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Sweden is a geographically large and sparsely populated country, with a need for road transport for individuals as well as for logistics. Domestic road transport largely contributes to air pollutions, where passenger cars account for the largest share. Looking ahead, the present rate of reduction of emissions is not enough to reach the climate targets of a fossil free transport sector.  Electric road system (ERS) has emerged to deal with drawbacks of electric vehicles. Several solutions are being evaluated at demonstration projects. Until now, ERS is mainly associated with heavy vehicles and the relation to passenger cars is not as clear, where this study explores the social advantages of ERS and passenger cars.  A case study is conducted, where an ERS implementation between Helsingborg and Malmö as part of the European route E6 in Sweden is modelled. The NPV with an economic lifespan of 20 years and an interest rate of 3.5 percent amounts to 350 MSEK, considered as high profitable. The CO2 emissions of the studied system would be reduced by 102 000 tonnes CO2, corresponding to a decrease of about 60 percent. Looking at the studied system, heavy trucks are contributing to the most impact. Nevertheless, there is great potential for passenger cars utilising ERS to decrease their emissions and fuel costs.  Several semi-structured interviews have been conducted to highlight the prevailing views of ERS and passenger cars and the impact of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for decision-making of transport investments. Several diverse views of ERS and passenger cars exist. ERS is a large investment, where the main need is among heavy vehicles. However, the profitability would increase as the amount of vehicles utilising ERS increases. In a future road transport system, it is possible that several technologies such as ERS, fast chargers and autonomous vehicles could be utilised simultaneous, and complete each other rather than being substitutes. It is conceivable that ERS is planned out of the needs of heavy vehicles, where passenger cars might benefit of the system as well. More passenger cars would likely utilise ERS as it is implemented to a greater extent.  Further, CBA could provide a perception of the investment. However, it does not ensure that the projects are performed or chosen out of highest NPV, since several aspects besides the profitability are considered. Available information of ERS for CBA is yet limited and more data, such as effect relations is needed to facilitate well-founded decisions. In the future, it is likely that CBA of transport investments would become more complex, where several technologies would be considered. The transport sector will most likely alter, and existing assessment methods will presumably be adjusted in line with this. / Sverige är ett geografiskt stort och glesbefolkat land med ett stort behov av vägtransporter för såväl privatpersoner som för logistik. Inrikes vägtransport bidrar i stor utsträckning till luftföroreningar, där personbilar står för den största andelen av utsläppen. Den nuvarande minskningstakten av utsläpp är inte tillräcklig för att nå klimatmålen om en fossilfri transportsektor.  Elvägar (ERS) har utvecklats för att hantera utmaningar med elfordon. Flera lösningar av teknologin testas vid demonstrationsprojekt och hittills är ERS främst förknippat med tunga fordon. Dock är relationen till personbilar inte lika tydlig, där denna studie undersöker de samhälleliga fördelarna med ERS relaterat till personbilar.  En fallstudie har genomförts, där en installation av ERS mellan Helsingborg och Malmö som en del av E6 i Sverige modelleras. Nettonuvärdet med en ekonomisk livslängd på 20 år och en internränta om 3,5 procent uppgår till 350 MSEK, vilket betraktas som hög lönsam. Koldioxidutsläppen från det studerade systemet skulle minskas med 102 000 ton CO2, vilket motsvarar en minskning med drygt 60 procent. Utifrån det studerade systemet bidrar tunga lastbilar till den största inverkan. Likväl finns stor potential för personbilar att nyttja den installerade elvägen för att minska sina utsläpp och bränslekostnader.  Flera semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts för att lyfta fram de rådande synsätten på ERS och personbilar och effekterna av samhällsekonomiska analyser (CBA) vid beslutsfattande av transportinvesteringar. Det finns flera olika synsätt på ERS relaterat till personbilar. ERS är en stor investering, där det största behovet finns bland tunga fordon. Emellertid ökar lönsamheten med antalet fordon som använder systemet. I ett framtida vägtransportsystem är det möjligt att flera teknologier såsom ERS, snabbladdning av elbilar och autonoma fordon utnyttjas samtidigt och används som komplement istället för att ersätta varandra. Det är tänkbart att ERS planeras och installeras utifrån behoven hos tunga fordon, där även personbilar kan dra fördel av systemet. Dessutom är det sannolikt att fler personbilar skulle utnyttja ERS allteftersom det installeras i större utsträckning.  Vidare kan CBA ge en uppfattning om investeringen. Det säkerställer dock inte att projekten genomförs eller väljs utifrån högsta nettonuvärde, eftersom flera aspekter utöver lönsamheten beaktas. Tillgänglig information om ERS för CBA är ännu begränsad och mer data såsom effektsamband behövs för att säkerställa välgrundade beslut. I framtiden är det troligt att CBA av transportinvesteringar blir mer komplexa, där flera tekniker behöver beaktas. Transportsektorn kommer sannolikt att förändras, och befintliga bedömningsmetoder kommer förmodligen att anpassas i linje med detta.

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Background: Nowadays, organizations face an increased occurrence and magnitude ofsystemic risks in their supply chain. For SMEs, these risks are even more prominent due toresources and capacity constraints, especially if they are positioned within global trade dyadssuch as the Europe-Asia dyad. As is it reasonable to assume that the near future will see otherexamples of disrupting events within this dyad, this study focuses on SMEs in the Europe-Asiadyad facing systemic risks. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to uncover how European SMEs within Europe-Asiadyads can strategically navigate and optimize their SCRM approach to counter systemic risks,harmonizing the adoption of the SCRM process and a cost-benefit approach to enhance theirrisk preparedness. Methods: This study has a qualitative and deduction approach with an exploratory purpose.Data is gathered though semi structured interviews within five case companies. Findings/Contribution: SMEs who are more dependent on the Europe-Asia dyad usually havemore SCRM practices in place. As a result, SMEs with solid SCRM processes have an increasedlevel of risk preparedness. However, SMEs also aim to stay agile to leverage for their smallsize and limited resources. The empirical findings also show that SMEs with less preparednessoften rely on a fast and agile reactive measure to tackle risks in their Europe-Asia supply chain.This level of preparedness directly influences the level of which SMEs use CBA within SCRM,which the leads to even more preparedness to systemic risks. Furthermore, SMEs with a highlevel of preparedness utilize CBA on a more advanced level than SMEs who showcase lowerpreparedness. It also offers valuable insights for both academics and practitioners on optimizingSMEs' risk management strategies. Keywords: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) – Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM)– Europe-Asia Dyad – Systemic Risks – Risk Preparedness – Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA)

The subject of this thesis is a socio-economic assessment of the investment project. In the theoretical part I discuss what is a project, evaluation of public projects, methods of evaluating the economic efficiency of public projects, evaluation of the efficiency of investments in waterways using the CBA method, economic performance indicators and sensitivity and risk analysis. In the practical part, I develop a case study on a specific project, where I focus on the development of financial analysis, economic analysis and sensitivity analysis on all project options.

The diploma thesis deals with the assessment of financial stability and investment activities in the municipality. It characterizes investments and feasibility study and describes the grant policy of the European Union and the Czech Republic. The diploma thesis also deals with the indicators of financial analysis, describes a specific municipality and assesses its financial stability. It also presents investment projects in the municipality, assesses their effectiveness and proposes further development of the municipality.

Efficient waste management enables the protection of human health, reducing environmental pollution, saving of natural resources, and achieving sustainable and profitable management of energy. In many countries, the general guidelines for waste management are set by national or local waste management plans. Various models provide local authorities with decision-making tools in planning long-term waste management scenarios.This study aims at providing a special model framework for the evaluation of ecological–economic efficiency (ECO-EE) of waste management. This will serve as an information support tool for decision making by actors of a solid waste management (SWM) scheme, primarily at the municipal and regional levels. The objective of this study is to apply the waste management’s efficient decision (WAMED) model along with the company statistical business tool for environmental recovery indicator (COSTBUSTER) model to SWM and municipal solid waste (MSW) schemes in general in order to evaluate and improve their ECO-EE. COSTBUSTER is a mathematical indicator for the size and extent of implementation costs of a certain SWM scheme, compared with the total size of the average financial budget of a SWM actor of a certain kind. In particular, WAMED is proposed for evaluating the suitability to invest in baling technology. Baling of solid waste is an emerging technology which is extensively used worldwide to temporarily store waste for either incineration or recovery of raw materials. The model for efficient use of resources for optimal production economy (the EUROPE model) is for the first time applied to emissions from baling facilities. It has been analysed how cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and full cost accounting (FCA) can facilitate environmental optimisation of SWM schemes. The effort in this work represents a continuation of such ambitions as an enlargement of the research area of CBA based modelling within SWM. In the thesis, certain theoretical and economic aspects of SWM were analysed as case studies. A shift of viewpoints within the field of waste management is presented. This shift is in accordance with the prevailing concept of sustainable development, as commonly understood. It is concluded that in the practical SWM context, the findings of the study point at the possibilities to modify the common CBA- and FCA-based methods by WAMED, COSTBUSTER, and EUROPE. Therefore, it can be said that estimations in a SWM scheme can be carried out by using certain economic model, if properly modified in a logical and plausible way. New principles for cost allocation to SWM residual products are presented in the current work. They imply strong industrial cost saving incentives through promoting the introduction of new and improved processing technologies for rest-waste. Such incentives then strongly promote investments that are likely to improve both the environment and the corporate profitability. Thereby, the occurrence of non-commercialised, and hence not utilized, wastes is reduced. This improves the short term corporate economy through saving raw materials such as solid waste fuel, spending less time for administrating waste flows, and less wear and tear of the plant machinery. Additional environmental advantages which affect the balance sheets in a favourable way are related to the long-term business economy and extended environmental goodwill. This is due to the recently introduced way of considering solid waste as regular goods in financial terms - the equality principle. If waste is seen as goods, and not wasted in landfills, the environment will improve. This, in turn, leads to an improved quality of life. Based on the current study, it is recommended to apply WAMED to SWM schemes in order to evaluate their ECO–EE to justify decision making and investments. Also, it is recommended to apply COSTBUSTER, based on the current WAMED outcome, to SWM schemes to determine their relative size and extent. It is recommended to apply EUROPE to the emissions in case of accidental burning, treatment of leachate, andabatement with odours at any SWM scheme, based on the induced economic incentives, in order to reduce unwanted substances and phenomena.

The objective of this thesis is to develop an ecological economic framework for the assessment and establishment of protected areas (PAs) that are aimed at conserving forests and biodiversity. The framework is intended to be both rigorous and relevant to the decision-making process. Constructivism is adopted as the paradigm guiding the research process of the thesis, after firstly examining also positivist philosophy and ???post-normal??? scientific methodology. The tenets of both ecological and environmental economics are then discussed. An expanded model of human behaviour, which includes facets derived from institutional economics and socioeconomics as well as aspects of neoclassical economics, is outlined. The framework is further developed by considering, from a contractarian view point, the implications of intergenerational equity for biodiversity conservation policies. The issues of intragenerational distribution and allocation are then considered. In this regard, cost-benefit analysis (CBA), as applied to the valuation of forests, PAs, and biodiversity, is critically reviewed. A participatory approach to decision-making, which may also include CBA, is then proposed. The resulting ecological economic framework may be thus summarised: (a) ecosystem use patterns should be chosen on the basis of their sustainability, distributional, and efficiency aspects; (b) systems of PAs should be established in order to achieve minimal intergenerational equity; (c) intragenerational equity requires the correction of the asymmetrical distribution of the costs and benefits arising from the establishment of PAs; (d) the institutional features relevant to the environmental-economic issues being analysed should be considered; and (e) the decision-making process should be participatory and action oriented. The framework is applied to two case studies in Vanuatu. These applications detail (a) stakeholders??? views and trade-offs faced in relation to forest management (b) modes of participatory research and decision-making, (c) forms of compensation that may be adopted in correcting asymmetrical distributions of the costs and benefits of PAs, and (d) institutional influences on ecosystems use and implications for conservation projects. The institutional arrangements developed for the establishment of the PAs are presented. The application of this ecological economic framework has resulted in the formal establishment of one PA and the identification and assessment of five other PAs.

The aims of this thesis were to evaluate caries-preventive measures from a societal perspective, to demonstrate the use of resources in preventive dentistry, to develop and discuss techniques suitable for evaluating dental care costs and outcomes, and to test costs and consequences within a health economic decision model adapted to preventive dental care. The thesis is based on three separate studies with three separate cohorts. In the first study, performed at a single dental clinic, analysis was made of data on dental caries progression over four years in 92 adolescents, along with the use of resources for preventive treatment. In the second study, data from the intervention study “Evaluation of caries-preventive measures” (performed between 1995 and 1999 at 26 dental health clinics throughout Sweden) were used for economic evaluation. Three different approaches to calculating unit cost were discussed, each of which reflect the differences in treatment costs as influenced by the practitioner’s level of skill and competence (salary) and by methods of handling overhead cost allocation. These methods seem useful for evaluating costs in cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and cost-benefit analysis (CBA). The CEA showed an incremental cost-effectiveness over four years of SEK 2 043* per averted decayed (D) enamel (e) and dentine caries, missing (M) and filled (F) surface (S) (DeMFS). In the third study, 82 19-year-old individuals agreed to participate in a pilot exploratory case-control study. Individuals with high caries experience formed the test group while the control group consisted of individuals with no caries experience. To explore whether any differences existed between these two groups in perceived oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL), two OHRQOL measures were used. Additionally, the willingness of these individuals to pay (WTP) for a preventive strategy was elicited using the contingent valuation method (CVM) within a cost-benefit approach. Using these WTP values, the cost-benefit analyses showed positive net social benefit (NSB) values for both study groups, meaning that the benefits of prevention exceeded the costs. A new outcome measure, Value of Statistical Oral Health (VOSOH), was also presented. Consideration was also made, within the economic framework fundamental to this thesis, of the trend away from a strictly bio-medical paradigm towards a biopsychosocial perspective. The health economic decision model encompasses a number of different techniques for comparing costs with consequences, each with its own advantages and disadvantages and each with its own field of application. These techniques should be seen as complementary rather than competing. Preventive dentistry plays a central role in Swedish dental health care, and it is important that resources are used properly. Accurate evaluation methods are necessary in order to improve the basis for public decision-making; the methods proposed in this thesis seem to be of potential use in this endeavour. *SEK8.54 = US$1 (December 1999).

La enseñanza y evaluación automática a través de un sistema Computer Based Assessment (CBA) requiere de software especializado que se adapte a la tipología de actividades a tratar y evaluar. En esta tesis se ha desarrollado un entorno CBA que facilita el aprendizaje y evaluación de los principales temas de una asignatura de bases de datos. Para ello se han analizado las herramientas existentes en cada uno de estos temas (Diagramas Entidad/Relación, diagramas de clases, esquemas de bases de datos relacionales, normalización, consultas en álgebra relacional y lenguaje SQL) y para cada uno de ellos se ha analizado, diseñado e implementado un módulo de corrección y evaluación automática que aporta mejoras respecto a los existentes. Estos módulos se han integrado en un mismo entorno al que hemos llamado ACME-DB. / Teaching and automatic evaluation through Computer Based Assessment (CBA) requires of specialized software tools capable to correct different type of activities. In this work, we have analyzed the main topics of a database course (entity/ relationship diagrams, class diagrams, relational database schemas, normalization, relational algebra and SQL) and for each one of them we have reported the state of art on CBA tools. Afterwards, we have proposed a new CBA environment for teaching and learning database. This environment, denoted ACME-DB, is composed of different modules capable to automatically correct and evaluate exercises of main topics of a database course providing improvements over existing tools.