CFS Working Papers Series
Permanent URI for this collection
The Center published working papers on current issues in finance from 2003-2009.
Browse
Browsing CFS Working Papers Series by Author "Bristol, Kristin"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Finance as a foreign language(Southern New Hampshire University, 2008) Bristol, KristinStudents in introductory finance courses have diverse worldviews, learning styles and motives for taking the course. While there are many differences between teaching a second traditional language and finance, there are also many similarities. For some students, finance is indeed a foreign language. Consequently many of the techniques used in teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) may be adapted for use by teachers of finance. An overview of a particular TEFL approach, communicative language teaching (CLT), is provided. At first glance, it seems the barrier most likely to affect one's decision to adopt CLT strategies for finance is the preparatory time required.Item Financial literacy training in an academic trading room : expanding practical education in finance(Southern New Hampshire University, 2003) Bristol, Kristin; Fehr, David; Johnson, R. LarryA nationwide awareness of the need to raise students’ financial literacy levels has surfaced recently as a result of a number of studies throughout the United States focusing on financial literacy. The need to examine this issue in more detail is evidenced by the widespread lack of parental personal finance instruction, limited personal finance instruction in both primary and secondary schools and the overall difficulty experienced by many individuals in grasping and applying the basic concepts of personal finance (Mandell, 1998, 2001; American Institutes for Research, National Council on Economic Education, and Council of Chief State School Officers, 2002; Carvahal, 2002). The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development and implementation of a financial literacy program at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) including: (1) A brief overview of the literature in financial literacy; (2) The pedagogical opportunities made available to both SNHU and the community by the development of the “Center for Financial Studies” and its high technology trading room; (3) A brief outline of the SNHU mission and how financial literacy is integrated; and (4) The development and administration of financial literacy curriculum modules as a part of the Freshman Experience Course (FEX) at SNHU. Both the challenges and results are explored in this paper. A revised version of this paper has since been published in the journal Advances in Financial Education. Please use this version in your citations.Item Hiccups in the adoption of innovation for complex financial models(Southern New Hampshire University, 2004) Fehr, David; Bristol, KristinThere exists a vast and growing body of literature that describes the mechanisms by which innovations diffuse through a population, as well as factors that affect the speed of adoption of an innovation. This body of literature tends to focus on incidences of successful innovations. However, study of innovations that fail to diffuse widely may be equally valuable. Furthermore, major diffusion research has not addressed financial innovation in a meaningful way (Rogers, 2003). This paper focuses on complex state-of-the-art financial innovations, developed and proposed by academicians as solutions to real-world problems. This paper (1) discusses a novel financial strategy based on the use of sophisticated financial engineering products; (2) the adoption (or lack thereof) of complicated real option evaluation models to augment capital budgeting decisions; and (3) a case study to highlight implementation issues for a highly complex fixed income option model. A revised version of this paper has since been published in the journal Advances in Financial Education. Please use this version in your citations.Item Using an academic training room to enhance economics literacy training(Southern New Hampshire University, 2003) Bristol, Kristin; Fehr, David; Tripp, GaryThe focus of this paper is to assess the current status of basic economics literacy primarily, though not exclusively, among high-school age students. Although the primary focus of the authors was directed to the secondary-level student population within the State of New Hampshire, considerable evidence indicates that similar proficiency levels exist on a nationwide basis. Indeed, student performance on the economics component of standardized social studies examinations in New Hampshire tend to parallel the results reported in nationwide studies. In general, a majority of students lack an understanding of basic economic concepts. The authors intend to demonstrate that a number of factors, many of which are systemic in nature, conspire to limit satisfactory student performance on such assessments. In the end, and on a practical level, we will discuss the attributes which a stateof-the-art, technology-based venue can offer to both students and teachers with respect to improving basic economics literacy among high school students. The paper will be developed as follows: Part I will frame the nature of the problem; Part II contains a survey of literature germane to this topic; Part III summarizes current national legislative trends; Part IV addresses curriculum frameworks, standards and assessments currently in force in New Hampshire; and Part V outlines the opportunities to use the assets of The Center for Financial Studies at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) to enhance economics literacy.