Seminar title
- Empirical Analyses in Finance, Economics and Business
Seminar theme
This seminar course is designed for you to write a research paper on an appropriate research topic of your choice. Potential research areas include finance, applied econometrics and other areas of empirical or data analysis in business. Research topics related to in these areas that bring together knowledge from courses you have studied at AIU and during study abroad are encouraged. My recent research projects and teaching are shown below as a guide on my areas of expertise, which include finance, investment, behavioural finance, applied econometrics and financial market microstructure. I have also worked as a practitioner in the areas of monetary policy, macroeconomics, financial stability, energy economics and policy, renewable energy, market mechanisms for greenhouse gas emisions mitigation, development economics, management, international business, hospitality and marketing. Objectives of the seminar include developing research, writing, presentation, communication and planning skills. The overall objective is to produce a high quality research paper.
My recent published research
Working papers and projects
Arbitrage and liquidity in platinum futures
Dividends and firms’ payout targets: Evidence from Japan
My current teaching
ECN301 Financial Theories and Applications
ECN347 Portfolio Management
ECN420 Behavioural Finance
ECN339 Finance Data Workshop
GBS303 Crossing Borders Without Crossing Borders
Instructor information
Name: Clinton Watkins
Office: A4-5
Website: https://www.clintonwatkins.com/
Recommended courses
| Course Code | Course Title | Suggested Timing |
|---|---|---|
| ECN205 | Mathematical Methods for Economists | Before SA |
| ECN220 | Analysis of Economic Data | Before SA |
| ECN301 | Financial Theories and Applications | Before SA |
| ECN327 | Econometrics and Applications | Before SA |
| ECN323 | Money Banking and Financial Markets | Before CPS490 |
| ECN348/ECN420 | Behavioural Finance | Before CPS490 |
| SA courses related to your topic of interest. | During SA |
Additional information
Recommended reading
Silvia, P. J. (2019). How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. Available on Amazon.
Tips
Start early, select a feasible topic in consultation with your seminar adviser.
Select a topic you are qualified to research and write about. Listen to your adviser on this.
Make a doable research plan and stick to it.
Prepare during study abroad and ahead of the semester you take the Capstone.
Work on your research project regularly during the semester rather than at the end.
Build on knowledge from your courses to help you answer your research question.
Read as many journal articles related to your topic as possible. Start by reading the introduction of each article, then read the important articles fully.
Use a reference manager such as Mendeley to manage your references and citations.
If you are analysing data, do your analysis and write your paper in a “.Rmd” document using R and RStudio.
Examples of my past students’ topics
“Decomposing the Risk-structure of Japanese Municipal Bonds”
“An analytical comparison between American and Japanese Real Estate Markets”
“The Regional Price of Natural Gas: Shale Gas Revolution”
“The Term Spread as a Leading Indicator in Japan: The Relationship Between the Term Spread and Output Growth or Recessions”
“Foreign Retailers’ Struggle with Entering Japanese Market: Considering Withdrawal by Tesco, and Success by Wal-Mart and Costco”
“An Analysis of the Feasibility of Robo-Taxis”