In practice there is a long tradition of actuaries calculating reserve estimates according to deterministic methods without explicit reference to a stochastic model. For instance, the chain-ladder was originally a deterministic reserving method. Moreover, the actuaries often make ad hoc adjustments of the methods, for example, smoothing of the chain-ladder development factors, in order to fit the data set under analysis. However, stochastic models are needed in order to assess the variability of the claims reserve. The standard statistical approach would be to first specify a model, then find an estimate of the outstanding claims under that model, typically by maximum likelihood, and finally the model could be used to find the precision of the estimate. As a compromise between this approach and the actuary's way of working without reference to a model the object of the research area has often been to first construct a model and a method that produces the actuary's estimate and then use this model in order to assess the uncertainty of the estimate. A drawback of this approach is that the suggested models have been constructed to give a measure of the precision of the reserve estimate without the possibility of changing the estimate itself. The starting point of this thesis is the inconsistency between the deterministic approaches used in practice and the stochastic ones suggested in the literature. On one hand, the purpose of Paper I is to develop a bootstrap technique which easily enables the actuary to use other development factor methods than the pure chain-ladder relying on as few model assumptions as possible. This bootstrap technique is then extended and applied to the separation method in Paper II. On the other hand, the purpose of Paper III is to create a stochastic framework which imitates the ad hoc deterministic smoothing of chain-ladder development factors which is frequently used in practice.

The challenges in human resource allocation drive the present project. Conducted at an office of the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia (the WCB), the project aims at developing a simulation model of claim management operations to facilitate decision-making in resource allocation. In this context, resource allocation refers to the alignment of staff to claims. The components of the problem include the number of staff required and the types of staff required, given targeted system performance. The volume of claims, the profile of claims, the Workers Compensation Act, the board's business guidelines and the board's operational targets all influence staffing requirement. It is far from straightforward to answer the following questions: what is the optimal level of staffing? What is the right mix of skills? And what is the proper alignment of staff with claims? How will the system perform given a certain staffing level? How will change in the profile of incoming claims influence staffing requirement? A discrete-event simulation model was developed as a decision support tool in this project. The model was used to evaluate several resource allocation scenarios. Simulation showed that timeliness measures such as time to decision and time to closure would improve with additional resources, but the improvement was not drastic. At the staffing level of 14, compared to the current level of 12, time to decision for unadjudicated claims would reduce by 6%. Simulation further showed that specialization of staff by claim type might have a negative impact on system performance measures, because economics of scale were compromised. Finally, simulation showed that if Site Visits, a required procedure for adjudicating claims related to Activity-Related Soft Tissue Diseases, could be conducted by dedicated personnel, time to decision for these claims might reduce by as high as 60%.

Compensation Services manages return to work, wage loss, pension and health-care benefits to injured workers, and those suffering from occupational diseases. This thesis presents the methodology and results of a comprehensive study conducted to determine the relationships between existing performance measures, quantify the factors influencing these performance measures, and deterrriine relative efficiencies across case management operations. We use principal components analysis, cluster analysis, and multiple regression to derive the relationships between performance outcomes and influencing factors. We then use data envelopment analysis, incorporating these multiple inputs and outputs, to assess overall relative efficiencies and set performance targets. The analysis has brought about an increased understanding of service delivery location performance and performance measurement. Results may be used to provide managerial decision support, communicate best practices, and serve as a basis for further efficiency or quality initiatives. The factors accounted for in the multivariate analysis can explain between 20% - 50% of the variability in key performance outcomes across case management desks. The overall efficiency analysis revealed strong performers both within case management offices and across regions. Four case management offices consistently contain strongperforming case management desks across several methods of evaluating efficiency. Transferring best practices has the potential to significantly increase relative efficiency improvements for case management desks across the province.

This study deals with the changing dynamics of land use systems in an aboriginal community of British Columbia, namely the Lil'wat Nation, by employing the concept of property as an analytical tool. The focus on the concept of property clarifies the role played by the authority and institutions as regulators and decision-making factors in land use management. The description of the relationship between property and various transitions in aboriginal life constitutes the main contribution of this research project. The methodology used in this descriptive study is a combination of the participantobserver method and archival data collection. Issues around authority are discussed in terms of the power relationship between Canada and the Lil'wat Nation. Several historical events explain the way in which political and economic imperatives have shaped the relationship between the Lil'wat Nation and Canada, as well as the internal power relationship within the aboriginal community. It is found that the rapid and important changes in the decision-making situation (i.e., context of institution change) have significantly affected the land use projects on reserve grounds. Those changes include: high rate of population growth, extension of a money economy through forestry and agricultural activities, and exercise of various outside interests on reserve lands. Also, it is found that a number of governmental initiatives created and perpetuated a state of dependency and dissension among the aboriginal community. Since land use practices cannot be viewed in isolation, this study emphasizes the importance of political reform and sharing of authority. Also, some strategies for Lil'wat's selfdetermination are identified and the urgency to develop community-based economic projects is stressed.

Civilinės teisinės apyvartos dalyviai neretai savo teises ir pareigas realizuoja, taikydami asmenų pasikeitimo prievolėje institutą, tačiau netinkamas minėtą institutą reglamentuojančių teisės normų aiškinimas gali tapti kliūtimi įgyvendinant ir vykdant asmenų teises bei pareigas. Todėl darbe keliama problema: kaip turi būti aiškinami kai kurie asmenų pasikeitimo prievolėje aspektai ir kokių reikalavimų turi būti laikomasi, siekiant tinkamai realizuoti kreditoriaus ir skolininko pasikeitimo sutartinėje prievolėje institutus. Siekiant išspręsti iškeltą problemą šiame darbe atskleidžiama asmenų pasikeitimo sutartinėje prievolėje samprata, apžvelgiami reikalavimo perleidimo, faktoringo, subrogacijos skolos perkėlimo reglamentavimo ypatumai pagal romėnų teisę, kai kurių užsienio valstybių teisę, būsimąjį Europos civilinį kodeksą, reikalavimo perleidimas ir skolos perkėlimas atskiriami nuo į juos panašių institutų. Darbe taip pat atskleidžiami esminiai reikalavimo perleidimo ir faktoringo teoriniai ir praktiniai aspektai: atvejai, kai draudžiama ar ribojama perleisti reikalavimo teisę, skolininko padėtis perleidžiant reikalavimą, cesijos ir faktoringo sutarties samprata, forma, turinys, pradinio kreditoriaus atsakomybės ypatumai. Parodant kai kuriuos skolininko pasikeitimo sutartinėje prievolėje aspektus, atkreipiamas dėmesys į draudimus perkelti skolą, skolos perkėlimo būdus, skolos perkėlimo sutarties sampratą, formą bei turinį, analizuojama kreditoriaus sutikimo reikšmė, skolos... [to full text] / The participants of civil legal turnover often use the institute of a change of persons to implement their rights and obligations. However, inaccurate interpretation of legal norms regulating this institute may hamper the realization of the rights and obligations. Therefore, the problem arises - how some aspects of a change of persons in an obligation should be interpreted and what particular requirements should be followed in pursuance of appropriate realization of institutes of a change of creditor or debtor in a contractual obligation. In order to solve the problem pointed out this work reveals the concept of a change of persons in a contractual obligation, analyses peculiarities of regulation of the assignment of claims, factoring, subrogation and delegation of debts upon Roman law, law of some of the foreign countries and the future European Civil Code, as well as distinguishes the assignment of claims and delegation of debts from similar institutes. The work also covers the essential theoretical and practical aspects of the assignment of claims and factoring: the injunctions and restrictions to assign a claim, the status of the debtor of the assignment of the claim, the conception of the cessio and factoring agreements, its form, content, and undertakings of an assignor. While analysing some aspects of the change of a debtor in a contractual obligation the analysis of restrictions to delegate a debt, the ways of delegation, the conception of the agreement to delegate a... [to full text]

This research paper creates a comprehensive statistical model, relating financial impact of risk engineering activity, and insurance claims costs. Specifically, the model shows important statistical relationships among six variables including: types of risk engineering activity, risk engineering dollar cost, duration of risk engineering service, and type of customer by industry classification, dollar premium amounts, and dollar claims costs. We accomplish this by using a large data sample of approximately 15,000 customer-years of insurance coverage, and risk engineering activity. Data sample is from an international casualty/property insurance company and covers four years of operations, 2006-2009. The choice of statistical model is the linear mixed model, as presented in SAS 9.2 software. This method provides essential capabilities, including the flexibility to work with data having missing values, and the ability to reveal time-dependent statistical associations.

The purpose of this study was to increase the level of knowledge in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for wind power. The study includes six wind power farms in the County of Västerbotten in northern Sweden. The main questions were: What are the real dimensions of roadways and land claims for both roads and wind power turbines? How do those dimensions correlate with the dimensions stated in the EIA? Are there any differences in values of the dimensions between the wind power farms that are included in this study? The width of the roadways and the land claims for both roads and wind turbines in wind power farms were examined on site. The results from the examinations were compared with the dimensions available in the EIA for each wind power farm. When comparison was possible the outcome was that the measurements for roadways matched with the dimensions but measurements for land claims for roads and wind turbines exceeded the dimensions. The values of the measured dimensions vary within and in certain cases between the wind power farms. From the findings of this study it can be concluded that it is difficult to in advance estimate how much land roads and wind turbines in wind farms will claim. In addition the study shows that it is of great importance to specify the dimensions of roadways and land claims for roads and wind turbines in the EIA for wind power farms.

On April 1, 2011, the Maa-nulth Treaty went into effect. Negotiated between five First Nations, the province of British Columbia and Canada, the Treaty concerned territories never before ceded on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This study utilizes the Treaty as a point of departure to explore contemporary Indigenous-Settler relations. Using digital storytelling, youth from one of the five signatory First Nations identified their priorities for their Nation in a post-Treaty era. These stories are contrasted with a discourse analysis of mainstream media coverage surrounding the Treaty and a survey of local (mainly Settler) residents’ perceptions to explore dominant perspectives pertaining to this comprehensive land claims agreement. While youths’ ideas for the future were anchored to their Indigenous cultural identity, albeit integrating technology and novel art forms, Settlers’ perspectives remained statically centered upon ill-informed strains of colonial thought premised upon socio-political and economic stereotypes. Colonialism continues to be (re)produced structurally and individually; these findings point to the need for Settlers to engage in their own processes of decolonization.

Magistro baigiamojo darbo tikslas – remiantis Europos Sąjungos bei valstybių narių teisės aktais, teismų formuojama praktika ir doktrina, išanalizuoti ir įvertinti Bankroto reglamento bei valstybių narių nacionalinėje teisėje taikomas nuostatas, užtikrinančias kreditorių lygiateisiškumą bei atskleisti šio klausimo probleminius aspektus, pateikti probleminių klausimų teisinį vertinimą, taip pat teorinius ir praktinius sprendimo būdus. Pirmojoje darbo dalyje analizuojamos temai aktualios sąvokos ir jų sampratos. Visų pirma, analizuojama „bankroto“ sąvoka, įtvirtinta Tarybos reglamente Nr. 1346/2000 „Dėl bankroto bylų“ bei valstybių narių vidaus teisės sistemose. Autorė pastebi, kad Bankroto reglamente šiuo metu įtvirtintas bankroto bylų apibrėžimas yra pasenęs bei turi neigiamos įtakos kreditorių lygiateisiškumo užtikrinimui. Taip pat, šioje dalyje analizuojamos ir pateikiamos „kreditoriaus“ ir „kreditorių lygiateisiškumo arba principo parri passu (par conditio creditorum)“ sampratos. Antrojoje magistro baigiamojo darbo dalyje analizuojamas kreditorių lygiateisiškumo užtikrinimas Europos Sąjungos mąstu bei valstybių narių vidaus teisėje, aptariamos reglamentavimo spragos ir tendencijos. Dėmesys skiriamas kreditorių lygiateisiškumo principo užtikrinimui nuo bankroto bylos iškėlimo, t. y. nuo kreditorių reikalavimų pateikimo, jų tikrinimo ir tvirtinimo iki eiliškumo nustatymo, kadangi, šie pirminiai etapai turi lemiamos reikšmės tolimesniam bankroto procedūros vykdymui bei... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The objective of this graduating thesis for a master degree was to analyze and evaluate the provisions of the Insolvency Regulation and national laws of member states assuring the equality of creditors and to disclose the problematic aspects of this issue, to present the legal evaluation of topical issues as well as the theoretical and practical methods of a solution based on the legal acts of the European Union and member states, the practice and doctrine formed by courts. In the first part of this thesis, definitions and concepts relevant to the theme concerned were studied. First of all, the “insolvency” definition enacted by Council Regulation (EC) 1346/2000 on Insolvency Proceedings and the national law systems of member states was analyzed. The author noted that the definition of insolvency lawsuits. which for the time being is enacted in the Insolvency Regulation, is out-of-date and negatively impacts the assurance of equality of creditors. In addition to this, in this part, the definitions of „the creditor“ and „the equality of creditors or the parri passu (par conditio creditorum) principle“ were presented and analyzed. In the second part of the graduation thesis for a master degree, the assurance of equality of creditors on the scales of the European Union and the national law of member states was analyzed, the gaps and tendencies of regulation were considered. Attention was paid to the assurance of the principle of equality of creditors from the moment of... [to full text]

Darbe formuluojama ginčų dėl nedidelių sumų nagrinėjimo sąvoka, pristatomi ir apibūdinami šios sumarinio proceso rūšies pagrindiniai procesiniai požymiai, uždaviniai bei tikslai. Analizuojant darbe keliamus klausimus pagrindinis tyrimo objektas buvo šiame procese pagrindinį vaidmenį atliekantis teismas, įstatymų jam suteikta prerogatyva šio proceso atžvilgiu. Autorius analizuoja Lietuvos Respublikos Civilinio proceso kodekse įtvirtintas bylinėjimosi ginčų dėl nedidelių sumų formas ir daro prielaidą, jog šios rūšies procese įstatymo leidėjas teismui suteikia per didelę prerogatyvos teisę. Atsižvelgiant į tai, jog pastarasis procesas laikytinas bylinėjimosi forma, kuria siekiama greitesnio nei įprasta bylos išnagrinėjimo ir nereikalaujama tokio bylos aplinkybių ištyrimo laipsnio, koks yra būtinas nagrinėjant bylas bendrąja ginčo teisena dar nereiškia, jog šalims neturi būti suteikta atstovavimo teisė, ribojama teisė būti išklausytam. Tačiau įvertinant tai, jog yra suteikta galimybė surašyti trumpesnį, supaprastintos formos sprendimą, kuris palengvina teismo bei pagalbinio personalo darbą, nestabdo civilinės apyvartos ilgais bylinėjimosi laikotarpiais ir yra veiksminga proceso koncentruotumo priemonė, teismas savo nuožiūra galėtų ir turėtų labiau populiarinti bei praktikuoti šį civilinio proceso kodekse reglamentuojamą ginčų sprendimo būdą. / In the work Small claims litigation: does the implementation of the Court’s discretion have limits? the conception of Small claims litigation is formulated, the main attributes, goals and objectives of this sort of summary process are determined and described. When analyzing the problems, raised in this work, the main object of the research became the Court, which plays the leading role in this process due to prerogative power, given by the law. The author of this work analyzes the different forms of Small claims litigation, established in the Civil Process Code of the Republic of Lithuania, and makes an assumption that in this sort of process the prerogative power given to the Court by legislative bodies is excessive. Although the process in question is regarded to as a form of litigation, which is used to speed up investigation of a case without requiring the level of fact-finding as high as it is necessary in cases of common legal proceedings, it does not mean that the parties’ should not be given the right to be represented, or their right to be heard should be limited. Considering the fact, that the opportunity has been given to draw up a more concise and streamlined solution, which would facilitate the work of the Court and ancillary staff, would not impede civil turnover with long litigation periods, and would be a good measure of process concentration, the Court at its discretion should put more efforts popularizing and practicing this method of dispute procedure... [to full text]