Global Awareness
Insight from Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers: Global Perspectives Speaker
By Jeffrey Coburn—On September 27, 2016, the Federal Reserve of Dallas, Texas, held its Global Perspectives Speaker Series, featuring Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers. I was interested in going to the event because I want to learn more about financial economics and international economics, and two of the CSB professors, Dr. Hassan Shirvani and…
Read More15 Days in Cuba: A Unique Study Abroad Experience
By Barbara Bordon –After the relaxing of the US embargo to Cuba in 2016, the island has received a considerable number of US travelers. The University of St. Thomas organized a study abroad trip to Cuba in August, and there were several undergraduate and graduate students interested in enrolling. I was not the exception. As…
Read MorePsychology and Economics
By Dr. Hassan Shirvani—Among the collateral damages of the recent global economic crisis has been the reputation of the economics profession whose members famously failed to anticipate the financial tsunami that rocked the world. Enmeshed in their complex mathematical models with their highly unrealistic assumptions, most economists were seemingly as stunned by the suddenness and the severity of the economic downturn as the average person on the street. Even Queen Elizabeth of England, on…
Read MoreStudy Abroad: My Experience in Europe
By Tracy Nguyen—I always knew I wanted to study abroad during my graduate career. I applied and was accepted to be a part of the University of St. Thomas European study abroad and was extremely elated to find out that I would have the opportunity to travel to London, England; Strasbourg, France; and Frankfurt, Germany.…
Read MoreBroadening Horizons: Celts Exploring Businesses
By Dayuan (Peter) Liu–I am an international student coming from China and am pursuing my Master’s degree in Finance in the Cameron School of Business. This is my first semester at the University of St. Thomas, and my first time in America. I am very curious about the new environment, especially the business world. Adjusting…
Read More“Free 2 Rock” : A Fresh Look at the Fall of the Iron Curtain
By Dr. David Schein–In January 2016, the World Affairs Council of Houston, (“WACH”), hosted something a little different for that organization. The documentary “Free 2 Rock” runs approximately 60 minutes and focuses on how rock and roll helped to bring down the USSR by showing the residents behind the “Iron Curtain” what life and freedom…
Read MorePuerto Rico: Is it America’s Greece? (Part II)
By Dr. Pierre Canac—This is the continuation of last week’s blog, and thus, it is advised to first read Part I if you haven’t done so. Remedies The ball is now in Congress’ court and the speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, indicated that he would push for a solution by March 2016. Commissioner Pierluisi…
Read MorePuerto Rico: Is it America’s Greece? (Part I)
By Dr. Pierre Canac—This is a two-part blog; the second part will appear next week. I usually write about international economics; however, this time I will let the reader decide whether this is what I am doing in this post. The Status of Puerto Rico Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth or a territory that belongs…
Read MoreA Critique of Behavioral Finance
By Dr. Hassan Shirvani—The recent global financial crisis has raised serious questions about the rationality of the securities markets. In rational markets, prices tend to closely track their fundamental values, so that there is little or no chance of getting price bubbles. During the run-up to the recent crisis, however, many asset prices, including those in the housing sector, seemingly deviated from their correct values, resulting in subsequent financial crashes around…
Read MoreCreating Firm Value as a Team: A New Case Study From Turkey
By Dr. Gulfem Bayram–Executive compensation has been one of the most researched topics in business literature. There is even a sub-discipline within corporate finance that investigates corporate governance and executive compensation issues. Finance literature reports that corporate governance and executive compensation practices are closely related to firm value. While there are many different perspectives to…
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