UPCOMING EVENTS

Willamette MBA Sponsored Event for Willamette MBA Students, Alumni, Faculty and Staff

Atkinson Graduate School of Management students and alumni from all around the world attended the workshop series in person at the Willamette Univeristy Portland Center or remotely via the live Web/Audio broadcast.

Download the Power Point and/or MP3 or watch the Flash for one or all three sessions.

Finance Workshop Series

Inflation, Business Cycles and the Economy - Saturday, January 29, 2011
Download the Power Point in PDF
Download the MP3 (3hr 33min)
Watch the Flash Broadcast (3hr 33min)

The Credit Crisis: Origins and Aftermath - Saturday, February 5, 2011
Download the Power Point in PDF
 Download the MP3 (3hr 33min)
Watch the Flash Broadcast (3h 33min)

Globalization and its Discontents - Saturday, February 12, 2011
Download the Power Point in PDF
Download the MP3 (3hr 34min)
Watch the Flash Broadcast (3h 34min)


Presenter: Alexander Russell, Contributing Faculty Atkinson Graduate School of Management

Workshop Sessions - Descriptions and Learning Outcomes


Inflation, Business Cycles and the Economy
Saturday January 29, 2011, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Segment One Learning Outcome: To understand the role of aggregate supply and demand in generating both inflation and business cycles.
9:00 am - 10:45 am

Why does the economy grow at an uneven pace? Supply and demand are the primary tools of economic analysis, and an understanding of aggregate supply and demand within the entire economy can help to explain these fluctuating growth rates. Changes in both supply and demand that can lead to inflation will be explored, as well as the role that each plays in economic growth. Inflation will be defined and examined on a technical level, as will business cycle activity. Different macroeconomic schools of thought, and how they have interpreted these cycles and the variables that cause these cycles, will be examined.

Segment Two Learning Outcome: Understand the role the Federal Reserve plays in the economy, with specific reference to inflation and business cycles.
11:15 am - 1:00 pm

How do banks create money? Credit expansion under a fractional reserve banking system is a central part of our economy, and requires the creation of the Federal Reserve to oversee this system. The Federal Reserve fulfills a unique role, attempting to promote sustainable growth while keeping inflation and unemployment at acceptable levels. The manner in which the Federal Reserve attempts to minimize the volatility of the business cycle, by controlling the money supply, has been the source of much criticism. An understanding of the Federal Reserve’s interaction with the economy at large can help in evaluating these arguments.

Inflation, Business Cycles and the Economy PDF - Download the Power Point in PDF
Inflation, Business Cycles and the Economy MP3 - Download the MP3 (3hr 33min)
Inflation, Business Cycles and the Economy Flash - Watch the Flash Broadcast (3hr 33min)


The Credit Crisis: Origins and Aftermath
Saturday, February 5, 2011, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Segment One Learning Outcome: Understand the numerous actors and divergent trends that culminated in the severe downturn in 2007-2008.
9:00 am - 10:45 am

A bubble and subsequent decline in home prices in the United States ultimately led to the near failure of the entire global financial system. This tightly coupled web will be unwound piece by piece. The role of banking institutions, securitization, derivatives and an excess of global savings will be explored. The changing activities undertaken by banking institutions and the rise of the shadow banking system will also be covered. Focus will also be placed upon the relationships between banking and shadow banking systems, both as counterparties on transactions and as sources of overnight funding, and how this system created a run on the shadow banking system and the possibility of a run on the banking system for the first time since the Depression.

Segment Two Learning Outcome: Learning Outcome: Understand the role that the federal government played in the crisis, in the form of regulation, the Federal Reserve, and government sponsored enterprises like Fannie Mae.
11:15 am - 1:00 pm

Did congressional law set the stage for the boom in subprime lending by expanding the mandate of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Did the Federal Reserve ignite the cheap credit boom by leaving interest rates too low for too long in the aftermath of the tech bubble? In response to the financial crisis of 2007, the United States Government has now passed the most far reaching financial regulatory bill since the passage of the Glass-Steagall Act in the wake of the Great Depression. Given the vast array of financial activities that the Dodd-Frank bill is intended to cover, its impact is uncertain, and its potential effectiveness is still unknown. Have we learned to regulate more intelligently in the last 70 years, or is history destined to repeat itself?

The Credit Crisis: Origins and Aftermath PDF - Download the Power Point in PDF
The Credit Crisis: Origins and Aftermath MP3 - Download the MP3 (3h 33min)
The Credit Crisis: Origins and Aftermath Flash - Watch the Flash Broadcast (3h 33min)


Globalization and its Discontents
Saturday, February 12, 2011, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Segment One Learning Outcome: Define globalization and understand its impact on both developing and developed countries.
9:00 am - 10:45 am

Has globalization been a benefit to the developing world, or is it merely a modern version of imperialism designed to promote Western ideals? Has globalization cost the developed world jobs, or has it helped it to move into higher value added activities? Propaganda, and often riots, seems to accompany globalization talks wherever they are held. With the global economy becoming increasingly integrated, is it too late to undo any of the effects of globalization, and should we want to?

Segment Two Learning Outcome: Understand the cycle of international capital flows, export led growth, and currency crises.
11:15 am - 1:00 pm

Much has been made of the current pattern of deficit and surplus nations. These conflicts have grown sharper as Greece slid close to default, and rumors of tariff wars and competitive devaluations circulate. How did this pattern of savings and consumption develop? What can we learn from the 1997 Asian and other currency crises about the result when the pattern reverses? The conflict between China and the United States provides a good example for analysis, and understanding these issues can help promote sensible debate on this contentious topic.

Globalization and its Discontents PDF - Download the Power Point in PDF
Globalization and its Discontents MP3 - Download the MP3 (3hr 34min)
Globalization and its Discontents FLash - Watch the Flash Broadcast (3hr 34min)