1MA/3 Final Exam Questions - Yes, Again

Hey guys, sorry for the delay but here's some ideas for the business questions.
#2 effects of inequality. I would talk about how it was one of the factors that led to the financial crisis as wealth became more concentrated in the hands of the 1% (the richest) they had more money to lend while those in the bottom of the income distribution needed to borrow more to maintain their lifestyle or aspire to live like those at the top. This increased demand for the creation of lending products to be created such as CDO's (collateralized debt obligations, the bundling of mortgages together to be chopped up and sold to investors). As loans were made to riskier and riskier customers it was in fact inevitable that the bubble would eventually burst when enough of the loans went bad.
Besides that I would talk about the societal effects of inequality. Nations with higher inequality are more likely to experience a range of societal ills. You could talk about the GINI index at this point, it is a measurement of income inequality for a country that ranges from 0 (perfect equality, everyone has the same income) to 1.0 (perfect inequality, one person earns all the income). When you chart the GINI index against a range of problems from obesity, to teenage pregnancy, to murder rates and many more, you find there is a strong correlation between them not only between countries but also within countries (the US state to state). You can get an idea of all the factors here - http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/research

#3. Factors that led to the great divergence. Beginning in around 1980 there was a strong push for a variety of policies that exacerbated inequality. Tax rates for the rich were cut, privatization of a bunch of state functions such as pension plans and deregulation of industries such as banking. Those in a position to benefit (such as bankers) did, while the rest found themselves falling further and further behind. We also talked about globalization (low skilled jobs being outsourced so low income people lost their jobs while those at the top such as CEOs of corporations saw their salaries increase), technology, women entering the workforce (they are more likely to earn minimum wage) and increased immigration.

#4. Most of the same ideas as #2!

#5. Securitization food chain. This was the result of financial innovation. No longer did home buyers, those looking for mortgages get their money directly from the local bank. Back then, lenders had more incentive to ensure borrowers were credit worthy as they would have a 30 year relationship so it was important to know the home buyers had steady work, were trustworthy, etc. Here's a clip from the movie, a perfect answer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-S6rZ18KKk

#6. Prediction - I would talk about the recurrence of crisis over the past couple of centuries but more specifically about the Savings and Loan crisis of the 80's, followed by the Dot-Com bubble in 2000 and then the current crisis. People within gov't such as Brooksely Born warned (from movie) that the huge growth in financial derivatives (financial products whose value was based on things such as mortgages) had no oversight and was inherently risky as bankers were being paid huge bonuses for short term profits while creating long term risk (bad incentives) but was overruled by others and the Commodity Futures Modernization Act was implemented making it illegal to regulate the derivative industry. 2004, the FBI formally warned that the mortgage market was becoming unstable. 2005, the head of the IMF gave a speech in which he said the incentive structure of rewarding short term profits with huge bonuses was creating long term dangers for which he was called a Luddite and ignored. Many articles appeared in the financial press in 2006 and 2007 warning that there was too much debt and was becoming unsustainable. Finally, I'd mention the similarities between 2007 and 1929, the huge increase in income inequality caused those at the top to need to borrow more money in order to keep up and also created a huge pool of investment funds at the top of people needing to invest in something. The inevitable result was the riskier and riskier loans were made to those who ultimately couldn't afford it. At the same time, Wall Street was employing rocket scientists to create investments which seemed to magically get rid of risk...

Here's a video about musicians making money - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h72miK8vaVc
Good article for the monogamy question - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/books/review/what-do-women-want-by-daniel-bergner.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1
Hey there. Haven't heard from anyone for awhile and there's still work to be done on these questions in my opinion. You might want to take a look at what's been done for the 1MA/4 questions, you might get some ideas. I'm gonna put some notes next to each topic to tell you what I think needs doing.

Oh, and I just read this article about consumerism, more ideas for you - http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/16582-consumerism-and-its-discontents

1MA FINAL LIST

Politics and society -

1. What are some possible explanations for voter apathy and how can it be counteracted?          
2. Should soft drugs be legalized?
3. Discuss some of the protest movements and the root causes for the protests seen around the world in the last two years.
4. What are some of the causes of mass murders and how should we punish the perpetrators?
5. Why did the Maple Spring movement develop and why can it be viewed as more successful than other protest movements.
6. Do you think that laws should be passed to limit gun ownership?

Relationships - Do you really like question 3?

1. What is your opinion about polyamorous relationships?
2. How do polyamorous relationships affect children? Should polyamorous families have the right to raise children?
3.  Is monogamy the only kind of human relationship through which we can achieve happiness?
4. Why do some women begin relationships with locked up men?
5. How have technological devices changed the way we communicate?
6. Is it possible to be truly alone in a technology-driven society such as ours?

Lifestyle - What do you want to do with #5? For question #3 you should watch this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XSaaQjuuK0
And here's an article i read yesterday related to sextremism - http://www.economist.com/news/international/21578381-young-feminists-are-reviving-old-struggle-rights-womens-bodies-breast-beating

1. Discuss some of the most prevalent methods used by advertisers and the media to influence our behavior?
2. Do things and money bring happiness? If not what does?
3. How does consumerism affect children?
4. What impact does consumerism have on holiday seasons?
5. Why do you think the term ‘feminist’ has a negative connotation?
6. What are some of the means feminists use to attract attention? Can you justify their choice?

Tourism and travel

1. Is the urge to travel genetic?
2. Describe the influence of technology on traveling.
3. How do cameras affect our travel experience?
4. Why is extreme tourism growing in popularity?
5. Which disaster sites (if any) would you be interested in seeing? Why?
6. Is it ethical to travel to war affected and poverty-stricken areas?

Technology

1. What is hacktivism? What are some methods used by hacktivists?
2. Do you support any of the hacktivists’ actions? Why or why not?
3. Should information be completely free?
4. How can technology be used to improve/alter our bodies?
5. Would you ever consider putting implants in your body?
6. Discuss the pros and cons of smartphones.

Media and journalism - What are we doing with questions #1 and #4. Can you answer #5 and #6? Again look at the other groups questions.

1. How much freedom do reporters have and how much should they have when pursuing a story?
2. What impact does technology have on journalism?
3. What are the core components of creating a successful Internet/YouTube video?
4. What is the culture of fear and how does in relate to consumerism?
5. Can we trust the media?
6. Should violence in the media be censored?

Business and finance - Again check out the other group's questions. Can you answer #5 and 6?

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the American Health Care System?
2. What are the effects of income inequality?
3. What are some of the factors that have led to the "Great Divergence"?
4. Is income inequality just the problem of the 99%?
5. What is the securitization food chain and how did it make the financial system riskier?
6. Is it true that nobody could have predicted the financial crisis?

Ethics - Question #4?
Brilliant talk, austerity, Scottish accent, swearing and economics. Moral hazard comes in at about 14:30 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JQuHSQXxsjM#!
1. Explain the term “moral hazard”. In what contexts does it occur and what are its consequences?
2. How do we distinguish between right and wrong? What are our sources of ethical behavior?
3. What are some examples of rich people's unethical behavior illustrated by recent research?
4. Is society becoming less moral or not? Explain your answer.
5. Discuss some of the consequences of using doping and performance-enhancing drugs.
6. Why was the World Anti-Doping Agency created and what are its aims?

Art & Culture - Any suggestions for the wording of #6 and #7?

1. How can we make art more accessible to the general public
2. What is the role of art?
3. How has technology such as the internet influenced art generally and music specifically?
4. Do you agree with the statement that some art is better than no art and that it is always socially beneficial?
5. Why do some musicians not regard celebrities as 'real' artists?
6. Who should pay for music?