Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Hikaru Hanawa Peterson / This thesis focuses on the question of the effect of commodity pricing and Federal programs on the cost of food in the United States. For many decades the debate around subsidy payments has been argued in the halls of Congress and in farm fields across the country. Corn, wheat, and soybeans are the three largest crops subsidized in the United States today; arguably, the prices of these crops are influenced by subsidy payments. The goal of this thesis is to determine the effects of the prices of the top three subsidized crops on the thrifty market basket for families for four published by the USDA, factoring in transportation costs, market spread, agricultural technology advancements, and market value share. Previous studies have focused on direct subsidy payments as a whole and their aggregate influence on the price of food. This paper builds on the past studies by evaluating the effects of crop-specific programs on the cost of food. Econometric regression analysis was used to analyze the data gathered to support or refute the hypothesis that commodity prices and Federal payments do influence the cost of food. Initially data were gathered from January 1960 to December 2012. The data were adjusted for inflation using the Producer Price Index and Consumer Price Index where appropriate. After multiple attempts of modeling it was discovered that data from 1960 to 1970 needed to be discarded due to the difference in the market basket price calculations from the rest of the series. Furthermore, the model was adjusted based on the presence of multicollinearity, and the Hildreth-Lu Method was utilized to correct for the autocorrelation in error. The regression results illustrated that the only commodity of the three considered in the study that had a positive and statistically significant impact on the cost of food over the sample period was corn (p-value = 0.005). The coefficients on wheat and soybean prices were statistically insignificant. The historical fuel price had the expected positive sign and was statistically significant. The agricultural technology factor was not significant. The results also suggested that the cereal grains supply chain has significantly increased the cost of food. Both the cereal grain farm value share and the retail-to-farm spread for cereal grains were statistically significant (p-value < 0.000) with positive coefficients. The price spread of fruit was statistically significant, (p-value = 0.000), but the farm value was not. The regression results were initially surprising for the crop price variables. The overall analysis supports previous studies that crop subsidies alone may not have impacted food prices per se, but biofuel policies may have had unintended consequences. Crop-specific results provide more information to consider when discussing The Farm Bill and the implications of such a complicated and omnibus piece of legislation.

This thesis analyzes the products of Toyota Motor Czech spol. s.r.o. which is a company operating on the Slovak and Czech car market. The work is based on the theoretical knowledge described in the first part. The first part is then followed by a practical section, in which I first describe the current market situation in the automotive industry in Czech and Slovak Republic. Further I characterize the company Toyota Motor Czech spol. s.r.o. itself, then I describe the most important car models and related market segments. Later in the practical part I analyze the models of Toyota in terms of price and marketability over the competition. The final section summarizes the information obtained and gives some recommendations that the company could use in the future to improve the position of individual models.

This report comprises a product development of an ergonomically designed hose basket that can be used by the firefighters when storing or carrying a fire hose. A study on ergonomics in the profession as a firefighter conducted by the Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) showed that fire hose deployment was very physically exhausting. This study also revealed that some load may become too heavy and difficult to carry due to the design of the equipment. Injury to the user during lifting is common within the profession. Therefore there is a need for equipment that is more ergonomically designed.  The project follows a product development phase that includes market research and feasibility study which was accomplished by a literature study and through study visits and interviews at fire stations.  A common type of hose basket was used as the starting point for the project. This hose basket is in this report referred as "Skövde basket" and was considered heavy and un-ergonomic to carry, especially for shorter people. From the gathered information a ‘house of quality’ and a two-step idea generation was created. Several concepts that were made opposed the Skövde basket in an evaluation matrix. A material selection using a program, CES Selector 3.2 was made on the winning concept that became a hose basket which is carried under the arm.   The hose basket was then constructed in the program Creo Parametric 4.0 and detail drawings were created. A prototype was then made and tested by firefighters of both sexes and of different heights. The results pointed out improvements and deteriorations from the Skövde basket. The deterioration was that the basket became more difficult to pack, which was due to the reduced number of bars. Improvements were noticed on lift height; significant increase on lift height facilitated easy carrying by shorter individuals. / Denna rapport omfattar en produktutveckling av en ergonomiskt utformad slangkorg som kan användas av räddningstjänsten då brandslang ska placeras ut. Enligt en studie kring ergonomi inom räddningstjänsten gjord av Research Institutes of Sweden, RISE, ansåg många brandmän att slangutläggning var mycket fysiskt ansträngande. Syftet är att främja ergonomi inom brandmannayrket. Trots de fysiska kraven hos brandmän, kan vissa laster bli för tunga och svåra att bära på grund av utrustningens utformning. Därför behövs utrustning som är mer ergonomiskt utformad.   Projektet följer övergripligt en produktutvecklingsfas där det ingår dels en marknadsundersökning och en förstudie vilket gjordes genom en litteraturstudie, intervjuer och studiebesök på brandstationer.   En vanlig variant av slangkorg användes som utgångspunkt för projektet, denna slangkorg kallas i rapporten för ”Skövdeväskan” och ansågs tung och oergonomisk att bära, framför allt för kortare personer. Utifrån den information som samlats in gjordes ett kvalitetshus och en tvåstegs idégenerering där koncept togs fram. Koncepten ställdes mot varandra och mot Skövdeväskan i en konceptvalsmatris. Materialval med programmet CES Selector 3.2 gjordes på det vinnande konceptet som blev en slangkorg som bärs under armen.  Slangkorgen modellerades sedan i programmet Creo Parametric 4.0 och detaljritningar skapades. En prototyp konstruerades och denna testades av brandmän av båda könen och av olika längd. Testpersonerna fick därefter göra en utvärdering som visade på både förbättringar och försämringar jämfört med Skövdeväskan. Försämringar som uppkom var att korgen blev mer svårpackad vilket berodde på det reducerade antalet stödstänger i ramen. Förbättringar gjordes på lyfthöjd vilket underlättade framför allt för de kortare personerna.

Esta dissertação de mestrado tem como objetivo, elaborar um modelo de segmentação baseando-se no comportamento comprovado de consumo de clientes, valendo-se das técnicas de Análise de Associação e Análise de Cesto de Compras, aplicadas aos dados das faturas de cartão de crédito dos clientes. A partir do modelo proposto, testou-se a previsibilidade das próximas transações dos clientes por meio de uma amostra de validação. A motivação desta pesquisa provém de três pilares: Contexto Científico, Tecnológico e Mercadológico. No Contexto Científico, apesar de já terem sido publicados artigos que associam a utilização do cartão de crédito a perfis de segmentação de clientes, não se encontram publicados estudos que relacionam dados da própria utilização do cartão como fonte de informação do cliente. A razão mais provável para isso é a dificuldade no levantamento dos dados fundamentais para este tipo de pesquisa. Com o apoio de uma grande instituição financeira, este trabalho está se tornando viável, sob o preceito da análise apenas sobre bases de clientes anônimos e que não transpareça informações estratégicas da instituição. No contexto tecnológico, com a tecnologia de informação em crescente desenvolvimento, as operações feitas com cartão de crédito tem o processamento on-line em tempo real, promovendo a troca de informação entre o estabelecimento comercial e a instituição emissora do cartão de crédito no momento em que a cobrança é lançada e aceita pelo consumidor final. Isso possibilita que ações promocionais sejam realizadas em toda a cadeia de valor de cartões de crédito, gerando mais valor para os clientes e empresas. No contexto mercadológico, o Brasil apresentou altas taxas de crescimento do mercado de cartões de crédito nas últimas décadas, substituindo os outros meios mais antigos de pagamento e de crediário. Especialmente no Brasil, observam-se compras pagas com o uso do cartão de crédito parceladas com e sem juros, o que contribui para a substituição de outras formas de crédito. Como benefício deste trabalho, concluiu-se que a partir do conhecimento do consumo do cliente, pode-se aplicar a análise de cesto de compras para prever as próximas transações dos clientes, a fim de segmentar os clientes para estimulá-los a aderir a uma determinada oferta. / The objective of this research is elaborating a Segmentation Model based on credit card client\'s behavior using Link Analysis and Market Basket Analysis techniques. The proposed model was used to testing the predictability of next client transactions through validation sample. Scientific, technological and marketing scenarios are the three motivational pillars of this research. On scientific context there were published studies that associate credit card use with segmentation profile of customer. However these studies do not establish relationship between data from own clients credit card utilization. One probably reason for this lack analysis into studies is the difficult collect of fundamental data. This research was feasible with the support of a great Brazilian financial group. On technological context is observed a wide information technology development. Credit cards transactions have on-line processing. This scenario allows exchange information between market and credit card institution at the moment of final client transaction approval. This technology permits that actions be realized along credit card value chain based on transactions that have been made. On marketing context, during the latest decades, Brazil has shown large growth rates on credit card beyond older ways of payment. In Brazil, is observed a wide utilization of credit cards in installment purchases contributing for the replacement of other ways of credits. This research conclude that from the knowledge of client consume profile, using the Market Basket Analysis technique, it is possible to get a forecast of purchase transactions with the objective to stimulate the consumer in accept particular offer.

Les problèmes environnementaux sont aujourd’hui au cœur des débats sur le développement. Le concept de développement durable trouve ses origines dans la démonstration faite de la nécessité pour les sociétés de minimiser la pression de l’impact de l’activité humaine sur les ressources naturelles. Le rapport de Brundtland en 1987 et l’Agenda 21 en 1992 affirment la nécessité de prendre en compte les autres dimensions du développement que la seule dimension économique dans la recherche d’un développement soutenable. Ces évolutions légitiment le développement de pistes de travail pour la prise en compte conjointe de questions environnementales et sociales dans les politiques de développement. Depuis la médiatisation de la notion de services écosystémiques par le Millenium Ecosystem Assessment en 2005, les services écosystémiques (SE) ont commencé à occuper une place importante comme cadre d’orientation pour résoudre des questions de développement et d’aménagement à l’échelle territoriale. Par ailleurs, de nombreuses recherches sur le rôle des ressources locales dans le développement économique des territoires (Bernard Pecqueur, Amédée Mollard et leurs équipes) ont conduit au développement d’un modèle de développement territorial original fondé sur l’activation de ressources spécifiques par les acteurs locaux et sur le développement du concept de panier de biens et services. Ce travail de recherche a pour objectif de développer un cadre de recherche opérationnel fondé sur les services écosystémiques afin de faciliter un développement territorial durable. Ainsi en proposant un nouveau concept, le panier de services écosystémiques (SE), nous faisons l’hypothèse qu’un cadre de recherche territorial fondé sur le panier de SE peut faciliter l’inventaire des ressources physiques, écologiques et culturelles issues des écosystèmes d’un territoire et encourager les acteurs du territoire à la mise en place de pratiques durables dans les processus de valorisation des ressources, à partir d’une identité collective construite autour des services concernés et des activités qui en sont issues. Pour confirmer cette hypothèse, le travail de recherche définit la notion de panier de SE et montre la pertinence de développer une approche d’évaluation non-monétaire à partir d’indicateurs multicritères et de perceptions pour mieux caractériser les potentialités de valorisation de paniers de SE agricoles pour un ensemble de produits emblématiques et leur contribution à la dimension environnementale d’un territoire. Ce cadre méthodologique a été appliqué à un cas d’étude en Turquie, le territoire de la Péninsule de Karaburun, située dans la Région d’Egée à une centaine de kilomètre d’Izmir. Cette étude de cas a permis d’identifier les perspectives de développement territorial et les politiques d’accompagnement à mettre en œuvre pour la valorisation des paniers de SE de Karaburun qui contribuent à la durabilité du territoire. / Today environmental issues are at the heart of development debates. At the origin of the introduction of the sustainable development concept in the Brundtland Report in 1987, there has been the need of taking other dimensions of development into account rather than the economic dimension in order to minimize the impact of the human activity on resources.The development experiences of certain territories have been at the center of the territorial development approach, particularly the French territories which constitute important cases for the basket of goods and services approach of the Grenoble model developed by Bernard Pecqueur and Amédée Mollard. Moreover, ecosystem services began to have an important place as a framework of land planning and territorial development since the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment in 2005. From a territorial approach perspective, ecosystem services (ES) can allow can allow one to take into account environmental issues and enrich development perspectives based on different dimensions of sustainability.The aim of this PhD research is to develop a research framework based on ecosystem services for a sustainable territorial development. Thus, by proposing a new concept, the notion of ES basket, we hypothesize that the basket of ecosystem services framework can facilitate the inventory of physical, ecological and cultural resources derived from the ecosystems of a territory and encourage the actors of the territory to adopt sustainable practices in the valorization process of resources, creating a collective identity around the services. To confirm this hypothesis, we first define the notion of SE basket and then show the relevance of developing a non-monetary methodological framework based on multicriteria indicators and perceptions. This methodological framework has been applied to a case study in Turkey, the territory of the Karaburun Peninsula, located in the Aegean Region about a hundred kilometers from Izmir. This case study made it possible to identify the prospects for territorial development and the policy of support for the sustainable valorization of Karaburun ES baskets. It also allowed identifying some methodological, financial and institutional limitations that must be taken into account in future work to improve the research framework.

Market segmentation is becoming very familiar and essential to every marketer in the process of designing and implementing an effective target-marketing strategy. It is confirmed in the grocery retail industry about the importance of appropriate market segmentation. In this industry, customer purchasing behavior needs to be acknowledged not only in specific products, but also the interaction among the whole range of products. Therefore, the motivation for this thesis is to discover a segmentation based on this purchasing behavior among whole range of products, which is called purchasing pattern. The Purchasing pattern is interpreted by purchasing portfolios, which include list of categories that a certain customer purchases and also consumption behavior on these categories.This thesis is acknowledged from related theories to design a theoretical model of market segmentation based on purchasing portfolios. Then, data mining techniques are applied to process a practical database in order to test the theory’s hypotheses, as well as illustrate for the model.As a result, the availability of segmentation is verified from a technical view and the practical significance of segmentation is confirmed from a marketing view. The result from data mining has shown four segments from the analysis of purchasing portfolios. These four segments cover most of the market, and remain over time. The segmentation is assessed from marketing view to be appropriate for practical application.Furthermore, there are three segments that are selected to be analyzed further. They represent three distinct purchasing behaviors. Three specific purchasing portfolios are built for each segment, which can be used to direct for marketing strategy.

Measurement of price level with consumer price indices forms some gap between measured inflation and perceived inflation. The graduation theses is concerned with quantification of gap in particular group of individuals and shows on measuring data, how this gap influents individuals, if growth of cost of living according to consumer price index copies price perception. It illustrates influence the incorrect construction of indices as important orientation point in economy, which redistribution of recourses, in context with usage of indices for income indexation and suggests more appropriate approach for constructing aggregate price index. It investigates what factors influence price perception and comes into gain and loses calculation which people are confronted. Price perception is influenced both socio-economic and political environment. The end of theses overlaps into political vote and investigates if there is causal of relationship between price perception and political vote.

Lack of accessibility to healthy foods is a factor associated with the increase in obesity, diabetes, and other negative health consequences. While programs such as WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) provide supplemental nutritional access to healthy foods, few organic food items are included in the WIC authorized food list. Government programs and policy makers that provide to the most vulnerable populations are concerned about equal availability of healthy foods. The purpose of this study was to compare variability and cost of organic food items in 24 large chain grocery stores located in high- and low-income areas. The theoretical concepts of social production of disease and political economy of health guided the study. The study used a quantitative research design to investigate the relationship between neighborhood income level and the consumer nutrition environment. Organic food scores were compared by neighborhood income level using t test and ANOVA. There were significant differences in availability and variability scores of healthy organic foods between high- and low-income neighborhood stores. Organic food items, specifically 15% fat content ground beef, peanut butter, apple juice, and eggs were priced significantly higher than conventional items (p < 0.05). Pricing of organic foods varied and no significant pricing trends were noted between neighborhood income levels. This study may contribute to social change by enhancing the conversation on organic food availability and affordability. Social change may be promoted through identification of the need to expand WIC authorization of organic food items and increasing produce voucher amount to allow WIC participants to purchase higher amounts of organic produce.

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This thesis presents the main results of my research in the field of computational finance and portfolios optimization. We focus on pricing Asian basket options and portfolio problems in the presence of inflation with stochastic interest rates. In Chapter 2, we concentrate upon the derivation of bounds for European-style discrete arithmetic Asian basket options in a Black and Scholes framework.We start from methods used for basket options and Asian options. First, we use the general approach for deriving upper and lower bounds for stop-loss premia of sums of non-independent random variables as in Kaas et al. [Upper and lower bounds for sums of random variables, Insurance Math. Econom. 27 (2000) 151–168] or Dhaene et al. [The concept of comonotonicity in actuarial science and finance: theory, Insurance Math. Econom. 31(1) (2002) 3–33]. We generalize the methods in Deelstra et al. [Pricing of arithmetic basket options by conditioning, Insurance Math. Econom. 34 (2004) 55–57] and Vanmaele et al. [Bounds for the price of discrete sampled arithmetic Asian options, J. Comput. Appl. Math. 185(1) (2006) 51–90]. Afterwards we show how to derive an analytical closed-form expression for a lower bound in the non-comonotonic case. Finally, we derive upper bounds for Asian basket options by applying techniques as in Thompson [Fast narrow bounds on the value of Asian options, Working Paper, University of Cambridge, 1999] and Lord [Partially exact and bounded approximations for arithmetic Asian options, J. Comput. Finance 10 (2) (2006) 1–52]. Numerical results are included and on the basis of our numerical tests, we explain which method we recommend depending on moneyness and time-to-maturity In Chapter 3, we propose some moment matching pricing methods for European-style discrete arithmetic Asian basket options in a Black & Scholes framework. We generalize the approach of Curran M. (1994) [Valuing Asian and portfolio by conditioning on the geometric mean price”, Management science, 40, 1705-1711] and of Deelstra G., Liinev J. and Vanmaele M. (2004) [Pricing of arithmetic basket options by conditioning”, Insurance: Mathematics & Economics] in several ways. We create a framework that allows for a whole class of conditioning random variables which are normally distributed. We moment match not only with a lognormal random variable but also with a log-extended-skew-normal random variable. We also improve the bounds of Deelstra G., Diallo I. and Vanmaele M. (2008). [Bounds for Asian basket options”, Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, 218, 215-228]. Numerical results are included and on the basis of our numerical tests, we explain which method we recommend depending on moneyness and time-to-maturity. In Chapter 4, we use the stochastic dynamic programming approach in order to extend Brennan and Xia’s unconstrained optimal portfolio strategies by investigating the case in which interest rates and inflation rates follow affine dynamics which combine the model of Cox et al. (1985) [A Theory of the Term Structure of Interest Rates, Econometrica, 53(2), 385-408] and the model of Vasicek (1977) [An equilibrium characterization of the term structure, Journal of Financial Economics, 5, 177-188]. We first derive the nominal price of a zero coupon bond by using the evolution PDE which can be solved by reducing the problem to the solution of three ordinary differential equations (ODE). To solve the corresponding control problems we apply a verification theorem without the usual Lipschitz assumption given in Korn R. and Kraft H.(2001)[A Stochastic control approach to portfolio problems with stochastic interest rates, SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization, 40(4), 1250-1269] or [45].