Lessons from the Financial Crisis. Causes, Consequences, and Our Economic Future

When bridges fail, often with loss of human life, those involved may be unwilling to speak openly about the cause. Yet it is possible to learn from mistakes. The lessons gained lead to greater safety and are a source of innovation. This book contains a systematic, unprecedented overview of more than 400 bridge failures assigned to the time of their occurrence in the bridges' life cycle and to the releasing events. Primary causes are identified. Many of the cases investigated are published here for the first time and previous interpretations are shown to be incomplete or incorrect. A catalogue of rules that can help to avoid future mistakes in design analysis, planning and erection is included. A lifetime's work brilliantly compiled and courageously presented – a wealth of knowledge and experience for every structural engineer.

Taking a unique approach to business ethics unlike the typical focus on conceptual/legal frameworks, this book features 25 case studies that cover a full range of business practices, controls, and ethics issues. The new edition is fully updated with new case studies from the recent financial crisis, comparing it with Enron's crossing of various ethical lines. Interpretive essays explore financial control systems and lessons learned from specific case studies and circumstances. Readers will find a practical toolkit they can use to identify ethics issues and tackle problems effectively within corporations.

This book is about the global crisis and the right to resistance, about neoliberal biopolitics and direct democracy, about the responsibility of intellectuals and the poetry of the multitude. Using Greece as an example, Douzinas argues that the persistent sequence of protests, uprisings and revolutions has radically changed the political landscape. This new politics is the latest example of the drive to resist, a persevering characteristic of the human spirit. The EU and the IMF used Greece as a guinea pig to test the conditions of social reconstruction in times of crisis. But the manifold resistances turned the object of experimentation into a political subject and overturned the plans of elites. The idea and limits of democracy are redefined in the place of their birth.

The euro area remains in a state of flux and appears to be unsustainable in its present form. The outcome of the crisis may be unknown for years and a judgement on the project’s success or failure may be out of reach for decades. In the meantime, analysts, portfolio managers and traders will still have daily, weekly, quarterly and annual benchmarks. They will have to analyze economic developments in the euro area and their impacts on financial assets. The objective of this book is to provide a framework for that analysis that is comprehensible to most financial market participants. The book begins with a focus on coincident and leading economic indicators for the euro area. The following section looks at euro-area institutions. The next chapter focuses on the euro crisis. It attempts to provide an explanation of its origins and a glimpse of the potential outcomes. In addition, the tools needed to analyze the crisis as it evolves are presented. The last sections provide information unique to the economies of Germany, France, the U.K., Switzerland, Sweden and Norway.

This book explores the future of the financial services industry, giving readers an idea of the kinds of institutions and services that will survive in the early twenty-first century. An informative and provocative exploration of the future of the financial services industry. Focuses on likely changes in the near future, such as greater use of the Internet for banking transactions and the increasing globalization of financial services. Points to the probable disappearance of the insurance sector as a separate industry. Describes changing conditions in key financial centres, especially the US, the UK, Germany, Japan and Switzerland.

Extraordinary opportunities for China's major financial services providers Over the past three decades, China has attained and solidified its position as the world's second-largest economy. There is now an enormous demand for Chinese financial services, especially those related to securities. Chinese Securities Companies is essential reading for anyone involved in Chinese capital markets, because this is a situation that has never been seen before. Management, profit structure, sponsor systems, reform potential—all have unique elements in China, and all are analyzed in depth in this book. Chinese securities expert Wu Xiaoqiu has developed an influential model for understanding China's capital markets in their historical perspective and creating success in this high-demand industry. Read Chinese Securities Companies to understand the four things firms must do in order to exceed the accomplishments of giants like CITIC Securities: Create international vision Develop innovative talent Establish solid capital power Engage in rigorous risk management Using this formula, developed with the aid of research from Moody's, along with a robust historical perspective, Wu Xiaoqiu has written an essential text for anyone involved in global financial services.

The world has been brought to its knees in recent years due to an increased amount of hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes which collectively have left tens of millions without power and derailed economic growth in the process. However, today weather is not the only threat to massive power loss. It’s time to fight back before energy weaknesses and instabilities from disruptive weather patterns cause financial chaos around the world through cyberwarfare. In Lessons from Frankenstorm, you'll learn how to fight back. Overview: A look back at recent events (Fukushima, India blackout, Sandy here in the U.S., August 2003 blackout in Northeast U.S., etc.). Set up the case that something needs to be done, especially with warming temperatures (2012 was the hottest year on record). What are threats? Focus here is on weather (temperatures, rising tides, global warming, dwindling water supplies which impact certain energy sources (i.e. fracking, biofuels), terrorism (cyberterror which may create a whole new investing sector in the very near future). What can governments and utilities do? It could be good to focus on disaster recovery efforts, crisis management, legislation, planning and strategy AHEAD of next major storm or terrorist threats that could rattle global financial marketplaces. New legislation could lead to new asset allocation by investors, technology companies, utilities and private equity. Legislation (i.e. endorsing modern nuclear power, offshore wind, etc.) may also cause new alliances, joint ventures as a result. Could Frankenstorm be used a global blueprint for energy innovation? Here focus on efforts seen in New York and New Jersey emerging from the darkness and ruin left by Superstorm Sandy through the real next generation energy technologies and themes that investors may want to focus on for the next decade (i.e. thorium nuclear reactors which China just announced they are moving toward—should the U.S. follow?). Complacency is not the answer. Doing nothing and simply waiting for another major power outage that not only challenges our credibility as a superpower in a new world economy but could also cripple global market centers (maybe look at how slow Japan has reacted to Fukushima while Germany moved way too fast in my view to move away from nuclear power—something that has caused surging electricity prices).

Can Islamic finance save the global system? Islamic Finance and the New Financial System describes how the adoption of Islamic finance principles in future regulatory decisions could help prevent future shocks in the global financial system. Using illustrations and examples to highlight key points in recent history, this book discusses the causes of financial crises, why they are becoming more frequent and increasingly severe, and how the new financial system will incorporate elements of Islamic finance – whether deliberately or not. With an introspective look at the system and an examination of the misconceptions and deficiencies in theory vs. practice, readers will learn why Islamic finance has not been as influential as it should be on the larger global system. Solutions to these crises are thoroughly detailed, and the author puts forth a compelling argument about what can be expected in the future. Despite international intervention and global policy changes, the financial system remains in a fragile state. There is an argument to be made about integrating Islamic finance into the new system to facilitate stronger resilience, and this book explains the nuts and bolts of the idea while providing the reader with a general understanding of Islamic finance. Understand the key principles of Islamic finance Examine the history of the current financial system Discover how Islamic finance can help build a new debt-free economy Learn how Islamic finance theory doesn't always dictate practice Although Islamic finance is a growing market, it is still a foreign concept to many. Those within the Islamic finance circles wonder why the system has yet to gain broader appeal despite its ability to create a strong and well-balanced economy. Islamic Finance and the New Financial System provides clever analysis and historical background to put the issues into perspective.

The time for financial technology innovation is now Marketplace Lending, Financial Analysis, and the Future of Credit clearly explains why financial credit institutions need to further innovate within the financial technology arena. Through this text, you access a framework for applying innovative strategies in credit services. Provided and supported by financial institutions and entrepreneurs, the information in this engaging book encompasses printed guidance and digital ancillaries. Peer-to-peer lenders are steadily growing within the financial market. Integrating peer-to-peer lending into established credit institutions could strengthen the financial sector as a whole, and could lead to the incorporation of stronger risk and profitability management strategies. Explain (or Explore) approaches and challenges in financial analysis applied to credit risk and profitability Explore additional information provided via digital ancillaries, which will further support your understanding and application of key concepts Navigate the information organised into three subject areas: describing a new business model, knowledge integration, and proposing a new model for the Hybrid Financial Sector Understand how the rise of fintech fits into context within the current financial system Follow discussion of the current status quo and role of innovation in the financial industry, and consider the financial technology innovation landscape from the perspective of an entrepreneur Marketplace Lending, Financial Analysis, and the Future of Credit is a critical text that bridges the gap in understanding between financial technology entrepreneurs and credit institutions.