the entity paid the taxes at their own individual tax level.

In 2018, the federal government passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), which limited the itemized deduction for state and local taxes in the individual’s return to $10,000. This prompted many states to adopt laws like the new Nebraska law to work around this limitation. Federal tax law …

China's Mybank: Creating Shared Value, Heli Wang, Lipika Bhattacharya

Asian Management Insights

Online banking has delivered financial inclusivity and profits, but has it also created shared value?

Modelling Climate Litigation Risk For (Re)Insurers, Martin Lockman

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

In response to the growing threat of climate change, the insurance industry has made significant investments in modelling and quantifying physical climate risks. However, the emerging risk of climate litigation has proven particularly difficult to model. In 2015 Mark Carney, then-Governor of the Bank of England and Chairman of the Financial Stability Board, warned that climate litigation poses “long-tail risks” for insurers that may be “significant, uncertain and non-linear.” Since that warning, the number of climate-related cases has more than doubled, and the scope and financial significance of climate litigation has become increasingly clear. However, insurers and regulators still struggle …

Principles Of Financial Management Chapter 1 - 4, Dorina Tila

Open Educational Resources

This work includes a teaching material that could be the embryonic stage of a textbook for a Principles of Financial Management course.

Principles of Financial Management is a course that introduces you to key financial concepts and the application of financial analysis in making sound business decisions. Topics covered are time value of money, risk and rates of return, asset valuation, capital budgeting, and capital structure, and more. At the end of the course, you will gain an understanding of financial assets, financial markets, financial intermediaries, and the banking system. You will also be able to understand financial statements (i.e., …

Exploring The Viability Of Gold Jewelry As A Diversifying And Safe-Haven Investment, Monica Pydipati

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the potential benefits of the inclusion of gold jewelry in a traditional investment portfolio. A popular commodity investment choice, gold has been lauded for its various diversification and safe-haven characteristics. Popular investment forms include paper gold, gold bars and gold coins. However, gold jewelry, although officially categorized as a retail purchase, is often bought with the intention of investment as well. This paper examines the diversification benefits of gold jewelry by measuring the performance of a portfolio in which gold jewelry is present, using multiple performance measures to determine its risk and …

Junior Analyst Burnout, Mccain P. Wnek

Student Publications

This paper explores the issue of burnout among junior analysts in the finance industry, specifically focusing on the role of workplace motivation in contributing to this issue. The review draws on a range of studies and literature related to burnout, motivation, and management practices in the finance industry, analyzing the factors that contribute to junior analyst burnout and identifying effective management practices that can help reduce burnout and promote a positive work culture. The review highlights the importance of adopting a Theory Y management approach that prioritizes employee empowerment, autonomy, and self-direction in addressing burnout among junior analysts. The findings …

Are Markets Interested In Adapting To Climate? Insights From Singapore, Stella Whittaker, Tran Bao Phuong Nguyen

Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics

We have collected the views of leading practitioners and academics in Singapore involved in funding and financing urban climate change adaptation1 (thereon referred to as urban adaptation). Throughout this paper we discuss several vital perspectives on adaptation financing, namely responsibility for adaptation investment, the extent of government adaptation investment, private sector adaptation investment appetite and prospects for experimentation in adaptation financing. We also attempt to shed light on the existence or not of an adaptation financing gap2 in Singapore.

Ownership Of Esg Characteristics, Mark E. Bateman, Lisa R. Goldberg

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

A portfolio can be viewed as the collection of the businesses, policies and practices of constituent companies. We measure investors' Ownership of this collection. Ownership metrics aggregate an assortment of company specific Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) characteristics to the portfolio level, and they can inform investment and engagement decisions. Relative to a benchmark, investor Ownership is active and satisfies a zero-sum property, which underscores the distinction between Ownership and impact. Ownership of ESG characteristics may be interpreted as ascribing ethical responsibility, but that conclusion and any decisions that result from it belong to the investor.

Bringing Excitement To Empirical Business Ethics Research: Thoughts On The Future Of Business Ethics, Mayowa T. Babalola, Matthijs Bal, Charles H. Cho, Lucia Garcia-Lorenzo, Omrane Guedhami, Hao Liang, Greg Shailer, Suzanne Van Gils

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

To commemorate 40 years since the founding of the Journal of Business Ethics, the editors-in-chief of the journal have invited the editors to provide commentaries on the future of business ethics. This essay comprises a selection of commentaries aimed at creating dialog around the theme Bringing Excitement to Empirical Business Ethics Research (inspired by the title of the commentary by Babalola and van Gils). These editors, considering the diversity of empirical approaches in business ethics, envisage a future in which quantitative business ethics research is more bold and innovative, as well as reflexive about its techniques, and dialog between quantitative …

Uncovering The Value Of Blockchain Applications In The World Of Finance, Qiang Cheng

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This article discusses the benefits of using blockchain in the context of asset-backed security (ABS) issuance: reducing information asymmetry between issuers and investors, reducing yield spread of ABS, disciplining credit rating agencies, increasing the quality of underlying assets, and reducing issuers’ risk exposure. Such benefits should apply to other blockchain applications in the world of finance.

Quantum Machine Learning For Credit Scoring, N. Schetakis, D. Aghamalyan, M. Boguslavsky, A. Rees, Marc Rakotomalala, Paul Griffin

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper we explore the use of quantum machine learning (QML) applied to credit scoring for small and medium size businesses (SMEs). A quantum/classical hybrid approach has been used for two years of experimentation with several models, activation functions, epochs, other parameters. Results are shown from the best model, using two quantum classifiers and a classical neural network, applied to data for companies in Singapore. We observe significantly more efficient training for the quantum models over the classical models for comparable prediction performance. Practical issues are also explored including a quadratic computational slow down with the number of qubits …

Building Sustainability And Impact Into Accounting, Hajar Yagkoubi, Eelco Van Der Enden, Eszter Vitorino, Reynir Indahl, Tjeerd Krumpelman

Perspectives@SMU

Can it be done? The answer is yes but it depends on solid academic research, investor pressure, and good old lobbying

Escaping From The Dilemma Of Corporate Bribery, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

CUHK research finds firms located in regions with more corruption cases protect themselves by speeding the recognition of bad news and delaying the recognition of good news

Finance And Accounting Dual-Degree Proposal, Meghan Finley

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Teaching Users About Real World Of Finance, Aurobindo Ghosh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In a commentary, SMU Assistant Professor of Finance (Education) and Director of Citi-Foundation SMU Financial Literacy Programme for Young Adults Aurobindo Ghosh shared his views on the metaverse and the opportunities to make money in the metaverse economy. While pointing out that lowering the cost of service and standardising service, as a virtual banking establishment, might increase customer experience for financial services, Asst Prof Ghosh cited a 2021 survey conducted by the Citi-Foundation SMU Financial Literacy Programme which found evidence that financial inclusion among young adults reduces impediments to banking like access to branches and documentation requirements.

A Case For Improved Financial Literacy Education In The United States, Nicholas Kinsella

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this paper was to analyze what financial literacy is and explain in detail the shortfalls that the United States is currently facing in their financial literacy education. This paper will lay out the movement of states and colleges including more personal finance curriculum in their graduation requirements, why a financial literate population is important to topics such as managing student loan debt, retirement planning, professional development, and mental health among others. It will then conclude covering ways to improve current financial literacy education strategies with technology, experiential learning, and transparency.

When Experts Become Liabilities, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Criticism can easily hit the confidence of experts and undermine the accuracy of their predictions, new research shows

Central Bank Digital Currencies: Inevitable?, Harald Uhlig

Perspectives@SMU

Central banks are right to worry about CBDCs leading to runs on them. Is that better than letting the private sector influence monetary policy?

Law School News: National Housing Advocate Named To Lead Rwu's New Real Estate Initiatives 02/08/2022, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

How Do You Measure A Brand’S Value?, Samir Dixit

Perspectives@SMU

There is an ISO standard, and a brand could be worth more than you initially thought

M&G Journal, Hayden Guenzler, Daniel Marques

Business Undergraduate Work

Here at M&G, our purpose is to create a culture of collaboration and innovation across young students of life. Each issue is written by students for students. The vision is to see university students crave learning and build connections by celebrating other students' success, showcasing future career paths, and keeping students up to date on world news. https://www.mgjournal.com/

Spacs: Is It For Real Estate?, Melvyn Teo, Ronald Tan, Indran Thana, Yin Mei Lock

Perspectives@SMU

SPACs are gaining popularity but investors should do their homework

Consideration Sets As Resources For Business Model Generation, E. Shaunn Mattingly, Garrett A. Mcbrayer

Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Business models as outcomes for entrepreneurship are increasing in prevalence in pedagogy and practice. Instructors and entrepreneurs are focusing efforts on iterating potential ideas through a process of trial and error in hopes to produce working business models. However, such practices need to be better underpinned by theory so we can develop an understanding of how to identify more valuable opportunity ideas and how to progress them towards working business models with fewer trials and errors. This conceptual paper focuses on integrating extant conceptualisations of business models as interdependent activities with research on identifying opportunities as problem-solution pairings. While integrating …

The New Accounting For Operating Leases: Unintended Consequences In The Airline Industry, Renata Bandeira, Bridget M. Lyons, Carolyn Trabuco

WCBT Faculty Publications

By 2020, new accounting rules for operating leases were applicable to publicly traded companies reporting under either the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The accounting authorities under both standards noted that the new rules were developed to increase the transparency of lease transactions to provide more relevant and comparable information. We compare two Brazilian airlines reporting under IFRS, Azul and Gol, with an operationally similar US airline reporting under US GAAP, JetBlue, to determine whether the new standards improve the ability to understand, evaluate, and compare performance, managerial decision making and credit metrics. …