Economics and Business Senior Integrated Projects
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This collection includes Senior Integrated Projects (SIPs, formerly known as Senior Individualized Projects) completed in the Economics and Business Department. Abstracts are generally available to the public, but PDF files are available only to current Kalamazoo College students, faculty, and staff. If you are not a current K College student, faculty, or staff member, email us at dspace@kzoo.edu to request access to this material.
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Item An Econometric Analysis of the Impacts of China's One-child Policy on Population Trends from 1960-2010(2023-03-01) Gurney, Zoe; Udayanganie, DarshanaThis paper uses OLS regression to investigate the “successfulness” of China’s One-Child Policy, focusing on fertility rate trends, using population data from 1960 through 2010. We find that, over time, fertility rate and birth rate trended together and were cointegrated while age-dependency ratio (% old), ratio of urban-to-rural population, and ratio of male-to-female population all increased over time. Furthermore, except for the ratio of male-to-female population, all other variables were non-stationary (i.e., the mean and variance of the ratio of male-to-female population was constant over time unlike the rest of the variables). Although this statistic may suggest the opposition of the concept of socio-cultural values leading to sex selection of children with a preference of males over females, this theory does not exist in practice; we should not forget that the ratio between total male and female populations comprises of two variables whose values range in the hundreds-of-millions. The nature of the ratio between total Chinese male and female populations being stationary does not shrink the concept of sex selection with the preference for male children. We find that fertility rate and birth rate trended together and were cointegrated over time while age-dependency ratio, the ratio of urban-to-rural population, and the ratio of male-to-female population all increased over time. Interestingly, except for the ratio of male-to-female population, all other variables were non-stationary, indicating opposition towards expected socio-cultural values supporting sex selection of children with a preference for boys over girls. This phenomenon likely occurs due to China’s enormous population size, as the variables that contribute to the ratio of males-over-females variable have values in the hundreds-of-millions. The paper concludes that potential relationships exist between China’s declining fertility rate and other population-based factors, although further study with more individual data would need to be conducted to try to infer causal relationships.Item Econometric Analysis of the Relationship Between English Premier League Teams' Transfer Market Activity and Levels of On-field Performance(2022-11-01) Williams, Tariq; Udayanganie, DarshanaThe transfer market and player transfers play a central role in the realm of football and even more so in the English premier league which is often referred to as the paragon of football leagues. Though the transfer market plays such an integral role in the realm of football, it has hardly been researched empirically. This paper aims to observe the link between the transfer market and the performance of teams participating in the English premier league in the last 10 years by using regression analysis. From the regression analysis, it was concluded that Net expenditure, the difference in total transfer income, and total transfer expenditure can positively impact a team’s performance while the number of transfers a team completes and a higher payroll can negatively impact the team’s performance.Item Predicting Postseason Success in Major League Baseball Through Econometric Practices(2022-11-01) Moss, Sam; Udayanganie, DarshanaThis research aims to use econometric methods to determine which regular season statistics are determinants of postseason success in Major League Baseball (MLB). Millions of viewers watch the MLB Playoffs on a yearly basis, as they enjoy the unpredictable nature of the postseason, as there always seems to be at least one team that surprises the country and takes the pennant at the end of October. The ability to identify a couple of statistics from the regular season that could predict success in the postseason would allow teams to know what areas to focus on during the regular season. The author personally created and organized a data set from various sources, as no data sources compiled its data in a consistent and downloadable manner1. The data set that was created consists of statistics from the 2000-2021 seasons (22 years) in which they transformed into panel data. The variables used consist of eleven independent variables from the defensive and offensive side of the game including two variables that deal with outside elements such as players’ salaries and home attendance, and four dependent variables representing each round of the Playoffs marked with dummy variables. Using three separate models to avoid multicollinearity, the author utilized logit regression models to explore relationships between regular season statistics and postseason success. It was determined that On Base plus Slugging Percentage (OPS), Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched (WHIP), and Regular Season Wins (RSW) from the regular season have the strongest relationship to making it far into the postseason in Major League Baseball.Item Working Without a Diploma : Strategy and Operations at the Leading Financial Information and Services Provider in Vietnam(2022-09-01) Dang, Minh D.; MacMillan, AmyThe goal of this paper is three-fold: (i.) Summarize the 2-year experience at FiinGroup, a company in the growth stage (stage III-G – Churchill and Lewis, 2022) in a detailed manner, (ii.) Apply and reflect from the learning experience at K College after leaving FiinGroup. (iii.) Draw a strategy going forward for the company from my own judgment. In addition, this paper aims towards those interested in business and corporate management and aims towards those interested in exploring career opportunities in general. The paper shall provide corporate management fundamentals as well as reflections that could impact one’s career philosophy.Item The Influence of Social Media on the Stock Market(2022-11-01) Piercy, Noah; Apps, Hannah J., 1955- (see also Hiles, Hannah J., 1955- and McKinney, Hannah J., 1955-)This paper aims to examine social media's influence on the stock market. Social media has grown exponentially, becoming a part of everyday life. This paper will dive into the role social media has on stock market activity and how the importance of social media continues to influence it. Key topics researched include the history and growth of social media and the stock market. The influences behind social media and what makes it so influential. The effects of social media on stock market activity. Businesses’ use of social media and the economic impact of stock market changes. I will conclude with a reflection and a forecast on social media and the stock market.