Energy is the driver of activity in every economy and, therefore, its importance cannot be overemphasised. However, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces general problems of access to modern energy. Most households and industry in SSA use traditional and unclean energy resources for activities such as cooking, lighting and drying of farm produce. Many households in less developed countries have very limited choices with regard to alternatives to traditional energy supplies. Energy poverty is overt in many poor countries, particularly in the Sub-Saharan region where 700 million people are deprived of access to modern energy facilities. In Malawi, less than 6 percent of the population have access to electricity. There are, therefore, many questions regarding the state of energy poverty still to be answered, not only in Malawi, but also the entirety of the SSA region. Questions such as what is the level of energy poverty in these regions? What determines this level of poverty? Why are people not adopting renewable energy facilities for their household needs? Are some energy facilities inferior to others? Such questions were the centre of the present study. These questions are important because, with energy poverty, nearly all the Millennium Development Goals are unachievable and sustainable development could not be a success story where the dominant source of energy for both households and industry is biomass. This study was based on a survey conducted in South Lunzu Township (SLT), which is a low income area to the east of Ndirande Mountain in the city of Blantyre, Malawi. The survey administered a standard questionnaire through face-to-face interviews with heads of households. Data was collected from 319 respondents who were selected through random sampling techniques. The descriptive statistics suggest that the average household size for South Lunzu Township is 5 people. The average age of the sampled respondents was about 38. Energy Poverty and Sustainable Development The findings of the thesis suggest that over 90 percent of the households sampled were energy poor with energy expenditure exceeding 10 percent of total household expenditure. In terms of energy resources used in SLT, 2.9 percent used electricity for cooking meals. Only 2 households, representing 0.63 percent, use liquefied petroleum Gas (LPG) and just 1 household, representing 0.31 percent, depended mostly on solar power. On the other hand, energy facilities that are considered dirty, inefficient and a danger to the heath of people seem to be popular. For instance charcoal and firewood were used by 25 percent and 4.7 percent of the total sample respectively. Most households use a combination of energy facilities; however, those that are considered inferior are preferred. Of the sample, 42 percent use both charcoal and firewood to cook their meals. Further, the results of the Engel functions suggest that charcoal and wood were not regarded as inferior products for the cooking needs of households despite improvements in income. Electricity, which was also regarded as a normal energy resource, had positive income elasticity. To improve access to modern energy facilities at the household level, the thesis recommends that a flexible trade and tax regime, one that will improve the availability and affordability of renewable energy to the majority, should be adopted. The Logit model of energy poverty reveals that household expenditure on transport, income level, age, and education level of the head of household; household size; and home size, are important factors in explaining the level of energy poverty in South Lunzu Township. Further, the results revealed that expenditure on housing and marital status could not be relied upon as important predictors of the probability of energy poverty in South Lunzu. Expenditure on education was associated with lower levels of energy poverty. Households who spent more on schooling also spent more on food items and their expenditure on energy resources was less than 10 percent of the total expenditure per month. In addition, those households that spent more on food were also likely to be energy well-off. Energy Poverty and Sustainable Development Results of the multinomial logit (MNL) model suggest that most socioeconomic variables under study were inelastic in influencing the probability for the outcomes, at the household level, to be used for the purposes of cooking. Statistically, age, income and education level of the head of household, together with household size, were important factors that influenced the choice of most of the outcomes for cooking purposes, including electricity, charcoal, firewood and LP gas. The major recommendation of this study is that campaigns emphasising the abilities of renewable energy be developed and disseminated. That renewable energy is relegated to poor and uncivilised societies is a notion that must be rooted out of the mindset of the average, civilised urban dweller. Also, the use of LP gas for cooking purposes must be encouraged. Import tax regimes that discourage international trade of renewable energy resources must be removed to encourage lower prices on such facilities. These policies would ensure sustainable development by reducing reliance on biomass, which is depleting at a faster rate than it is regenerating. / Thesis (PhD (Economics))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

La presente tesis tiene como objetivo determinar la disposición a pagar (DAP) de los consumidores en el Gran La Plata (Buenos Aires) por atributos de Responsabilidad Social Empresaria, así como también analizar si el género, la edad y el contar con nivel educativo universitario completo influye sobre la misma. Como metodología se procedió a estimar modelos de regresión logit y tobit. Del análisis de los resultados se puede destacar, que los encuestados presentan una DAP alta para el atributo de RSE Protección al Medio Ambiente, y que la DAP positiva y su monto se relaciona inversamente con el género y la edad, lo que implica que el monto de la DAP disminuye en caso de ser hombre y a medida que aumenta la edad.

We analyze empirically the role played by energy inflation as a determinant of downward corrections in house prices. Using a dataset for 18 OECD economies spanning the last four decades, we identify periods of downward house price adjustment and estimate conditional logit models to measure the effect of energy inflation on the probability of these house price corrections after controlling for other relevant macroeconomic variables. Our results give strong evidence that increases in energy price inflation raise the probability of such corrective periods taking place. This phenomenon could be explained by various channels: through the adverse effects of energy prices on economic activity and income reducing the demand for housing; through the particular impact on construction and operation costs and their effects on the supply and demand of housing; through the reaction of monetary policy on inflation withdrawing liquidity and further reducing demand; through improving attractiveness of commodity versus housing investment on asset markets; or through a lagging impact of common factors on both variables, such as economic growth. Our results contribute to the understanding of the pass-through of oil price shocks to financial markets and imply that energy price inflation should serve as a leading indicator for the analysis of macro-financial risks. (authors' abstract)

Fethiye-G&ouml / cek area is one of the nine coastal Specially Protected Area (SPA) in Turkey. Since mid-80&rsquo / s G&ouml / cek town has developed to be a yachting center, and the bays of G&ouml / cek have acquired a well-earned international fame as a paradise for boating vacations. However, the uncontrolled yachting in this bay area presents a growing pressure on the environment, and the coastal and marine ecosystem. In this thesis a computer model for simulating the movements of yachts in G&ouml / cek Bays is developed. The computer model uses the Multinomial Logit Model (MNL) to find the probabilities for the boaters to select the next bay to visit. The model predicts the number of boats in each bay at the end of a day, the number of boats visited each bay during the day and the distribution of boater categories among the bays throughout the simulation time. In order to get the data needed for the inputs, a questionnaire was formed, and a detailed survey was carried out in G&ouml / cek Bays. In addition to the questionnaires, the number of the boats anchored were also observed in the field studies. The model is applied to the G&ouml / cek Bays and the results obtained are compared with the data obtained in the field. In the following years, the yacht movements and distributions at various anchor locations can be predicted with this model. These predictions will be useful in a future management plan that aims to control of yacht movement and anchoring.

由於我國經濟結構仍以出口導向為主，同時因屬於淺碟型市場，易受國際情勢影響而大幅波動，因此我國央行的外匯政策向來具備濃厚的干預色彩。在亞洲金融風暴發生期間，我國股匯市因受到市場不正常預期心理影響而重挫，央行為維持外匯市場穩定，不斷地再三公開宣示捍衛新台幣匯率的決心，顯見央行對於匯率走勢的看法相當值得重視。本文以外匯市場變化對於央行進場干預之可能性的影響做為研究主題，採用Logit模型並以1997年1月6日至2009年6月8日之日資料進行實證分析。本文研究結論簡述如下： 1.當匯率變動量變動一單位時，央行阻升可能性的增加幅度會較央行阻貶可能性的增加幅度為高，表示相較於新台幣貶值，央行對於新台幣走升的反應會更為敏感；此外整體而言，關於央行阻升的報導數遠較阻貶的報導數為多，推論此與相較於新台幣走升，央行似乎更偏好於讓新台幣匯率貶值有關。 2.當外匯市場波動度上升時，央行進場干預的可能性確實會上升，且當此情形維持得愈久，央行阻升可能性的增加幅度也會愈高，可見央行干預確實具有穩定匯率短期波動的特色。 3.當新台幣升 (貶) 值幅度大於韓元、日圓時，央行阻升 (貶) 的可能性會上升，但當新台幣升 (貶) 值幅度仍小於韓元、日圓時，央行的反應並不如升 (貶) 值幅度已大於韓元、日圓時敏感，可見南韓、日本匯率的走勢與變動確實會影響我國央行的干預政策。 4.實質有效匯率與出口成長率皆會影響央行進場干預的可能性。 關鍵字：匯率干預、口頭干預、中央銀行、Logit模型

線上音樂在歐美國家的發展已逐漸進入成熟期，不論廠商家數與市佔率皆顯著成長，而台灣尚在起步階段。本研究擬對此新興市場消費者的接受意願與廠商的最適定價進行研究。 以巢式logit模型對線上音樂接受意願分析的結果，發現每月對音樂產品的花費愈高會增加單曲服務的接受意願；屬於只對主打歌有付費意願的消費者，他們比其他消費者更不可能購買線上音樂中的單曲服務；線上音樂服務的種類優勢愈強也會增加付費意願。 在線上音樂廠商定價策略上，藉搭售音樂周邊產品維持營收的廠商，才能忍受單曲微薄的利潤；而以銷售線上音樂為主要營收廠商，在發展混合套裝組合策略時，應著重套裝組合策略，藉規模經濟以達到較高的利潤。

企業營運之成敗，長期資金能否順利取得是一關鍵因素，許多上市公司更跨出台灣市場至國外發行海外存託憑證(DR)或海外可轉換公司債(ECB)，以滿足企業長期資金需求。近年來可轉換公司債成為頗受上市公司與投資人青睞的籌資與投資工具，發行的種類與數量年年增加，發行可轉換公司債公司往往具有某些財務特徵，本研究以多項Logit模型為研究方法，採用代表財務結構、償債能力、、、等八大類共十八項主要財務比率為解釋變數，研究期間為2000年至2004年間，探討發行國內可轉換公司債、海外可轉換公司債與未以可轉換公司債進行籌資之公司的財務特徵，實證分析結果如下： 1､2000年至2004年上市電子公司，超過三分之二之電子公司採用可轉換公司債進行籌資，可見可轉換公司債受青睞之程度，因電子業是高成長及高風險的公司，此印證了Jensen & Meckling(1976)，Brennan & Schwartz(1988)之風險綜效，主張高成長及高風險的公司傾向採用可轉換公司債進行籌資。 2､上市電子公司發行國內或海外可轉換公司債之主要財務特徵為代表經營能力的總資產週轉次數與獲利能力之每股盈餘。 3､未以可轉換公司債進行籌資之上市電子公司之主要財務特徵為股東權益報酬率。 4､發行海外可轉換公司債之上市電子公司之主要財務特徵，如長期負債占資產比率，現金再投資比率與營業額等，驗證了Jeff Madura之低融資成本假說。 5､槓桿度與R&D費用率非影響上市電子公司發行可轉換公司債之財務特徵。

No description available.

Techn. Hochsch., Diss.--Aachen, 2007.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2004--München.