Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research report was conducted to critically review the methodologies and best practices prescribed by world class cost engineering experts and institutions, in order to develop a cost estimating model which organisations could use as a guideline for their cost estimates on large capital intensive projects. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingsverslag is gedoen om ‘n kritiese oorsig te doen op die metodes en beste praktyke voorgeskryf deur wereldklas koste ingenieur deskundiges en instansies, om sodoende ‘n koste beramings model te ontwikkel wat gebruik kan word deur organisasies as handleiding gedurende die koste beraming van hulle kapitale intensiewe projekte.

Utvecklingen för Sveriges jordbruk går mot färre och större gårdar runt om i landet. Jordbrukarnas växande verksamhet resulterar i ett ökat antal djur i boskapen. Detta ger ett större behov av stallbyggnader med öppna ytor och långa spännvidder. Länsstyrelsen har uppmärksammat stora variationer i de totala byggkostnaderna för stallbyggnader i landet. Tillsammans med Länsstyrelsen Gävleborg utvecklades en idé att undersöka hur materialkostnaderna påverkas av olika spännvidder och olika stomsystem. Målsättningen är att undersökningen ska resultera i ett beslutsunderlag för ny-, till- och ombyggnation av stallbyggnader. Tidigare forskning och teori undersöktes samt ett flertal platsbesök gjordes för att öka kunskaperna inom området och fastställa vilka spännvidder och stomsystem som skulle undersökas. En parametrisk studie på fyra olika typfall av stallbyggnader gjordes. Två typfall i undersökningen konstruerades av trä och två av stål. Den parametriska studien ska redovisa samband mellan stallbyggnaders spännvidd och kostnad samt vilket stomsystem som är mest ekonomiskt fördelaktigt. Kostnaderna i undersökningen innefattar enbart materialkostnader. Resultatet visar att kostnaderna ökar linjärt med den ökande spännvidden. De undersökta typfallens materialkostnader är relativt likvärdiga, men treledsramen i stål har den lägsta materialkostnaden för samtliga undersökta spännvidder. / The Swedish agriculture is developing towards fewer and larger farms. The growing business for the farmers results in an increased number of animals in livestock. This provides a greater need for agricultural buildings with open spaces and long spans. Länsstyrelsen has noted large variations in total construction costs for agricultural buildings in the country. Along with Länsstyrelsen Gävleborg developed an idea to explore how material costs are affected by various spans and different frame systems. The objective is that the study will result in a decision-making basis for new construction and reconstruction of agricultural buildings. Previous research and theories were examined and a number of site visits were made to increase knowledge in the field and determine which spans and frame system to be investigated. Parametric studies of four different scenarios of the agricultural buildings were made. Two cases in the study were constructed of glulam and two of steel. The parametric study is to report relationship between agricultural building spans and costs as well as which building system that is most economically advantageous. The cost of the survey includes only material costs. The result shows that the cost increases linearly with the increasing span. The material costs of the four tested scenarios are relatively equal, but the tapered steel frame has the lowest material cost for all tested spans.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this project is to study the structural design and costing of various designs of tall wind turbine towers and the associated foundations in a South African context. Speci c design guidelines are proposed for the design of tubular steel, concrete and concrete-steel hybrid towers and foundations for hub heights of 80, 100 and 120m. Additionally, a conclusion will be made as to whether the concrete and hybrid towers are a viable alternative to steel towers at higher hub heights. To accomplish this, three of each type of tower (steel concrete and hybrid) and their foundations were designed according to the relevant design standards. The designs were then veri ed using the Abaqus nite element software. The costs of the designs for a South African environment were subsequently calculated according to the increases in material cost, as a function of the increase in hub height. It was found that for the chosen design assumptions, the foundations for the concrete and hybrid towers are less material intensive, and therefore cheaper, than the steel towers. The material costs of the concrete and hybrid towers were also shown to be lower than the material costs of the steel towers, especially at hub heights of 100 to 120m. For the circumstances in this project, it was found that an increase in hub height causes an increase in energy generation of 3.52 and 6.28 percent for 80m to 100m and 80m to 120m hub heights, respectively. It is therefore deduced that, given the trends in the design and cost associated with increasing hub heights, the concrete and hybrid towers become viable alternatives to the conventional steel towers at hub heights of 100 to 120m in height. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie projek is om die strukturele ontwerp en koste van verskillende soorte ho e wind turbines en die toepaslike fondamente vir 'n Suid-Afrikaanse konteks te bestudeer. Spesi eke riglyne word voorgestel vir die ontwerp van silindervormige staal, beton en beton-staal hibriede torings en fondamente vir naafhoogte van 80, 100 en 120m. 'n Gevolgtrekking oor die lewensvatbaarheid van die beton en hibriede torings, in vergelyking met die gewone staal torings teen naafhoogte van 100 tot 120m sal ook gemaak word. Met die bogenoemde as doel, is drie van elke tipe toring (staal, beton en hibried) en hul fondamente volgens die toepaslike standaarde ontwerp. Daarna is die integriteit van die ontwerpe getoets en bevestig deur gebruik van die Abaqus eindige-element-metode sagteware. Ten slotte, die kostes van die ontwerpe vir 'n Suid Afrikaanse omgewing is bereken en die verandering in materiaalkoste uitgedruk as 'n funksie van die verhoging in naafhoogte. Daar is gevind dat, vir die aannames in die ontwerp, die fondamente van die beton en hybrid torings minder materiaal benodig, en dus goedkoper is as die staal torings. Verder, is die materiaalkoste van die beton en hibriede torings laer as die van die staal torings, veral vir naafhoogtes van 100 tot 120m. Verder, is daar vir die omstandighede in hierdie projek gevind dat ho er naafhoogtes stygings in energie-opwekking van 3.52 persent vir naafhoogte stygings van 80m tot 100m, en stygings van 6.28 persent vir naafhoogte stygings van 80m tot 120m lewer. Daar word dus tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat, gegewe die tendense in die ontwerp en materiaal koste wat verband hou met die verhoging van die naafhoogte, die beton en hibriede torings 'n lewensvatbare alternatief vir die konvensionele staal torings vir naafhoogtes van 100 tot 120m word.

published_or_final_version / Computer Science and Information Systems / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Master / Master of Philosophy

Bakgrund: Riksbanken har haft sedelmonopol sedan 1897, vilket har inneburit att de sedan dess har haft ensamrätt att ge ut pengar. Den teknologiska utvecklingen och den ökade användningen av internet har lett till att virtuella samfund har utvecklats och i vissa fall har dessa samhällen skapat sin egen valuta. Bitcoin är världens första helt decentraliserade valuta och baserades i början av sin existens på teknisk nyfikenhet för en handfull hobbyister. Under de senaste åren har efterfrågan på bitcoins ökat vilket i sin tur har lett till att kursen stigit explosivartat.Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att kartlägga och analysera de transaktionskostnader som kan uppstå när Bitcoin används som betalningsmedel, samt jämföra dessa kostnader med de transaktionskostnader som är förenade med användandet av traditionella betalningsmedel. Genomförande: Studien har genomförts genom en blandning av ett kvalitativt och ett kvantitativt tillvägagångssätt samt genom en bearbetning av transaktionskostnadsteorin inom ramen för ny institutionell teori. Empirin består av tre delar där studien inleds med en litteraturstudie för att läsaren ska få en inblick i vad Bitcoin är och hur valutan fungerar. Därefter presenteras det kvalitativa angreppssättet i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer och avslutningsvis presenteras studiens kvantitativa angreppsätt i form av en enkätstudie för att kartlägga användandet av bitcoin.Slutsats: Studien visar att transaktionskostnaderna för Bitcoin är högre än för traditionella betalningsmedel i och med att valutan i dagsläget är beroende av den traditionella infrastrukturen för betalningar samt att dess användare därutöver frånsäger sig det skyddsnät som traditionella betalningsmedel omfattas av. För att Bitcoin ska bli ett etablerat betalningsmedel krävs det att de grundläggande funktionerna för pengar uppfylls. Något som studien visar är bristfälligt i nuläge / Background: The Swedish central bank has had a currency monopoly since 1897, which has meant that they since then have had exclusive right to issue money. Technological advances and the increasing use of the Internet has led to an evolvement of virtual communities and in some cases these communities created their own currency. Bitcoin is the worlds first fully decentralized currency. In the beginning the currency was based on technological curiosity to a handful of hobbyists. In recent years demand for bitcoins has increased, which has led to a dramatic price increase.Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to identify and analyze the transaction costs that may arise when Bitcoin is used as means of payment, and to compare these costs with the transaction costs associated with the use of traditional means of payment. Completion: The study was conducted through a mixture of qualitative and quantitative approaches as well as a processing of the transaction cost theory in the context of new institutional theory. The empirical material consists of three parts in which the study begins with a literature review for the reader to get a glimpse of what Bitcoin is and how the currency works. The qualitative approach is in the form of semi-structured interviews and finally the study's quantitative approach is presented in the form of a questionnaire to survey the use of bitcoin.Conclusion: The study shows that Bitcoins transaction costs are higher than conventional means of payments when account is taken to the fact that the currency is dependent on the current financial structure. The user furthermore disclaims the safety net that traditional means of payments offer. For Bitcoin to become an established means of payment it requires that the basic functions of money are fulfilled which the study shows is inadequate.

This dissertation examines the effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on labor force participation of single mothers by controlling for child care costs. Based on a simple model of utility maximizing households that jointly determine hours worked and hours of non-maternal child care demanded, I estimate the change in the labor force participation rate of single mothers following the EITC expansions of the 1990s. In order to investigate the usage of different modes of childcare services, a multinomial logit model has been estimated. The data source for the study is topical module panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) for the years 1992, 1993, 1996 and 2001. These panels were selected to reflect the time horizon during which the policy changes of the 1990s took place. The empirical estimation strategy is designed to deal with the problems of both selection bias and simultaneity in choosing hours worked and hours of non-maternal child care demanded. Due attention has been paid to the issue of identification of the empirical equations to be estimated in this paper.

<p>The paper, with a brief summary of timber floating in Sweden and also of some previous re-search in this field, contains a study on costs for timber-floating in the river Dalälven located in central Sweden. The public used timber-floating system in Dalälven and the historical background about this activity is described. The study is focused on the total costs for timber-floating in the public open floating system in Dalälven from 1900 to 1970, the year before the timber-floating was definitively closed down. Also the costs for separating the logs of a specific owner when they reached the point where they could be separated from the timber of other owners are analyzed.</p>

In recent years we have seen increasing debate over the allocation of PNW water resources. In particular there are conflicts over using the river system for irrigation vs. electricity production. Denying the hydroelectric system water implies higher costs to electricity consumers as producers substitute more expensive nonhydro resources. This research looked at the impact of new irrigation on PNW electricity consumers. This was done under varying assumptions of demand response and farmer payments for pumping of irrigation water. The study also examined the difference between the current policy of allowing farmers to take all the water they need, and a policy in which withdrawals are limited in periods of low streamflow. Simulations were run to determine the amount of electricity production lost because of withdrawals. These results were then used in a series of simulations to estimate the economic impacts under the various assumptions and policies. It was found that irrigation caused losses to electricity consumers. In some cases this loss was on the order of $200/acre of irrigated land. The loss was significantly mitigated under the interruptible policy. Farmer payments for irrigation energy also reduced the loss to consumers. / Graduation date: 1985