Essays and Research Papers on Finance

This 9 page paper answers a number of questions regarding financial markets. The first considers short-term and long-term interest rates and considers how comparing can indicate the way that the market believes interest rates will move. The paper then discusses the use of interest rate swaps and looks at the importance of the swap network. ...

This 15 page paper answers a range of questions set by the student looking at the way variable costs and fixed costs can be budgeted, cost variances, product mix variances and an NPV and IRR calculation.

This 3 page paper looks at the way activity based accounting may be used for a firm such as Autozone, The concept of activity based costing (ABC) is discussed and then the different processes and potential divers are identified and a sample calculation is provided. The bibliography cites 4 sources.

This 4 page paper answers three questions set by the student. The first compares the working capital of Bank of America and Citigroup, the second part looks at the role of the banks as intermediaries and the role of regulators, the last part of the paper considerers the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The bibliography ...

This 4 page paper looks at the different influences that may be observed when comparing two companies the same industry which compiled their annual accounts under different accounting regimes. The paper compares IFRS and US GAAP. The bibliography cites 4 sources.

This 6 page paper looks at the price of oil including the price in 2007 as well as events such as the embargo of 1973 and the crisis of the 1970’s, the impact of the First Gulf War and the aftermath of 9/11. The paper compares the patterns in oil prices with other patterns, including ...

This 6 page paper at a number of questions set by the student regarding investment in the stock market. The first question explains what the S&P 500 is and what movements in the index mean. The second question outlines the differences between short and long hedging and considers when it should be used. The third ...

This 6 page paper looks at capital budgeting issues for Wal-Mart and compares them to Target; the paper looks at the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) and assesses the potential net present value of future revenue streams. The bibliography cites 6 sources.

This 3-page paper provides a financial overview of Nike Inc.

This 12-page paper examines the financials fraud perpetrated by WorldCom, Tyco, Adelphia and ZZZZ Best. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 3-page paper discusses basic accounting terms such as asset, liabilty and equity. Also discussed is cost of capital. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 3 page paper uses a balance sheet provided by the student to produce a cash flow statement using the indirect method and then consider which parts of the cash flow statement may be of interest to different stakeholders. The bibliography cites 2 sources.

This 10 page paper answers questions concerning the use of derivatives. The paper starts by explaining the difference between long and short hedging, the use of circuit breakers, whether investors will want to buy or sell Treasury Bond Futures if interest rates will raise, index arbitrage, and when options and futures will be bought ...

This 3 page paper uses a case study provided by the student to show of income statement projection can be made. The existing income statement is used for a fictitious company using forecasting to project revenues and then using ratios to assess the level of the different costs. The bibliography cites 2 sources.

This 8 page paper is an explanation and an application of game theory, including a consideration of the normal form and the extended form with the use of a game tree, the Nash equilibrium, sub game perfect and the application of game theory in an extended game. The bibliography cites 4 sources.

This 7-page paper discusses Canada's move to follow International Financial Recording Standards by 2011. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5-page paper focuses on potential shareholder value as the result of a merger between Microsoft and Yahoo. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 8 page paper is based on a case study supplied by the student. The paper looks at the way that the cost of capital could be calculated and some of the options in the choices made and then assesses whether net present value (NPV) or internal rate of return (IRR) would be best used ...

This 8 page paper looks at the impact that budgeting can have on organizational behavior. There are both positive and negative impacts, with budgets able to create clarity and help secure the future of an organization as well as having the potential to cause disagreement and conflict. The bibliography cites 7 sources.

This 3-page paper discusses the definition of ratios and the four categories of ratio. Also discussed is the liquid ration (or "current" ratio) and its purpose. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 13-page paper covers the topic of how international mortgage banks are connected to those in the U.S., and how the financial crisis has impacted them. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

This 8 page paper looks at two case studies supplied by the student and discusses the different accounting concepts presented in them, looks at the key learning points and considers who they may apply to other organizations. The first considers a company that increases sales, but makes a loss. The company is using absorption costing ...

This 10 page paper looks at the issue of auditor independence, looking at how important independence is, including discussing whether or not there is an over emphasis on independence rather than other issues such as quality of work and ethics. The regulation of independence of auditors in Australia is considered are the rules based and ...

This 5-page paper examines the FASB's proposed amendment to its No. 133, and describes why the amendment is necessary. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 7 page paper looks at their importance of capital budgeting and some of the tools which can be used in the process. Tools discussed include payback period, the accounting rate of return, net present value (NPV), the internal rate of return (IRR) and the profitability index. Consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of these ...