Dear students of Banking and Finance,
On this page you will find some interesting Internet sites that can help with your assignments, projects or simply satisfy your appetite for more knowledge in Banking and Finance. To start on a journey of exploration, simply click on the site of your choice below.
Regards
Necmi
P/S Here is the Greek Alphabet to get you started with the many formulas you are likely to run into. A helpful site on practical algebra which would be invaluable to those who are mathematically challenged is PurpleMath; a much more advanced math web site is MathWorld. An introductory course on statistics can be found at Statistical Thinking for Managerial Decision Making.
A Few Words About Internet
Internet carries a wealth of information on all topics, Banking and Finance being no exception. If you already have not become proficient in searching on the Internet, make sure you enrol in one of the free workshops run at the library. This is no longer a fancy skill or a luxury. It is simply an invaluable tool when you are interested in "being in touch" with your area of interest. However, bear in mind that some sites are better maintained than others and not all information on the Internet is either up-to-date or factual. If you do not have access to the Internet from home, there are terminals in the library. Enjoy the ride as you surf the Internet in search of that extra bit of information or imaginative slant to your assignment that will make the examiner envious!
Sites of Interest in Australia
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)
Mostly promoting own services, with links to other statistical agencies across the world. Good as a starting point if you are looking for data on the Internet but don't expect many freebies.
Australian Business Limited
http://www.australianbusiness.com.au/
A support group for Australian businesses. Not a very educational site but its Links, particularly Business & Finance, is worth a look..
Australian Financial Services Directory
A very rich site serving a wide body of interests in Finance. It includes listed public companies, financial data, market commentary and public information forums. I particularly recommend that you check out FinanceNET forum, which has links to Australian Property Monitors (Sydney property market), Interest Rates, and Interactive Calculators galore.
Australian Stock Exchange
An educational site including virtual investors, stock market games, ASX information centre, and self-study kits. Definitely worth a visit.
Australian Taxation Office
http://www.ato.gov.au
If you are budgeting your personal expenses, this site has a lot of
information on HECS fees amongst other things.
Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited
You can peruse the company's financial results on this site.
CANNEX
In their own words "The CANNEX online System is a proprietory on-line database service now used by most of Australia's financial institutions for instant and timely comparison analysis, on all retail financial products."
County NatWest (investment bank)
A professionally designed and easy-to-use site on investment banking. A must for all those students looking for definitions of various finance jargon. It has an extensive dictionary of investment terms (compiled by AFR).
Infochoice
http://www.infochoice.com.au/banking/default.asp
Fed up with looking for that particular bank's web site or the best interest rates in town? Fret no more. This site conveniently links you to sixty lenders.
The Australian Financial Review
A good site with a lot of connections to other sites including markets information. Try the AFR Web Directory for a listing of companies under their corresponding industry classification.
The Finance and Treasury Association
This is a site serving mainly the treasury professional. It provides information on diploma courses and links to international groups. Some technical information and publications are also on the site.
International Sites of Interest
EduStock (USA)
http://tqd.advanced.org/3088/welcome/welcome.html
EduStock is an educational web page designed to show how the stock market works. It has some useful tutorials as well as company profiles and a real-time stock simulation i.e.. you can test your skills in making money on the stock market! It also has good links to other interesting web sites.
Financial Times (of London)
KPMG Consulting
Microsoft's Page for Finance
http://moneycentral.msn.com/planning/home.asp
Microsoft's web page for Finance offers a number of practical calculators including currency converter, home calculator, auto calculator and retirement savings calculator. Even if you are not thinking of retiring yet, this page is worth a visit.
Techinvestor's Initial Public Offering Watch
http://www.techweb.com/investor/ipowatch/ipowatch.html
A site for those in need of up-to-date information on trading stocks. Many US company profiles are kept on this site including balance sheets and income statements.
The Money Page (Banking in Cyberspace)
The Wall Street Journal
World Banks Online A to Z
http://www.allny.com/business/wldbank.html
The name says it all!
Socially Responsible Investing
Currently there is no universally agreed definition of what constitutes an SRI. In its broadest sense, it can be defined as an investment that reflects your moral values. SRI is often referred to as sustainable investment. Under SRI, performance is assessed on financial, environmental and social dimensions. 1990s witnessed a rapidly growing interest in socially responsible investing mainly due to successful education of a new generation about environmental and social issues that are increasingly part of doing business. The rate of growth in SRIs continues to rise rapidly in the 21st Century and SRIs promise to gain equal status with traditional investments that are normally judged on financial performance only. If you are interested in reading more about SRI or sustainable performance, please explore the following links:
Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia
This is a not for profit, membership association dedicated to promoting corporate responsibility and sustainable investment practice in the Asia Pacific region. Individual membership is free and provides you with an SRI newsletter. Also on the site is a forum where you can discuss topical issues.
Australian Ethical Investor Magazine
The Ethical Investor magazine online. This Web Site has a collection of articles and a range of resources dealing with ethical issues and investment. A good feature of this site is the forum, where you can post messages and review people's comments on topical issues.
Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies
An advocacy group for a sustainable future. The group reports on corporate responsibility and seeks out companies willing to endorse the CERES Principles. It appears that they have regular conferences and provide the public with a host of publications.
Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes
How has your SRI performed? Here are some benchmarks for sustainable investment. The site gives an insight into what is deemed corporate sustainability and you can download an excel spreadsheet of the index performance.
Eco-Logical Investment Services
An independent ethical investment advisor offering services in personal investment, superannuation, etc. They have offices in Brisbane and Sydney.
Ethibel
In their own words, "ETHIBEL's aim is to inform the general public about the importance and possibilities of socially responsible investing and sustainable entrepreneurship."
Ethical Investment Research Service
An independent research service providing information to ethical investors. EIRIS researches over 2500 companies, covering over 40 different areas including animal testing, military, environmental performance and human rights.
FTSE4Good
Another SRI Index source, including a range of information on socially responsible investment. You may, however, need to register to get access to some services.
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
This comprehensive site details GRI's globalised standards for reporting economic, environmental, and social performance. Information can be gained on the steering committee members and working groups. A copy of the guidelines are downloadable at no cost.
GreenMoney Journal
An journal that has been published for the past ten years. Most articles are provided online and new editions are released every second month.
KLD
In their own words, "KLD Research & Analytics, Inc. is the leading provider of social research for institutional investors. KLD Research & Analytics, Inc. serves institutional clients who wish to integrate social criteria into their investment decisions."
Mercer Investment Consulting
Use their Search engine to find reports on SRI performance. Accessing some reports require that you register first or pay a fee.
RepuTex
RepuTex is a well-documented site that provides social responsibility ratings on "a company's capacity to meet the expectations of community-based stakeholders and business experts". The six levels of rating (from 'inadequate' to 'outstanding') are reviewed yearly. The four performance categories are i) environmental impact, ii) social impact, iii) workplace practices, and iv) corporate governance.
SocialFunds.com
A very good personal investment site covering only SRI funds. There is daily news and coverage of community investing and shareowner action. Additionally, there is a facility to search for environmental and social information on 1000+ companies.
Social Investment Forum
A non-profit organisation promoting socially responsible investing. There is a wealth of information on this site including a sortable chart on SRI fund performance. News and research are also well represented.
SRI Studies
A good coverage of the studies into socially responsible investing. This site provides a paper covering latest research and details some of the quantitative aspects of SRI investing.
Sustainable Investment Research International (SiRi) Group
SiRi is a group of research companies that provide analysis of sustainable investment. While this site has limited information, they do provide an insight into their screening process.
Sustainable Asset Management
SAM is a Swiss asset management company that has operations in Australia. They provide a comprehensive site with services for both institutional and personal investors.
Sustainable Investment Research Institute (SIRIS)
Free access to 'Sustainability Reporter' which provides core sustainability information on the ASX 300 listed companies in Australia.
World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
This site represents a coalition of 150 international companies committed to sustainable investment. The organisation is open to company membership and offers a range of useful online resources. For example, there are online courses and case studies demonstrating how companies are integrating sustainable development into their strategies.
Copyright 2006 Necmi K Avkiran
Important Note: This page is maintained by Dr Necmi K Avkiran of The University of Queensland. Any views expressed are that of Dr Avkiran only. The sites mirrored on this page are merely examples and no particular site is promoted. The purpose of this page is purely educational.