All Posts – Page 10 – Vanderbilt Business Review

Mar

17

2022

The Key Trends of Fintech

All Posts, Industries

By: Ke Tang The discussion of how technology can revolutionize the financial system is a heated topic. There is an increasing number of financial institutions starting to integrate their offerings and services with technology such as blockchain. As fintech (financial technology) and digitalization of the financial services industry are developing, fintech startups are facing more capital financing demand. SPACs provide a viable way for fintech startups to go public and acquire the funds necessary for expansion. The relatively easier operation and shorter timeline make fintech SPACs heated in 2021. Two key trends of fintech are consolidation and digitalization, which is…

Mar

07

2022

By Trevor Jones

Pacific Island Economies

All Posts, Economy and Government

By: Trevor Jones An often overlooked facet of global economics is the functionality of island economies. I began exploring this in the wake of the Tonga volcano eruption in January 2022, when a massive eruption caused rampant flooding in the Pacific island nation. The publicity of this disaster led me to consider how the economies of Pacific islands work, given how they have seemingly little area or natural resources to build their wealth off of. With this article I aim to explore the broad components of island economies and compare them to our economy here in the United States. Primarily,…

Mar

07

2022

By Ron Ye

Russo-Ukrainian Crisis: The Effectiveness of Economic Sanctions on Russia

All Posts, Economy and Government

By: Ron Ye When I began working on the first version of this article, it was about a week before the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There were many uncertainties. Would Russia even invade Ukraine? It seemed like a risky move for Putin to make. How willingly would European nations support sanctions on Russia? Germany had shown reluctance in agreeing to the possible sanctions. Wouldn’t China help Russia economically? During the Olympics, Putin and Xi Jinping seemed to have had each other’s backs. Because of recent events, these uncertainties have been mostly answered. However, the effectiveness of the sanctions…

Mar

06

2022

By Rohan Upadhyay

Is Fossil Fuel Divestment a Legal Responsibility?

All Posts, Sustainability

By: Rohan Upadhyay Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash Dores Divest, alongside the Climate Defense Project, recently filed a legal complaint to Tennessee’s attorney general to compel Vanderbilt’s Board of Trust to divest from fossil fuels. Similar complaints came from students at Princeton, MIT, Stanford and Yale to their respective attorney generals. The complaint argues that: “Under the Tennessee Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, the Board of Trust has a fiduciary duty to invest with… charitable purposes… [which] distinguishes non-profit institutions from other investors. It is problematic, then, that the Board… has invested… in the fossil…

Feb

26

2022

By Geneva Bass

Zero-Days: The Billion-Dollar Arms Market You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

All Posts, Industries

By: Geneva Bass The market for zero-days began with $10 and a pair of crocodile cowboy boots. In 2002, a Texan named John P. Watters bought the cybersecurity company iDefence for an Alexander Hamilton and the determination to restore profitability after months of hemorrhaging millions. A zero-day is a computer-software vulnerability. It’s a bug, an undiscovered mistake in code. Its name originates from the fact that once a zero-day becomes known, the code developer has exactly zero days to fix it before it can be exploited. Under the direction of Watters in 2003, iDefence built its competitive advantage on alerting…

Feb

15

2022

By Shane Mumma

Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband Expands Vandy Coverage Following C-Band Deployment

All Posts, Industries

By: Shane Mumma Vanderbilt students, staff, and faculty who have 5G Verizon phones on supported plans may have noticed something new beginning on the second day of class of the Spring 2022 semester: greater access to Verizon’s 5G Ultra-Wideband network across campus. The coveted “5GUW” symbol that was once a rare sight is now a frequent occurrence on my phone while trekking around Vanderbilt. On January 19, Verizon activated its C-Band spectrum of 5G Ultra-Wideband following a lengthy dispute with airlines claiming delays and safety concerns could arise from its eventual deployment. Airlines believed that C-band signals could disrupt airplanes’…

Feb

02

2022

By Dave Ghosh

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: A Few Lessons on Leadership

All Posts, Opinion

By: Dave Ghosh Picture taken by Aziz Medhioub Dear Vanderbilt, My name is Dave Ghosh, and I have served as the Division Head and Editor in Chief of the Vanderbilt Business Review (VBR) since its inception nearly three years ago. Yesterday, I stepped down from my position, ending what was an unbelievable run and opening the door for what I know will be a remarkable second phase for the journal. As I reflect on my time with VBR, I find myself experiencing mixed emotions. On one hand, I am one step closer to starting a post-college adulthood that surely will…

Jan

30

2022

By Geneva Bass

Pandemic Paints New Era for Art Market

All Posts, Economy and Government

By: Geneva Bass The advent of the novel coronavirus initially paralyzed the global art market. The first half of 2020 saw fine-art auction sales crumble over 50% and the contemporary art market lose 36%, both scraping record lows. However, the global art market and the auction scene’s swift market orientation paired with a low-interest-rate environment, inflationary monetary policy, and consolidation of wealth quickly fueled a historic rebound for the largest unregulated financial space in the world, the art market, despite the global economy’s continued Covid-induced distress. The global art market’s nimble adoption of online auctioning proved critical. 2020 heralded a…

Dec

26

2021

By Neelesh Raj

Squid Game Token Cryptocurrency Scam: What Went Wrong?

All Posts, Industries

By: Neelesh Raj As a result of the popularity of the South Korean Netflix series Squid Game, the developers of a cryptocurrency named after the Squid Game token made off with nearly $7 million. According to its website, which has now been deleted, the coin marketed itself as a "play-to-earn cryptocurrency," which encouraged investors to risk their hard-earned money into a currency which they actually could not sell. Many investors put in lots of money, in which one of them would exit as the winner of the contest, starting with 456 squid coins (roughly $6.3k) to play in the first…