Assignment:
For this project, select one of the following research questions below. If you want to select a topic that does not appear in the list below, please contact me for approval.
1. What has been the impact of the recent mortgage crisis on the money supply in the United States? What actions did the Federal Reserve take in response to the mortgage crisis?
2. What interventions were taken by the Federal Reserve during the most recent recession and how did these actions compare to strategies implemented in the past? Were their actions successful?
3. How has the Federal Reserve strategy of the last five years affected the U.S. dollar exchange rate? Why did the Federal Reserve follow this strategy? Has it been successful?
4. How have Federal Reserve actions on the discount rate in the last three years affected inflation and unemployment in the United States?
5. What is the nature of any problems and concerns created by subprime lending for lenders, investors, borrowers, and the economy as a whole?
6. What interventions were taken by the Federal Reserve to bail out investment firms and mortgage companies? (Provide specific examples). Why did the Federal Reserve bail-out financial institutions other than commercial banks? Discuss this policy response taking into account the current structure of Federal Reserve governance and regulatory activity.
7. Explain the global market and banking connection. Are global markets regulated well? Discuss important risk considerations, including exchange risk concerns.
8. What is the connection between economic and environmental shocks (e.g. global events, wars, commodity price fluctuations) and changes in money and banking strategy? Highlight specific examples.
9. Discuss the current structure of the banking industry. Compare and contrast today's structure versus historical structures. Why has consolidation occurred and who will experience benefits and losses - customers, the institutions, etc. Why have bank failures occurred? Are there any consequences of consolidation and failure in the industry?
10. What are the effects of electronic transactions and banking upon the industry and/or monetary policy? Have innovations created greater or less efficiency? What has been the role of the Federal Reserve?
Once you have selected your research question, then begin conducting outside research using the online library, the Internet, the Wall Street Journal websites, the Economist, and so forth. From your research, create an annotated bibliography. (An annotated bibliography includes the full reference in APA format and a paragraph explaining the value of the source to your research.) This will help you both in organizing your research, and in generating your reference page at the end of the project.
At the end of Week 3 you will submit a Topic Proposal in which you will identify the topic you selected for the Course Project. Within this Topic Proposal, you will also include the annotated bibliography for your sources. You are required to have five to seven outside sources for this project. The Topic Proposal will consist of a one page, typed, and single spaced paper.
The final research paper will consist of a 5-6 page typed and double-spaced paper (750-1,500 words) with at least one graphic (such as a graph or table) that is due at the end of Week 7. The paper should include a title page, an introduction stating the purpose of the paper, the text (5-6 pages), graphic(s), a conclusion, and bibliography.